Date night in Chicago
Pick the vibe — first date, anniversary, or low-key Friday — and use this Chicago shortlist of romantic spots, dinner picks and walks.
Top spots in Chicago
Millennium Park
OutdoorsLoop
Anish Kapoor's Bean (Cloud Gate), free concerts at Pritzker Pavilion.
Chicago Riverwalk
OutdoorsLoop
Walk or kayak past the city's famous architecture on river level.
Art Institute of Chicago
CultureGrant Park
American Gothic, Nighthawks and one of the world's great impressionist collections.
Pilsen Mural Walk
CulturePilsen
Mexican-American street art along 16th and 18th Streets.
Best date-night spots in Chicago
12 curated picks — from candlelit dinners to sunset views.
Alinea
$$$$Restaurant · Lincoln Park
Three-Michelin-star theatre by Grant Achatz.
Smyth
$$$$Restaurant · West Loop
Two-Michelin-star tasting in airy room.
Geja's Cafe
$$$Restaurant · Lincoln Park
Candlelit basement fondue — Chicago date-night classic.
360 Chicago
$$$View · Streeterville
94th-floor TILT over Magnificent Mile.
Cindy's
$$$View · Loop
Athletic Association rooftop over Millennium Park.
Architecture river cruise sunset
$$Experience · Loop
Chicago's signature date — sunset on the river.
Pequod's Pizza
$$Restaurant · Lincoln Park
Caramelized-crust pan pizza — casual date staple.
Symphony Center
$$$Experience · Loop
Chicago Symphony, world-class acoustics.
Spiaggia (Italia) replacement: RPM Italian
$$$$Restaurant · River North
See-and-be-seen Italian.
Promontory Point sunset
$Walk · Hyde Park
Lake Michigan stone amphitheatre at golden hour.
Green Mill
$$Live music · Uptown
Capone-era jazz club nightly.
Le Bouchon
$$$Restaurant · Bucktown
Classic French bistro, intimate room.
Where to eat
Alinea
$$$$Modernist tasting · Lincoln Park
Grant Achatz's three-star theater on a plate.
Pequod's Pizza
$$Deep-dish · Lincoln Park
Caramelized cheese crust — the locals' deep-dish pick.
Au Cheval
$$Diner / Burgers · West Loop
Two-hour wait for the country's most-talked-about cheeseburger.
Girl & The Goat
$$$Modern American · West Loop
Stephanie Izard's wood-fired plates, share everything.
Lou Mitchell's
$Diner · West Loop
Route 66 diner since 1923 — fluffy omelets and free Milk Duds.
Frequently asked
- Start with a wine bar, then a slow-paced dinner, then dessert or a walk. Highlights right now: Millennium Park, Chicago Riverwalk, Art Institute of Chicago.