Why the best seat in the house is at the bar

Walk into a full restaurant and there are almost always two empty seats nobody asked for: the ones at the bar. Take them. The bar seat gets faster service, a front-row view of the room working, and conversation with the people who actually know what’s good tonight.

The insider channel

Ask the person behind the bar what they’d order and you get the honest answer the menu can’t print. Bar seats are also the solo diner’s dignity preserved and the couple’s best odds of a walk-in on a busy night — most rooms hold them back from bookings.