Summer is here, and that means warm evenings perfect for enjoying outdoor dining or cocktails as you watch the sunset over the Lone Star State. We’ve put together a list of summer date night ideas in Plano, Texas, great for couples young and old.
Legacy Hall
Ramen by Fox Wu is licensed with CC BY 2.0
You’ll never have to argue about what’s for dinner when you head to Legacy Hall on your next date. With 20 local food artisans to choose from, this food hall and event space offers a little bit of everything to excite your tastebuds. Make a date out of small bites and treats at Press Waffle Company, Mallow Box, or Bourbon Vanilla Ice Cream Co. Savor ethnic dishes at Shawarma Bar, Blist’r Indian Kitchen, or Chef Chin’s Hibachi Ramen.
Choose from comfort classics at Roots Chicken Shak, Brisket Love, or Son of a Butcher. In other words, Legacy Hall gives you a chance to mingle and enjoy flavors as you grab a table to chat with your date.
Farm and Feed
Head to Farm and Feed for game-inspired snacks and mains while you borrow console and board games to play at the table with your date. Even checking out the menu online is a fun prelude to this unique eatery and gaming club as pixels slowly reveal bites. Some of these are Deviled Easter Eggs with sweet and spicy gochujang bacon and Baowser Slides filled with 24-hour beef brisket or impossible sausage piled on a crispy fried bao bun.
Farm and Feed also offers an impressive cocktail list with mixed drinks from the Phasers to Stun menu or hand-crafted sips like Kirby’s Dreamland with calvados, strawberry puree, and egg white.
Urban Crust
Urban Crust serves delectable wood-fired pizzas in a modern setting. Try the Urban Amore with prosciutto, fig preserves, goat cheese, arugula, and aged balsamic. Or build your own urban classic with a selection of over two dozen toppings. With classic Italian dishes like Rigatoni Pomodoro on the menu too, there’s something for every palate at Urban Crust.
Elevate your date night with a trip to the third-floor 32 Degree Bar serving colder-than-ice drinks from their tap. Order your beverage, then leave it on the ice strip running the length of the bar to chill as you gaze lovingly at your date. The bar also offers wines, frozen drinks, and appetizers.
Bar-Ranch Steak Company
Treat your date to the fixed-price dinner for two at Bar-Ranch Steak Company for a special night out. This specialty butcher and restaurant ages their premium steaks for a minimum of 30 days in their cavernous salt chamber before serving them fresh to diners. Choose from bone-in rib, Akaushi Strip, or Wagyu Boneless Rib for your steak entrees. Then enjoy more choices for your appetizer, salad, and dessert courses, plus two sides.
Gourmet options make this a dining experience worth savoring for a special occasion or even just a summer night out. Our favorite gourmets are Wagyu crostini with honey goat cheese, tomatillo, bacon jam, microgreens, or flash-seared Brussels sprouts with Wagyu bacon.
Toulouse Cafe and Bar
Step inside Toulouse Cafe and Bar, an ornate eatery featuring French-inspired Belgian cuisine, and you’ll know it’s date night. The upscale atmosphere will complement the classic French dishes like beef bourguignon, steak frites, and bouillabaisse. Dessert and after-dinner drink menus make Toulouse a sophisticated eatery for you and your date. Savor a chocolate martini or a grand Marnier souffleé to end the evening.
The Holy Grail Pub
Head to the Holy Grail Pub for a date night in an old-European atmosphere with a full drink menu and hearty fare. They are known for their craft beer and scratch-made pub classics remade for modern tastes. The Grail, as insiders call it, serves world flavors like chicken tikka masala simmered in a rich yogurt sauce or the salmon beurre blanc with truffle risotto.
Offering dozens of beers on tap and bottled, the pub showcases seasonal brews that can change weekly, so you’ll always have something new to try. Their whiskey menu features locally distilled spirits and other selections worldwide. Cozy up in this pub atmosphere for a night out with your date.
Suburban Yacht Club
Leave landlocked Plano for a night to pull up at the Suburban Yacht Club for drinks, seafood, and California-inspired cuisine. Start with frozen drinks or a shareable flight of tequila or mezcal. Their light fare menu lets you choose two or three picks, like pork carnitas, Del Mar shrimp, and Baja barbeque chicken. Main plates include simple, tasty options like sweet and spicy salmon and the California classic burrito. What makes the Yacht Club a good date place is a classy yet laid-back atmosphere mixed with decadent comfort food.
Mexican Sugar Cocina y Cantina
Mexican Sugar offers traditional plates with deep flavors like grilled chicken, carne asada fajitas, and lump crab enchiladas. The sultry cantina atmosphere with modern design makes this spot a perfect date place to enjoy great company and great food. The Pan-Latin restaurant gives you flavors like seafood paella, masa fried rockfish, and slow-roasted brasas chicken. Don’t miss the agave library with over 100 choices of the signature spirit.
Love and War in Texas
With an oxymoronic name like Love and War, this Plano landmark is hard to overlook as a date destination. Go for the extensive menu filled with Texas classics, and stay for the music. Start with quirky appetizers like the Paulo Duro Popcorn served with fried jalapenos or green bean fries with smokey ranch. Love and War feature juicy seafood dishes, including shrimp Texana with a chipotle lime marinade and Caddo Lake catfish, and meat selections like the Buffalo ribeye and roasted wild boar.
Weekends bring live music from rising country stars for a low ticket price. This date night is the perfect combination of Texas-style dining and entertainment.
That’s our catalog of date night ideas to support local restaurants in our Plano community. Let us know if we missed one of your favorite date spots so we can add it to our list. Enjoy a summer night out with your sweetheart.