If you are looking everywhere for the best ideas for date night in Chicago, you are in the right place. We have top-tier ideas on this list, so you can always plan a fun date night in Chicago, no matter the occasion. We have the classics (a candlelit table for two, a romantic bar in the city), unusual and quirky ideas (anyone up for a board game?), and hidden gems in this list if you are ever wondering where to take your partner on a date in Chicago.
Here are 11 best date night ideas in Chicago so that you can surprise and woo your partner.
11 Romantic And Fun Date Night Ideas In Chicago
Hit Up A Cocktail Bar – The Violet Hour
Address: 1520 N Damen Avenue, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
Chicago has ruined simple romance for all of us. When places like The Violet Hour are around, the bar for date nights is set higher every year.
For many years, The Violet Hour has earned a reputation as one of the best settings for a date night in Chicago. Located in the heart of Wicker Park, you can enter the bar via a discrete single entryway. The salons inside feel warm and welcoming as they glow under candlelit tables, and if you want to catch up with your partner over a drink, the sprawling marble bar offers rotating cocktails, too.
Savor bites of blue crab claw meat, charcuterie, mixed nuts, and marinated olives as soft music plays in the background, setting the perfect mood for the night ahead.
Nothing Like A Romantic Dinner – Ciccio Mio
Address: 226 W Kinzie Street, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
Dress up to the nines to impress your loved one and spend a flirty date night at Ciccio Mio.
There are so many restaurants perfect for a date night in Chicago, with stunning and ambient dining rooms, dim lights, and intimate seating arrangements. If you want to pick one of them, choose Ciccio Mio. This Italian restaurant accepts reservations in advance – just giving you a heads-up so you don’t get turned away on your special night.
The ambiance of this restaurant feels like something out of a movie. Everything from the ornate furnishings to the vintage artwork hits the spot.
This is the perfect place to go for a romantic Chicago date night. You can try out your dinner favorites, like ricotta gnocchi, beef meatballs, and steak and anchovy tartare. Then, share a sweet dessert with your partner, like pavlova, tiramisu, or Cannoncini.
Choose from a range of excellent spa services, such as The King’s Massage, Hot Stone Massage, Pregnancy Massage, Traditional Thai Massage, and the best deep tissue massage in Los Angeles.
Take A Trip To City Winery To Sample Wines Together
Address: 1200 W Randolph Street, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
Instead of choosing a simple dinner for you and your partner, why not try out a fun date idea in Chicago instead?
The wine tastings at City Winery are guaranteed to offer a phenomenal date night in Chicago. Book into the curated tour of the finest portfolio of wines made from imported grapes from all over the world – crushed and aged on-site.
The winery and restaurant, built in an old warehouse, is perfect for borrowing some romance from classic Mediterranean cuisine. It also offers intimate music concerts, wine-making classes, and tastings, which are much better than your average pub or bar crawl.
Be a child for a day – Maggie Daley Park
Address: 337 E Randolph Street, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
If you do not mind spending your night with dozens of other people in a public park, Maggie Daley Park is one of the most fun date ideas in Chicago.
There is so much to do in the park, including Ice Skating Ribbon, where you can hold hands with your partners and glide on the beautiful winding rink at the park, and the skyline views will inject even more magic and romance into your night. At the center are two stellar rock-climbing structures providing a unique outdoor experience for you and your partner.
Then, share laughs and talk about your fun day at the Rink Café as you savor the delicious sandwiches, popcorn, and beverages.
One Of Those Experiences That Just Feel Right – AIRE Ancient Baths
Address: 800 W Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60642, United States
Lose yourself to a night of thermal baths and an exquisite spa experience with AIRE Ancient Baths.
The 45-minute relaxing massage for couples at AIRE Ancient Baths is one of the most magical date night ideas in Chicago. The historical building in which the spa is located looks even more ethereal in the ambient lights of candles.
You and your partner transition through baths set at different temperatures, from hot to cold and warm, plus a saltwater bath, steam rooms, and an outdoor bath experience that makes your date night so special that you wish it could last forever.
Fresh fruit juices or special warm AIRE tea are served to the couples, which is pure bliss after the massage therapy.
A Stroll That Looks Straight Out Of A Romantic Flick – Chicago’s Lakefront Trails
Chicago’s Lakefront Trail looks so beautiful at night that you will either end up stargazing with your partner or get lost in the stunning city views.
The 26 miles of breathtaking shoreline of Lake Michigan is the perfect backdrop for a peaceful date night in Chicago. A stroll down the trail is the best idea if you and your partner like to explore adventurous and fun date ideas in Chicago. If you are up for some fun, rent a bike to ride alongside the scenic shoreline with your partner, and then settle down for a cozy dinner and drinks at the Lakefront Trail’s restaurants.
There are many other attractions and museums near the trail, which you can check out afterward, such as the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, and Navy Pier.
Enjoy Rom-Com Vibes In A Coffee Shop – Good Ambler
Address: 216 N Peoria Street, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
Are you already planning your next date night in Chicago? Look no further than a sweet escape to a coffee shop, which also doubles as a café and chocolatier.
A date in the romantic ambiance of Good Ambler feels like one written about in novels. The delicate décor, an open space filled with the sweet and warm aroma of blueberry muffins, chocolate espresso, cheese croissants, and handcrafted chocolates, are so on point that it looks like this place was made for a good Chicago date night.
This coffee shop is perfect for a casual hangout after which you and your date can head over for a movie night or maybe an old school classic dinner afterwards.
Try Something New Together – Bond Over Board Games At Bonus Round Game Café
Address: 3230 N Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60657, United States
If you are someone who gets nervous enough to spill a drink during formal dinners, why not take your date out for a board game instead?
Choose from hundreds of board games at this café in the heart of Lakeview. If you are not good at playing these games, all the more reasons to share laughter with your partner. However, the game guides are there to teach you the game rules and even make some recommendations (read: hints) to favor you or your partner.
This café is one of the best date ideas in Chicago if you and your partner like to enjoy each other’s company without any expensive formalities. Spend the whole night challenging one another to different games while enjoying a light fare with beer, coffee, or wine.
Learn A New Skill Together
Learning a new skill is always a fun date night idea in Chicago. It is a way to grow a mutual interest and become closer to your partner.
Penguin Foot Pottery
Address: 2514 W Armitage Avenue, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
Nothing brings you closer to another person than sharing special moments when you both can be clumsy and wild while laughing at each other on embarrassing occasions.
At Penguin Foot Pottery, first-time potters are welcome to try their hand at ceramics. With three electric kilns and 37 potter’s wheels, they offer regular classes and workshops so you and your partner can take turns creating keepsakes for each other.
These pottery classes are one of the most fun date ideas in Chicago to spend an evening in the company of ceramics, food, drinks, and games.
Aura Candle Bar
Address: 3338 N Southport Avenue, Chicago, IL 60657, United States
Candle-making can be a soothing activity or a wild, chaotic ride, depending on how you and your partner choose to spend your date night in Chicago. No matter your dynamics, the candle-making class will strengthen your couple bond even stronger.
Choose from your favorite scents and vessels, and then sit back and watch how the AURA Scent Consultants bring your favorite fragrance to life in your choice of mold to take back home. Every time you light that candle, you will remember the fun date night in Chicago that you spent with your partner.
Reserve A Private Karaoke Room – No.18 Karaoke Bar
Address: 2201 S Wentworth Avenue #2FL, Chicago, IL 60616, United States
Taking your date to a karaoke bar can sound absurd, but if you want to spend a fun date night in Chicago, karaoke can be an amazing experience for you.
This karaoke bar in Chinatown is great for a night out with your loved one. Besides delicious food, endless cocktails, and lots of dancing and singing, there are also private karaoke rooms, which leave no room for nervous jitters or stage fright as you play your favorite music while indulging in specialty drinks.
The dark ambiance flooded with neon lights fills every night with pulsating energy. This is why No.18 Karaoke Bar is one of the most popular partying destinations for spending a night with your date.
Make The Classic Move – Take To Patio Theater For The Perfect Date Night
Address: 6008 W Irving Park Road, Chicago, IL 60634, United States
The building of Patio Theatre, originally built in 1927, has undergone renovations to make it even more modern while still being full of reminiscences of the earlier movie theater.
Patio Theatre is the perfect venue for your date night in Chicago. It is an indoor space with impressive acoustics, and the food, drinks, and seating arrangements live up to expectations. Enjoy a night filled with iconic music and theatrical premieres.
If you are planning to take your date to a famous artist’s performance at the theater, purchase your tickets in advance from the website.
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