Austin, TX Dating Guide
Austin’s vibrant energy offers ideal date spots, from happy hour at The Cavalier to peaceful walks through the lush Zilker Botanical Garden. Savor special moments with tasty treats from local icons like Tiny Pies! Whether you’re meeting up for an adventure, or indulging in Austin’s incredible food scene, the city has countless options to make your dates unforgettable.
If you’re single and ready to start dating, don’t wait—get started today!
Get into the dive bar spirit of The Cavalier, a neighborhood scratch kitchen that turns out Southern favorites. Their weekend brunch includes Southern staples like chicken and waffles, along with the locally popular Cavalier burger, topped with homemade mayo and pickles. Located off East 7th Street in Downtown East Austin.
Come to Happy Hour for their food and drink specials, or dine in on Monday night and get 2-for-1 burgers.
Mañana $
Mañana has a simple but elegant menu, including delectable pastries. It makes for a great place to grab a bite and sip when you are testing the waters on a first date. Locations in the Seaholm District and inside the South Congress Hotel. Drinks are all around the $4-$7 mark, and sandwiches are priced around $10.
One of the cutest date ideas in Austin is going to Tiny Pies together. Tiny Pies is a wonderful place where you and your partner can have delicious pies together. But these are not regular pies! Instead, you can find here very small versions of regular pies, which is a lot of fun! Locations in Lamar Union and Burnet Road. Menu items start around $5.
Elephant Room is a speakeasy underground jazz spot that might just be your next favorite date spot. If you like cozy little bars with live jazz, then Elephant Room is for you! You can find great music here 7 days a week. Get in without a cover on Sunday and Monday, and a small cover the rest of the week.
Austin Zoo $$
Are you an animal lover? Spend a day at the Austin Zoo checking out all of the animals while getting to know your date. You can make your date even more special with a capybara or Galapagos tortoise encounter. Tickets are just under $20 for adults, with a discount offered to senoirs.
Austin Swing Dance Syndicate $-$$
Every Thursday, the Swing Dance Syndicate hosts a night of swing dancing at the Texas Women’s Federation building. For the first few hours, they’ll teach you and your date everything you need to know, and then it’s an open floor until Midnight! Even those of us with two left feet love to show off our moves, and this is a fool-proof fun date night.
Admission for non-members is $8 on regular nights and $20 when there’s live music.
Uroku $$$
Taking a cooking class is a great way to break the ice on a date! At Uroku, you can learn all about the art of making sushi and then enjoy the fruits of your labor together! At their auxiliary event space, Tonari, you can participate in several types of classes and special events, including demonstrations of several traditional Japanese crafts. Tickets vary by event. Most are in the $60-$90 range.
Austin Steam Train $$-$$$
Take an evening ride through the beautiful Hill Country. The Austin Steam Train has rides that leave almost every weekend from Cedar Park. Check out the schedule as they sometimes have specialty rides as well. The Wine Flyer includes a 3 hour trip to Bertram, a great selection of wines served with a variety of treats. Another great date night would be to ride on the Mystery Flyer. Who do you think the murderer is? This ride includes entertainment, box dinner, and wine or beer. Tickets vary between experiences, but there are options from $20 per ticket.
Haunted ATX $$-$$$
Witness all of the spooky, haunted sites from the inside of a hearse. It’s the only mobile haunted hearse tour in Austin. In this tour, you’ll visit places all over Austin like the Tavern, Clay Pit, the Littlefield house and of course, the legendarily haunted Driskill Hotel. Who knows, a little bit of adrenaline might be just what this new romance needs to get kickin’.
There are three tours, with both public and private options. Tickets range from $50 to $125 per person, depending on your chosen tour.
With over 80 exhibits such as optical illusions, holograms, installations, and interactive illusion rooms, the Museum of Illusions offers a unique sensory experience for your date night. There’s something exciting at every turn in the Museum. For an experience that is sure to amaze your date, this is the place to go. Adult admission is about $25, with a small discount offered to seniors.
Want to go on a romantic stroll with your date? At Zilker Botanical Gardens you can spend your afternoon wandering around themed gardens like the Hartman Prehistoric Garden or the Japanese Garden, or stop and smell the roses in the Rose Garden. Admission is $6-$8.
Capital Cruises $$$
When you take a dinner cruise with Capital Cruises, you get to experience romance and intimacy from the water. Spend two hours on a private boat rental admiring the sunset while dining on food catered by the four-diamond Hyatt Regency Hotel — an experience we know will bring you and your date closer together. Options start around $125.
This is a super cool Austin wine bar that will be sure to impress your date. It was the first full production winery located inside Austin city limits! Order a flight and enjoy some charcuteries and make some date memories you will never forget. Tastings start at about $20, and shareable food options are available at similar price points.
