Since getting out of the newborn fog, Duncan and I have been making an effort to do an (almost) weekly date night. I wrote a post back in 2017 sharing some of my favorite spots for date night in Dallas, but I wanted to do an updated version since it’s been 4+ years! Funny enough, a lot of those spots are *still* top of my list but I have quite a few additions as well!
Dallas has such a GREAT food scene that it was hard to put this together and feel like it was comprehensive, but between the previous restaurants I wrote about in 2017, and the new places I mention below, I think this is a pretty great starting point if you’re looking for a date night spot in Dallas.
For a quick refresher, these are the restaurants I featured in my original date night post back in 2017 – all of which I still stand by!
Initial Dallas Date Night Spots
- Hillstone
- R+D
- Sprezza
- Dolce Riveria (temporarily closed)
- Terilli’s
- Neighborhood Services
- Le Bibloquet
- Taverna
- The Grape (has since closed)
Of this list, our top choice is Neighborhood Services with Le Bebloquet coming in a close second!
As for the new restaurants I’d like to add to my list of favorite date night spots, here they are!
Expanded Dallas Date Night Spots
Photo courtesy of Eater
Fachini
Neighborhood: Highland Park (Highland Park Village on top of the movie theater)
If you love Italian food, do not sleep on Fachini!! Their menu takes all the classic Italian dishes we all love like lasagna and bolognese and puts “sensationalized” spins on them. Chef Juan Barsotti’s 100-layer lasagna is a famous dish you might have even heard of, and trust me when I say it’s famous for a reason and is definitely something to write home about. Speaking of Chef Barsotti, he also brought Sprezza, Nonna, and Carbone’s (all of which we also love!!) to Dallas, so you know he’s GOOD.
Beyond the food, the vibe and decor are also amazing! I find myself wanting to take some of their decorations home with me lol. I’d describe it as swanky but it still has plenty of natural light so it’s not so dark you can’t read the menu.
Image via Montlake Cut website
Montlake Cut
Neighborhood: Preston Center
Montlake Cut is all about the seafood! It’s a concept by the same guy, Nick Badovinus, who did Neighborhood Services and Town Hearth, two other excellent restaurants in town! It’s a great place to go on a double date or if it’s just the two of you – we’ve done several small group outings here and the service has always been top-notch.
The decor goes perfectly with the coastal vibes and fish-filled menu. Definitely recommend the oysters if those are your thing and the king crab fra Diavolo served over spaghetti or the red snapper tacos, but you definitely can’t go wrong with anything on the menu!
Photo courtesy of Dallas Morning News
Il Bracco
Neighborhood: Preston Center
If you’re from Dallas, you might know Il Bracco because it’s part of the very popular Hillstone Restaurant Group. But also there are Hillstone restaurants all over the country – they’re amazing aren’t they?! Those guys get so many things right when it comes to running a place-to-be spot with an incredible menu. Il Bracco’s COO is Matt Gottlieb who has been the general manager for several Hillstone restaurants plus the CEO, Robert Quick, was an SMU football player and graduate so that’s pretty cool!
As for the food, it’s DELICIOUS Italian with every single thing being made from scratch! Even their bread, pasta and sauces! This is the place you go when you really want to indulge and eat alllll the yummy food! With a casual but upscale vibe, it’s a fantastic weeknight option for a date!
Photo courtesy of Eater
Hudson House
Neighborhood: Park Cities
Hudson House is definitely a little more casual but we always have such a good time. We’ve gone just the two of us and on double dates. Dinner is great, but we find ourselves really enjoying this place for brunch or lunch on the weekends. It’s got great, relaxed vibes that are perfect for a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.
The menu isn’t huge but has just enough options for everyone. It’s very fish forward – I love to order anything with their ahi tuna, and the shrimp cocktail is always good too! Duncan usually goes for the burger! It’s a bit expensive for what it is, but we keep going back because we always seem to have a good time whenever we go.
Drake’s
Neighborhood: Lovers & Inwood
Drake’s is definitely a great place to enjoy an upscale night out with your significant other. They enforce a “cocktail attire” dress code, which I actually really appreciate because it helps uphold the vibe you’re going for when you eat out at a place like Drake’s. If you’ve never been, they have a very swanky “old Hollywood” thing happening and it’s really fun to immerse yourself in it for the evening.
I feel like Drake’s is widely known for their steaks, but also have chicken and fish dishes on the menu. D and I usually go for the steaks since it’s kind of what they’re known for but the entire menu is amazing. You also have to order a cocktail or two! oh and they’re cauliflower is DANGEROUS – it’s so freaking yummy!
Photo via Eater
Georgie’s
Neighborhood: Knox Henderson
We discovered Georgie’s in the last three or four months and now we can’t quit it! We’ve gone three times just in the past few months! We love everything about it from the decor and vibe to the food and service! And when I say vibe, this place is a serious VIBE. I mean, it has orange velvet seating lol, but in an extremely upscale and elevated way. It’s definitely swanky and a bit on the fancy side, which is what makes it the perfect spot for some one-on-one time and so fun to go to for a drink! It’s on Open Table too, so you should probably go make a reservation now! 😉
You can’t go wrong when it comes to the menu at Georgie’s. Everything is A+ in my book but if I HAD to choose, you absolutely must try the chestnut agnolotti – it’s incredible.
Photo courtesy of Four Square
Shinsei
Neighborhood: Lovers & Inwood
I’ve been coming to Shinsei for years and absolutely love it! It was actually one of the first restaurants I visited when I initially moved to Dallas and instantly fell in love and clearly kept going back for more! Honestly, if you meet anyone who lives in Dallas and you suggest Shinsei for dinner, their answer will be yes because everyone loves it.
With that said, Shinsei is fantastic for group outings, double dates, and small celebrations but also for that important one-on-one time. We’ve done all of the above there and I can confirm no matter your group size, you’ll have a fun time! Also, there’s valet parking, which is always a nice added bonus. 🙂
For food, I don’t even know where to start. Order the whole menu lol. We absolutely love the sashimi and order so much of it every time we go. We also love the Katina crispy rice that’s basically tuna on top of fried rice and it’s SO YUMMY. Probably some of the best pan-Asian food in Dallas!
Photo courtesy of The Charles
The Charles
Neighborhood: Design District
The Charles is another incredible restaurant that also happens to serve Italian food. Lol, you might have noticed by now that Italian is kind of our favorite. It’s truly so hard to put any of the Italian places I’ve mentioned above the other because they’re all great in different ways. For us, and I think most people in Dallas (sort of a broad statement but going with it), The Charles is a place where you can get great Italian food, a beautifully decorated environment, but it still feels very… Texas? If that makes sense? It’s like Italian vibes but with that southern, Texas twist. You might just have to go experience it! 😉
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Alright, that’s my updated date night spots list! I won’t lie, it kind of feels weird to not explicitly mention and call out Neighborhood Services because we LOVE that place so much, but I mentioned it on my list from 2017. Don’t skip it, it’s great and truly one of our favorites!!
Am I forgetting anything?! Please feel free to share in the comments!
