Love Is In The Air! Take A Look At The 50 Most Romantic Restaurants

 

New research reveals Aussie dining and dating habits of couples and singles 

With the most romantic night of the year in sight, OpenTable, the world’s leading online restaurant reservations platform, today released new Valentine’s Day data highlighting trends for the most romantic day of the year, as well as revealing the top 50 romantic restaurants on the platform. 

To help cupids find the most romantic venue to dine at this Valentine’s Day, OpenTable analysed the opinions of more than 173,000 restaurant reviews submitted by verified diners from over 2,000 restaurants nationally. 

For the third year in a row, Queensland once again proved its romantic status, taking the crown for Australia’s most romantic dining destination in 2020, with 18 eateries featured in the top 50 list from the Sunshine State, followed closely by Victoria (14) and Sydney (13). 

It’s never too late to organise a romantic evening 

For those looking to orchestrate a memorable dining experience, there is still time to book with Valentine’s Day reservations made on average 9 days prior. 

Alternate options include the days surrounding Valentine’s Day which are just as special, with some couples opting to book a restaurant on the 15th February (27%) and 16th February (30%). 

One is no longer the loneliest number 

Whilst the majority of Valentine’s Day reservations in 2019 were booked for tables of two (85%), third wheeling and double dating is becoming popular, with 15% of reservations on Valentine’s Day booked for parties of three or more. 

Don’t have a date locked in yet? Fear not, as research reveals as many as 64% would accept and go on a first date on Valentine’s Day*despite the date being synonymous for couples. 

Tim Domelow, Senior Business Development Manager, OpenTable, said: 

“Valentine’s Day is one of the biggest dining days of the year for restaurateurs. Last year, we saw a 289% increase in dinner reservations made on Valentine’s Day compared to the three Thursdays prior, reinforcing the theory that the way to your loved one’s heart really is through their stomach.” 

The top 50 romantic restaurants in Australia are all renowned for their intimate atmosphere, delicious food and impeccable service, providing uniquely memorable experiences for the special occasion.” 

The list offers a rich selection of dining options to suit any romantic occasion, with Modern Australian topping the list as the most popular cuisine for Valentine’s Day (25%), followed by Italian (12%), Asian (6%) and seafood (6%). 

To help take the angst out of planning a Valentine’s Day date, OpenTable diners can use the Date Night Matchmaker feature eliminating the guesswork when choosing where to dine based on a series of fun questions. Available via desktop and mobile, diners simply need to answer a few questions about their date and dining preferences and in turn receive personalised, dining recommendations. 

Australia’s top 50 romantic restaurants 2019:

1. A Touch of salt – Townsville, Queensland

2. Alibi – Sydney, New South Wales

3. Bankvale Run, Mickelham, Victoria

4. Bistro Guillaume – Sydney, New South Wales

5. Cecconi’s – Melbourne, Victoria

6. Circa 1876 at The Convent – Pokolbin – Hunter Valley, New South Wales

7. Donovans – St. Kilda, Victoria

8. Eau De Vie Melbourne – Melbourne, Victoria

9. Eightysix – Canberra, ACT

10. Elio’s Osteria – Carina Heights, Brisbane, Queensland

11. Epocha Restaurant – Melbourne, Victoria

12. Four Winds Revolving Restaurant – Surfer’s Paradise, Queensland

13. Glass Brasserie – Hilton – Sydney, New South Wales

14. Glasshouse – Timbumburi, New South Wales

15. Hemingway’s Airlie Beach – Airlie Beach, Queensland

16. Kisume – Melbourne, Victoria

17. Kneading Ruby – Wollongong, New South Wales

18. Madame Wu – Brisbane, Queensland

19. Malt Dining – Brisbane, Queensland

20. Meet – Newcastle, New South Wales

21. Mjolner – Melbourne, Victoria

22. Mjølner Sydney – Sydney, New South Wales

23. Momofuku Seiobo – The Star – Sydney, New South Wales

24. Moo Moo Restaurant – Gold Coast Highway, Broadbeach, Queensland

25. Moo Moo The Wine Bar + Grill – Brisbane, Queensland

26. Northerlies Beach Bar and Grill – Airlie Beach – Airlie Beach, Queensland

27. Nour – Sydney, New South Wales

28. Osteria di Russo and Russo  – Sydney, New South Wales

29. Polpolo – Brisbane, Queensland

30. Press* Food & Wine – Adelaide, South Australia

31. Pt Leo Restaurant – Frankston, Victoria

32. Rick Shores – Burleigh Heads, Queensland

33. Rickys River Bar and Restaurant – Burleigh Heads, Queensland

34. Rogue Bistro – Newstead, Queensland

35. Rookie Eatery – Wollongong, New South Wales

36. Sails Noosa – Noosa Heads, Queensland

37. Shorehouse – Townsville, Queensland

38. Smith & Daughters – Melbourne, Victoria

39. Stokehouse Q – South Brisbane, Queensland

40. Stokehouse St Kilda – St Kilda, Victoria

41. Sydney Cove Oyster Bar – Sydney, New South Wales

42. The Courthouse – Brisbane, Queensland

43. The Fish House – Burleigh Heads, Queensland

44. The Lounge Restaurant by Frogmore Creek – Hobart, Tasmania

45. The Potting Shed – Sydney, New South Wales

46. The Rocks Mornington – Mornington, Victoria

47. The Woodhouse Restaurant – Bendigo, Victoria

48. Tinamba Hotel – Tiamba, Victoria

49. Waterfront Southgate – Melbourne, Victoria

50. Whalebone Wharf – Port Macquarie, New South Wales