The best date night restaurants in Austin.
Austin does date night across a wide range, from a candlelit French bistro to a rooftop strung with lanterns to the hardest sushi reservation in town. These are the rooms worth dressing up for.
- 01
Uchi
South Lamar · $$$$The 2003 original and still the hardest reservation in town. James Beard-winning sushi and an omakase worth the splurge.
Visit site → - 02
Uchiko
Rosedale · $$$$Uchi’s farmhouse-chic sibling in Rosedale, with the same pedigree and a slightly easier table.
Visit site → - 03
Jeffrey’s
Clarksville · $$$$Austin’s white-tablecloth institution since 1975: dry-aged steaks, a vast wine list, and a hushed Clarksville room.
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- 04
Justine’s Brasserie
East Austin · $$$Candlelit French on the east side, steak frites and vinyl until midnight, with cabanas on the patio. The archetypal Austin date.
Visit site → - 05
Comedor
Downtown Austin · $$$Modern Mexican from Philip Speer and Gabe Erales in a dramatic Olson Kundig room with a cactus courtyard.
Visit site → - 06
Lutie’s Garden
Hancock · $$$$Dinner in the gardens of the restored Commodore Perry estate. The wow-factor pick.
Visit site → - 07
Aba
South Congress · $$$A heritage-oak rooftop strung with Moroccan lanterns, mezze below and a shawarma-spiced skirt steak.
Visit site → - 08
Odd Duck
South Lamar · $$$Bryce Gilmore’s seasonal small plates, a Michelin Bib Gourmand and a date that keeps the conversation moving.
Visit site → - 09
Ember Kitchen
Seaholm District · $$$Live-fire Latin cooking in the historic Seaholm Power Plant, with intimate upstairs rooms built for an anniversary.
Visit site → - 10
Lenoir
Bouldin Creek · $$$A tiny Bouldin bungalow with an oak-shaded wine garden and a five-course chef’s-choice menu.
Visit site → - 11
Nido at The Loren
South Riverside · $$$$A top-floor perch over Lady Bird Lake with the best skyline-and-water view in town and coastal-European plates to match.
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The things we passed on are part of the value. Documented for editorial discipline.
- Caroline & Upstairs at CarolineA daytime cafe and a rooftop party bar. Great for a group, wrong energy for a date.
- CorinneA pleasant all-day New American, but a brunch spot more than a marquee dinner.
- Doc B’s, Culinary Dropout & Yard HouseSolid Domain spots, but a date deserves a room that isn’t also a sports bar.
- Chuy’s & Texas RoadhouseBeloved, but a Tex-Mex and a steakhouse chain aren’t the date-night swing.
- Mandola’s Italian KitchenCounter-service Italian. Lovely, just not a sit-down date.
- What is the best date night restaurant in Austin?
- Uchi for sushi, Jeffrey’s for a classic steak dinner, and Justine’s for candlelit French are the safe bets. For a view, Nido at The Loren.
- Where should you take a date for dinner in Austin?
- For a special occasion, Lutie’s Garden or Jeffrey’s. For something lively, Aba on South Congress. For chef-driven, Comedor or Odd Duck.
- What are good romantic restaurants in downtown Austin?
- Comedor and Nido at The Loren are the downtown-area picks. Jeffrey’s and Justine’s are a short hop out in Clarksville and on the east side.
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