Foodie Date Ideas
Are you a foodie? Are you dating a foodie? Date ideas centered around food are a great are awesome because they offer a unique way to explore new flavors, cuisines and restaurants/neighborhoods together, providing an exciting and fun bonding experience. Eating together can be also relaxing and enjoyable way to spend time together, whether it’s a casual or more formal occasion.
Best Food Date Ideas
Go on an Food Crawl
Go as a couple or grab a group of friends and search for the best ice cream, pizza, tacos, or drinks in town.
Bake Something Together
Get ideas from online recipes (or your favorite chef/baker) or choose a recent challenge from The Great British Bake Off (e.g., English Muffins, Cherry Cake, Biscuits)
Food Challenge: Make a Microwave-Only Meal
Get creative and pretend you’re contestant on Top Chef by onlyusing the microwave to cook breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Microwave Only Meal Dinner Ideas: Enchiladas, Ratatouille, Macaroni and Cheese, Fried Rice
Microwave Only Meal Desserts Ideas: Chocolate Cookies in a Cup, Peanut Brittle, Nutella Mug Cake, Lemon Bars, Monkey Bread
Have a Picnic
Grab a bottle of wine or seasonal 4-pack of beer and have a fun time
Where: Any local park, riverfront, boardwalk, or the beach
Essential Items: Cooler; Wine; 4-Pack of Seasonal Beer; Paper Towels; Blanket; Plates/Utensils; Cups; Bug Spray
Make Individual Pizzas
Use homemade or store-bought pizza dough to build pizzas with your favorite toppings.
Not a master pizza maker? Use naan bread or cauliflower as alternatives to make pizza-making quicker to have time for other activities after.
Our Favorite Recipe: Naan Pizza Margherita
Go Fruit and Vegetable Picking
Depending on the season, drive to a local farm to pick fruits and vegetables: Apple, Blueberry, Raspberry, Blackberry, Squash, Pumpkin.
Eat them all before you get home, or use them to make a delicious dinner or desert.
Cheap Foodie Date Ideas
Attend Restaurant Week
A lot of cities have a semi-annual “Restaurant Week” in the winter where participating restaurants have a “prix fixe” multi-course new customers to try their restaurant.
Go to a Farmers Market
Meet at the farmers market and pickup fresh ingredients to cook dinner or lunch at your place later. Or, simply grab a coffee and stop by baked goods vendors.
Have a Meal Entirely of Desserts
It’s OK to skip a proper lunch or dinner once in awhile. Head to Yelp or Google Maps to find all the desert places near you. (Pace Yourself!)
Make a meal of grocery store samples
Grocery Staples: Oils, Vinegar, Garli, Mayo, Wines, Olives, Breadcrumbs, Sweetener, white rice, paste, pasta sauce, canned beans, nuts.
Get Breakfast and Do a Crossword Puzzle
Buy a local newspaper or download a crossword puzzle app (e.g., NYT Crossword)
Set up a tent in the backyard and order takeout
Make Conversation Heart Cookies
Use our conversation heart sayings to make heart cookies on valentines day.
Have an Ice Cream Date
If you have multiple ice cream places near you, order kiddie sizes at each place and make it a crawl.
Host a BBQ with Your Friends or Neighbors
Bring your friends together and host a BBQ in your backyard or patio.
Make a Romantic Dinner at Home
Preparing the table settings and menu the day before to make it a memorable occasion. Additionally, practice making the dish and reading the ingredients to fool-proof the night!
Build Gingerbread Houses
It doesn’t have to be winter to make a gingerbread house; Buy some graham crackers, frosting, and each of your favorite candy.
Make a New Recipe Together
Haven’t used your dutch oven or mixer in awhile or don’t usually splurge on an expensive ingredient?
Host a Dinner Party
Whether it’s themed, formal, or casual, your guests will appreciate the gesture of inviting them into your house.
Bake Cookies or Cake Together
Have a bakeoff to see who can make the most edible or attractive sweet.
UberEats the Food They Love
Surprise them with breakfast or dinner from their favorite place if they’re working late or know they don’t have time to cook when they get home.
Have a Cooking Class at home with YouTube or Masterclass
Make Fondue Together
If you don’t have a fondue pot, use a heavy pan, slow cooker, or even a rice cooker (!) to melt the cheese.
Have a Meal from Appetizers or Small Plates
Who says you need an appetizer, dinner, and dessert at ONE restaurant? Experience the ambiance of local restaurants with try an appetizer or a few small plates before moving onto the next restaurant. Or, download their menu and make your own small plates or tapas at home!
Get Brunch on a Weekend
Brunch is usually cheaper than a dinner night out. If you want to save even more money, host a brunch at your own place.
Go on a Beer or Food Tour
A lot of cities have local beer or food tours where you can try a beer or food from different breweries/restaurants, or make it your own tour by researching the history of the beer and/or restaurants.
Have a Cooking Competition with the Food You Have at Home
Skip using a recipe for a night and raid your pantry to create interesting dishes.
Go foraging for edible plants and berries, and make a meal with them
Top Edible Wild plants: Asparagus, Rasberries/Blueberries/Strawberries/Elderberries/Huckleberries/Mulberries/Cloudberries, Dandelion, Burdock
Pick a Country Cuisine Neither of You Have Tried.
Options: Italian, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, French, Thai, Korean, Turkish, Lebanese and more!
Have a Grocery Shopping Date!
To make grocery shopping more exciting…visit a specialty store/local farmers market, pick up the coupon booklet at the front of the store, or drive and find a farm stand.
Do a wine and painting class
Before you sign-up for one of these classes, search Groupon or other deal sites to save money on this date idea. Or, read our blog post for how to have a painting date idea at home.
Do a bar or coffee shop crawl
Explore your local bar of coffee shops around town. Share a coffee at each local and try all the pastries.
Korean BBQ
Korean BBQ is rising in popularity because it allows for a fun date experience in a loud and business restaurant. If you haven’t done Korean BBQ yet, make sure to watch some YouTube videos or simply ask your server.
Have an Indoor (or at Home) Picnic
If the weather is decent, setup a picnic on your roof, balcony, or backyard.
Essential Indoor Picnic Items: Cooler; Wine; 4-Pack of Seasonal Beer; Paper Towels; Blanket; Plates/Utensils; Cups.
Make Chinese or Indian Food at Home
Bake Holiday Treats
Holiday Treats to Bake: Sugar Cookies, Peppermint Bark, Candy Cane Cookies, Mince Pies, Gingerbread, Yule Log, Pies, Brownies, Tiramisu
Expensive Foodie Date Ideas
Sometimes it’s fun to spend a bit extra money on an expensive date idea for a special occasion or just spontaneously.
Book an International Food Vacation
Popular Food Countries: Spain, France, Mexico, India, Greece, China, Japan
Underrated Food Countries: Vietnam, South Africa, Sweden, Poland, Morocco
Book an U.S. City Food Vacation
Popular Food U.S. Cities: New Orleans, NYC, Miami, Savannah, San Francisco, Charleston, Chicago, Seattle
Underrated Food U.S. Cities: Los Gatos (CA), Ann Arbor (MI), Providence (RI), San Diego (CA), St. Louis (MI), Buffalo (NY), Olympia (WI), Santa Fe (NM), Honolulu (HI), Lancaster (PA), Tampa (FL), Indianapolis (ID)
Book a Dinner Cruise
Depending on your location, these usually are 2-3 hours, 3 courses, great views and usually have a dress code.
Enroll in a Cooking Class Together
Types of online and in-person cooking classes: French Cooking, Knife Skills, Baking and Pastry, International Cuisines, and more!
Find a unique, highly rated restaurant and share dishes
Treat yourself and search the $$$ filter on Yelp for the most intimate small plates restaurant.
Outdoor Foodie Date Ideas
Stay outdoors and have an date involving food!
Go Foraging for Edible Plants, Mushrooms, or Berries and make a meal
If you’re new to foraging mushrooms, we recommend looking for puffball mushrooms, chanterelle mushrooms, chicken of the woods, or oyster mushrooms (and not telling anyone where you found them!)
Tour a Winery, Distillery, or Brewery
Make it a day trip and do a tasting at a local vineyard, distillery, or brewery.
Have a Picnic Outside
Find your closest park or body of water and Google the best last-minute items (e.g., cheese, grapes, beverages, crackers) or delight them with your cooking skills.
Have Tea or Coffee Outside with Store-Bought or Homemade Pastries
Go to a Farmers Market
Set up a Tent in the Backyard and Order Takeout
Sometime it’s fun to spend a bit extra money on an expensive date idea for a special occasion or just spontaneously.
What is the Best Date Night Food?
The best date night food depends on personal preferences, but some popular options for a romantic dinner might include steak, seafood, Italian dishes, or a fancy French meal. Some people also prefer more casual options like sushi or a DIY fondue or raclette night. A nice bottle of wine or champagne can also add to the ambiance.
