Meet some of the women making solo dating in Toronto the next big thing

"Table for one, please."

There used to be a time when dining out alone as a woman was seen as weak, embarrassing, and loser behaviour. But today, a growing number of Toronto women are showing just how fun and empowering it can be to date yourself.

Spend even two minutes on TikTok, and you'll likely come across Toronto women who are documenting their solo outings with what I would describe as Beyoncé-level confidence. Type in "solo date Toronto" and you'll have about 15.7 million videos to binge-watch. 

Women like Min Jo say they enjoy going out alone than they do with other people. For her specifically, decentering men and learning to have fun on her own is the goal. 

Despite millions of Canadians using dating apps, Jo and countless other people have experienced "swipe fatigue" at one point or anyone. In fact, a recent Forbes Health survey revealed that a whopping 79 per cent of Gen Zers had dating app burnout. 

Gee, could it be due to the high volume of fish photos on Tinder? Or the shocking number of people who use the same ol' "does pineapple belong on pizza?" prompt on Hinge? Or what about the lack of flirty, witty banter straight out of a '90s rom-com? 

Jo has been documenting her solo bar-hopping adventures on TikTok, where she's building a following and receiving a lot of praise from other Toronto women. "You're actually an icon for this!" and "Wish I could do it!" often echo in the comment section. 

@vibinwithmin Follow along, I will be updating throughout the night ☺️ #torontotiktok #torontolife #torontovlog #torontobars #torontofood ♬ original sound - Min ✨

Jo films her adventures on popular bar-hopping stretches like King Street West or the Ossington strip, grabbing a seat at a watering hole by herself. Sometimes, but not always, she finds others sitting alone and strikes up interesting, albeit platonic, conversations with them.

Jo tells blogTO she wasn't always this confident and independent. She only started solo dating a year ago after a big breakup.

"I think it's like one of the most empowering skills that I have built, because when I'm going out to either a bar alone or a restaurant alone, I'm proving to myself that my own enjoyment, my happiness, doesn't depend on anyone else," she says. 

But, honestly, you don't need to be single to date yourself, now do you?

Take Joëlle Anello as an example. Anello is a happily married content creator who started her series, 50 First Solo Dates, simply because she was sick of waiting around to find someone to do fun activities with. 

"I wanted to challenge myself to really see what this city has to offer without waiting on anyone else to make plans. This series really helped me to take control of my own free time and schedule," she tells blogTO.

Anello often vlogs about her outings to almost 70,000 followers on TikTok (and over 68,000 on Instagram), often outlining how much each activity costs. Picture jewelry making, glassblowing, cake decorating, flower shopping and more. If it's colourful and whimsical, Anello is doing it. 

@joelleanello A new craft studio in downtown Toronto to make a Decoden jewelry case! The perfect thing to do and solo date in the city. #thingstodointoronto #torontoactivities #torontodateideas ♬ original sound - Joëlle

Responses to her successful series have been "overwhelmingly positive," and, just like Jo, Anello gets a lot of supportive messages from Toronto women looking to follow in her footsteps. 

"Women particularly have shared how they too have struggled to make new friends in Toronto, and my series has inspired them to become comfortable doing things alone," she says. "I've also had a therapist reach out to say that she shares my series with women who are newly divorced to empower them, and I thought that was really cool!"

It's a common feeling to think that making friends is tough in Toronto due to hustle culture and the rising cost of, well, literally everything. Anello recommends signing up for small group activity classes to get started.

"You may be surprised to learn that you're not the only person attending solo – I rarely am – and will leave with a handful of new connections in the city that share similar interests to you," she says.

Jo says it's important to take baby steps. "Start off with things that are very normal to do alone, like go to a cafe alone, read your book, journal, and get comfortable in your own solitude," she advises before bar hopping solo like a pro. 

If you do want to take Jo's lead and bar hop as a means to meet new people, Ossington is "a safe bet," she says. Oddly enough, chain restaurants – like JOEY and Earl's – are great spots for solo daters, too.

"Don't harp on chain restaurants! You can meet a lot of cool people at these places, too," Jo says.