16 romantic restaurants that still have Valentine’s Day reservations
Flowers? Check. Chocolates? Check. Dinner reservation? Not so much?Luckily for you, the Boston area is packed with many intimate dining options that still have open reservations for Valentine’s night. Here are 16 spots for a dinner that is sure to woo your date and your appetite.Note: All of these restaurants had open reservations at the time of this article’s publication.
Saltie Girl
For one night only, tinned seafood destination Saltie Girl will take reservations for its romantic Back Bay dining room. The kitchen will serve seven seafood specials, including a whole roasted lobster for two (market price) and oysters and caviar with a Meyer lemon foam ($25). (Tuesday, Feb. 14, 5 p.m.-10 p.m.; 281 Dartmouth St., Boston; prices vary; 617-267-0691 for reservations)
Mida
This brand-new Italian restaurant on the edge of the South End opened in December 2016 and is already garnering praise for chef Douglass Williams’s creative Italian dishes. The sleek, cream-colored dining room has large windows so you you can look out on Mass. Ave., and the long wood bar is ideal for cuddling up with a date and enjoying the four-course prix fixe menu—with a caviar and truffle supplement—being served on Feb. 14. (Tuesday, Feb. 14, 5:30 p.m.-1 a.m., 782 Tremont St., Boston; $57 per person, $93 with wine pairings; reservations here)
Bastille Kitchen
French cuisine is synonymous with romance and decadence, so it’s no surprise that the Valentine’s Day menu at Bastille Kitchen in Fort Point features luxurious ingredients, like truffles and Alaskan king crab, as part of their four-course prix fixe menu. Enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail by the fireplace in the chalet lounge, modeled after a ski lodge in the Swiss Alps. (Tuesday, Feb. 14, 5 p.m.-10 p.m.; 49 Melcher St., Boston; $90 per person without beverages and tax; reservations here)
Boston Chops
Steak lovers should head to Boston Chops this Valentine’s Day for a three-course dinner in one of the restaurant’s dark leather booths. Try the “Chateaubriand for Two,” which comes with bearnaise sauce and haricot verts ($99 per person, plus a $75 supplement for this dish), and add oysters from the raw bar for the full steakhouse experience. (Tuesday, Feb. 14, 5 p.m.-10 p.m.; 1375 Washington St., Boston; $99 per person not including beverages and tax; reservations here)
Bella Luna
Bella Luna, Jamaica Plain’s quirky lounge attached to the Sam Adams brewery, is celebrating Valentine’s Day with “Love is Love”-themed specials like oysters and roasted halibut served in addition to their a la carte menu. (Tuesday, Feb. 14, 5 p.m.-10 p.m.; 248 Armory St., Jamaica Plain; prices vary depending on specials; reservations here)
Gyu Kaku
Starting Sunday, Feb. 12, this Harvard Square Japanese barbecue will serve a three-course menu that includes an array of appetizers and a main course of lobster, beef, shrimp, and veggies that you get to cook at your table over hot coals. Dessert options include chocolate lava cakes and green tea crepes. (Sunday, Feb. 12- Tuesday, Feb 14, 3 p.m.-10 p.m.; 16-18 Eliot St., Cambridge; $110 per couple, not including beverages and taxes; reservations here)
Cafe Artscience.
Café Artscience
For a meal as fascinating and avant-garde as it is romantic, head to Cafe ArtScience for the seven-course prix fixe menu featuring oysters, foie gras, and veal, all prepared using the latest culinary techniques. You can pair dinner with wine or try a few of renowned bartender Todd Maul’s innovative and meticulously-crafted cocktails. (Tuesday, Feb. 14, 4 p.m.-10 p.m.; 650 East Kendall St., Cambridge; $125 per person, $200 per person with wine pairings; reservations here)
Sportello
James Beard Award winner Barbara Lynch’s casual Italian restaurant in the Seaport is getting into the Valentine’s Day spirit with a four-course menu for two, including a homemade spaghetti and meatball entree. Pair the dessert course, a rich chocolate and hazelnut tart, with one of the Italian amaros from the small, but efficient bar. (Tuesday, Feb. 14, 5 p.m.-10 p.m.; 348 Congress St., Boston; $75 per person, $100 per person with wine pairings; reservations here)
dBar
V-Day diners at dBar, the lively Dorchester lounge and restaurant,can expect four courses of comforting dishes like osso bucco and seared cod with potato gnocchi as an entree and appetizers like heart-shaped ravioli and the “Honey Bunny,” rabbit-braised in honey. (Tuesday, Feb. 14, 5:30pm-10pm; 1236 Dorchester Ave., Boston; $69 per person not including beverages and tax; reservations here)
Doretta Taverna
Book a table at Doretta Tavern in Back Bay, and take a cheaper-than-flying—but still delicious—trip to the Mediterranean. Chef Michael Schlow’s romantic, airy restaurant will serve a four-course prix fixe menu complete with mezzes like lamb tartare, grilled octopus, and spinach pie to share. Can’t make it out on Valentine’s night? The special menu will be available from this Friday through Saturday, Feb. 18. (Friday, Feb. 10-Saturday, Feb. 18; Sundays-Thursday from 5 p.m.-10 p.m. and Fridays-Saturdays from 5 p.m.-11 p.m.; 79 Park Plaza Rd., Boston; $65 per person for the tasting menu with optional $30 wine pairing; reservations here)
Bisq
This cozy Inman Square wine bar is adding Valentine’s Day specials to its small plate-heavy a la carte menu. Bonus: You can sip on special discounted wines off of their awesome wine list all Valentine’s night. (Tuesday, Feb. 14, 5:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m.; 1071 Cambridge St., Cambridge; prices vary depending on specials; reservations here)
A low country board with pickled shrimp, smoked oysters, and field pickles sits on a table at The Frogmore.
The Frogmore
Keep your Valentine’s Day low-key by celebrating at low country-inspired, The Frogmore in JP, where romantic, Southern food and drink specials will be available all night. The charming, bright dining room is offering their normal a la carte menu, and is the perfect place for a casual date. (Tuesday, Feb. 14, 5 p.m.-10 p.m.; 365 Centre St., Jamaica Plain; prices vary; reservations here)
State Park
If you and your date want to celebrate the love holiday without taking it too seriously, consider State Park, located in Technology Square in Cambridge. The restaurant is modeled after dive bars, and for V-Day, they’re serving a Lady and the Tramp-themed dinner complete with a bottle of wine, Caesar salad, a heart-shaped ice cream sandwich and, of course, spaghetti and meatballs. (Tuesday, February 14, 5 p.m.-11 p.m.; 1 Kendall Square, Cambridge; $75 per couple; reservations here)
Townsman
Chef Matt Jennings and the team at Townsman in downtown Boston are offering two Valentine’s Day menus for diners: one, a four-course menu for $89 per person, and one, a six-course menu for $119 per person. Expect Jennings’s signature New England-focused cooking with luxe touches, like lobster and crispy pork belly. (Tuesday, Feb. 14, 5:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m.; 120 Kingston St., Boston; $89 per person for four courses not including beverages and tax, $119 per person for six courses not including beverages and tax; reservations here)
Fairsted Kitchen
At Fairsted Kitchen, an intimate, American and Italian-inspired bistro, the dining room feels like a friend’s home; it’s an excellent choice for those who want to enjoy Valentine’s dinner in a relaxed atmosphere. Their four-course, prix fixe menu for the holiday includes Spanish mackerel and a veal porterhouse for two ($30 supplement for the latter dish). (Tuesday, Feb, 14, 5 p.m.-10 p.m.; 1704 Beacon St., Brookline; $89 per person not including beverages and tax; reservations here)
Liquid Art House
If you love art as much as you love your significant other, head to Liquid Art House this Valentine’s Day. The dining room is part posh restaurant space, part art gallery featuring nationally renowned artists, and Chef Johnny Sheehan brings the art to your plate with eye-catching plating and flavor combinations. For Feb. 14, the restaurant’s three-course, $85-per-person dinner will include cocoa-braised short rib and roasted cod with forbidden rice. (Tuesday, Feb. 14, 5 p.m.-10 p.m.; 100 Arlington St., Boston; $85 per person, $125 per person with wine pairings; reservations here)
