A Table for Two: Best Date Night Spots in NYC
It doesn’t have to be Valentine’s Day or even a birthday to enjoy one of the best date night spots in NYC. Love is in the air everyday here at the Refinery Times, and so we’ve decided to share some of our favorite spots to take the lucky lady or lad. You’re sure to win some major points with these creative date night ideas.
The Hunger Games: The Foodie Date
Bon Appetit calls it the “Best of the West” and The New York Times says, “Go to the West to sample the world.” Gotham West Market is a retail and dining destination in New York City, and it’s the perfect spot to spend the evening exploring all different types of artisanal food without having to leave the neighborhood. While Gotham West Market is home to just eight purveyors, it is more than enough to leave you and your date stuffed by night’s end. Begin the evening with a cup of coffee, some pastries, and a little bit of banter at Blue Bottle Coffee. After coffee, lead the way to one of the six dining options, which includes ramen from the world-renowned ramen expert himself at the Ivan Ramen Slurp Shop. End the night on a sweet note with a scoop of ice cream at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream, where flavors include Whiskey & Pecans and Sweet Cream Biscuits and Peach Jam.
The Classic: The Dinner and a Movie Date
Dinner and a movie will always be a classic date night idea, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done with a twist. Nitehawk Cinema in Williamsburg, Brooklyn is an independent movie house that brings film, food, and drinks together in a fun and fresh way. Nitehawk Cinema offers regular tableside food and beverage service in all theaters, but also curates a specialty drinks and dishes menu specific to the movies being shown in each theater—think watching Woody Allen’s Manhattan while sipping on a Manhattan. You can thank these rebels with a cause at Nitehawk for overturning the prohibition era New York State law that made serving alcohol in movie theaters illegal—Winnie would be proud. Dinner and a movie has a whole new meaning at Nitehawk Cinema.
The Creative: The Artsy Date
Hidden on the Upper West Side of Manhattan is the Little Shop of Crafts, a shop dedicated to Arts & Crafts. The concept is simple. First choose a craft, like pottery, woodcraft, mosaics and more. Then choose a piece—Little Shop of Crafts has more than 700 pieces of raw pottery, plaster, and wood for you to design. Finally, plan your design with hundreds of paint colors, stencils, pencils, stamps, and even carbon paper for tracing. Create your masterpiece, and have a glass of wine while doing so. On Wednesday to Saturday evenings, The Little Shop of Crafts caters to adults, offering complimentary wine as you paint the night red (or should we say “bordeaux”) with your date. By the end of the night, your date will think you’re Picasso. If not, we say a second date is absolutely necessary — but this time we say just stick to a rooftop.
