Cozy bars, indulgent menus, and candle-lit rooms for when you’re in the mood for love

Charlotte has its fair share — like a huge giant share— of casual spots: breweries, bars, pickle-ball-themed breweries, and pickle-ball-themed bars. But it’s time that Charlotte’s handful of romantic restaurants — mainly dim-lit, intimate venues with delicate dishes — get their time in the spotlight.

Each of these restaurants could certainly host a wide range of lovebirds, from two flirts on their sparks-flying first date to a couple who has been around long enough to know Charlotte before any of these restaurants existed (and who are maybe in pursuit of rekindling that first-date spark). Either way, these spots are pretty much guaranteed to keep conversation, drinks, and maybe even love flowing.

Dilworth Tasting Room

String lights, plus wafts of breeze, plus wine, equals romance. It’s a mere fact. Dilworth Tasting Room in South End captures that exact formula on the secluded outdoor patio, with ambient sounds of the pond and occasional live jazz. Whether dining on the patio or in the bistro-vibe inside, this charming neighborhood institution, known for its classic wine list, spruces up the menu with crispy skin salmon and brie-stuffed dates with a prosciutto ribbon. Please note that the glorious portion of ripe cheese, pickles, sweet honey, and nutty bites on the mix-and-match charcuterie board is one created only in the realm of wildest dreams.

Read more: https://carolinas.eater.com/maps/best-romantic-restaurant-charlotte