30 West End Date Ideas

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Ahh the West End. The beating heart of the Big Smoke, where culture, culinary delights, cabaret and old-Soho charm collide.

This patch of the metropolis really has everything, which is why it should be your first port of call for date night.

There’s everything you could wish for to help set the mood, from candle-making, subterranean drinking dens, world-class Basque dining, and all-night movie marathons at Soho’s last remaining independent cinema.

This guide might not be a fast-track to guaranteed everlasting love but it’s a good place to start.

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1) Create a bespoke scent at Experimental Perfume Club

Smell is one of the most evocative sensations a human can experience, intimately connected as it is to memory and emotion – so why not bottle your date to spritz at your wish? 

The Experimental Perfume Club in Monmouth Street offers in-store consultations on the Art of Blending so you can make your own, while learning about the perfume-making process. Not to be sniffed at.

Details: 53 Monmouth Street, WC2H 9DG | £75pp | Book on the Experimental Perfume Club website

 

2) Get creative with a candle making class at Earl of East

The perfect activity for finding a spark or rekindling an old flame? An Earl of East candle making workshop. 

Each session is 90 minutes, during which time you’ll be guided through creating your own wax candle. You’ll be greeted with a glass of Prosecco, before learning all about different scents and the best way to blend them. At the end of the session you’ll have made your own 6oz scented candle, which will set overnight and then you can either come and collect it the next day or opt to have it sent out to you via the post.

Details: Unit 2, Quadrant Arcade, Regent Street, London W1B 5RL | £55pp | Book a session on the Earl of East website

 

3) See a show at the iconic Ronnie Scott’s 

Whether you’re married and paying off your mortgage or flirting with a new fling, Ronnie Scott’s is one of the best bets for date night in the West End. The world-renowned jazz club oozes charm and a sense of history – just imagine being a fly on the wall when Wynton Marsalis, Amy Winehouse or Jimi Hendrix was tearing up the stage. There’s at least two live shows a night, every night and alongside captivating music acts, you’re served dinner and drinks. 

Details: 47 Frith Street, Soho, W1D 4HT | Book a show on the Ronnie Scott’s website

 

4) Dine alongside jazz at Bob Bob Ricard & Louie 

Tuesday. Arguably the most school night of all the school nights. But surely that’s the perfect excuse to dress up and shake down for a night of jazz in town? Cue Bob Bob Ricard and Louie; both restaurants host a weekly rotation of live music, alluring enough to pull you away from plans to have a night in. At Bob Bob Ricard the stage is set in the subterranean Red Room, while at Louie the musicians take over The Alligator Bar. Consider Tuesday nights, the new date night.

Details: 1 Upper James St, London W1F 9DF | Book a table at Bob Bob Ricard | Louie, 13-15 West Street, London WC2H 9NE | Book a table at Louie

 

5) Attempt to work your way through the wine list at The 10 Cases

Nothing says date night like an intimate, candle-lit wine bar. At The 10 cases, the offering is simple yet effective: there’s a variety of delicious wines to try by the glass, carafe or bottle, a concise menu of classic and unpretentious European fare and warm hospitality by the bucketload. Settle in for the evening and slowly (and responsibly) taste your way through a few wine regions or amble down the road to Parsons, the seafood-centric sister restaurant.  

Details:16 Endell Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9BD | Book a table at The 10 Cases 

 

6) Show them your funny side with a night the The Comedy Store

The Comedy Store is one of the best places to see comedy in the city. It’s also the longest running, perennially popular comedy club in town. The programme here pivots between different themes. The gong show, aka ‘London’s most brutal open mic’, returns on the last Monday of every month, while the long-running ‘Old Rope’ night – where comedians try out new material while standing next to a noose – runs as a monthly residency. And as you’re on Dean Street, it’d be rude not to perch up on a bar stool at Barrafina for some excellent tapas. 

Details: The Comedy Store, 1a Oxendon Street, Leicester Square, SW1Y 4EE | Tickets from £12. Book tickets for The Comedy Store

 

7) And on the topic of comedy, make tracks to Soho Theatre

Not technically a comedy club, but it’s without a doubt, one of the best places to see a whole variety of comics in London, the Soho Theatre has three different stages, each of which host new writing, fringe theatre comedy and cabaret every night of the week. It’s opening an 1,000-seat outpost in Walthamstow this May, bringing the best of Soho Theatre to a bigger audience. 

After catching a show on Dean Street, head to The French House for oysters and baby Guinness.

Details: 21 Dean St, W1D 3NE | Book tickets for the Soho Theatre

 

8) Have an izakaya feast at HIMI

HIMI is a discreet Japanese restaurant run by husband-and-wife team Tamas Naszai and Tomoko Hasegawa. Between them, they’ve worked at some of the best restaurants on earth (the three-Michelin-Starred L’Abysse au Pavillon Ledoyen in Paris, Ginza Shimon in Tokyo, and Sake No Hana in London, to name but a few). 

Izakaya literally translates as “stay-drink-place”, put at HIMI they’ve given this a neo twist, upgrading the traditional pub-style food to deliver dishes like crispy chicken karaage, flash-cooked hand-dived scallop tempura; and sushi platters with a classic trio of tuna, sea trout, mackerel, and more. 

Details: 4 Newburgh Street, Carnaby, Central London, W1F 7RF | Book a table at HIMI

 

9) Make yourselves at home at The Little Violet Door

Behind the unassuming Little Violet Door just next to Kingly Court is a permanent house party. The whole place is dressed up to look like a flat so when you walk in, it’s easy to feel right home. There’s sofas, shelves filled with books, records, colourful prints and an artfully scattered array of bric-a-brac. There’s even a bathtub. 

As with any good house party, the hub is the kitchen, where you’ll find a DJ spinning on an island turntable. Of course, there are cocktails – we’re talking generously spirited and creative combinations, notably the tequila-based Y Tu Mama Tambien – and food too; we’re talking upscaled party food – a far cry from the bumper-size bag of frozen sausage rolls – we’re talking prawn & chorizo tacos and a champagne bucket filled with fried chicken thighs with a tarragon & roast garlic aioli.

Details: Little Violet Door | 9 Kingly St, Carnaby, W1B 5PH | Book The Little Violet Door 

 

10) Celebrate a special occasion at Evelyn’s Table

Evelyn’s Table is full-blown special occasion territory. It’s the subterranean, Michelin-starred restaurant in Soho that literally centers around one, L-shaped marble bar, seating up to a dozen keen diners, who watch on as the chefs seem to glide around the open kitchen. Named after Faye Dunaway’s character in the film, Chinatown, the kitchen is led by Luke Selby, and his brothers Nat and Theo. Together they prepare and serve a five-course menu of seasonal dishes influenced by Japanese and French culinary techniques. There’s excellent wine too, hand-picked by Honey Spencer, the sommelier and co-founder of Sune. 

Details: 28 Rupert Street, Soho, Central London, W1D 6DJ | Book Evelyn’s Table

 

11) Cocktails at a hidden bar under an Italian deli

Lina Stores is one of the longest-standing shops in the West End. It’s been selling pasta, cheeses, cured meats, olive oil and pastries for over 80 years, giving Londoners a taste for the finest Italian ingredients money can buy without catching a flight to Rome. 

While the pantry essentials are worth a visit alone, this Brewer Street stalwart has another trick up its sleeve. Below the deli is Bar Lina, an intimate and lesser-known aperitivo bar inspired by the Italians that made their mark on Soho. It’s a slinky drinking den decked out in deep burgundy, with plush banquettes and a list of punchy cocktails, like the basilico made from basil-infused gin, mancino secco, basil and milk. 

Details: 15 Brewer Street, Soho, Central London, W1F 0SG | Book a spot at Bar Lina

 

12) Spend an entire night at the Prince Charles Cinema

Some naysayers might think it’s unoriginal and argue that the cinema is a boring idea for a date night in the West End. But for those cynics, we’d hazard a guess they’ve never been to an all-night movie marathon at the Prince Charles Cinema. 

As the last remaining independent cinema in London’s West End – which just so happens to be the busiest square mile for cinema in the world. Wild, right? The Prince Charles Cinema does things a little differently. It shows everything from silents and arthouse to classics and singalongs, playing movies in 35mm, 70mm, and Digital. 

Details: 7 Leicester Pl, London WC2H 7BY | Book tickets for the Prince Charles Cinema 

 

13) Dress up 40s style and go to Cahoots

Amid the chaos and colour of Carnaby Street is Cahoots. A 1940s-style cocktail bar set within a vintage tube carriage that promises high spirits, scoundrels and swing. If this sounds up your street, why not go hell for leather and dress up for the occasion? Tighten those victory curls, dust off your dancing shoes and slip into your best threads for a night of flouting the rationing rules and painting the town red. 

Details: 13 Kingly Ct, Carnaby, London W1B 5PW | Book a table at Cahoots

 

14) Laugh and cry together while watching The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button is almost everything you’d never expect it to be. The first half is so joyous your cheeks will be aching from smiling by the time you reach the interval and the second half will have you on the verge of tears until the last curtain call. Adapted from F. Scott Fitzerald’s short story (by writer, lyricist, director and stage designer Jethro Compton), the musical sees Benjamin Button – who’s born an old man, and then ages in reverse – transplanted to the coast of North Cornwall. Every performance feels heart-felt and true, and the score composed by Darren Clark is as big a character as the actors on stage. It’s a welcome and must-see addition to the West End. 

Details: The Ambassadors Theatre, West Street, Covent Garden, WC2H 9ND | Book tickets for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

 

15) Go on a West End ice cream crawl

When the rain and grey has the city in a chokehold, it’s hard to envisage a time when you might be skipping through Soho with a waffle cone loaded with ice cream. But as soon as the sun peaks from behind the clouds, rest assured there are plenty of places to pick up some of the best, weirdest, coolest, most mind-blowing ice creams. And particularly in the West End so grab your date and go in search of the best scoop.  

Details: Across the West End

 

16) Dine above the chaos at The Devonshire’s restaurant 

Picture the scene. It’s 5pm on a balmy Friday afternoon in London’s West End and outside The Devonshire, the world, his wife and his 839 Irish cousins it seems, are gathering with pints of Guinness in hand to mark the end of the working week. While this is fun for a cheeky half or a G&T, you might prefer a quieter spot to have dinner with your date. Lucky for you, the restaurant upstairs is a decidedly more demure setting than the street below, with crisp white tablecloths, candles and hand-written menus put together by chef Ashley Palmer-Watts. Order from the lineup of British pub food classics, order another Guinness and enjoy not having to shout across the din of drinkers down below on Denman Street. 

Details: 17 Denman St, Soho, Central London, W1D 7HW | Book a table at The Devonshire

 

17) Experimental cocktails at a bar hidden under a casino 

Putting a bar below a casino can be a bit of a gamble. But Archive & Myth manages to feel more like a hidden treasure than a risky bet, pleasantly removed from the bustling energy upstairs, and completely worth the effort to find. To get in, head to the Magic Mike entrance at the Hippodrome Casino, and let them know you’re there for the bar. Once inside, look for a door covered in mysterious symbols. It’s locked but you find the daily-changing passcode on the website. Tap the right combination of symbols, and a sleek tablet will flash green, granting you entry. 

Details: Below The Hippodrome Casino, Cranbourn Street, WC2H 7JH |Book a table at Archive & Myth

 

18) Indulge in a lavish afternoon tea at The NoMad

While it has roots in NYC, The NoMad firmly nods to the very British tradition of afternoon. And it pulls off a spread of finger sandwiches and exquisite tarts with sublime style, as you’d expect from a hotel with such gorgeous interiors. Seated in the triple-height atrium, surrounded by glass lanterns and cascading greenery, you and your date can enjoy a (rather reasonably priced) afternoon tea with all the trimmings. 

Details: 28 Bow Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 7AW | Book afternoon tea at The NoMad

 

19) Candlelit dinner at Andrew Edmunds

Andrew Edmunds gets restaurant lighting just right. It’s almost completely candlelit so you and your date will meet eyes through the flickering, golden dim of a restaurant in full flow and still feel as though you’re the only ones in the room. The food here is more-ishly delicious: share your best anecdotes over baked dover sole with brown butter and braised lamb with buttery mashed potato, and finish up with the rum baba with whipped cream and booze-soaked prunes.

Details: 46 Lexington Street, W1F 0LP | Book a table at Andrew Edmunds

 

20) Catch an exhibition at The Photographers Gallery

Set over multiple floors, The Photographers’ Gallery offers three exhibition spaces, an education and learning studio, a café (hoorah) and a print sales gallery which, unlike lots of public galleries, hosts free exhibitions in which the pieces can be purchased. The space isn’t huge but there’s always a rich array of work to see as the gallery hosts a rolling programme of visiting exhibitions, as well as talks, courses and events. Outside, meanwhile, you can check out the Soho Photography Quarter, an old alleyway that’s been revamped as a kind of free al fresco gallery space, with a changing line-up of large-scale prints hung across its walls. 

Details: 16-18 Ramillies Street, Soho, Central London, W1F 7LW | Book tickets to The Photographer’s Gallery

 

21) Ogle at a top-tier burlesque show at Louche then try it for yourself at House Of Burlesque 

Burlesque is possibly not first-date territory. But if cabaret, fire-eaters and circus acts light your fire, then a course at House of Burlesque or a show at Louche might be right up your alley. 

If you’ve seen enough burlesque to feel inspired to reveal your own inner sass, sign up for a course with the House of Burlesque in London’s most famous dance studio. Performer Tempest Rose runs drop-in dance classes at Pineapple Studios on a Thursday evening so you can flex your moves, feather fans and all. Meanwhile Louche, the bar and performance venue, is spread across a three-storey townhouse on Greek Street. It’s decked out with all the glitz and glamour you’d expect to find in Soho’s free-wheeling underbelly. 

Details: House of Burlesque at Pineapple Dance Studios, 7 Langley Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JA | Book a class at House of Burlesque | Louche, 5 Greek St, Soho, W1D 4DD | Book a table at Louche

 

22) Have a whisky tasting sesh at The Vault at Milroy’s

Milroy’s was London’s first ever specialist whisky store. And now, it’s London’s first ever brooding, underground, candlelit cocktail bar with bare brick walls, chesterfield couches, and live music. That’s called The Vault. If you and your date fancy a dram, head to the back of Milroy’s and find the bookshelf. Open it, and head on down. 

Details: 3 Greek Street, W1D 4BD | Book a spot at The Vault

 

23) Channel your inner fashionista at The Devil Wears Prada

Currently showing in the West End’s Dominion Theatre, this musical version of The Devil Wears Prada film (2006), delivers everything you could ever want from a West End musical. It’s full of razor-sharp wit (mostly delivered by Vanessa Williams as the chic but cutting Miranda Priestly), a talented and energetic cast, a great set, and all of the most iconic moments from the film. That’s all. 

Details: The Dominion Theatre, 268-269 Tottenham Ct Rd, Bloomsbury, Central London, W1T 7AQ | Book tickets to The Devil Wears Prada

 

24) Catch a ballet show at London Coliseum

Home to the English National Opera and a number of international and London ballet companies throughout the year, the London Coliseum is the crowning jewel in London’s West End. It’s the largest theatre in town and it offers fairly priced seats on headline shows – we’re talking £10 or £20 for seats up in the Gods. Performances lean towards the more traditional ballets, staged with spectacular sets and costumes – and the Nutcracker returns every year for a snow-dusted Christmas run.

Details: London Coliseum, St Martin’s Lane, London WC2N 4ES | Book tickets for London Coliseum

 

25) Go on a Guinness crawl at The Devonshire, The Toucan, Coach & Horses

Guinness is having a moment and there are plenty of places in the West End (and beyond) where you can enjoy a freshly pulled pint of the black stuff. Starting with the aforementioned, The Devonshire, which serves more Guinness than anywhere else in the UK. Then there’s the Soho mainstay, The Toucan, so named after the old bow-beaked Guinness mascot. And don’t forget the Coach & Horses; a tiny, one-room drinking den in Covent Garden that’s been run by the same Irish family for the past four decades. 

Details: The Devonshire, 17 Denman St, London W1D 7HW | The Toucan, 19 Carlisle St, W1D 3BY | The Coach & Horses, 42 Wellington St, WC2E 7BD

 

26) Sing along to “Oom-Pah-Pah” at Oliver The Musical

Lionel Bart‘s iconic musical Oliver! is realised in full-blown West-End technicolour. There’s choreography by Matthew Bourne, who’s worked on just about every theatre show worth seeing and seamless production by Cameron Mackintosh. There’s a starry cast and of course, a sensational score, including all the big numbers from Food Glorious Food and Consider Yourself to You’ve Got to Pick-a-Pocket Or Two and I’d Do Anything. It’s a guaranteed win for date night in the West End.

Details: The Gielgud Theatre, Shaftesbury Ave, London W1D 6AR | Book tickets for Oliver! 

 

27) Build a picnic at Lina Stores deli and head to Soho Square Gardens 

It might not be the lush expanse of one of London’s best parks but Soho Square Gardens has a particular charm and the tucked away patch of green provides a perfect picnic spot amid the whirr and burr of the West End. For the ultimate al fresco date, load up a bag with antipasti from Lina Stores’ Brewer Street deli – don’t scrimp on the dolci, the mini Cannolo with sweetened ricotta are the stuff of dreams – pick your spot in the Square then sit back, sun on your face and watch the comings and goings of the square. 

Details: Lina Stores Deli, 18 Brewer St, W1F 0SG | Soho Square Gardens, W1D 3QP

 

28) Devour some incredible Spanish food at Mountain

Londoners have an insatiable appetite for Spanish food. It’s a fact evidenced in the increasing number of Spanish restaurants that run the gamut of the country’s signature dishes, from patatas bravas to Ensaïmadas. Mountain, the Basque-leaning restaurant from chef Tomos Parry (Brat), shows a specific side of Spain’s culinary culture, one that celebrates cooking on fire, goes large on portion sizes and keeps the txakoli (sparkling white wine) flowing. For a date spot in the West End, Mountain is a peak pick! 

Details: Hardy House, 16-18 Beak Street, Soho, W1F 9RD | Book a table at Mountain

 

29) Tuck into world-class Chinese food in chinatown

Chinatown can feel overwhelming. Particularly if you’re hungry and all you can think about is a stack of steaming dumplings or a bowl of brothy noodles or a pile of peking duck pancakes. Our guide can help to streamline your options but if you’d rather follow your nose, there’s no shortage of options that cover a cornucopia of cuisines from Cantonese and Vietnamese to Thai and Japanese. 

Details: Gerrard Street, Chinatown, W1D

 

30) Be impressed by a cabaret show at Phoenix Arts Club

This legendary late-night bar hits 35 this year, which sounds like no age at all but we imagine the walls of the Phoenix Arts Club have witnessed a lifetime’s worth of frivolity, hedonism and other post-midnight antics. The place is awash with theatrical memorabilia; there are show posters splashed over the walls as well as stage props on display anywhere there’s a spare inch of space. There’s a no-bars-held feel to a night here, not least when one of the frequent burlesque and cabaret performances guides you up to the stage. You’ll need to book ahead but, after that, see where the night takes you. 

Details: 1 Phoenix Street, Covent Garden, WC2H 8BU | Book the Phoenix Arts Club