10 restaurants to guarantee a spectacular date night

Few faux pas will kill a date faster than offering your someone special subpar cuisine. On the flip side, a great meal can save even a mediocre meeting. Whether you’re deciding on a restaurant for a first date or a special anniversary, you can avoid date-night blunders at these surefire spots.

Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour

Bitter & Twisted would be at home in any major city. You and your date will feel cosmopolitan at this lounge inside the historic Luhrs Building while sitting in a high-backed booth and sipping an expertly made cocktail. The Dragon Dumpling Burger is a must try. It’s a beef and pork patty topped with white American cheese, jalapeño mayonnaise and caramelized onion inside an English muffin, served with sichuan pickles and dumpling sauce.

Details: 1 W. Jefferson St., Phoenix. 602-340-1924, bitterandtwistedaz.com.

RELATED: 8 things to know about the Dragon Dumpling Burger

Cibo

The atmosphere is as appealing as the handmade pasta, pizzas and crepes at this central Phoenix Italian restaurant housed in a charming 1913 bungalow. You’re guaranteed to impress your date if you share a burrata antipasti, a Procida pizza (mozzarella, prosciutto crudo, Asian pears, arugula and goat cheese) and a Nutella-filled crepe.

Details: 603 N. Fifth Ave., Phoenix. 602-441-2697, cibophoenix.com.

Sip Coffee & Beer Garage

Playing it safe with a coffee date? That doesn’t mean the location has to be boring. Head to this Phoenix cafe inside a former car shop. Sip on Cartel Coffee Lab drinks and dine on tamales, breakfast burritos and panini. The shop also serves beer, wine and cocktails, so if things are going well, it’s an easy transition from lunch meeting to dinner date. Stop by on the weekend for live music. This building is a two-fer — there’s an underground tiki bar, Under Tow, which is helmed by Jason Asher, below the cafe.

Details: 3620 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. 602-900-5188, sipcoffeeandbeergarage.com.

Culinary Dropout at the Yard and Farmer Arts District

Order cocktails, share a boat of pretzels with cheese fondue and get to know each other over a game of ping-pong at these Fox Restaurant Concepts dining hubs in central Phoenix and Tempe. Both are housed in renovated buildings — an old automotive dealership in Phoenix, a warehouse in Tempe — and both have large patios with Adirondack chairs, couches, beanbag-toss boards, ping-pong and foosball tables.

Details: The Yard, 5632 N. Seventh St., Phoenix. 602-680-4040. Farmer Arts District, 149 W. Farmer Ave., Tempe. 480-240-1601, culinarydropout.com.

Windsor/Churn

Dim lighting, approachable food and heady cocktails make Windsor an intoxicating date spot. Look for fresh dishes such as fish-and-shrimp ceviche, mixed-grain salad and New Orleans-style pork ribs. Pair your meal with drinks like the No. 63: Kentucky bourbon, fresh grapefruit and honey syrup. If the date goes well, venture to the next-door ice-cream parlor, Churn.

Details: Windsor, 5223 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. 602-279-1111, windsoraz.com. Churn, 5223 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. 602-279-8024, churnaz.com.

RELATED: 10 places to build your own ice cream | 20 places for frozen yogurt | Top 10 patio bars around Phoenix

Elements

Got a stunning date? Dazzle him or her with the view from this resort restaurant while you revel in dishes from “Iron Chef" winner Beau MacMillan. Look for seasonal offerings such as rock shrimp and sweet pea dumplings, Maine lobster udon and coffee-rubbed Maple Leaf Farms duck. Or, trust the chef to treat you right and opt for the prix-fixe menu.

Details: Sanctuary Camelback Mountain, 5700 E. McDonald Drive, Paradise Valley. 480-948-2100, sanctuaryoncamelback.com.

The Vic Bar + Kitchen

Take your catch to this from-scratch kitchen in Buckeye’s Verrado community. A West Valley standout, the Vic offers such seasonal dishes as deconstructed Fanny Bay oysters Rockefeller, house-cured chipotle pizza and Amish veal skirt steak.

Details: 5325 N. Verrado Way, Buckeye. 623-533-4722, vicbarandkitchen.com.

Shimogamo

Impress your date with your knowledge of the local dining scene by making a reservation at this top-notch, below-the-radar sushi restaurant. You won’t go wrong with the rolls, but take your meal to another level by asking for the amberjack sashimi drizzled with truffle oil. Also consider one of the rotating specials such as cobia carpaccio: cobia sashimi with orange and avocado drizzled with lemon olive oil, chili flake and salt.

Details: 2051 W. Warner Road, Chandler. 480-899-7191, shimogamoaz.com.

RELATED: 9 best sushi restaurants in Phoenix

House of Tricks

Looking for an elegant dining experience in a vibrant college town? Head to House of Tricks, a 30-year-old downtown Tempe establishment where you can feast on smoked Texas wild boar and grilled orata while sitting on the enchanting tree-covered patio. The wine list features about 300 varieties, making Tricks especially enticing for oenophiles.

Details: 114 E. Seventh St., Tempe. 480-968-1114, houseoftricks.com.

Different Pointe of View

This mountain-top restaurant is where you make a reservation if you’re pulling out all the stops. Dramatic views of the Phoenix Mountains Preserve combine with elegant decor and a menu filled with luxurious dishes such as lemon butter-poached Maine lobster and watercress-crusted grilled prime filet.

Details: Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort, 11111 N. Seventh St., Phoenix. 602-866-7500, tapatiocliffshilton.com.

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