5 Romantic Date Destinations in London

Who doesn’t love a bit of romance!? Read through this post for my top 5 romantic date destinations in London for the ultimate date night. I’ve given hot twists to the classic dates to impress your Significant Other. There’s something for everyone in here with a range of budgets and styles in mind – you’ll be sure to find something to ramp up the love vibes!

Padella

Starting off with the classic dinner date, but this superb destination will definitely capture your dates heart. Padella is a pasta restaurant serving fresh, hand rolled pasta with delicious sauces and fillings inspired by the founders trips to Italy. Now, what food says romance more than pasta?! I mean Lady & The Tramp instilled that for us all. With one branch in Shoreditch and another in Borough, you’ve got two brilliant destinations to choose from. I’d definitely recommend booking in advance if you’re going to shoreditch as there’s always long queues outside. For borough, you can join the virtual queue and head to the pub while you wait – I’d recommend the Wheat Sheaf. So you’re in Padella with your date, why not order a little apertivi to get things off to a good start then I’d go for sharing some sourdough and the burrata. Now, we’re into the main pasta event with dishes ranges from £8-15, they are incredible reasonable. If I was choosing, I’d get Papadelle with 8 hour Dexter beef shin ragu – a signature dish – and Tagliarini with Dorset crab, lemon and chilly. Something I love is that they’ve kept it really simple with the wine list so no stressful experiences flicking down long lists and trying to impress your date. There’s two whites, one rose and one red. Job done! Finish with a fig and almond or chocolate and salted caramel tart, affogato and a little limoncello. This evening is an absolute winner.

Kew Gardens

Cutest date ever! Jump on the district line down to Kew and feel transported to a new place. You need to book tickets in advance and these are £17.50 for adults. With opening hours 10-6pm (last entry 5pm) I’d recommend going early and making the most of the whole day. Brilliant all year round, don’t worry about only visiting in the summer, Kew is absolutely charming in the winter and autumn as well. Definitely head to the Japanese Landscape for a relaxing and quiet spot full of beauty. Then, head over to the Rock Garden, a dramatic valley with wild-collected plants from six mountainous regions of the world. Make sure to head into the greenhouses too and then sit by the lake to take it all in. Finally, the absolute highlight of your trip and one to end with has to be the Treetop Walkway, this is guaranteed to blow your date away. The walkway towers 18 metres above the ground giving you stunning views of the gardens and takes you right into nature with the trees all around the walkway connecting it together. Truly stunning! Another hot recommendation would be taking your date to Christmas at Kew which sees the gardens lit up with fantastic art installations for the festive season (see below). Off peak tickets are £21.50 and it is pretty extraordinary.

Backyard Cinema

A brilliant twist on the classic cinema date. Backyard Cinema is an immersive cinema experience best known for taking over the Capital Studios is Wandsworth. Take your pick from two themed movie theatres alongside epic street food and bars, giving you plenty of opportunity to chat and relax before or after seeing the movie. Generally showing older films rather than something new, it’s a great way to catch a classic you and your date love on the big screen. However, this is no average cinema experience. You’ll have to travel through an immersive world to get to the screen first which is also themed. In the summer, you might be headed to Miami beach for fabulous cocktails and real sand under your toes. By winter, you’ll be choosing between the snow kingdom or the winter garden with Christmas films on show as well. Another awesome bonus is you’ll be relaxing into super comfy bean bags – just try not fall asleep that won’t impress your lover! Now, I would say that Backyard Cinema is a bit of a spend up so maybe this is a once a year treat and we keep the regular cinema for the rest of the year. If you want some tips on saving money at the cinema, check out this great article: 10 Ways to Save Money at the Cinema.

Bounce

Perfect for a more active date, play ping pong whilst enjoying some drinks and banging tunes – this place has a great ambience. With locations in Farrington and Old Street, it’s recommended that you book your game in advance. But this one comes in nice and cheap with a table costing £6 per person and you’ll receive bats and balls with that. Really not feeling the ping pong game? You can also choose from: wonderball, beer pong or shuffleboard. There’s also snacks and pizza available if you get peckish after the game and a full drinks list with cocktails, wines & champagnes and beer.

Sky Garden

Finally, I had to end with this FREE gem that should definitely be taken advantage of for a brilliant penny saving date destination. The Sky Garden is London’s highest public garden and has a 360 degree view of the city. Not only are you getting spectacular views outside, the gardens itself is a really stunning environment to see them from.  It’s completely free to visit, you just need to book a timed ticket beforehand. The garden is located at 20 Fenchurch Street so head to Monument and it’s a few minutes walk away. There’s also restaurants and three bars to choose from if you fancy stopping for a tipple. For all the romance points, check the time of the sunset and book tickets to match up for a super romantic evening – unbeatable.