This blog post is all about the most romantic and unique London date night ideas.
Looking for some new London date night ideas? I’ve got you covered.
I’ve lived in London for three years now. Once back in 2017-2018 and I’ve been living back here ever since 2021.
I will say that in 2017-2018 I had no interest in dating and was having way too much fun at work and at the weekends to even think about it.
But arriving back in London in 2021, I moved here with my boyfriend – who would have thought?!
We’ve had more than a few date nights in the city as we love to explore and do fun things during the working week and at the weekends.
So I thought I’d put together a list of my favourite date night activities in London in case you’re looking for some inspiration.
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Romantic London Date Night Ideas to Plan
Below are some of my favourite unique London date night ideas for myself and my boyfriend that I hope you enjoy.
If you’re lacking inspiration and looking for something fun and unusual, but still romantic, these are my go to date night ideas in London.
1. Flight Club
If you want something fun and competitive for a London date night and maybe even a first date, Flight Club could be a great option.
Not your traditional game of darts, but a dart board tied to different games and rules that aren’t just for the more skilled dart player.
Having been before, I can assure you that Flight Club is a great night out as the darts start going a bit AWOL with the more drinks consumed.
2. See A West End Show
This is one of my favourite date nights, if not my most favourite date night. Download the Today Tix app and take a look at what shows offer Rush Tickets.
Rush Tickets go on sale around 10am on the morning of the show and are usually the final free tickets that no one has purchased for that night.
I’ve bought Rush Tickets quite a few times and always ended up with tickets in the stalls (most often actually front row).
Grab a quick bite to eat in Chinatown before and you have yourself the perfect date night.
3. A Fancy Dinner
If you feel like treating yourselves, maybe it’s pay day, then head to one of London’s fancier restaurants for a date night meal.
Places like Sketch, The Ned, and Sushi Samba are high on my list of places to visit for a fancy meal in London.
I just need to save up for a while before I can actually dine there!
I recently tried the Ivy Asia in Mayfair and can confirm that it’s excellent and worth the money. Plus, the floor is extremely Instagrammable, just like the food.
You can see my full experience of eating at Ivy Asia in London in my TikTok video here, and I’ll add it in below too:
4. Comedy Club
Spending a night at one of London’s comedy clubs is always a fun date night idea.
Often guaranteed laughs (I can’t 100% guarantee) and something a little different from going out for a nice dinner.
The Comedy Club in Covent Garden is a great one to go to and often have surprise high profile comedians that make an appearance to test new material.
5. Pasta Making Class
Another something a little different for a date night, Eataly beside Liverpool Street station offers pasta cooking classes paired with a glass of wine for quite a cheap price.
If you or your partner like to cook, this could be an ideal date night idea – plus you get to eat lots of pasta and can meet other couples and pairs while doing so.
6. Gordon’s Wine Bar
A fancier option of a date night is to head to Gordon’s Wine Bar by Embankment. If you’re after a chilled evening in the summer, this is definitely the place to go.
Order a cheese and meats board to pair with your wine and relax outside in the alleyway with a gorgeous glass of wine or five and enjoy some great conversation.
7. Paint and Sip
A fun activity for a date night is Paint and Sip. This sees couples go to a painting workshop and enjoy some alcohol while doing so.
This could be painting some pottery like a new mug or plate, or could be painting a canvas drawing while getting a little tipsy at the same time.
Think laughing at your partners skills or learning that they’re actually very arty!
8. Sofar Sounds
This is one of my top London date night ideas and one that’s very popular in London.
Sofar Sounds is a pop-up music gig that happens most nights around the city of London and also in Europe.
You buy a ticket for your desired night and then don’t know the exact location of the gig until the day of the event.
But the magic of it is, you could end up in someone’s living room, a coffee shop or underneath a bridge.
A very cool concept and adds in an element of surprise to your date night as neither of you will know what to expect.
9. Bounce
If you or your partner are a little sporty and competitive, then Bounce in Battersea could be the perfect date night option.
Think rows and rows of ping pong tables – but they’re in a rowdy bar – and you’ve got Bounce.
However, if one of your icks is someone running after a ping pong ball, then this may not be the date night option for you.
10. Dinner in the Dark
One of the more unique date night ideas that I’ve heard of and am quite intrigued to try, is having a meal in pure darkness.
Dans Le Noir restaurant offers this dining experience to really let you try new foods and engage your tastebuds, but it also makes for a great first date or blind date as your personality and voice have to do all the talking for the date to be successful.
The Best London Date Night Ideas from A Londoner
Now that it’s been three or more years that I’ve lived in London, my boyfriend and I love a Friday night date night.
We found ourselves in the habit of just going out for dinner, or heading to Chinatown and trying to grab cheap tickets to a West End show, almost every week.
I wanted to come up with a list of more unique London date night ideas while still being romantic, and maybe more activity-focused than just food and drinks.
Don’t get me wrong, I still love a West End show date night, and a dinner date, but my personal favourites now include a Sofar Sounds gig and Flight Club as it’s just something a little different to do with your partner.
Let me know if you have any other unique London date night ideas that I should try out!
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By Orlagh Shanks
Orlagh Shanks is the Editor of Orlagh Claire, an award-winning travel and lifestyle blog.
After working in the PR & Influencer Marketing industry in New York City and London, Orlagh quit her job to travel Asia for 12 months and moved to Sydney, Australia where she is now a full-time travel blogger and content creator sharing travel tips and recommendations for all 30 of the countries she’s visited so far.
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