Date night in Paris
When I visited Paris for the first time, it was definitely love at first sight. From the gorgeous architecture, to the incredible museums, to the food, how could I not fall in love? Paris is romantic whether you have a partner or not, but it’s true that sharing a moment in this city with someone you love is extra special. So if you are in Paris with your significant other, I think a date night is pretty much required! Below are some examples of actual dates my husband and I have gone on in Paris, and which I would fully recommend for a Parisian night out!
An evening in Saint-Germain-des-Prés
The Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood in the 6th arrondissement is one of the oldest in Paris and I think it’s also one of the most romantic. One of my favorite date night activities in this neighborhood is getting tapas at Avant Comptoir de la Mer and Avant comptoir de la Terre - two tapas bars that are located next door to one another, with one specializing in seafood and the other in meat. The tapas (which you eat at the counter) are a mix of traditional Spanish tapas and French dishes, and they are all incredibly delicious (the croquetas de jamon are probably by favorite). I am also a big fan of the complimentary mountain of butter and warm bread! Afterwards, my husband and I will sometimes go to see a play at the beautiful Théâtre de l'Odéon, or we will grab a gelato from GROM, a very authentic Italian gelato place, and walk around the neighborhood or along the Seine. For something extra special, you can also go to the Armani restaurant, which is a one-star Michelin restaurant located in the Armani store on Boulevard Saint-Germain-des-Prés, which has some of the best Italian food I’ve ever had outside of Rome!
A speakeasy in a laundromat and Senegalese food
For our first Valentine’s Day, my husband had me meet him at Lavomatic, which is a speakeasy inside a real working laundromat by the République metro stop. It took me a little while to figure out which washing machine was the door, but once inside there is a cute little bar upstairs that serves really good cocktails. I would recommend arriving early as space is limited, but I think it’s worth it, and it definitely makes for a really unique date night! After Lavomatic, we went to WALY-FAY, which is a west African restaurant in the 11th arrondissement. The food is excellent, I especially like the fried plantains and Maffé chicken (which has a peanut sauce). I’m really proud of myself because I dug up the exact pictures I took on this date in 2018! ;)
Tuesdate nights
Recently, my husband and I have created a new tradition we call “Tuesdates”, where we take turns surprising each other with a date night on a Tuesday. For our most recent Tuesdate, I had my husband meet me at CopperBay, which is a cocktail bar in the 10th arrondissement that I had been meaning to try for a while. The cocktails were very flavorful and the music was great as well (and not too loud!), so this one was a winner! Afterwards, we went for dinner just down the street at the Restaurant Hôtel Providence, which has a gorgeous candlelit interior and some seriously delicious dishes. We had the roasted beets, sesame vinaigrette and puffed rice as a starter, and then the sea bream ceviche with corn purée and the sesame marinated tuna for our main courses, all of which were amazing. To top it all off, I had gotten us tickets to see the play “Passeport” at the Théâtre de la Renaissance, which is also just up the street. The theater itself is gorgeous and my husband and I really enjoyed the play, so all in all, I would say this Tuesdate was a success!
