Visit these Midwest romantic restaurants for a Valentine’s Day date
Planning a romantic date night for Valentine’s Day? Discover these most enchanting restaurants and bars across the Midwest perfect for couples.
USA TODAY reporters selected five romantic restaurants across the Midwest for date nights.The list includes establishments in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Indiana.Featured restaurants range from a decades-old bar to a modern rooftop lounge.These spots are noted for their intimate atmospheres, unique menus, and special occasion appeal.
There’s nothing that says romance quite like a cozy, high-end meal shared with your sweetie. And for date night, a romantic restaurant is a must.
We all know the places. Those cozy, intimate restaurants you save for special occasions. Maybe it’s an elevated French bistro that’s mastered the perfect beef bourguignon or a classic Italian spot that serves a to-die-for tiramisu for dessert. Maybe it’s a basement bar that’s been open for decades or a rooftop restaurant with panoramic nighttime views.
Whatever makes your heart flutter, there’s something timeless about a date night at a romantic restaurant, which can be an exciting first for a new couple or a meal that reminds a couple of their love from younger days.
Ahead of Valentine’s Day, we asked five food and dining reporters with USA TODAY CO. to recommend their top romantic restaurants in the Midwest. Here they are, listed in alphabetical order by restaurant name, that just might inspire your next date night (and a road trip):
Romantic restaurants, bars in the Midwest
Like the classic films “Casablanca,” “Roman Holiday” and “When Harry Met Sally,” The Blind Lemon isn’t just romantic. It’s timelessly romantic.
Opened in 1963, it hasn’t changed much at all over the years. Young couples still come here when their relationships are in bloom, and older folks return to recall the romance of their youth. The subterranean lounge is built on the garden level of a brick townhouse perched atop the hills of Mount Adams, Cincinnati’s most beautiful neighborhood.
I like to drink bourbon here. A Knob Creek or a Blanton’s on the rocks. The kind of sippers that let you sink into the warmth and magic of this bar at just the right pace. But my wife prefers the cold-weather cocktails that include Irish coffee, hot toddies and hot buttered rum. If you’re hungry, ask for a menu from the adjacent Mount Adams Bar & Grill (which is owned by the same family) and the food will be delivered to your table.
Specialties include hummus plates and chicken wings, club sandwiches and their famous French onion chicken. I tend to order the mustard sardines with saltines, something I’d advise against if you’re feeling truly romantic. — Keith Pandolfi, The Cincinnati Enquirer
Details: 936 Hatch St., Cincinnati, Ohio, 513-241-3885, theblindlemon.com.
Cafe Cortina, Farmington Hills, Michigan
In 1976, Rina and the late Adriano Tonon, founded this acclaimed Italian eatery in Farmington Hills, Michigan, on the site of former apple orchard.
Rina, along with sons Adrian and Giancarlo, now operate the longstanding metro Detroit restaurant. Its longtime chef, Ernesto Antopia, and team craft a menu rooted in authentic Italian dishes, including a selection of pasta dishes, plus beef, poultry and fish. There are also vegan options and a vast selection of wines.
“Inspired in Italy, Made in Michigan” is the motto conveyed on its website. In the warmer months, Cafe Cortina is also well known for its beautiful outdoor patio which includes private dining amid an intimate setting for any occasion from family dinners to weddings. On site is Café Cortina’s chef’s garden, which provides the inspiration for chef Ernesto’s garden-to-table approach.
This year, Café Cortina is celebrating its 50th Anniversary titled “A Timeless Table.” A year-long tribute is taking place celebrating its “culinary excellence, family legacy, and community connection” with a selection of special programming and dinners. — Susan Selasky, The Detroit Free Press
Details: 30715 W. 10 Mile Road, Farmington Hills, MI; 248-474-3033 or cafecortina.com
M. Peppers, Louisville, Kentucky
If lettering for a former police station throws you off, the rotating lit-up circle shows you’re in the right place. A flashy red sign is adorned with the restaurant’s name and its cartoony mascot, a suit-wearing dog carrying a silver cloche.
Since M. Peppers opened in April 2025, that light bulb soaked sign has been the subject of plenty of cell phone screens as patrons walk in the buzzy French bistro in Louisville’s bustling Highlands neighborhood. Louisville is home to plenty of long-running romantic restaurants that fill up for Valentine’s Day and date nights, and this newer one is poised to rise as a top option.
M. Peppers comes from the team behind bar Vetti and offers a lovely dining room and lively bar. With red cushion seating, sconces, and a mix of French poster art and Kentucky-themed pieces covering the walls, you’ll get your fancy fix, while also feeling like you’re dining in a hidden corner of the coolest living room on the block. Fried cornichons, the fancy version of fried pickles, are served in a silver bowl alongside other appetizer options such as French onion fondue and escargot. The menu also features Parisian gnocchi, three types of steak frites, and beef bourguignon.
M. Peppers offers specials, too, like an adult happy meal on Wednesdays, which includes a cheeseburger, French fries and a house martini all for $25. And if your celebration here is also a family affair, M. Peppers has room for a small kids menu, another hint that this place really strives to be a neighborhood restaurant. — Amanda Hancock, The Courier Journal
Details: 1306 Bardstown Road, Louisville, Ky., 502-963-5091, mpeppers.com
Nestled into a 1920s stucco house that conveniently resembles a Tuscan villa, Mama Carolla’s in Indianapolis has set the stage for countless first dates and Valentine’s Day dinners over the years as well as hundreds of proposals.
The red sauce-heavy menu and intimate atmosphere feel a bit like everyone’s favorite Italian restaurant blended into one, and in a way, Mama Carolla’s is just that. Founder Carole Leuer, a woman of Irish rather than Italian heritage, formed the vision for the eatery in 1997 by modeling it after the Italian restaurants she grew up with in, of all places, Nebraska. Mama’s may not be what you’d call traditional, but that hasn’t stopped it from drawing friends, families and lovebirds alike night after night to share quiet conversations over house-made pasta and mercifully inexpensive glasses of wine. — Bradley Hohulin, The Indianapolis Star
Details: 1031 E. 54th St., Indianapolis, Ind., 317-259-9412, mamacarollas.com
One of the highest rooftops in Columbus is atop the 28-story Hilton Columbus Downtown. It makes for a panoramic nighttime view of the city from Stories on High, the hotel’s sophisticated yet comfortable top-floor bar.
Stories serves Japanese-style small plates, but its cocktails — as well as the views — are the star. — Bob Vitale, The Columbus Dispatch
Details: 404 N. High St., Columbus, Ohio; 614-484-5285; storiesonhigh.com
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