Entertaining

5 Ways to Perk Up Date Night at Home When It's Not Even Valentine's Day

Don't save all the romance for just one night a year.

Updated on February 12, 2024

Why should Valentine's Day get all the love? When we're in the mood for a romantic night with our plus one, but not all of the fuss and fanciness that goes with it, we turn to one of these easy at-home date night ideas. Inspired by travel, movies, music and more, each of these simple moves will make staying in feel as good as a special night out.

1. Share a Feast Set to a Themed Soundtrack

Turn down the lights, turn up the tunes and pretend like you're in another land! Spotify has some stellar curated playlists that you can stream for free. Below, we've paired some of our favorite dinner party playlists with recipes to match the music.

2. Order a Meal Kit From a Restaurant You've Wanted to Visit Together

Calling all wanderlusting food lovers! The meal delivery Goldbelly can deliver not only Ina Garten's signature desserts, but also a wide variety of restaurant meals from all-star chefs and popular restaurants — all right to your doorstep and with free shipping. Take a peek at a restaurant website that you've always wanted to visit; due to the pandemic, many more now offer nationwide shipping.

Nashville, Tennessee: Hattie B's Hot Chicken Whole Bird
Washington, D.C.: Tapas the José Andrés Way
New York City: Ivan Ramen Tokyo Shio Ramen Kit for 2
New Orleans, Louisiana: Commander's Palace Three-Course Shrimp & Grits Dinner for 2
Chicago, Illinois: Pequod's Pizza 2-Pack Pan-Style Deep Dish Cheese Pizza
Cambridge, Massachusetts: Legal Seafood Marketplace Lobster Mac and Cheese

3. Try a "Chopped" Cooking Challenge to Clean Out Your Fridge

Here's a fun date night at home idea if you have kids or roommates: Assign "judges" and have them select 4 items from your refrigerator. Each member of the couple then has 30 minutes to flex their culinary creativity and create one dish that highlights all four ingredients, just like the Food Network show "Chopped." After the judges select the winner, whoever comes out on top earns the honor of skipping dish duty and selecting the location of your next restaurant dinner out.

4. Try a Wine Pairing

Whether you make one of your current dinner recipe favorites and try an unexpected wine pairing with it, or build your entire menu around the vino, adding some good spirit(s) is a delightful and easy way to make a night in feel special. Try our delightful wine and appetizer duos, pair chips with wine, or follow one of our three best wine-centric menus to pretend like you're in Napa for the night.

5. Cook a Dish From One of Your Favorite Movie Scenes

Dinner and a movie gets new meaning when you whip up dinner as a nod to a movie you both enjoy. Take a cue from one of the timeless flicks below by cooking a dinner just before showtime, then share it during the first act. (Don't forget to pop a big bucket of popcorn to enjoy alongside!)