Whether celebrating Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day or Palentine’s Day, OpenTable is debuting a number of resources to help celebrate loved ones in style. First up, the anticipated annual list of the 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America features spots that diners say deliver on romance – the list was culled by analyzing over 13 million US diner reviews. Additionally, regional diner guides spotlight restaurants for every kind of vibe including first dates, proposal-worthy and group dates; while OpenTable’s Experiences feature helps diners discover and book chef tastings, dinner-and-a-show and more. And a staggering NINE restaurants from Arizona made OpenTable’s 100 Most Romantic Restaurants list. Only California had more restaurants on the list.
Oliver Badgio, who serves as the Chief Brand Officer for Ocean 44, Steak 44 and Dominick’s Steakhouse thanked the diners for including their Arizona concepts, as well as their sister restaurant Steak 48 in a neighboring state.
“The diners have spoken and we couldn’t be prouder to have 4 of our restaurants in the top 100,” said Badgio. “We are constantly striving and continuing to raise the bar and this is further proof that we are delivering a world-class dining experience with exceptional steak and seafood.”
No matter the backdrop, data from OpenTable indicates the time to book Valentine’s Day reservations is now. Last year, more than half (54%) of Valentine’s Day reservations were booked by February 7 – but diners seeking a table at one of the 100 Most Romantic Restaurants should plan to book even earlier: in the past, the restaurants on this list booked up by February 1.
DEEPER DIVE: 4 Arizona restaurants make Yelp Top 100 Places to Eat list
“Over the 2022 holiday season and into January, dining exceeded pre-pandemic levels – we anticipate this trend to continue through Valentine’s Day,” said John Tsou, VP of Marketing for OpenTable. “Data from our Q1 Diners Survey3 also revealed that US diners are looking to splurge for the holiday: over one-third plan to spend more money on Valentine’s Day dining this year, compared to years past.”
Data-driven tips to snag that hot table
To help diners navigate one of the busiest dining days of the year, here are additional tips and tricks to increase the chances of snagging that hot table, based on insights from Valentine’s Day 20222:
• Consider dining outside of prime hours. Last year, nearly half (46%) of dinner reservations were from 6:00-7:59 p.m., while only 24% were from 8:00 – 9:59 p.m. and 30% from 4:00 – 5:59 p.m. This year, consider earlier or later windows if you have a specific venue in mind.
• Make Valentine’s Day a weekend affair. In 2022, Saturday, February 12th was the single biggest dining day of the year, presumably due to diners celebrating the holiday the Saturday prior. This year, expect Saturday, February 11th to see a similar boost, so try booking on Valentine’s Day or the two days leading up to it if Saturday is a no-go.
• Try out OpenTable Experiences, increasingly popular for Valentine’s Day: To up the ante, check out OpenTable’s experiential offerings such as: a pop-up wedding chapel at popular Brooklyn Pizzeria, L’industrie; afternoon Tea at the Terrace at The Maybourne Beverly Hills; and a Sinatra Supper at Boston speakeasy, Carrie Nation.
• Still no luck? Set an availability alert for the chance to nab a table if one becomes available.
The 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America
OpenTable’s 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America, culled from over 13 million diner reviews, represents beloved diner spots coast-to-coast. This year, the list spans 27 states – California again takes home the #1 spot, with 13 restaurants on the list. Arizona features nine restaurants and Florida and Hawaii clock in at eight.
While over 20 different cuisines are spotlighted, diners equate romance with Steakhouses (19% of the list), followed by Seafood (18%), American (17%) and Italian (9%).
The 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America for 2023 are (in alphabetical order by state):
Alabama
- Connors Steak & Seafood – Huntsville, AL
Arizona
- Arrowhead Grill – Glendale, AZ
- Cafe Monarch – Scottsdale, AZ
- Dahl & DiLuca Ristorante Italiano – Sedona, AZ
- Dominick’s Steakhouse – Scottsdale, AZ
- elements at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain – Paradise Valley, AZ
- Lon’s at The Hermosa – Paradise Valley, AZ
- Mariposa – Sedona, AZ
- Ocean 44 – Scottsdale, AZ
- Steak 44 – Phoenix, AZ
California
- 555 East – Long Beach, CA
- 71Above – Los Angeles, CA
- Bacari – Silver Lake – Los Angeles, CA
- C-Level – San Diego, CA
- Cesarina – San Diego, CA
- Copley’s on Palm Canyon – Palm Springs, CA
- Farmhouse at Rogers Gardens – Corona Del Mar, CA
- Girl & the Goat L.A. – Los Angeles, CA
- House of Prime Rib – San Francisco, CA
- La Boheme – West Hollywood, CA
- Musso & Frank Grill – Los Angeles, CA
- Pacific Coast Grill – Cardiff-By-The-Sea, CA
- Spencer’s Restaurant – Palm Springs, CA
Colorado
- Guard & Grace – Denver, CO
- Shanahan’s Steakhouse – Denver, CO
Connecticut
- Ballo Italian Mohegan Sun – Uncasville, CT
District of Columbia
- Filomena Ristorante – Washington, DC
- Le Diplomate – Washington, DC
- Old Ebbitt Grill – Washington, D.C.
Florida
- Charley’s Steak House – Tampa, FL
- Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant – Tampa, FL
- Dry Dock Waterfront Grill – Longboat Key, FL
- Kyle G’s Prime Seafood – Jensen Beach, FL
- Latitudes Key West, FL on Sunset Key – Key West, FL
- Ocean Prime – Tampa, FL
- Sacred Pepper – Tampa, FL
- Truluck’s – Ocean’s Finest Seafood & Crab – Naples, FL
Georgia
- Canoe – Atlanta, GA
- The Olde Pink House Restaurant – Savannah, GA
Hawaii
- Fleetwood’s On Front St. – Lahaina, HI
- Hy’s Steak House Waikiki – Honolulu, HI
- Mala Ocean Tavern – Lahaina, HI
- Mama’s Fish House – Paia, HI
- Merriman’s – Waimea – Big Island – Kamuela, HI
- Orchids at Halekulani – Honolulu, HI
- The Plantation House Restaurant – Lahaina, HI
- The Signature Prime Steak & Seafood – Honolulu, HI
Illinois
- 3 Arts Club Cafe at RH Chicago – Chicago, IL
- Andy’s Jazz Club – Chicago, IL
- Meson Sabika – Naperville, IL
- Mon Ami Gabi – Chicago, IL
Indiana
- St. Elmo Steak House – Indianapolis, IN
- The Cake Bake Shop – Carmel City Center – Carmel, IN
Kansas
- Bristol Seafood Grill – Leawood, KS
Kentucky
- Malone’s – Louisville – Louisville, KY
- Patti’s 1880’s Settlement – Grand Rivers, KY
Louisiana
- GW Fins – New Orleans, LA
- Muriel’s Jackson Square – New Orleans, LA
Minnesota
- Baldamar – Roseville, MN
North Carolina
- Green Valley Grill – Greensboro, NC
- Print Works Bistro – Greensboro, NC
New Jersey
- 618 – Freehold, NJ
- Chart House Restaurant – Weehawken – Weehawken, NJ
- Tisha’s – Cape May, NJ
- Washington Inn – Cape May, NJ
New Mexico
Nevada
- Amalfi – Caesars Palace Las Vegas – Las Vegas, NV
- Beauty & Essex- Las Vegas – Las Vegas, NV
- Delmonico Steakhouse – Las Vegas, NV
- Eiffel Tower – Las Vegas, NV
- Golden Steer Steakhouse – Las Vegas, NV
- Hell’s Kitchen – Caesars Palace Las Vegas – Las Vegas, NV
- Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab – Las Vegas – Las Vegas, NV
- Lawry’s The Prime Rib – Las Vegas – Las Vegas, NV
New York
- Gallaghers Steakhouse – Manhattan – New York, NY
- RH Rooftop Restaurant New York – New York, NY
Ohio
- Carlo & Johnny – Cincinnati, OH
- Lindey’s – Columbus, OH
- Pepp & Dolores – Cincinnati, OH
- Pier W – Cleveland, OH
- Sotto – Cincinnati, OH
Pennsylvania
- 1906 at Longwood Gardens – Kennett Square, PA
- Devon Seafood + Steak – Hershey – Hershey, PA
- Monterey Bay Fish Grotto – Mt. Washington – Pittsburgh, PA
- Parc – Philadelphia, PA
- Talula’s Garden – Philadelphia, PA
Rhode Island
- Boat House Waterfront Dining – Tiverton, RI
- Coast Guard House – Narragansett, RI
- Hemenway’s – Providence, RI
- Los Andes Restaurant – Providence, RI
South Carolina
- Charlie’s Coastal Bistro (L’etoile Verte) – Hilton Head, SC
Tennessee
- Coastal Fish Company – Memphis, TN
- Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse – Nashville – Nashville, TN
- Porch & Parlor Prime Steakhouse – Memphis, TN
- Southern Social – Germantown, TN
Texas
- Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille – Grapevine – TX
- Steak 48 – Houston – Houston, TX
- Steiner Ranch Steakhouse – Austin, TX
Washington
- The Pink Door – Seattle, WA
The 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America for 2023 can be viewed here.
