To the fearless globetrotter of delicate taste, Europe will present itself a banquet of wonderful dimensions. A place where the past is written not only in ink but in the generations-old recipes, where every region has its very own culinary dialect and where the regular process of eating can result in the world of culture immersion. There really is nothing like going it alone, when you can eat what you want, when you desire it, without deviation, when you really want to explore a place by its tastes. It is an adventure of a single person and it will definitely not be lonely, beginning in the culinary capital of Italy with no competition whatsoever.
Bologna is a city with food not so much to eat to live but to live to eat and thus food is at the very heart of the lifestyle of the people in the city. It has an authentically fresh and friendly environment to the solo traveler. The medieval core of the city, with the terracotta-coloured houses and unending porticoes is delightful to wander at on foot, and each corner shows another pasticceria, salumeria or trattoria. This dining culture is simple and casual, so one will be comfortable eating alone. The so-called “aperitivo”: an alcoholic refresher before dinner, with a lavish buffet of appetizers, is the ambition of any single person. You can also enjoy a variety of local specialties, and have some drinks chatting with locals and locals at a vibrant location, at one price of a single drink. Don not miss out trying the native cuisine beginning with taglietelle al rag rounds, the meaty, long-simmering tomato sauce in fresh egg pasta out of which the worldwide renowned bolognese was invented. Tortellini in brodo is another must-have: small and delicate pasta pieces stuffed with meat and cooked in a hot and flavorous broth. You can not leave without having tried the real Bolognese mortadella, which is an earth-shattering morsel of meat laced with pistachios and pungently flavored with a mixture of spices, perhaps washed down with a filling of Lambrusco, the local bubbly red wine. To have it all, go to the Mercato di Mezzo historical covered market which is a sensorial overload in the most beautiful way possible. Take a seat at one of the shared tables and take a nibble of everything. As a more practical experience, take a pasta-making course; you will find a course in a local school that will suit the individual.
Our food journey will start in the centre of Italy and will proceed to the windblown shores of northern Spain, to the classy city of San Sebastian. It is a mecca to the singleminded epicure, whose culture of eating around is an almost purpose-designed form of solitary eating: the pintxos bar-hop. Instead of having a proper sit-down meal, it is the custom to jump from one packed bar to another in order to munch small morsels at the bar tops that are known as pintxos. Every bar has its specialty, a Gilda of skewered olives, anchovies, and pepper to the mini-tower of grilled foie gras or spider crabs tartlets. The standing-room-only, vibrant environment that surrounds the pintxo bars of the Old Town makes the solo traveler feel like a fish in his or her own pond. Certainly, a great range of pintxos is a must-order. Search bars that focus on pintxos calientes (hot pintxos) because they are prepared to order. In addition to the bites, donate yourself to some of the regional txakoli, which is slightly sparkling, dry white wine served in large quantities and poured most of the time to the height of 4 feet to allow its oxygenation. If you want the ultimate experience, go to La Viina and order some of their infamous burnt Basque cheesecake, a creamy mixture of sin that has caused other restaurants to replicate their recipes. The perfect experience among singles is spending an evening on the basque local version of a pintxos crawl called a txikiteo throught the maze like alleys of the Parte Vieja (Old Town). Begin at Calle 31 de Agosto and follow your appetite around. There is no need of making reservations and the thrill is in the finding.
We leave Spain and go to France skipping the hustle and bustle of Paris instead of going to a city that is considered by many French the real gastronomic capital of France, Lyon. Sitting at the crossing of rivers Rhone and Saone, Lyon has a long culinery history based in rich and rustic highly sophisticated and prepared cuisine. Its peculiarities are its bouchons, its traditional bistros where all meat and other delicious foodstuffs are served in a cheerful and sometimes even noisy cafe. To the solo traveler, taking one of the seats at the counter or a small table in a crowded bouchon is a classic Lyonnaise experience. The bouchons are automatically hospitable and the emphasis is on the food. You should have quenelle de brochet which is a light fluffy dumpling of creamed pike fish which is usually accompanied by a rich crayfish sauce. A salade Lyonnaise, a simple-looking but eye-opening bowl of frissee, crisp lardons of bacon, a perfect poached egg, and heady vinaigrette, is also necessary. Those with a more adventurous streak may find such local fare as andouillette (a coarse sausage made of tripe) and tablier de sapeur (breaded and fried tripe avec beef). To immersiate oneself in the culinary culture of the city, one should spend a morning at Les Halles Paul Bocuse, a mythical covered market, where one will be able, stall by stall, to eat oysters, local cheeses such as Saint-Marcellin, charcuterie of the best producers that exist in the region. Numerous stalls provide counter seats, so it is an ideal place to go when a person wants to have lunch alone.
Then, we travel to the sunny plateaus of Lisbon, Portugal, a place that blends contemporary vibe with the respect towards the culinary traditions. To the single food lover, Lisbon has near unlimited supply of quality food at very reasonable prices, including freshly caught seafood grilled to perfection, as well as a first-rate pastry culture. This city is so walkable, and the seven hills of the city are full of viewing aspects and endless chances to find a special tasca secret. It is normal to eat alone and it can be in the high-top counter in local Time Out Market and in a quaint place in the Alfama neighborhood and hearing the sad tunes of Fado music. Newly barbecued sardines are a necessity especially at the time of summer festivals. Bacalhau a brs, another classic, a terrifically good scramble of cod, onion, straw-fried potatoes and eggs, garnished with olives. A day out is not complete without trying pasties de nata, the custard tarts and the flaky crusted pastry is topped with a caramel layer and though the best are the Belen tourist tarts every neighbourhood has a bakery claiming to have the best. The Time Out Market Lisboa is a place that you cannot miss as a major center of gastronomic activity. It takes some of the finest chefs and restaurants in the city and packages them under one roof, and presents many of them in dizzying choice, which is ideal to the solo diner who cannot decide what they want to have. To get a more alternative experience, visit the Feira da Ladra, Lisbon flea market where you can eat something such as bifanas (marinated pork sandwiches) and more.
Then our culinary journey continues to the east to the City of Danube Pearl, Budapest. The capital of Hungary has a rich and comforting, yet multifaceted cuisine, and, of course, as the solo traveler, it is one of the cheapest destinations within the Europe founded area. Fine coffehouse establishments with comfortable seats and delicious cake create a friendly environment to enjoy some time on your own, and hanging out overnight in its oddball bars, the so called ruin bars, which used to be abandoned properties, are an out-of-the-ordinary yet sociable way to enjoy a drink. It becomes very easy to have a good and rich meal of one single serving without denting your wallet. Goulash is a national dish, which you should not miss. Traditionally this beef stew is full of vegetables and lots of paprika it is a great give-me-comfort food. The other one is LAngos, which is deep-fried flatbread, traditionally covered with a layer of sour cream and grated cheese. As a sweet treat, you can decide to take a sweet-tooth indulgence in k u r t o s k a l a c h s (chimney cake) which is a sweet dough twisted into a spiral and roasted on charcoal and garnished with sugar and cinnamon. The Central food hall is the food hub of Budapest and is a three story architectural wonder, where you can get all kinds of food starting with fresh produce and paprikas to street food stalls that are on the top level. It is perfect to have a picnic party alone or get a cheap typical lunch. You should not miss spending an afternoon in one of the historically famous coffee shops in the city such as the Caf Gerbeaud or New York Caf among others sipping coffee and tasting the lovely pastries such as the Dobos Torte.
Eventually, at the interchange of continents we get to Istanbul. This is a large, vibrant city, the kaleidoscope of sounds, impressions, and above all flavors. To the solo foodie, Istanbul is a 24/7 adventure, where they have a mind-blowing street food culture and eating and walking around is more than simple and thrilled. The city smells of spicey markets, the sound of grilling meat, the sweet smell of honey mixed in the air coming in to one at a time they are due to enter the city of ghosts. It is the place where you can experience a dozen different culinary experiences in one day but without the need of a dinner reservation ever. Turkish breakfast, the kahvalt, is an occasion in its own right, a bountiful plate of cheeses, olives, jams, honey, eggs and fresh bread which a single eater can quite contentedly spend several hours working on. On your way, pick on the exemplary street foods of simit (bread ring with sesame seed), d\?? meat on the rotisserie (the concept originated) and balik ekmek (grilled fish sandwich sold directly on the boats at the Galata Bridge). To experience a home-style cooking, find a lokanta, a type of tradesmen restaurant where you can order what you want to eat, you can point at the already cooked food you would like to sample. No trip to Istanbul could pass by a trip to the Spice Bazaar, just follow your nose through the piles of colorful spices, teas, and Turkish delight. To get practically lost in the true feeling of the city, do a food tour between the European and Asian side of Istanbul, visiting the colorful Kadikoy markets, a much more local experience of what the fantastic food in this city has to offer.
No matter the destination of your food adventure, handful of hints can make it even more enjoyable. Experience the counter dinner and community tables that are best suited to individual travelers. And do not hesitate to reserve a food tour or a cooking class on the first day; it is an excellent idea to explore the place and to meet similar-minded people. And the most essential thing is to travel with the open mind and empty stomach. A single adventure in Europe is an opportunity to create your own menu, to enjoy every moment and to realize that the most interesting traveling companion sometimes can be a really great serve of food.
Every city where gastronomical scenes are redefined eagerly, is as full of wonders as the classical gastronomic centers, although it is one different kind of adventure. And once again we move forward, to the very center of creativity in Germany the city of Berlin. It is a lesson on reinvention, and its food scene is the direct product of its bohemian, multicultural nature. Berlin is perhaps the most liberating city in the entire Europe, as a solo traveler precisely because its ethos is based on individuality and there is a definite absence of pretentiousness. Here there is no judgment, but just open invitation to be yourself. This is a beautiful projection of its eatery culture. You can eat what you wish, when you wish and in the manner you do. The street food in the city is well-known and is used as the main vein of life of its cuisine. Turks have presented the city with the doner kebab, which is much more gourmet and complex than the image it has acquired internationally. Mustafas Gemusekebap may always have a long line, but you can always wait in the line because of the chicken, roast vegetable, and secret sauce. On top of the Turkish delights there is a very strong Vietnamese influence and you can now find innumerable restaurants in places such as Kreuzberg serving heart-warming bowls of pho and fresh summer rolls that make an ideal and healthy one person dinner.
Theade of an ideal solo foodie is variety and availability in Berlin. It is possible to graze in a full day and not to sit down to a formal meal. Markthalle Neun in Kreuzberg is a temple of the mentioned way of eating. It becomes a vibrant global marketplace of food by hosting a Street food Thursday, which serves up British pies, Nigerian FuFu, homemade pasta and Mexican tacos. It is a friendly, energetic place and it seems so natural to sit on a bench and introduce yourself with a person you have never met and conversing with him or her using a craft beer as a topic of the discussion. To have the flavor of the old Berlin, you simply cannot skip currywurst, which is the well known sausage dish of Berlin covered in a unique curry-ketchup. It has been served in stalls such as Konnopke Imbiss all these generations. But the German capital is also a center of a cooking boom of fine restaurants, much of it unexpectedly unpretentious. Most contemporary restaurants have a counter that looks into the kitchen, a meal and show entertainment to the single diner. The city also leads in vegetarian and vegan food and whole neighborhoods provide plant-based adaptations of the classic German dishes and even new and interesting experiences so that each kind of a foodie might feel at home. The trick to getting the most out of Berlin is being spontaneous; avoid making any plans and get lost; look around, track the scent of sizzling sausages or smelling spices and you will find your next culinary delight.
We leave the rough bohemianism of Berlin and move north to high-functionalism, design savvy sophistication of Copenhagen. The New Nordic movement is an important part of the popularity of the Danish capital as a global pilgrimage place of any food lover and uses only hyper-local, seasonal, and sustainable ingredients. Although the pricing may be expensive, the tour is inimitable and the way the city is built with a feel of order and style gives it a very calm and secure place to be as a lone traveller. The Danes have got a term named hygge, a sense of comforting well-being, which transfers to their eating places. You will be able to enjoy cozy spots by candlelight which are even more welcoming even though you are by yourself. The dining is usually counter riding and the staff is always friendly and professional. In addition to having the Michelin-starred temples of gastronomy, Copenhagen has an abundance of affordable gourmet delights, as well. Food halls starting in the city are ideal. Full of life, torvehallerne is a glass market, a visual as well as a culinary act of feasting. This is where you can taste traditional smrrebrdt-, which means an open-faced sandwich with complex topping such as pickled herring, roast beef with remoulade or smoked salmon. It is an art and every item is a well balanced meal fit to eat in one sitting.
Travelling alone in Copenhagen food scene is all about enjoying good stuff and excellence. Have a coffee and a cinnamon or cardamom bun, or a so-called snegl, in one of the capital citys outstanding bakeries. Coffee is popular in Denmark and Aarhus is full of world-leading specialty coffee shops where one can unwind in a cup of delicious coffee. At lunch time, a smoremrod cannot be compromised. Go to an old-school place such as Schonneman or the newer Aamanns. In terms of dinner, visit one of the hip areas (Norcross or Vesterbro). Here there is a younger group of chefs who open more casual and experimental restaurants. There are delicious tasting menus, which travel the Danish scenery in many of them, or you can have fantastic gourmet hot-dogs, home-made beers and organic wine. One of the most local things to do is to rent a bicycle, which is the main transportation mode of the city, and plan your own food tour, riding your bicycle first to a bakery and then to a food market and then to Reffen street food market on the waterfront, and watch the sunset having dinner as you look out into the harbor. Copenhagen can teach a solo foodie to take his or her time and appreciate the detail and just get delight in a perfectly baked slice of bread or a colorfully laid-out sandwich.
Having taken you on a trip to the west now we will make a trip to the east to a city that is a fairytale itself, Prague. It is a beautiful city of unsurpassed beauty in the capital of Czech Republic, which has its astronomical clock, romantic Charles Bridge and extensive castle compound. Its cuisine was once regarded as an add-on to its architecture since long though that has taken a drastic turn. The Prague food scene has become vibrant and is based on a mixture of respects to its rich comfort food heritage and a new wave of inventiveness. To the person who is traveling alone, it would be a fabulous place to get fantastic value on expenses enabling one to indulge on a smaller budget. The town is tiny, stroll-able, and chill. Eating alone here is not a problem and it does not make a difference whether you are in a small traditional pub and having the plate of goulash or in a modern bistro. Czech cuisine has a rich base that is very fulfilling. You are supposed to attempt vepR Franka targets knedlo zelo, one of the foundations of the country and includes roasted pork accompanied by bread dumplings plus cabbage stew. The other requirement is a famous Czech dish: a beef sirloin cooked in a creamy vegetables mixture: svicekova, cranberries, and dab of cream. Such meals are the stuff of comfort food. A fast sweet street food is sought after,, trdelnik (chimney cake), a spiral of grilled dough covered with sugar and nuts, sometimes filled with ice cream.
A single-foodie in Prague will not only survive but also enjoy himself by immersing in the world of local establishments, such as pubs. Czechs happen to be the greatest consumers of beer in the world, and their pilsners cannot be better. A pivovar (brewery pub) is a wonderful dining destination when one is traveling alone as it has a very energetic atmosphere and serves a menu of traditional meals that are created to accompany the beer. Farmers marketsOn top of the pubs go and visit the farmers markets such as that at Nplavka by the river on a Saturday to see the latest and greatest of local produce and taste local cakes, sausages and wines home produced. To see the other side of the industry, visit the new generation of chefs that are redefining the tooldoing masters. Eska restaurant in the Karl u atn area is modernising classic local ingredients that go hand-on-hand with contemporary facilities in a cool and warehouse type environment, and it has space to spare as an individual diner. There are also what are called jidelna, which are basic, cafeteria-like canteens serving a cheap, fast and local idea of what normal people in Czech eat during lunchtime. Prague is a city of comforting tastes, haunting history and unexpected cost-effective price tags so a visit to Prague is a highly satisfying holiday destination that every singular epicure should make.
The last new destination is Poland and the magical city of Krakow. Being the cultural and intellectual capital of Poland, Krakow was spared of the major devastation caused during World War II; hence leaving its spectacular UNESCO world heritage site, the Old Town. It is an enamoring history to adorn a culinary tradition that is heart-warming, lavish, and, like Prague itself, super-affordable. Krakow will be a very friendly city to its solo travellers with the city being safe and easy to navigate. Its food culture focuses on hearty, home-made-type of food that gives you a warm embrace. It is an ideal location where you can find time to enjoy Slavic food at the stepping pace. Pierogi is the most well-known Polish dish, which definitely should be tried. They are stuffed dumplings which may be savory (potato and cheese, sauerkraut and mushroom, meat) or sweet (with berries and sweet cheese). They are everywhere, in special pierogi restaurants and modest bar mleczny or milk bars. A unique dish in Krakow no Krakow visit would be complete without a sample of the deeply flavoured and unique taste of the żurek or sour rye soup that is usually accompanied with sausage and the hard boiled egg. In the case of street food go to Plac Nowy in Jewish part of Kazimierz. Directly here it is possible to find the sellers of the so-called zapiekanka, a toasted open-faced baguette with a topping of melted cheese, mushrooms, and other toppings a Polish variant of a pizza and a complete meal at a low price.
There is no better friend of a solo foodie in Krakow than the so-called bar mleczny, or milk bar. Such cafeterias are a relic of the communist times and initially were supported by the state to provide low cost food to the laborers. They nowadays offer the most authentic, no-nonsense Polish cooking at only a few dollars per serving. It is easy, you line-up, point at something you desire, and pay then take the food to a table. It is quick, effective, and it is perfectly usual to eat solitary. Outside the milk bars there is a lot of action in the Main Market Square (Rynek G glovesyny) with cafes and restaurants all around. Though some are touristy, they have a fantastic place to rest with a coffee or a beer and watch people. To take a more in-depth plunge, peruse the off-roads of Kazimierz where one may discover that bohemian cafes and restaurants are found that serve both the traditional Jewish as well as the Polish meals. The city of Krakow is so beautiful because it has a lot of heart and is real. It is a place where people can saturate stomach and soul all in one as this city shows that a food city experience can be intensely flavourful and filled with experiences without being fancy. It keeps the solo traveler in mind that you do not have to dress to impress or go to fancy restaurants to have the most memorable of the interesting things that you eat because the most interesting place to eat is one that seems to have a million stories to tell.
