Los Angeles is one of those places that is simply ripe with opportunities for a fantastic date. Whether you’re trying to impress someone new with our fun first date ideas in LA, or you’re looking for a fun date night with your long-term significant other, there are so many date ideas to choose from.
From exciting restaurants and stunning rooftop bars, perfect for double dates, to fun day date ideas including charming cultural activities, our list of fun date ideas in LA compiles the very best activities to explore with your partner.
Fun First Date Ideas In Los Angeles
Not only is it important to pick a first date location where you’ll both feel comfortable, but you’ll also want to be making a great first impression with your knowledge of the best spots in Los Angeles.
While you could just head to a local coffee shop or a gourmet restaurant to spend time in an intimate setting, if you plan on really impressing your date, we recommend moving forward with something a bit more unique.
Visit a Drive-In Theater
Drive-in theaters really transport you back to a time when dinner and a movie were the go-to romantic date night activity to win a second date. Sure, the local multiplex showing the latest films in highly immersive detail is a great weekend activity, but it’s not really the perfect spot for a romantic first date – where’s the personality and the charm?
There are a number of drive-in theaters in Southern California that are long-standing institutions, meaning that they’ve managed to keep a firm grip on those mid-century aesthetics and prices.
We recommend trying the Paramount Dive-In Theater. With two 75-foot screens, a full refreshments bar, and the option to bring your own treats from outside, Paramount is always a good time. Compared to a traditional cinema, you’re in the privacy of your own car; so you can “chat” as much as you’d like without the worry of annoying the people next to you.
Pedal a Swan Boat Together on Echo Park Lake
This former reservoir turned public recreation area is not only the perfect place for a first date because of its beautiful landscaping, but it also has swan boats. Whether you come to Echo Park for a walk on a summer’s day or to set up a picnic and enjoy the peace and quiet, you simply cannot leave without pedaling one of the famous swan boats – especially if it’s your first time here.
Whilst competitively taking turns pushing your way through the lake within the swan boat, you can enjoy the stunning skyline views and summertime lotus blooms. Make sure to book a slot after sunset, too, as the boats will be illuminated for that extra romantic spark – perfect for your first date.
Take in the Scenery at Huntington Library
One of the most exquisite locales near Los Angeles, Huntington Library boasts beautiful art, stunningly landscaped outdoor spaces, and a fantastically stocked library. Best enjoyed at a leisurely pace rather than at break-neck speeds, Huntington Library offers some of the most glorious outdoor spaces in all of LA County. 207 acres of gardens, 120 of which are open to the public and divided into a variety of themes.
The now century-old desert garden is packed with beautiful cacti and other succulents – a stark contrast to the Shakespeare Garden which evokes a refined Englishness through stunning British florals, trees, and hedges. There’s also the magical Japanese garden, which is beautifully manicured and adorned with stunning foliage native to the East, and the Chinese garden of flowing fragrance – a delicate environment built in part by Chinese artisans.
As one of our favorite fun day date ideas in Los Angeles, Huntington Library is a beautifully romantic setting best enjoyed at a slow pace – and certainly well worth the visit.
Get your tickets for Huntington Library
Sample Delectable Wines at the Stylish Ester’s Wine Bar
When in LA, one of the most important things when dating is to steer clear from the touristy locations, and Ester’s wine Bar is the perfect place to meet for your first date.
Within a beautifully refurbished 1937 Art Deco building doubling as a wine shop and wine bar, not only is the retail section beautifully decorated with floor-to-ceiling racks of wine, but the charming outdoor patio is a must in the summer – especially for a beach city setting.
Break the ice by discussing your knowledge of wines as you sip on some of your favorite classics or discover a brand-new producer. This place offers something for everyone as it’s not only wine on the menu. Why not try an artisanal beer or a classic stirred cocktail while you take in the divine ambiance of this stylish environment – simply perfect for getting to know your date more intimately.
Fun Double Date Ideas in Los Angeles
There are so many romantic restaurants and intimate bars that are perfect for two people spending a night in the town, but these aren’t the best idea when you’re looking for something a bit more exciting for your other coupled-up friends.
So, when you’re looking to hit the town with your significant other and friends, here are some of our favorite fun double date ideas in Los Angeles.
Bring an Appetite to 8 Korean BBQ
Korean BBQ is a communal and fun dining experience which is best done with a group – a great idea for a double date. The best spots are found in LA’s Koreatown, and 8 Korean BBQ is one of our favorites.
This Korean BBQ is known the city over, and this DIY grill-your-own meat provides a fun and delicious experience for groups. Serving samgyupsal, or pork belly, and various other types of meat such as marinated short rib with eight different delicious marinades ensures you and your group have enough variation to tastebuds tired of the same old restaurants.
Additionally, there’s almost always a fantastic number of beverages to choose from, from soft drinks to more alcoholic ones, but we highly recommend starting off strong with the staple selection of beers and soju. Once you’ve finished up, because this is a fun group dining experience, you’ll already have a group assembled to continue your double date into the rest of Koreatown.
Highland Park Bowl
Boasting details you simply wouldn’t expect from a bowling alley, Highland Park Bowl is the perfect place for a fun double date with a bit of competition. From stunning chandeliers made from repurposed pinsetters to vintage bowling banners lining the alley’s eight lanes, this steampunk-esque bowling alley is a great venue.
Not only can you opt to bowl the night away, battling your opposing team with your date to get the best score, but this place triples as a bowling alley, bar and restaurant – meaning you can wait out your turn whilst enjoying their fabulous menu.
Highland Park Bowl is definitely not one to miss – expect Neapolitan-inspired pizzas, delicious craft cocktails, and a constantly rotating selection of local beers, all await whilst winding away the hours with a few riveting rounds of bowling. Perfect!
Book your place at Highland Park Bowl
It’s all Fun and Games at Two Bit Circus
Have you ever wanted to be served a cocktail made by a robot? Or have you been tempted to dabble in the world of virtual reality? Wanting to assemble a group to get lost in the story of an escape room, perhaps?
At Two Bit Circus, all of that is possible under one roof. Designed to bring people closer with elbow-to-elbow experiences, Two-Bit Circus is a micro-amusement park which combines innovative virtual reality games, exciting escape rooms, and carnivalesque attractions within a steampunk-inspired space that is the perfect setting for a double date.
There’s also a full-service bar which can deliver almost anywhere on the floor, as well as offering a fantastic snack stand which provides some well-needed treats after a titillating escape room themed after a spaceship or an Aztec temple.
Get Conversation Flowing at The Green Room
The Green Room is an exclusive cocktail bar which has a stunning sprawling view of the city that is hard to beat in any location. This reservation-only cocktail bar by Castaway is a fantastic experience and one that definitely warrants a double date for maximum effect.
Situated in the corner of the iconic Burbank restaurant, The Green Room offers a beautifully elegant private space which is the ideal setting for sipping on a delectable range of cocktails and fully getting to know each other. It also offers a fantastic rooftop patio complete with a wonderful firepit – simply perfect for spending those long summer nights outside or keeping warm whilst enjoying drinks in the winter.
Their large-format cocktails in hand-blown glasses should sate your thirst, but their upscale bar bites, such as caviar frites and salt-block–seared steak, may warrant your need for another drink shortly after.
Book your spot at The Green Room
Looking for Someone to Experience Fun Date Ideas in Los Angeles?
Being able to share fun date ideas with your significant other is something everyone should be able to enjoy. Los Angeles and the wider California area are absolutely full of exciting date spots that are able to make any time of year special – and they’re certain to win you a second date.
It is part of our mission to introduce you to people who want to share these experiences with you, and we’re dedicated to helping single men and women find love in the US and around the world.
Would you like to learn more about our bespoke, private matchmaking service? Why not give our team a call? Even if it’s just to understand our service better, we can explain how our award-winning matchmakers can help you find your lifelong partner.
