San Francisco is a mecca for great date opportunities with a variety of cool bars, tasty food and beautiful views. However, being somewhat new to the city and actively dating, every time I read a review of best date spots in San Francisco I get only 50% of what I am looking for and I end up asking the same question: “What if my date is going well, where should I take my date next?” Hence, I figured this would be a perfect opportunity to do just that, provide a list of my favorite one-two punch date destinations in the city for those times when conversation is flowing and you both want to continue the date.
1.) Rooftop Drinks + Dancing (or not)
Start at El Techo De Lolinda for tasty drinks and a nice view of SF’s skyline. After a few margaritas at El Techo De Lolinda you will most likely feel like dancing, so walk down the street to the Make Out Room for a dance and another cocktail.
If you do not feel like dancing and still want to continue the evening, go next door to Lazlo for Russian-themed decorations and tasty cocktails. Lazlo has a pretty sweet upstairs with couches in case you desire a bit more privacy.
2.) Wine + Gallery + Games
Start at Hotel Biron with wine, art and hopefully good conversation. Once you have had a few glasses of wine, nothing spells bonding like a friendly shuffleboard competition at S&R Lounge or retro Nintendo games at Soda Popinski.
3.) Roller Blading + Tasty Late Night Eats
Start with roller blading at the historic Church of 8 Wheels while listening to a DJ spin disco. You will mostly likely be starved by the end of this adventure; hence, you can walk, bike, drive or Uber down the street to Nopa. Nopa can sometimes be hard to get into on the weekends, so either go late or try this date during the week.
4.) Sailing + Oysters
Start with a sail of the SF bay on a ~30ft sailing vessel via a Groupon (https://www.groupon.com/deals/golden-gate-sailing-tours-5). The next logical step is to continue the nautical theme with some oysters and beverages at the Hog Island Oyster Bar.
5.) Golden Gate Park Boating + Dinner with a View
On a nice day in San Francisco (read: sometime in September) you can rent paddle boats at the Stow Lake Boathouse and take a leisurely boating tour of the Golden Gate park.
What else goes well with boating through the Golden Gate park, you ask? A romantic dinner at the Cliff House restaurant which gives panoramic views of the coast. Make sure to make a reservation sometime in advance because Cliff House can get pretty busy on the weekends.
6.) Urban Putt + Show
There is no better way to start a date than going for a friendly game of putt putt at the Urban Putt. Urban Putt also serves great food and tasty drinks, so you can get all of your fun at one place.
Shall you desire to continue the evening (and your date is anytime between Thursday and Sunday), you can catch a funky/soulful show at the Boom Boom Room or go for something a bit more rock’n’roll at the Bottom of the Hill.
7.) Bonus round: Chocolate Tour + Wine
Who doesn’t like chocolate? Who doesn’t like a chocolate tour with seven tastings? Exactly, practically no one. Hence, you should take your date on a chocolate tour of San Francisco via this Groupon: (https://www.groupon.com/deals/great-food-tours-san-francisco-11).
After eating, what would seem like a pound of chocolate, you will most likely be thirsty. Thus, you can continue your date with wine served by L’emigrante Wine Bar & Bistro or Etcetera Wine Bar (which is my personal favorite because of the ambiance).
