It’s happened. The sun, moon, and stars have aligned. You finally have a day where you and your partner have a day to yourselves. You want to make it count, right?
Provided there are no surprise hurricanes or suffocating heat waves, I’ve got plenty of recommendations for you within the Park Circle area! In this guide, you’ll find a spot for any meal of the day, local shopping spots, coffee, baked goods, walks along the water, and some places to create or compete with your person!
Park Circle Date Night Ideas
1. Brunch
The Junction Kitchen has a wide range of flavorful foods and something for everyone. You can even get a “Buzzed Doughnut” — coffee-rubbed bacon, an over-easy egg on a biscuit doughnut with a mocha dip, and shredded hashbrowns. C’mon. How could you skip this spot?
Note: it gets BUSY at The Junction. Calculate in some wait time on their outdoor benches or try to get there right at open. They do, thankfully, have a Weekend Waitlist that you can find here that lets you see how long your wait will be.
2. Stroll Through Riverfront Park
After you fuel up on some delicious food, pop into the adorable Odd Duck Market on Montague to grab lattes before heading over to Riverfront Park for a calm walk on the water. You can even order ahead for pick-up! My go-to is a large Hazelnut White Mocha latte with oat milk, iced. Literal perfection in coffee form.
3. Shopping & Activities
- Shop Local at The Station
After your stroll, you simply have to stop at The Station at Park Circle to check out local makers and finders. The Station has everything from locally made goodies, paintings, thrifted clothing and furniture, plants, and records. It’s truly a one-stop shop.
- Browse Itinerant Literate Bookshop
I find it physically impossible to be in Park Circle without browsing through the shelves of my favorite bookshop, Itinerant Literate. This inclusive and welcoming indie shop has a one-of-a-kind array of books to shop. If you want witchy tarot cards or a cookbook authored by a local chef, they’ve got you. They also carry Blind Date books which are a fun way to step out of your comfort zone as a reader. Oh — and so, so many fun stickers!
- Create at Park Circle Ceramics
For the crafty couple, Park Circle Ceramics is an adorable and very chill spot to try your hand at paint-your-own pottery. You can expect to be creating works of pottery perfection for about an hour or two. No reservations are needed, but note that the studio is first come, first serve!
- Games at Pinky & Clyde’s Arcade Bar
For the competitive and game-loving couple, Pinky’s is a combination of a dive bar and an old-school arcade. Their game selection is great for anyone looking for a throwback to the 80s and 90s. You can grab an Ecto-Cooler, essentially the boozy adult version of a Capri-Sun, and see who is better at Mortal Kombat II.
4. Lunch or Dinner
If you plan on doing lunch or dinner versus brunch for your date, here are some wonderful options!
- LoLA
LoLA is authentic Louisiana cuisine and you cannot beat the vibrant flavors and the bite of a good creole seasoning. The Po Boys are massive and will leave you stuffed.
- EVO Pizzeria
EVO boasts “creative farm-to-table Neopolitan pies” and their menu does not disappoint. Just one example of their one-of-a-kind offerings is their Speck & Peaches pie with
pecan pesto, crispy speck, local peaches, arbol chili flakes, tarragon vanilla bean crema, havarti, and fromage blanc. YUMMY!
- Jack Rabbit Filly
Jack Rabbit Filly is a unique Asian-American eatery with a Dim Sum brunch (11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.) that would make the PERFECT lunch. You cannot go wrong with an array of dumplings and bao buns. They also have an extensive beverage menu!
- CodFather Chippy
Codfather serves exactly what you think they’d serve — “World Famous” fish and chips. They’re perfectly deep-fried and don’t leave you feeling greasy or weighed down. You can have your fish and chips traditionally or as a sandwich with house-made tartar sauce.
