The 10 Best Date Night Restaurants Under $100 Per Person
2024-12-16 · 5 min read
The ideal date night restaurant has three qualities: the food is good enough to be interesting, the atmosphere is good enough to be romantic, and the bill is not so large that it becomes the topic of conversation. Under $100 per person including a drink or two is the sweet spot where you can be generous without being reckless. These restaurants exist in every major city if you know where to look.
Italian restaurants dominate this category for good reason. A well-made pasta course is one of the most satisfying things you can eat, and the ingredients are relatively affordable. Restaurants like Lilia in Brooklyn, Bestia in Los Angeles, and Frasca in Boulder offer handmade pasta, excellent wine lists, and candlelit atmospheres at a price point that feels special without being prohibitive.
Wine bars with food menus are the sleeper pick. The format, small plates designed to share, a curated wine list served by the glass, intimate seating, was practically designed for date nights. Places like Wildair in New York, Bar Chelou in Pasadena, and Buvette in the West Village offer exactly the right combination of flavor, atmosphere, and value.
Izakayas, the Japanese equivalent of gastropubs, offer an incredible date night format. Sharing plates of yakitori, tempura, and small dishes over sake and beer creates a casual intimacy that formal restaurants struggle to match. Raku in Las Vegas, Rintaro in San Francisco, and Izakaya Katsu in Chicago all deliver the experience at reasonable prices.
The move is to skip the obvious and find the place locals love. The Thai restaurant in a strip mall with Christmas lights and BYO. The taqueria with the best margaritas in town. The dim sum spot that turns romantic when you go for dinner instead of brunch. The best date night restaurants are not always the most expensive or the most beautiful. They are the ones where the food is so good that the conversation flows naturally around it.
