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We did it…we made it to 2021. And not only did we make it to 2021, we made it to SPRING 2021! More things are starting to open up in town, the sun is beginning to shine warmer and longer, and we’re ready to partake. After a long, cold winter, love is finally in the air and we’re here to help it bloom. We’ve got a long list of romantic things to do, virtually and in-person, for date night (or day) in Boston right now.
You could cozy up with your honey at home on the couch or spice things up and head out for a night of fun with a new activity. Date night (or day) doesn’t have to be all about fancy dinners and flowers but it’s usually a success if good food is involved, so don’t be surprised if most of our ideas revolve around food.
Please note, date night also includes friend-dates, so if you’re living that single and free life, don’t feel left out, you’re still invited to the party! Also, if you’ve been waiting to ask someone out, stop waiting and invite them to do one of these awesome activities, you’ll look super thoughtful and creative. Win. Win. And if there’s food involved – Win. Win. Win.
For a romantically sophisticated evening take your date to Yvonne’s in Downtown Crossing. The atmosphere is dark and intimate and the food and drinks to-die-for. They have a bar/lounge area that looks like an old library where you can sip libations or have a full dinner. Whatever you decide the mood will definitely be set *wink*.
For a super fun get-out-of-the-house date night idea head to Flight Club with your date for some drinks and darts. This is not just your typical bar darts where half the pieces are broken and there is one sad board. This is like a darts bowling alley with your own little lane. Flight club refers to themselves as “the home of unexpected, ridiculous, joy,” so, expect a great time!
Any activity that involves food is always a fun way to spend the afternoon, especially on a date, and especially when it gets you outdoors these days. Join Bites of Boston Food Tours for a refreshing walk around one of Boston’s most interesting neighborhoods where you’ll learn about its rich history and culture while enjoying delicious tastings along the way. Live tours are beginning April 15th, book on the calendar now! Right now two of the four tours are being offered with updated COVID safety protocols: The Socially Distant Sweet & Savory South End Tour and The Compliant Classic Bites of Boston Tour. This is a unique date-day activity that you’ve got to try out right now!
Coolidge Corner Theater is iconic in the Brookline neighborhood and as with many small, local businesses, has suffered being closed during COVID. It’s always been the ideal spot for a casual yet cool date and while you cannot frequent the theater right now they have set up virtual experiences for you to partake in. They specialize in international, documentary, animated, and independent film so the selection is always interesting. Help this small business stay afloat and enjoy a curated film experience with your date from home without having to scroll endlessly through Netflix.
If you want to get a little creative for date night, literally, head to The Clay Room and spend the afternoon or evening painting ceramics with your date. Maybe even paint something for them. This is another great casual date idea to take the pressure off of sitting awkwardly at a restaurant and have some fun being creative. We are big fans of experience/activity dates and especially ones where you can get your hands a little dirty, so add this to your date night list!
Fork on a Road is a local, female-owned meal kit company in Boston that offers vegetarian meals full of spices and bright flavors. The recipes are mostly based in Indian or South Asian cuisine and rotate based on what is available seasonally. They provide you with the spices and dry goods to make your meal along with the recipe but getting the fresh stuff is up to you. Order one of their meal kits to cook and eat with your date or join in on one of their virtual cooking events from the series, Suppers with Suman. It’s a great way to take date night up a notch while not even needing to leave the house.
This romantic haven is tucked away by Northeastern University and it’s finally re-opened after being closed for so much of the pandemic! This museum is a lovely spot for a date night or day to take in the beautiful artwork, scenery, and horticulture. The museum opened in 1903 and is still a hidden gem in Boston, so head there with your date for a reprieve from the bustling city streets.
If you’re looking to brighten up your date night then join Laurel Greenfield Art for a virtual paint night. Laurel is a Boston-based artist who offers a pre-recorded Color Lover’s Painting Workshop Bundle for just $24. All you need to do is get your materials and let your creative juices flow as she guides you through painting some of her favorite foods – ice cream, artichokes, and bagels. You’ll probably get hungry in the process so we suggest having some snacks handy!
If you want to go with the classic aphrodisiac, oysters, for date night then why not get your hands dirty and learn to shuck ’em yourself? B&G Oysters is back to offering in-person oyster shucking classes Wednesday-Sunday. To keep everyone as safe as they can, they are utilizing the spacious table at their sister location, Stir, located just across the street from B&G. You and your date are invited to pull up a chair, roll up your sleeves, and let one of their master shuckers show you how to shuck like a pro! Talk about impressive, ow, ow. Lessons for two include: two of their favorite oyster knives to use during the lesson and take home, step-by-step instruction on a few practice oysters, a dozen oysters to shuck and enjoy, two glasses of Champagne, and a space of your own to sit, sip, and enjoy.
There’s no better way to break the ice with your date than to get all sweaty with them, slash just build up an appetite and eat really good food with them. You’re in luck because The Wellness Blueprint offers fun and creative virtual fitness classes and events to help you do just that. Whitney Meza has been rocking out in the fitness world for 17 years and has differentiated herself and her classes by thinking outside the treadmill. Think classes like Exotic Flow and Primal Movement Cardio and pop-up events like Core & Pour (this is exactly what you are thinking – core exercises and drinking!). Check out her awesome schedule and mix date night up a bit.
Tucked into our favorite South End neighborhood is a restaurant serving some of the most delicious food in the city. Coppa, an intimate enoteca, has been a neighborhood favorite for years. Their menu is ever-changing to highlight the freshest seasonal ingredients but expect to see homemade pasta, charcuterie, and amazing pizza. They are offering a Sunday night special called Goodfella’s Sunday Supper, and it’s a great idea for date night. In a nod to their supremely popular, semi-regular Goodfellas dinners, Coppa is offering a four-course menu of Italian American classics inspired by Martin Scorsese’s 90s-era mob movie. Available every Sunday from 2:00-9:00pm for dine-in or take-out, the menu will change from week to week featuring new additions as well as familiar dishes from Goodfellas dinners past – maybe some scampi or parmigiana or possibly some saltimbocca or alla vodka.
Lamplighter is a fan favorite located in Cambridge and is always buzzing with different events and gatherings. They are a brewery and taproom that focuses on aroma-packed and flavor-driven beers, with an emphasis on New England IPAs, barrel-ahed sours, and special seasonals. They brew a variety of one-off batches that allow them to pursue their various whims, and they don’t shy away from funk, twists on tradition, and unique ingredients. While their taproom is closed until further notice, they are keeping the fun going and hosting a series of virtual tastings, events, and to-go pop ups. Check out their event page for a fun date night experience such as Grilled Cheese and Beer Flights with Brato.
Stepping into Mariel feels like stepping into the tropics without the flight or the bags. This upscale venue serves Cuban specialties and impressive craft cocktails in a dreamy, elegant surrounding. It feels like a supper club collided with a beach and a night club but in the best way. The food is meant to share and some of the drinks are too. You will not want to stop ordering, trust us! This is a romantic and fun place for date night if you want to get out of the house and have not just a delicious dinner but a cool experience as well.
If cheese were a language we’re trying to be fluent. With the help of Formaggio Kitchen, one of our Sweet & Savory South End Tour partners, that’s possible! Get fancy for date night at home by taking one of Formaggio’s online tastings/classes with your date. Think exploring some of the two thousand regional varieties of cheese that Italy has to offer, from the peaks of Piedmont to the coast of Campania. Reserve your spot and tasting bundle ahead of time for pick up. You can add on extra goodies like wine and crackers as well for the full effect.
Make date night at home exciting with a themed gift box from Bites of Boston Food Tours. During the pandemic we created a pivot project that became a whole business of its own to support small, local businesses that were struggling just like us. We’re still going strong with our themed gift boxes and some of them are perfect for date night, so for our plan ahead-ers this is a great option. Try The “Spirit” of Boston Gift Box with various booze-themed items, you just have to add the actual booze yourself. Or take date night outdoors with our Local Mocha S’Mores Gift Box and make artisanal s’mores with your date. Not only are these boxes fun to share but they support so many local, small Boston businesses during these tough times.
Sometimes date night turns into date morning, or simply just starts that way. Who are we to tell you when to have your date! Either way, if your date goes into the morning hours, let Lincoln Tavern help sweeten things up with their Breakfast in Bed package. These bake at home kits are available for pick up Friday through Sunday ever week. They are currently offering Funfetti Monkey Bread and Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnamon Rolls. EXCUSE ME?! Yes. That’s correct. We’ll take both.
If going out to eat for you always brings sushi to the brain, then first of all – us too, and second – we’ve got the place for you. Head to Fat Baby in Southie on a Monday night for their Maki Monday special. You get unlimited maki from 4-10pm for just $27. Choose from 6 rolls plus one weekly rotating special. Did we mention that the drinks are fantastic too? Oh, no we didn’t? Well they are delish! So head to Fat Baby for a Monday date night and cheers with a Boomerang or a Baby Got Back.
If you are afraid of being too cheesy on your date then maybe this isn’t the option for you.
*Space for laughter or crickets*
That was your test. If you’re looking to do date night at the end of the week then head to Noir for Fondue Fridays! Nothing says romance like a big bubbling bowl of cheese and that’s exactly the special they are serving up on Friday nights. So if cheesy is your style then head to Cambridge for date night and embrace the dad jokes.
If you want to be prim and proper for date night and have a spot of tea, then don’t go to Shojo for Cold Tea for Two! Just kidding, GO TO SHOJO, but don’t expect to be prim and proper. This is no high tea like they do in England, rather a chilled boozy treat hidden in a tea pot with a dash of history.* Oolong tea infused vodka is mixed with peche de vigne, oolong syrup, and lemon. This is not your grandmother’s tea. Or maybe it is! Either way it’s our kind of tea and the perfect drink to start date night off with before diving into their tasty menu.
*To learn the history behind the cold tea you can join us on our Culture & Cuisine of Chinatown Tour when we get that one up and running again.
Pre-pandemic, Myers + Chang offered an awesome array of “cheap date night” menus for for couples trying to save but feel like they’re splurging to enjoy in the restaurant. Since the pandemic hit they have shifted the offering to an at-home date night package. You can choose from two options – Omnivore’s Delight or Plant-Based Party for Two. Each menu serves two, and includes a Take + Make Kit for dinner tonight and lunch for tomorrow!
Enjoy a delicious meal with a small cook-it-yourself element if you don’t want to go full cook-dinner-with-your-date but feel like you did.
Flour Bakery has been one of our Sweet & Savory South End Tour partners for a while now and they help make our life a little bit sweeter. Sweeten things up on your next date night by cooking up a treat with your partner using one of Flour’s at home baking kits. They will provide you with the dry ingredients and instructions and you get the rest. Maybe you want to go fancy French with the éclairs + cream puffs kit or throwback nostalgic with the raspberry pop-tart kit. Either way your date is sure to be sweeeeet.
Another one of our beloved Sweet & Savory South End Tour partners, the South End Buttery, is offering a delicious variety of prepared take out food from their cafe and marketplace. Conveniently, they are located by several small parks in the South End and make for a great date night or day picnic stop. Order ahead from the cafe or market and take a stroll to a grassy spot or bench in a park nearby for a picnic date. How romantic with this spring weather coming our way!
There’s no denying that a little liquid courage is required for some dates. Raise your hand if you agree. Cracking open a beer or a bottle of wine is always fun but take it up about ten thousand notches with Citrus & Salt’s to go frozen cocktails. You can bring the party to you with any of their drinks but specifically, we’ve got our eyes on soft serve mimosas with a generous swirl of watermelon sorbet accompanied by a split of sparkling rose. Take the tropics to you with one of these fancy mimosas or go for a Becky Juice or a I Didn’t Text You. But hopefully that’s not the case after your date! Maybe order an extra just in case…
It’s no secret that we have a love affair with dumplings. Who doesn’t really? If you not only want to enjoy eating dumplings for date night but also make them then Mei Mei has got you covered. They offer a virtual dumpling making class that is fantastic! This hands-on class covers everything you need to make dumplings at home including hand-folding techniques and how to achieve that perfect pan-sear. They’ll share all the tips and tricks you need to host your very own dumpling party for two. The class includes: 1.5 hours of public or private class time via Zoom video conferencing, live instructor-led demonstrations that cover how to roll wrappers, and five different ways to fold dumplings, and a cooking demo so you can enjoy your dumplings almost instantly. Please note that you will need to have your filling ingredients prepped and dumpling wrappers ready before class starts or you can purchase and pick up a dumpling making kit from them. Ready, set, go!
Published by Rachel DeSimone
