3 Best Winter Dates in London

During these cold days and even colder nights there is no image more perfect than that of settling down with a glass of red, cosying up on the sofa beneath cashmere blankets, in front of the fire with a beautiful woman by your side. Unfortunately for most, you have to put the ground work in before you can get to this stage. So with just a few weeks until Christmas, what better time to start said ground work?

Whether it’s a first date this winter, or simply ‘date-night’ in a well established love story, the key is in the planning. Note: don’t ever go to your ‘regular’, contrary to popular belief, your date will not be impressed by the maître d’ greeting you by your first name, nor will she be by being shown to ‘your table’ or even by you being offered ‘the usual’ from the wine list. This simply alludes to the fact that she is just another link in the chain that is your serial dating reptoire. She wants to feel special and to know that this evening has been tailored to everything about you that he’s already fallen for. Use our guide to some of the best winter date ideas in London at the moment.

The following three options do, of course, depend on personality, taste and quite how much you’re willing to woo her, but it’s a good starting place…

Date Option 1…

When one thinks of Christmas dates, there is always one that initially springs to mind, it is of course, ice skating. Of all the possible venues in London this time of year, our favourite has to be the Natural History Museum.

The ice rink itself is set beneath the magical array of over 70,00 fairy lights, a cosy cafe-bar and even a fairground carousel. This is the ideal way to get to know your date. Cue: skating around under the night’s sky hand in hand, sweetly brushing frost of her knees after she falls. If you’re a terrible skater, you’ll have a hilarious time; if you’re brilliant then you’ll basically look like the next Winter Olympic stars.

After a picture perfect time of the ice, you’ll be all set to warm up with hot chocolate or mulled wine. As if your night couldn’t get any better, we suggest leaving the childhood-like memories behind and heading to an altogether more grown up establishment and you can’t go far wrong with Bart’s. Unmarked and hidden away behind a black door within the Chelsea Cloisters, Barts is – quite possibly – the worst kept secret in west London, but with good reason. Incredible cocktails (order her the lychee or passion fruit martini and she’ll be yours forever) a fun loving crowd and a speakeasy style vibe, it’s impossible not to have fun here, especially after a few drinks when the revelers start delving into the fancy dress box!

Ice-Skating at the Natural History Museum nhm.ac.uk

Barts London barts-london.com

Date Option 2…

You’ve probably done your research, called mutual friends for the low-down, even done a bit of social network ‘research’ and come to the conclusion that you might just have to pull out some serious stops to impress this one. A glass of champagne at the W Lounge will set the tone well, followed by any one of the number of exquisite events at The London Coliseum will be the perfect way to woe her. This time of year you can’t go wrong with a night at the Ballet or Opera. Whether you’re a huge fan yourself or not, she most likely is, and will be forever grateful that you went to the effort to secure tickets and spoil her. After a strong dose of culture, it’s time to let your hair down a little, and where better than Floridita? A short black cab (or rickshaw if you’re feeling especially romantic), away from St Martins Lane, you can then immerse yourself and your date with the best Latin restaurant-come-bar in town.

Descending the spiral staircase you are instantly hit with the sound of live Latin music, the closest thing to the real ‘El Floridita’ in Cuba. The restaurant oozes sophistication, but retains its fun with the huge range of cocktails, delicious food and lively atmosphere. If conversation runs dry (we’re sure it won’t, but just in case) you can watch some of the professional dancers who frequent the venue purely to dance salsa. And, if the date is going really well, why not dance the night away together?

Dandd London www.danddlondon.com/

The Coliseum London Events & Tickets eno.org

Date Option 3…

Whilst the age old meal and movie might not sound like the start of Hollywood love story, it’s still a fail safe for the first daters among us. Equally, we’re not suggesting Pizza Express and your local Vue. There are dozens of quirky alternatives to the standard cinema these days and we suggest heading north to The Screen On The Green. The old-timey vibe of this cinema is the perfect place to wow her with your knowledge of original venues around London. Built in 1913, it’s one of the oldest cinemas in the UK, let alone London. There’s a lively bar, comfortable seats and quirky, un-pretentious crowd.

Next stop on this original date has to be our favourite new north London restaurant – Hoxley & Porter. Based around the idea of a wealthy English businessman who built, mined and distributed rare gems and antiquities from the hidden depths of Africa, Hoxley & Porter is the vision of bar operator Costa Tofan, of Beronmoor Ltd, who says, ‘We wanted to bring something unique and fresh to Islington’, and that they did. At Hoxley & Porter you’ll find inspiring drinks, fine food and the space to appreciate great company. Amazing cocktails with names such as ‘My Daddy owns a Yacht Club’ and ‘Chipotle off the Old Block’, are served in vintage glasses and jam jars – it would be rude not to try at least a few. In terms of food, its simple (with a slight twist), delicious fare, and we would highly recommend the salt & pepper squid and/or seared scallops with cauliflower puree, kale and smoked bacon jus to start – utterly delicious, they will compliment any of the chosen cocktails. The rack of pork belly with bubble and squeak is cooked to absolute perfection, as is the pan fried seabass, sauteed spinach and ‘shrimp wiggle’ (with a name like that, why wouldn’t you order it?). The service is fantastic, with just the right amount attention, we don’t like to play favorites, but the brilliantly moustached William couldn’t have been nicer when TGJ were lucky enough to head down their for ourselves. The dim lighting, quirky decoration and morish cocktails will have you wanting to stay there all night (as long as the conversation is flowing as fast as the cocktails), but here you really can, allowing you and your date to move into the lounge, sample an after dinner espresso martini and get lost in the story of Hoxley.

The Screen On The Green screenonthegreen.com,

Hoxley & Porterhoxleyandporter.co.uk

By Holly Macnaghten