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Restaurants / Lists

Houston’s Most Romantic Restaurants — 12 Swoon-Worthy Spots Where It’s Easy To Fall In Love

For Valentine's Day Or Any Other Special Night

BY // 01.17.25

If you follow me on Instagram you know that my husband Shafik Rifaat and I are fairly romantic. There is little we like better in the way of dining than settling in at a table for two in some of Houston’s most romantic restaurants, good choices for Valentine’s Day and any other romantic day.

To prep for love moments, I’ve queried a few friends and taken into account my thoughts on Houston’s most romantic restaurants. The result is a dozen can’t-go-wrong restaurants for a love worthy evening. The food, of course, earns credits as well. There are many other Houston restaurants that we frequent and adore, but these romantic selections enjoy an intimacy, a quiet charm that ignores the popular see-and-be-seen ambience. The list is presented in alphabetical order.

Here are Houston’s Most Romantic Restaurants:

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BCN Taste & Tradition in Montrose is popular with romantics as well as serious foodies

BCN Taste & Tradition

Never mind that chef Luis Roger has just earned a Michelin star for his modern and traditional Spanish cuisine. Even before the rave reviews, we (like many others) fell in love with this quaint Montrose bungalow that has been transformed into one of Houston’s most charming restaurants.

Take a seat at tiny bar for the most elegant cocktails, then take a table in the sophisticated but warm dining room. Another engaging touch is owner Ignacio Torras’ private art collection which includes Pablo Picasso’s owl jugs. Yes, Picasso

Brennan's storied history and old building make it even more romantic.
Brennan’s storied history and old building make it even more romantic.

Brennan’s

Long recognized as one of the city’s most alluring restaurants with its New Orleans heritage, this storied Midtown staple offers a  rich ambience that can be found only in a 50-plus-year-old restaurant site. Old buildings simply have a good vibe. The charming old school patio with the sound of birdsong and the gurgling fountain is made for romance.

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Tucking into one of the vast wingback chairs in the dining room creates a privacy for kissing couples wishing to avoid PDOA (public display of affection).

Da Marco Houston
Since 2000 Da Marco has been creating romantic evenings filled with sophisticated Italian fare.

Da Marco

Having enjoyed many romantic dinners in the corner table by the furloughed fireplace, my husband and I find that this Montrose staple transports us to Europe as soon as we walk through the curtained entry. Any table is a good selection as the charming ambience runs throughout the restaurant that has been serving elevated Italian cuisine since 2000.

Hardwood floors, wood ceilings, the buttery yellow leather chairs, white tablecloths, white jacked waiters presenting daily specials on a chalk board. . . it all feels deliciously old school.

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Emilia’s Havana is restaurant magnate Ben Berg’s gift to Houston sophisticates who crave something different in their nightlife adventures. (Photo by Shelby Hodge)

Emilia’s Havana

Love is definitely in the air at this intimate speakeasy hidden in a back room off of The Annie Cafe & Bar kitchen. This romantic Houston restaurant is a throwback to 1950s Havana, a nod to Cuba’s colonial era when nightclubs flourished, the bossa nova was king and Ernest Hemingway called the island home. The decor is delicious with monkeys dancing across the wallpaper and a central fountain dispensing rum.

The menu in the 50-seat lounge is limited to light, Latin-inspired small plates, but large enough to satisfy. Dancing to bossa nova sounds of the live band certainly set the stage for a romantic night.

Uptown Summer Dine Around etoile cuisine et bar
Etoile Cuisine et Bar, participating in Houston Restaurant Weeks, brings old world French fare in a fine dining atmsophere.

Etoile Cuisine & Bar

Oh-la-la. The French cuisine in the hands of talented chef owner Philippe Verpiand transports diners to the romance of Paris as does the authentic French food and the charming waitstaff with authentic French accents. The main dining room/bar of this Uptown Park restaurant echoes a fabulous and quaint Parisian restaurant recommended to us a decade ago by designer Andrew Gn, the name of which I sadly don’t recall. Chandeliers overhead and cozy seating. Kiss me, please.

The Dining Room of Flora (Photo by Jack Thompson)
The Mexican-inspired Flora delivers romance on the banks of Buffalo Bayou. (Photo by Jack Thompson)

Flora Mexican Kitchen

Dining on sophisticated Mexican food beneath a flock of glimmering chandeliers in a glass enclosure surrounded by lush live oaks — could there be a more romantic setting in Houston? When the weather cooperates, patio dining places young lovers in the midst of the greenery of Buffalo Bayou Park though that setting is a bit more rustic.

If sheer beauty is the key to your romance, Flora is the ticket. IMG_2984

The $1 million patio at the new La Griglia, 2817 West Dallas, presents a romantic dining spot.

La Griglia

The $1 million patio is the place for romance here with diners cosseted amid a forrest of lush greenery. The patio wraps around two substantial oak trees, vines climb structural beams and thick hedges protect from the neighboring walkway. Bonus: The retractable roof opens to the stars on friendly weather nights.

Background music from a trickling fountain contributes to the ambience. The patio is divine. But the dining room is far too noisy for sweet whisperings in my ear.

Le Jardinier

You can hardly go wrong with the Michelin-starred French cuisine with a trés artistic presentation. Beyond that, Steven Harris Architects must have had a bit of amour in mind when designing this sophisticated Houston restaurant. We count the plush sage carpet and sage velvet seating, the veneer walls of vintage limba wood, a ceiling installation of Isamu Noguchi’s Akari lanterns and floor-to-ceiling windows offering a breathtaking view of the lush Cullen Sculpture Garden as elements for grown-up romance.

The Marigold Club Houston
The Bemelmans-inspired mural at The Marigold Club wraps around the dining room, hand-painted by Pauline de Roussy de Sales.

The Marigold Club

Having opened only a few months ago, the magnificently decorated Montrose restaurant oozes romance. In fact, The Robb Report has named it one of the most beautiful restaurants in Texas while we praise chef Austin Waiter’s talents. Murano glass chandeliers with hand-blown marigolds and tulips, de Gournay wallpaper, the Bemelmans-inspired mural and velvet upholstery in the cozy space are sure to have romantics swooning.

The Rainbow Lodge romantic restaurant
The venerable Rainbow Lodge oozes with romance

Rainbow Lodge

As the name would suggest, the restaurant is centered by a 100-year-old cabin and even the more recent additions cling to the hewed log design. Let’s call it rustic luxe. This is the place to creating lasting memories as Houstoians have been doing for more than 40 years. Through the decades, Rainbow Lodge has long been declared and maintained its spot as one of Houston’ss most romantic restaurants.

Tony’s Houston
Tony’s fine dining establishment as been the restaurant for romance for decades.

Tony’s

Savvy dinners have long proclaimed this Greenway Plaza restaurant a fine dining mecca as well as one of Houston’s most romantic places. Whether it’s a bar table in front of the gas fireplace (always adding to the warm atmosphere), or dinner for two in the luxe wine library or even the main dining room, love is in the air.

The romance quotient at Tony’s soars Friday and Saturday nights when talented singer Miguel Delabarca performs. Opera trained, he woos the dinner crowd with a variety of tunes including the famed aria from Turandot. Applause, applause for that high C.

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Turner’s cozy bar provides a glamorous entrance to the Post Oak Boulevard restaurant.

Turner’s

Prolific restaurateur Ben Berg’s talent for creating authentic ambience shines in this luxe boîte that reminds of the swank Polo Club. The look? Walls covered in Ralph Lauren pinstripe suiting fabric, deep green leather tufted banquettes, crips white linens, beaucoup artwork and polo memorabilia from Houston Polo Club. Tuesdays through Saturdays there is live piano music accompanied by songbirds on select nights.

At a mere 1,637 square feet, with seating for only 50, Turner’s beckons those who are young at heart.

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