Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, marking one of the busiest days of the year for restaurants in our fare city. Don’t have a reservation yet? Lucky for you, there are still plenty of fine establishments with openings, many with special menus tailored to the occasion. Here are our favorite picks for a romantic evening that will impress your date.
Lumiere
For a romantic evening in the suburbs, head to Lumiere, our favorite local bistro known for their elevated French comfort food made with classic New England ingredients. Their three-course Valentine's Day menu ($65) will offer dishes like black truffle steak rartare, beet risotto, Long Island duck l’orange, and wild-roasted Gloucester scup. They're also boosting festivities with pink cocktails, a raspberry sorbet dessert and believe it or not, heart-shaped fish. Hopeless romantics are destined to fall in love.
If you can’t make it on Valentine's Day, they'll be offering the special Valentine’s Day menu all weekend.
1293 Washington St., Newton, 617-244-9199, lumiererestaurant.com
Also featured in Boston Restaurants With A View.
Whaling in Oklahoma
We are SO excited about chef Tim Maslow’s (Strip-T's, Ribelle) new spot in the South End, positioned as the modern American bistro, with a focus on Japanese flavors and techniques, that you need to go to. You’ll have plenty of tasty options to choose from on the regular menu, in addition to their special “All You Can Eat” extravaganza ($80) for Valentine's Day. This offering is a modern take on an old izakaya tradition that allows guests to pay a set amount and then eat until satiated, and is a great way for the table to taste the chef’s favorites of the day.
647 Tremont St., Boston, 617-266-4600, whalinginoklahoma.com
Area Four
Pizza seems like a great Valentine’s day meal to us — delicious, made for sharing and budget-friendly. Luckily, Area Four is still taking reservations at both their Cambridge and South End locations, so you can enjoy their specialty pizzas, made from scratch and cooked to perfection in a wood-fired oven.
We're in love their mouthwatering Margherita, and the mushroom and fontina pie is always a good choice. If you’re at the Cambridge location and looking for a fun post-pizza activity, head down the street to A4cade and impress your date with some game skills. And as a special bonus, all month their South End location is offering a pizza on the house, with an order of a bottle of wine, a pitcher of beer or a large-format cocktail.
500 Technology Sq., Cambridge, 617-758-4444; 264 East Berkeley St., Boston, 857-317-4805, areafour.com
Empire Asian Restaurant & Lounge
Sublime food and a luxurious ambiance with a richly decorated contemporary interior? Empire Asian Restaurant & Lounge is definitely one of the most exciting places in Boston for sushi. And they're fully embracing the Valentine’s Day theme this year, running specials all week that are designed for sharing. You can enjoy dishes like a steak entrée called the “Better Half," and the “Ribbon and Bow” ramen. And with cocktails, like the “Love Potion,” a concoction of rosé, red sangria and strawberries, and the classic raspberry chocolate martini, they're destined to steal your heart.
1 Marina Park Dr., Boston, 617-295-0001, empireboston.com
Pier 6
Who says waterfront dining is only for the summer? From its perch in Charlestown’s Navy Yard, Pier 6 is boasting one of the most awe-inspiring and romantic panoramic views of Boston, making it a perfect destination for a Valentine’s Day.
To celebrate, they'll be offering a three-course meal ($60), complete with an amuse-bouche and seafood favorites like tuna crudo and pan seared scallops, as well as scruptuous lamb shank and wild mushroom gnocchi. Be sure to save room for dessert, the espresso semifreddo is light and absolutely delicious, and the perfect palate cleanser for the evening.
1 8th St., Charlestown, 617-337-0054, pier6boston.com
Pabu
It's already been two years since Pabu opened up in the Millennium Towers in Downtown Crossing, and we're still excited. The ambiance is both rustic and exotic, and a wonderful and modern version of traditional Japanese izakaya-style dining. And this Valentine’s Day, they're offering a whopping five-course menu ($99) chock full of Pabu’s greatest flavors, including botan ebi (prawn) tartare, a black truffle chawanmushi (egg custard), duck leg gyoza, a 5 piece nigiri, and a grilled mochi with vanilla ice cream to finish.
3 Franklin St., Boston, 857-327-7228, michaelmina.net/restaurants/boston/pabu-boston/
Lucca
Lucca is an elegant, and local favorite, for contemporary Italian food. Also a perfect fit for a Valentine’s Day dinner. For the occasion, they’re creating a prix fixe ($75) packed with Italian classics, like a Burrata appetizer, Bolognese, halibut with mushroom ragout, and a short rib entrée with a smoked Cheddar polenta. And for dessert? We're eyeing the Nutella panna cotta with candied hazelnuts and white chocolate ganache. Incredible.
Their North End location is already booked up for the holiday, but they're still taking reservations in the Back Bay.
116 Huntington Ave., Boston, luccabackbay.com
Elephant Walk
Elephant Walk is another local favorite. Known for their Cambodian-French fusion, and cozy and inviting interior, (also a great spot for vegans and vegetarians to dine) they're the perfect romantic spot for the evening.
They're staying true to the main menu, and we recommend starting with the Rouleaux, crispy Cambodian pork spring rolls served with peanuts and greens, and the Somlah Machou, a sour soup with tiger shrimp, fried garlic and mint. And for an entrées, you can't go wrong with the French classic Boeuf Bourguignon, or the traditional Cambodian beef dish Loc Lac. Both are delicious and bold enough to flirt with your inner spirit animal.
1415 Washington St., Boston, elephantwalkboston.com
Taberna de Haro
Tapas-style (small plates) dining is the perfect option for a romantic Valentine’s Day meal, and Taberna de Haro is the place to go. Small plates means you’ll be sampling (and sharing) all sorts of incredible Spanish specialties, like patatas bravas, ham croquettes and seafood paella. And Taberna's wine list is quite literally as big as a phone book, we love it.
And we're so luckily this hot spot in Brookline is still taking reservations. Get on that.
999 Beacon St., Brookline, tabernaboston.com
... and now, a spot for those that are looking west:
Armsby Abbey
Is there a more fitting Valentine’s Day meal than an actual heart? For foodies who would like to mark the occasion with more macabre, we recommend taking a trip west to visit Armsby Abbey, a top notch gastropub in Worcester that's also become one of the best craft beer destinations in the Nation.
There are several menu items with heart, including the Phenomenal burger that's made with beef heart and bone marrow. There's also the beef heart pastrami for the charcuterie board. We guarantee that both options are toothsome enough to eat until your own heart’s content.
144 Main St., Worcester, 508-795-1012, armsbyabbey.com
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