What is the best alternative to Timeleft?

It depends on what you want to change. For a host at the table and the meal included, The Dinner Table Club, Eatwith or Closer. For the same matched small-table idea in a different app, 222 or DayOfUs. For a free option, Meetup or Bumble BFF. For a women-only group that meets several times, RealRoots.

Is there a Timeleft alternative where dinner is included?

Yes. At The Dinner Table Club the multi-course meal is included in the ticket; most dinners cost $80 to $135 per person, with the multi-course meal included. Eatwith listings are the meal itself, priced by each host, and Closer member dinners are home-cooked, with a per-seat price plus membership. With Timeleft, 222 and DayOfUs you pay the venue for your own food.

Is there a Timeleft alternative with bigger groups?

The Dinner Table Club seats 10 to 20 guests, and a host mixes the table with seat switches between courses. Closer events run 8 to 25 guests in members' homes. 222 starts with dinner groups of six, then combines several groups at a second venue. Timeleft tables are 4 to 6 people.

Is there a free alternative to Timeleft?

Meetup is free to join and RSVP, though some events are ticketed. Bumble BFF is free. Meet5 activities are free for people over 40, with optional paid tiers. None of them plan the dinner or mix the table for you.

Which Timeleft alternatives run in New York, DC, Los Angeles and Miami?

The Dinner Table Club, 222, Meetup and Bumble BFF are in all four cities. Eatwith has many listings in New York and Los Angeles and only a few in DC and Miami. DayOfUs lists New York and Los Angeles. Closer lists New York, with some events in DC. The Weekend Club runs in Los Angeles only.

Is there a women-only alternative to Timeleft?

RealRoots is a friendship program for women, with a facilitator and the same small group over several weeks. Timeleft also runs women-only dinners in some cities.

How is The Dinner Table Club different from Timeleft?

The Dinner Table Club hosts dinners of 10 to 20 guests at restaurants it picks and shows you before you book, with the meal included and a host at every table. Timeleft matches you by algorithm into a table of 4 to 6 at a restaurant it picks, with no host, and you pay for your own food and drinks at the venue. The full side-by-side is on our comparison page.

Timeleft Alternatives in New York, DC, Los Angeles and Miami

Updated October 2026 · By Tyler Tep, founder of The Dinner Table Club

The short answer

The main Timeleft alternatives in New York, DC, Los Angeles and Miami are The Dinner Table Club, Eatwith and Closer if you want a host and the meal included; 222, DayOfUs and The Weekend Club if you want another matching app; RealRoots if you want a guided women's friendship group; and Meetup, Bumble BFF and Meet5 if you want something free. Timeleft itself is an app that matches strangers by personality quiz into tables of 4 to 6, mostly on Wednesday nights, with no host and food paid separately at the venue.

A note on fairness: we run The Dinner Table Club, one of the options below. Every other option is described from its own published details or from press, listed under Sources, and we say where another option is the better fit.

How Timeleft works, for comparison

Matching: a short personality quiz; Timeleft says it mixes people on age range, personality and language.
Table: 4 to 6 people, including you, at a restaurant Timeleft picks.
Food: not included. You pay the restaurant for your own food and drinks.
Price: a subscription bought in the app, priced by region. The US App Store lists plans from $19.99.
Host: none. The app provides conversation prompts.
Where: more than 200 cities in 52 countries, including New York, DC, Los Angeles and Miami. Some cities now add singles, women-only, drinks and daytime meetups.

If you want a host and the meal included

Timeleft does not seat a host at the table, and you pay the restaurant for your own food and drinks on top of the app. These three include the food and have a person running the night.

The Dinner Table Club

Hosted dinner parties for 10 to 20 strangers at partner restaurants in New York, DC, Los Angeles and Miami. You pick a dinner from the calendar, so you see the restaurant and date before you book. A host runs the night and guests switch seats between courses. Most dinners cost $80 to $135 per person, with the multi-course meal included. No membership.

Best for: A bigger table, a known restaurant and no bill to split at the end. It costs more per night than a Timeleft subscription, because the meal is in the ticket.

Eatwith

A marketplace of dinners, cooking classes and food tours run by home cooks and chefs. You book a listing rather than being matched, and the meal is the experience. Each host sets the price and group size; in October 2026 listings ran from about $29 to $254 per guest in New York, with only a handful in DC and Miami.

Best for: A food-first night in someone's home, where the cooking matters as much as the company.

Closer

A members-only club where screened members host dinners and gatherings for 8 to 25 guests in their homes. Annual membership plus a per-seat price, with seats listed at about $40 to $75. Events are listed in New York, with some in DC.

Best for: A home setting and a recurring circle, if you are comfortable with screening and a membership.

If you like matching, but want a different app

These work much like Timeleft: you take a personality quiz, an algorithm picks your group, and you pay for your own food at the venue.

222

An iOS app that matches vetted members into dinner groups of six, then brings several groups together at a second venue. A $22.22 fee per event or a $22.22 monthly subscription, per TechCrunch. 222 lists New York, DC, Los Angeles and Miami among its markets. Outings also include bar nights, workshops and comedy.

Best for: Matching with a bigger mixer after dinner, and outings beyond dinner.

DayOfUs

Algorithm-matched dinners and brunches for 4 to 6 strangers. A per-event fee or subscription, with food paid at the venue. Its site lists New York and Los Angeles, but not DC or Miami.

Best for: The Timeleft format, with brunch as an option.

The Weekend Club

An app that matches six people for weekend brunch at a reserved restaurant. Bookings use in-app credits. In the United States it runs only in Los Angeles, and it is small, with few App Store ratings so far.

Best for: A weekend daytime meal instead of a weeknight dinner, in Los Angeles.

If you want a guided friendship program

Rather than one dinner with strangers, this keeps the same small group together over several weeks.

RealRoots

A friendship program for women: a matched group of about 6 to 10 meets for a series of activities led by a trained facilitator. Matching uses a questionnaire and a voice interview. The site lists a $289 membership; food and activities are paid separately. DC is covered by local press; check the app for other cities.

Best for: Women who want to see the same people several times, not meet a new table once.

If you want something free or interest-based

These cost little or nothing, but nobody plans the dinner or mixes the table for you.

Meetup

A platform where organizers run interest groups and events of every kind, in every major city. Free to join groups and RSVP; organizers pay for the platform, and some events are ticketed. Food depends on the event.

Best for: Meeting people through a shared interest, like running, board games or a language.

Bumble BFF

Bumble's friendship app: match one on one or join interest groups, then plan the meetup yourself. Free, and available in all four cities.

Best for: Meeting one new friend at a time on your own schedule.

Meet5

An app for people over 40 to join or create group activities of five or more, from dinners to hikes. Activities are free, with optional paid tiers. It launched in the United States after an 8 million euro raise in 2025; specific cities are not listed.

Best for: People over 40 who want group plans with others their age.

Which alternatives run in your city

Based on each service's own city listings and press, checked in October 2026.

Service	New York	DC	Los Angeles	Miami
The Dinner Table Club	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Timeleft	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Eatwith	Yes	Few listings	Yes	Few listings
Closer	Yes	Some events	No	No
222	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
DayOfUs	Yes	No	Yes	No
The Weekend Club	No	No	Yes	No
RealRoots	Unclear	Yes	Unclear	Unclear
Meetup	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Bumble BFF	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Meet5	Unclear	Unclear	Unclear	Unclear

Looking for a dinner this week? See upcoming dinners in New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles and Miami.

Also on Timeleft alternative lists, but not running in these cities

Strangrs: matched dinners and drinks in Paris; lists New York as opening soon.
KF.Social: matched tables of six in London.
Rewire: a plans and events app in soft launch in Australia.
AroundMe: small activity groups, on a waitlist in Southern California.
Pie: now focused on community groups rather than events, with most activity in Chicago, Austin, the Bay Area and Columbus.

For a feature-by-feature table, see how The Dinner Table Club compares with Timeleft, 222, Closer, Meetup and Bumble BFF.

Sources

Timeleft: its website (dinners with strangers, locations and city pages) and Help Center (subscriptions priced by region, food and drinks not included), accessed October 2026; App Store listing (plans from $19.99, women-only dinners), accessed October 2026; Tasting Table, May 2025 (no host, conversation prompts, food paid separately).
Eatwith: listing pages for New York, DC, Los Angeles and Miami, accessed October 2026.
Closer: its website (member hosts, 8 to 25 guests, annual membership, listed seat prices, New York and DC events), accessed October 2026.
222: TechCrunch, April 2026 (pricing); its partner site (groups of six, second-venue mixer, markets) and App Store listing, accessed October 2026.
DayOfUs: its website (4 to 6 guests, pricing, cities), accessed October 2026.
The Weekend Club: its website (cities) and App Store listing (groups of six, in-app credits), accessed October 2026.
RealRoots: Y Combinator company page, Relationship Tech, February 2026 (group size, matching, costs) and Washingtonian, March 2025 (DC); its website (membership price), accessed October 2026.
Meetup: Meetup Help Center (free to join and RSVP; ticketed events), accessed October 2026.
Bumble BFF: TechCrunch, September 2025.
Meet5: tech.eu, September 2025 and App Store listing, accessed October 2026.
Pie: TechCrunch, August 2026. Strangrs, KF.Social, Rewire and AroundMe: their own websites, accessed October 2026.