Date night in central London

Where to head for first-time flirty, second time lucky, or to keep your long-term romance ablaze.

London’s awash with dreamy settings for date nights, observes Simon Rose, owner of Rose & Partners. His favourite spots – bound to ignite an evening of ardour – range from Mayfair to Chelsea: “They all have high standards, but very different atmospheres. What links these four places is the staff running them – they make you and your partner feel special.”

“Scott’s of Mayfair is a cool classic,” suggests Simon, “serving the best seafood, caviar and bubbly in a buzzy ambience where everyone’s looking at everyone else.”

“Even arriving at and departing from smart Mount Street is an experience,” he adds.

Voted ‘best for romance in London’ by Harden’s guide, La Poule au Pot on Ebury Street is a Belgravia institution. “It’s a little bit of France in the midst of the capital,” offering warming Gallic choices, such as onion soup, cassoulet and Tarte Tatin, in this perennial spot’s alluring interiors with its intimate nooks and crannies.

For a bit of fun, Simon gravitates towards The Colbert on Sloane Square. Ever-faithful - it’s open from breakfast to after West End theatres close, seven days a week – you can kick off morning coffee and croissants, go big with brunch Eggs Benedict, meet for a sassy Parisian-style lunch, treat a loved one to post-shopping afternoon tea, or linger a deux over escargots and duck confit for dinner.

Familiarity breeds happiness at La Famiglia, a family-run Tuscan spot, with home-cooking charm (think pasta with truffle oil and wild boar with rosemary). There’s even a dessert trolley. Simon applauds the fact that it’s easy to order and relaxed: “You don’t have to be dressed up to the hilt,” he says.

Zoë Rose, Rose & Partners’ head of rentals, introduced themed lockdown Saturday date nights at home, including charcuterie, fish and a giant picnic spread across a wooden board. She reckons that finding the right situation for date night depends on how well you know the other person.

“If you want to go cosy and romantic, try Andrew Edmunds Restaurant in Soho, with tiny tables and dripping candles in red wine bottles. However, if you’re out to impress, reserve a table at glitzy Zuma, which tenders a sophisticated take on Japanese izakaya dining in SW7.

For established couples desirous of re-connecting again, Zoë recommends living it up a bit at The Botanist on Sloane Square. A trendy setting with an underlying gin theme, master mixology can lighten up even the most hesitant pair.

She’s also a fan of Soho’s Randall & Aubin: “…a tiny seafood brasserie, where you sit up on a stool, sip crisp Chablis and eat oysters or pink prawns with mayonnaise”. And her newest discovery is Pick & Cheese at Seven Dials, Covent Garden – the world’s largest cheese conveyor belt restaurant. “It riffs off the street-food vibe and puts it under cover,” says Zoë.

Tom Tangney, property consultant at Rose & Partners, says he got a break from spooning food into small children’s mouths by insisting on once-a-week date nights with his wife. “Even when your kids have grown up, it’s nice to have a quiet meal where you can hear each other.”

In his youth, Tom liked informal Spanish tapas bars, “where you can have a glass of wine and different nibbles”. One contemporary recommendation is Barrafina, especially its snug branch in Drury Lane, with small plates of soft shell crab and chorizo tortilla.

Both rustic and formal exist side-by-side on Kensington Church Street. At the courtly end, Tom advocates Clarke’s Restaurant. Run by local leading light, Sally Clarke, the menu embraces roasted grouse salad, chargrilled veal chops and lemon balm panna cotta. There’s also a nearby Clarke’s shop where you can purchase goodies for amorous twosomes at home or in the park.

Opposite is Maggie Jones’s – “named after Margaret Armstrong Jones, also known as Princess Margaret, who would get takeaways delivered to Kensington Palace,” says Tom – serving hearty English fare like steak and kidney pie, and bread and butter pudding.

If you’re after good basic Italian Mama and Papa food, Tom advises a visit to San Pietro Ristorante for lobster linguine or slow-cooked veal. Located on Kensington’s Stratford Road, it’s a pretty street that’s ideal for an evening passeggiata.

And for out-and-out crazy decadence, Beach Blanket Babylon can’t be beaten. A Rococo-style bar/restaurant in a townhouse off Westbourne Grove, you can lounge on massive pillows and velvet banquette seating, and raise a few eyebrows while you kindle your relationship over a glass of chilled white and Ribeye on the bone for two.

In addition, Tom recommends Julie’s, a Gothic-inspired Notting Hill eatery that’s had a loyal local following for more than 50 years. “Many people remember having their first date there in a secluded alcove,” he notes. Get things off to a flying start with the signature Passion for Julie’s cocktail – vodka, passionfruit, strawberry and absinthe – and then move on to hand dived scallops and 72-hour pork belly.

Date night can be simple affair – a Bloody/Virgin Mary, or two, and some bar snacks – or a full-blown liaison with white linen tablecloths, waiters calling you “Sir” and “Madam”, and working your way through the tasting menu. Whichever you choose, it’s worth considering the importance of this precious time together. As top American life coach Tony Robbins remarks: “Do what you did in the beginning of a relationship and there won’t be an end.”

by Cheryl Markosky