Eating alone gets an unfair reputation.
In much of Asia, solo dining is completely ordinary, entire restaurant formats are built around it, with counter seating, quick service, and food that’s just as satisfying whether you’re a table of one or a table of six. Sunnybank has quietly inherited that same culture, and there are a handful of spots where eating solo isn’t just accepted, it’s genuinely the best way to experience the place.
No awkward glances, no waiting for a friend to be free, just good food and your own pace. Here are three of the best.
Sushi Edo: A Front Row Seat at the Sushi Train, Sunnybank Plaza
Sushi Edo is fitted out with modern bar style seating alongside cosy booths for larger groups, but it’s that bar seating you want if you’re dining solo.
A marble counter wraps around the restaurant’s sushi train, giving every seat, including the one you’re sitting in alone, easy access to a constant rotation of fresh plates. Grab what catches your eye as it passes, or if the roll you’re after isn’t on the train, simply ask the chefs to make it fresh. Ordering is done through an iPad positioned right in front of your seat, so there’s no waiting to catch a waiter’s attention and no sense that you’re taking up a table built for more people than just you. Beyond the sushi, the a la carte menu includes steamy pork gyoza, warm udon noodle soups, and wagyu topped with Sushi Edo’s own teriyaki sauce.
The restaurant is fully licensed too, so a cold Asahi is entirely on the table if you feel like extending the moment. It’s the kind of setup where being on your own doesn’t register as unusual at all, everyone at the counter is doing their own thing, side by side.
Yori: Counter Service Built for One, Sunny Park
By day, Yori runs on a donburi format that’s about as solo friendly as it gets. Order at the counter, take a seat, and your bowl arrives without any of the back and forth that comes with a full table service restaurant.
The Miso Katsu Don and the Roast Beef Don, built on sous vide MB9 wagyu, are both substantial enough to be a complete meal on their own, so there’s no pressure to order extra dishes just to make a table feel full. It’s quick, it’s quiet, and the focus stays entirely on the food in front of you. Tucked away behind Sunny Park on McCullough Street, Yori has built a loyal following without much marketing at all, and a good part of that comes down to how comfortable it is to eat here by yourself.
If you’re after something a little more social later in the evening, Yori shifts gears entirely into Yori Snack Bar, an izakaya night session with hot pot and shared plates, but the daytime donburi counter remains the better choice for a relaxed solo meal.
Hakataya Ramen: The Noodle Bar Where Everyone Eats Alone, Sunnybank Plaza
Hakataya Ramen is tiny, and that’s exactly the point. The seating centres around a compact noodle bar counter where you watch the kitchen work as your bowl comes together, broth that’s been simmering for 39 hours, noodles dropped in at just the right moment, char siu sliced to order.
This is the traditional ramen shop format found across Japan, where solo dining isn’t just common, it’s the default. Slide onto a stool, order from the short menu of tonkotsu based ramen, and settle in for a bowl that rewards your full attention rather than a conversation. The space fills up fast, particularly around lunch and dinner, so solo diners often move through the queue quicker than larger groups waiting for a table to open up.
It’s unhurried in the way that matters, nobody’s watching you eat alone, because everyone at the counter is doing exactly the same thing.
Good company optional
A sushi train, a donburi counter, a ramen bar, three completely different ways to enjoy a meal entirely on your own terms. Sunnybank has always done counter dining well, and these three spots prove that eating solo here isn’t something to work around, it’s one of the best ways to experience the precinct. With 70+ dining and entertainment options across Sunnybank Plaza and Sunny Park, there’s always a seat at the counter waiting for you.
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