The Most Romantic Restaurants in Seattle

For white tablecloths or just the right vibe, these are your best bets for a dinner date in Seattle.

Cuffing season is a great time to search for your one true love, sure, but it’s also a great time to eat really excellent food. Case in point: The verifiably romantic restaurant, which never fails to impress both the date and the stomach. Good meals do wonders for the heart, and sometimes even the worst date can be rescued by a particularly well cooked steak. One thing’s for sure: While the future of your love life may be uncertain, your next meal is basically guaranteed to be delicious. Ahead, 12 of the most romance-inducing restaurants in Seattle.

Restaurant Homer

Beacon Hill
$$$$

Just down the street from another neighborhood favorite, Bar del Corso, is Homer: a Mediterrean-slash-Middle-Eastern focused restaurant named after the beloved dog of owners Logan Cox and Sara Knowles. Shared plates abound here, and post-meal soft serve is sort of a must, which you can score from the soft serve window just outside the restaurant (current flavors include preserved lemon, vegan sweet hibiscus, and the ultimate classic: swirl).

canon

Capitol Hill
$$$$

canon, a self-described “whiskey and bitters emporium,” is best known for its curious, fancy, and often-complicated mixed drinks (consider the Anning Martini, for example, which arrives smoking with liquid nitrogen). Luckily the food is just as delightful: pork belly buns, a Wagyu NY strip, wilted kale panzanella, and lots of fresh oysters round out a menu that never disappoints.

Available for Reservations

Terra Plata

First Hill
$$$$

Terra Plata’s rooftop is almost unbeatable in terms of ambiance, but let’s talk about the food: hyper local and ever-evolving, Chef Tamara Murphy’s menu is always in-season and always delicious. Dine-in service has returned but proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test (within 72 hours of your visit) is required for entry.

Available for Reservations

In terms of old school Italian, Ristorante Picolinos takes the cake. We’re talking homemade gnocchi, antipasti for days, rigatoni bolognese...you name it, they’ve got it. Come with an appetite (obviously) and aim to get a table in the back garden -- it’s serene, and full of heaters in the wintertime, so no need to worry about bringing a parka for your date.

Available for Reservations

Momiji

Capitol Hill
$$$$

Momiji’s peaceful courtyard makes for the perfect getaway from its hectic surroundings in the bustling neighborhood of Capitol Hill. Grab a table next to the floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the garden, order enough sushi for two, and enjoy.

Available for Reservations

The Pink Door

Downtown
$$$$

Nestled in Pike Place Market is The Pink Door, a longstanding escape from the hustle and bustle of downtown specializing in Italian-American cuisine. Like lots of Italian food, the menu here is inspired by family gatherings and secret recipes, and like lots of Seattle-area restaurants, the ingredients are mostly local, sourced almost exclusively from Butler Farms just across the water on Bainbridge Island. FYI, proof of vaccination is required upon entry.

Available for Reservations

San Fermo

Ballard
$$$$

If you’ve ever walked the quaint cobblestone street that is Ballard Avenue, you probably already know San Fermo as the little white-house-turned-restaurant serving up a rotating menu of, most famously, homemade pasta. On that note, the saffron spaghetti bolognese is not to be missed, but San Fermo caters to vegetarian sensibilities too.

Available for Reservations

Archipelago

Hillman City
$$$$

If you’re looking for something intimate, cozy, and prix-fixe, look no further than Archipelago, which serves up a curated menu of nine to 12 courses inspired by both the Pacific Northwest and the Philippines. The catch? This spot is so popular, it’s almost always sold out a few months in advance. Oh, and make sure you’re fully vaccinated if you’re planning on dining in—it’s required by the restaurant.

Available for Reservations

The Corson Building

Georgetown
$$$$

The Corson Building was built in 1910 as a residential home, and the current owners of the now-restaurant have kept much of that familial spirit intact. Think prix-fixe Sunday Suppers, and, pre-COVID, a family-style dining setup. Nowadays they’re keeping everyone separate, in the covered, heated garden area, but the food still stands as some of the best New American you can find in the city, and every course is most definitely made with love.

Available for Reservations

The Phoenecia

West Seattle Junction
$$$$

The Phoenecia is something of an institution, at least in West Seattle -- having first opened in 1975, it's now on its third location, and this one comes with all the trappings of a romantic evening out (think crystal chandeliers, emerald green walls, a marble bar top, etcetera). But while the restaurant may be more elegant than ever, The Phoenecia kitchen hasn’t really strayed from what it does best: the classics. You can still expect to find your favorite Lebanese-inspired food, like “The Jewel of the Ocean”, a signature seafood dish that’s been on the menu since the 1970s.

Available for Reservations

Bateau

Capitol Hill
$$$$

Meat eaters, rejoice. The only restaurant in Chef Renee Erickson’s Sea Creatures lineup to focus exclusively on steak, Bateau is something of a dream come true (unless you are, like me, a vegetarian). Bateau cooks the whole cow, and practically speaking that means that you’ll get a choice of cuts when you arrive, based on what has and has not already been claimed.

Available for Reservations

Eden Hill

Queen Anne
$$$$

If Queen Anne is the coziest of neighborhoods in Seattle, then Eden Hill is the perfect embodiment of the vibe: tucked away, quaint, and seating only 24 guests at a time, it almost feels like you’re at one big dinner party (of strangers) rather than at a restaurant. Sit inside or out and dine on a selection of rotating dishes -- mostly small plates -- or the tasting menu.

Available for Reservations
Emma Banks is a contributor for Thrillist.