If the restaurant has one, sitting at the bar is a pretty solid way to strike up conversations. There's a whole laundry list of mundane conversations starters,

If the restaurant has one, sitting at the bar is a pretty solid way to strike up conversations. There's a whole laundry list of mundane conversations starters, like "Whatchya drinking?" (followed by an offer to buy a round, often), or "Know how the X is?" etc. Or restaurants with bench seating (popular amongst pizzerias and German restaurants around here), exchanging a few pleasantries with people sitting next to you sometimes starts a full conversation.