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A martini and a sushi roll at a swivel table within a pod at Reel Luxury Cinemas in the Woodlands.
Dinner and a movie doesn’t have to be boring.
Andrew Hemingway

20 Creative Date Night Spots in Houston

Whether impressing a first date or planning an outing with friends, Houston is brimming with interactive night-out options that involve a drink in hand

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Dinner and a movie doesn’t have to be boring.
| Andrew Hemingway

Thinking of an ideal date outing that just goes beyond dinner can be challenging. Fortunately, Houston is a city filled with restaurants, bars, and sports facilities that have gotten creative with their offerings, allowing guests to dine and drink with a substantial side of interactive entertainment.

Here, bowling alleys and golfing ranges are outfitted with bars and restaurants. There are karaoke bars, burlesque shows, and coffee shops that double as dispensaries, movie theaters that combine dinner and film into one cozy activity — and there’s even something for the daredevils, too.

So whether you’re planning an official date or just a fun outing with friends, these 20 Houston establishments are offering creative date night options that will have your invitees marking their calendars.

This list has been updated to rotate out Simone on Sunset and Moonstruck Drive-In, and now includes Reel Luxury Cinemas and Fao.

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Reel Luxury Cinemas

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Dinner-and-a-movie gets an upgrade at Reel Luxury Cinemas, where private pods, complete with cozy, reclining heated seats, complimentary blankets, and a full drink and food menu await. Keep it simple with classic snacks like candy and unlimited popcorn, or go all out with cocktails and dishes like its shrimp and colossal crab scampi, flatbreads, and warm chocolate cake and ice cream sundae. Continue the fun at its Hollywood-esque sister restaurant Audrey, which is just steps away in the same building.

Reel Luxury Cinema’s movie theater with leather chaise lounge chairs and private viewing pods.
Reel Luxury Cinemas revamps the average cinema experience.
Andrew Hemingway

Home Run Dugout

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Step up to the plate at one of Home Run’s 12 batting bays and get ready for a state-of-the-art pitch that uses augmented reality. In between swings, visitors can enjoy smoked wings, ballpark hot dogs, and other bites from its full-service restaurant, or chill out at one of its three bars or the biergarten area. Home Run Dugout offers plenty of other things to keep you occupied, including an on-site field to break out into a full game, plus solid drink specials. Find $4 drafts, $7 cocktails, and $6 spirits during happy hour held on weekdays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and from 10 p.m. to close during its reverse happy hours held Sunday through Thursday. Catch live music at night Thursday through Saturday and on Sunday afternoons, with DJ sets on Friday and Saturday nights until close. Take heed: Though Home Run starts off family-friendly, the establishment is adults-only after 10 p.m.

People dining and drinking at Home Run Dugout’s beer garden area.
Baseball fanatics will enjoy the atmosphere of Home Run Dugout.
Alex Montoya

PopStroke

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Popstroke, Tiger Woods’ new golf and entertainment complex, is now open in Katy, with two 18-hole mini-golf courses, an onsite restaurant, a rooftop bar, and an ice cream parlor. Want to celebrate your hole-in-one? Use Popstroke’s mobile app to order wine, beer, or a cocktail and have it delivered to you right on the course.

People gather at the different levels of the Popstroke complex’s restaurant, in front of golfing grounds.
Popstroke is a family-friendly space where adults can golf and imbibe.
Popstroke

Spa World Houston

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Looking for a relaxing date? Spa World offers a one-day escape that can be joined solo or with company. Admission, priced at $39 for weekdays and $49 for Friday through Sunday, gives access to its bath area and various saunas and rooms, including its hottest Korean “Bulgama,” or fire kiln sauna, a calming Forest Room, and its picturesque Gold Pyramid Room, which is said to have healing properties. Visitors can also blow off some extra steam by opting for the spa’s special services, hitting some balls at the spa’s indoor golf bays, or singing their hearts out in the on-site karaoke rooms. The on-site Korean restaurant, cafe, and fully-stocked bar mean you don’t have to leave once you work up an appetite.

Puttery

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With three-themed rooms boasting scenic backdrops, this new adults-only mini-golf venue offers a place for adults to kick back, putt-putt, and enjoy an impressive assortment of cocktails and food options. Play your way through themed rooms like the snowy Rocky Mountains, a moody library, or the cacti-filled desert before retiring to the lively dining area and snacking on lamb sliders or veggie potstickers.

The Puttery’s skiing-inspired lodge-themed room offers a backdrop of the snow Rocky Mountains.
The Puttery’s skiing-inspired lodge is sure to be a chalelnge.
The Puttery

Cidercade Houston

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Combine the nostalgia of playing in an arcade as a kid with your favorite bar, and you have Cidercade. The bar, which makes all its hard ciders, hard kombucha, and hard seltzers in-house, offers unlimited gameplay for $10 on more than 275 arcade games, including pinball machines, fighter and shooter games, and more classic video games like Marios Bros. and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. While bar food isn’t an option, guests can bring their own or check out the food truck of the day if they work up an appetite. Hooked? Ask about their $15 monthly membership, which gives unlimited access to the bar.

Flight Club Houston

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At this UK gaming bar, large groups can engage in a dangerously fun combo of sharable bites, stiff drinks, and some friendly competition in darts. Order a bucket of beer, a flatbread, or an intriguing appetizer like its yuzu guacamole or its lobster elote dip for the table, and then take aim. Guests can set up a digitized game board, which allows four different guided styles of play for multiple people and will keep track of the score.

Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar

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Head to Pete’s and get ready to sing your heart out. Stop at the lively bar for one of its 13 flavored shots, a beer, or a cocktail, and then head toward the main stage where four talented musicians belt out hit songs while splitting their time between two baby grand pianos and a host of other instruments. By the end of the night, it’ll be hard not to sing along, especially if you make a special request.

Four Seasons Hotel Houston

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With its various onsite restaurant and bars, there is plenty of reason to spend an evening at the Four Seasons, but couples looking for a unique date night idea can take advantage of the luxury hotel’s food and drink classes. A private “suviche” making lesson lets guests join a Toro Toro chef in mastering the art of making sushi and ceviche, and includes hand-rolled sushi, ceviche, and sake to enjoy. Alternatively, there is a 90-minute, expert-led mixology class that includes two cocktails, bar snacks, and a takeaway gift.

A bowl of ceviche surrounded by ingredients.
Learn how to make ceviche like an expert from a Toro Toro chef.
Four Seasons Houston

Bumpy Pickle

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Exercise and entertainment combine at this sports facility, which features multiple pickleball and sand volleyball matches, plus a full-service bar, and an anticipated restaurant. Bring your A-game and reserve a pickleball court for $40 an hour, or drop-in during open play for just $7. If volleyball is more your thing, reserve a sand court for $50.

Rooftop Cinema Club Uptown

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The first two-screen rooftop theater offers a beautiful view of the Downtown skyline while also offering a diverse lineup of movie screenings offered at various times of the day, often with fun themes. Bask in nostalgia with the weekly Y2K movie feature, which offers turn-of-the-millennium movies, or catch up on some of the newer releases.

Rooftop Cinema Club’s venue, with chairs lined up before a screen with an image of Julia Robert. Behind the screen, views of skyscrapers.
Rooftop Cinema Club Uptown offers a diverse lineup of movie screenings with a beautiful backdrop.
Rooftop Cinema Club

This Midtown bar is a playground for those 21 and up. Find $15 cocktails, plenty of beers on tap, and an abundance of games, including ping pong, cards, and arcade-style games for some friendly competition. Stop for fuel at the on-site concessions stand, which serves up snacks like hot dogs, pizza, nachos, tacos, and Frito pies. Then continue the party.

AvantGarden

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Housed in a mansion on Westheimer, Avantgarden is a hub of entertainment on almost every night of the week. Jam out to live jazz music on Mondays. Partake in Write About Now’s open mic night or a hip hop-themed art party on Wednesdays, catch a comedy show on Thursday or sultry burlesque on a Friday, or just grab a drink and chill out on its mystical patio. Don’t leave without grabbing a taco from Taqueria El Palomo, the on-site taco truck. It’s a Houston institution. (Saturdays are known to host private events, so be sure to check AvantGarden’s website.)

Gen Korean BBQ House

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This Midtown Korean barbecue spot is a treat for any couple or group looking for an affordable, interactive dining experience. The menu features an array of meats and seafood, like spicy calamari, pork belly, beef bulgogi, and more — all of which you’ll grill at the center of your table. Come hungry. Gen offers all-you-can-eat specials for lunch ($20) and dinner ($30).

Looking for a different way to unwind? Head to Wild. This restaurant, coffee shop, and dispensary crafts cocktails, coastal cuisine, and caffeinated concoctions all with the option of infusing them with hemp-based CBD or THC. The on-site dispensary also sells a variety of hemped-up items, including raw hemp flowers, CBD chocolates, gummies, tinctures, and CBD for pets, which make for great souvenirs or a take-home treat.

A cocktail in a coupe glass garnished with a large green leaf.
The Hanoi High Five at Wild.
Wild Concepts

Spotlight Karaoke

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If a night of karaoke is your idea of fun, head to Spotlight, where you can sing like you’re in the shower, on stage with your favorite drink. Though the main stage requires a two-drink minimum to be placed in the song rotation, groups looking for more privacy can book a room. Each space comes with its own server; karaoke catalog, mics, and TV; and requires guests to spend a minimum of at least $300 in beverages.

Pinstripes

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Strike out in the best way at this upscale bowling alley, which is outfitted with bars and a restaurant that serves up Italian-American fare. Find wood-fired pizzas, chicken parmesan, and spicy calamari, plus an all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch buffet for $30. Aside from knocking down pins, guests can also opt to play bocce ball or chill out by the fire pits on the upstairs patio. Score specials on booze during happy hour from 3 to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays.

Wine connoisseurs will love bonding over Italian wines and fare at this quaint Rice Village establishment. Each month, Roma hosts a free wine tasting, allowing a small group of diners to sample and learn about the Italian picks. Follow it up with dinner, with plates of homemade pasta, or RSVP for one of Roma’s monthly wine dinners. Priced at $99 per person, each course comes with a hand-selected Italian wine. Check the website for more details.

Houston Axe Throwing - Bellaire

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Blow off some steam and rev up your adrenaline with a session of axe (or knife) throwing. The objective of this sport is to successfully whirl a one-and-a-half-pound hunk of wood and metal across the room with the hopes of hitting a target. If that sounds intimidating, fear not — the staff gives a safety and strategy lesson before you begin. A one hour-long session runs $27 per person, and wine, beer, and cocktails can be purchased at the on-site bar at an additional charge. If you think you’ll work up an appetite, pack some snacks. This spot is BYOF (bring your own food). Now, let’s get to hacking.

Houston Funplex

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Relive some of your childhood at this indoor amusement park, which offers an arcade with more than 130 games to choose from, interactive rides like bumper cars and an indoor Ferris wheel, plus more high-tech attractions in its e-sports game lounge. If bringing any children, the Texas Playport — an indoor playground equipped with bouncy houses, foam and ball pits, a treehouse, and its own arcade — is bound to keep them busy with trampolines. Take a break at the on-site full-service sports bar and grill, or keep it simple with the center’s food court, which serves up plenty f finger foods and fair-style desserts,

Mo Amer as Mo and Teresa Ruiz as Maria playing a shooting game at Houston Fun Plex in episode 3 of “Mo.”
Funplex made a cameo in Netflix’s hit series Mo as a fun group outing destination.
Rebecca Brenneman/Netflix

Reel Luxury Cinemas

Dinner-and-a-movie gets an upgrade at Reel Luxury Cinemas, where private pods, complete with cozy, reclining heated seats, complimentary blankets, and a full drink and food menu await. Keep it simple with classic snacks like candy and unlimited popcorn, or go all out with cocktails and dishes like its shrimp and colossal crab scampi, flatbreads, and warm chocolate cake and ice cream sundae. Continue the fun at its Hollywood-esque sister restaurant Audrey, which is just steps away in the same building.

Reel Luxury Cinema’s movie theater with leather chaise lounge chairs and private viewing pods.
Reel Luxury Cinemas revamps the average cinema experience.
Andrew Hemingway

Home Run Dugout

Step up to the plate at one of Home Run’s 12 batting bays and get ready for a state-of-the-art pitch that uses augmented reality. In between swings, visitors can enjoy smoked wings, ballpark hot dogs, and other bites from its full-service restaurant, or chill out at one of its three bars or the biergarten area. Home Run Dugout offers plenty of other things to keep you occupied, including an on-site field to break out into a full game, plus solid drink specials. Find $4 drafts, $7 cocktails, and $6 spirits during happy hour held on weekdays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and from 10 p.m. to close during its reverse happy hours held Sunday through Thursday. Catch live music at night Thursday through Saturday and on Sunday afternoons, with DJ sets on Friday and Saturday nights until close. Take heed: Though Home Run starts off family-friendly, the establishment is adults-only after 10 p.m.

People dining and drinking at Home Run Dugout’s beer garden area.
Baseball fanatics will enjoy the atmosphere of Home Run Dugout.
Alex Montoya

PopStroke

Popstroke, Tiger Woods’ new golf and entertainment complex, is now open in Katy, with two 18-hole mini-golf courses, an onsite restaurant, a rooftop bar, and an ice cream parlor. Want to celebrate your hole-in-one? Use Popstroke’s mobile app to order wine, beer, or a cocktail and have it delivered to you right on the course.

People gather at the different levels of the Popstroke complex’s restaurant, in front of golfing grounds.
Popstroke is a family-friendly space where adults can golf and imbibe.
Popstroke

Spa World Houston

Looking for a relaxing date? Spa World offers a one-day escape that can be joined solo or with company. Admission, priced at $39 for weekdays and $49 for Friday through Sunday, gives access to its bath area and various saunas and rooms, including its hottest Korean “Bulgama,” or fire kiln sauna, a calming Forest Room, and its picturesque Gold Pyramid Room, which is said to have healing properties. Visitors can also blow off some extra steam by opting for the spa’s special services, hitting some balls at the spa’s indoor golf bays, or singing their hearts out in the on-site karaoke rooms. The on-site Korean restaurant, cafe, and fully-stocked bar mean you don’t have to leave once you work up an appetite.

Puttery

With three-themed rooms boasting scenic backdrops, this new adults-only mini-golf venue offers a place for adults to kick back, putt-putt, and enjoy an impressive assortment of cocktails and food options. Play your way through themed rooms like the snowy Rocky Mountains, a moody library, or the cacti-filled desert before retiring to the lively dining area and snacking on lamb sliders or veggie potstickers.

The Puttery’s skiing-inspired lodge-themed room offers a backdrop of the snow Rocky Mountains.
The Puttery’s skiing-inspired lodge is sure to be a chalelnge.
The Puttery

Cidercade Houston

Combine the nostalgia of playing in an arcade as a kid with your favorite bar, and you have Cidercade. The bar, which makes all its hard ciders, hard kombucha, and hard seltzers in-house, offers unlimited gameplay for $10 on more than 275 arcade games, including pinball machines, fighter and shooter games, and more classic video games like Marios Bros. and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. While bar food isn’t an option, guests can bring their own or check out the food truck of the day if they work up an appetite. Hooked? Ask about their $15 monthly membership, which gives unlimited access to the bar.

Flight Club Houston

At this UK gaming bar, large groups can engage in a dangerously fun combo of sharable bites, stiff drinks, and some friendly competition in darts. Order a bucket of beer, a flatbread, or an intriguing appetizer like its yuzu guacamole or its lobster elote dip for the table, and then take aim. Guests can set up a digitized game board, which allows four different guided styles of play for multiple people and will keep track of the score.

Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar

Head to Pete’s and get ready to sing your heart out. Stop at the lively bar for one of its 13 flavored shots, a beer, or a cocktail, and then head toward the main stage where four talented musicians belt out hit songs while splitting their time between two baby grand pianos and a host of other instruments. By the end of the night, it’ll be hard not to sing along, especially if you make a special request.

Four Seasons Hotel Houston

With its various onsite restaurant and bars, there is plenty of reason to spend an evening at the Four Seasons, but couples looking for a unique date night idea can take advantage of the luxury hotel’s food and drink classes. A private “suviche” making lesson lets guests join a Toro Toro chef in mastering the art of making sushi and ceviche, and includes hand-rolled sushi, ceviche, and sake to enjoy. Alternatively, there is a 90-minute, expert-led mixology class that includes two cocktails, bar snacks, and a takeaway gift.

A bowl of ceviche surrounded by ingredients.
Learn how to make ceviche like an expert from a Toro Toro chef.
Four Seasons Houston

Bumpy Pickle

Exercise and entertainment combine at this sports facility, which features multiple pickleball and sand volleyball matches, plus a full-service bar, and an anticipated restaurant. Bring your A-game and reserve a pickleball court for $40 an hour, or drop-in during open play for just $7. If volleyball is more your thing, reserve a sand court for $50.

Rooftop Cinema Club Uptown

The first two-screen rooftop theater offers a beautiful view of the Downtown skyline while also offering a diverse lineup of movie screenings offered at various times of the day, often with fun themes. Bask in nostalgia with the weekly Y2K movie feature, which offers turn-of-the-millennium movies, or catch up on some of the newer releases.

Rooftop Cinema Club’s venue, with chairs lined up before a screen with an image of Julia Robert. Behind the screen, views of skyscrapers.
Rooftop Cinema Club Uptown offers a diverse lineup of movie screenings with a beautiful backdrop.
Rooftop Cinema Club

FAO

This Midtown bar is a playground for those 21 and up. Find $15 cocktails, plenty of beers on tap, and an abundance of games, including ping pong, cards, and arcade-style games for some friendly competition. Stop for fuel at the on-site concessions stand, which serves up snacks like hot dogs, pizza, nachos, tacos, and Frito pies. Then continue the party.

AvantGarden

Housed in a mansion on Westheimer, Avantgarden is a hub of entertainment on almost every night of the week. Jam out to live jazz music on Mondays. Partake in Write About Now’s open mic night or a hip hop-themed art party on Wednesdays, catch a comedy show on Thursday or sultry burlesque on a Friday, or just grab a drink and chill out on its mystical patio. Don’t leave without grabbing a taco from Taqueria El Palomo, the on-site taco truck. It’s a Houston institution. (Saturdays are known to host private events, so be sure to check AvantGarden’s website.)

Gen Korean BBQ House

This Midtown Korean barbecue spot is a treat for any couple or group looking for an affordable, interactive dining experience. The menu features an array of meats and seafood, like spicy calamari, pork belly, beef bulgogi, and more — all of which you’ll grill at the center of your table. Come hungry. Gen offers all-you-can-eat specials for lunch ($20) and dinner ($30).

Wild

Looking for a different way to unwind? Head to Wild. This restaurant, coffee shop, and dispensary crafts cocktails, coastal cuisine, and caffeinated concoctions all with the option of infusing them with hemp-based CBD or THC. The on-site dispensary also sells a variety of hemped-up items, including raw hemp flowers, CBD chocolates, gummies, tinctures, and CBD for pets, which make for great souvenirs or a take-home treat.

A cocktail in a coupe glass garnished with a large green leaf.
The Hanoi High Five at Wild.
Wild Concepts

Related Maps

Spotlight Karaoke

If a night of karaoke is your idea of fun, head to Spotlight, where you can sing like you’re in the shower, on stage with your favorite drink. Though the main stage requires a two-drink minimum to be placed in the song rotation, groups looking for more privacy can book a room. Each space comes with its own server; karaoke catalog, mics, and TV; and requires guests to spend a minimum of at least $300 in beverages.

Pinstripes

Strike out in the best way at this upscale bowling alley, which is outfitted with bars and a restaurant that serves up Italian-American fare. Find wood-fired pizzas, chicken parmesan, and spicy calamari, plus an all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch buffet for $30. Aside from knocking down pins, guests can also opt to play bocce ball or chill out by the fire pits on the upstairs patio. Score specials on booze during happy hour from 3 to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays.

Roma

Wine connoisseurs will love bonding over Italian wines and fare at this quaint Rice Village establishment. Each month, Roma hosts a free wine tasting, allowing a small group of diners to sample and learn about the Italian picks. Follow it up with dinner, with plates of homemade pasta, or RSVP for one of Roma’s monthly wine dinners. Priced at $99 per person, each course comes with a hand-selected Italian wine. Check the website for more details.

Houston Axe Throwing - Bellaire

Blow off some steam and rev up your adrenaline with a session of axe (or knife) throwing. The objective of this sport is to successfully whirl a one-and-a-half-pound hunk of wood and metal across the room with the hopes of hitting a target. If that sounds intimidating, fear not — the staff gives a safety and strategy lesson before you begin. A one hour-long session runs $27 per person, and wine, beer, and cocktails can be purchased at the on-site bar at an additional charge. If you think you’ll work up an appetite, pack some snacks. This spot is BYOF (bring your own food). Now, let’s get to hacking.

Houston Funplex

Relive some of your childhood at this indoor amusement park, which offers an arcade with more than 130 games to choose from, interactive rides like bumper cars and an indoor Ferris wheel, plus more high-tech attractions in its e-sports game lounge. If bringing any children, the Texas Playport — an indoor playground equipped with bouncy houses, foam and ball pits, a treehouse, and its own arcade — is bound to keep them busy with trampolines. Take a break at the on-site full-service sports bar and grill, or keep it simple with the center’s food court, which serves up plenty f finger foods and fair-style desserts,

Mo Amer as Mo and Teresa Ruiz as Maria playing a shooting game at Houston Fun Plex in episode 3 of “Mo.”
Funplex made a cameo in Netflix’s hit series Mo as a fun group outing destination.
Rebecca Brenneman/Netflix

Related Maps