75+ East Valley Date Ideas: The Ultimate AZ Local Bucket List

There’s something about cooking your own meal that naturally slows the evening down. Instead of waiting for food to arrive, you’re talking, laughing, trying different meats, and sharing the experience together. For a date night that feels a little more special, try Smoking Tiger Korean BBQ. This one is definitely on the pricier side, so think anniversary, birthday, or a night when you’re ready to splurge a little. You grill everything right at your table, and the quality of the meats makes it feel like an experience rather than just dinner. Smoking Tiger Korean \BBQ

That said, you get a LOT of food. We left with tons of leftovers, so while the bill was higher than your average date night, it didn’t feel like we walked away hungry. If you’ve never done Korean BBQ together, this is such a fun one to try.

Perfect for: Couples looking for something interactive, Foodies and Double Dates.

👯 Double Date: Korean BBQ is also a great option with another couple because you can order even more things for the table and try a little bit of everything.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Pick something on the menu that neither of you has ever tried before and order it to share.

Watching the chefs cook right in front of you never gets old. It’s entertaining, interactive, and makes even an ordinary dinner feel like an event. If you want a date night that’s more fun and entertaining than romantic, try teppanyaki at Osaka. It was way more affordable than I expected, and having your chef cook everything right in front of you makes dinner feel like an activity too.

Just a heads-up: this is not the place I’d pick for a quiet, romantic dinner. When we went, there were birthday celebrations happening constantly, so it was loud, lively, and definitely had a party atmosphere. 😂

I’ve done Benihana too, and Osaka was just as good. Go here when you want to laugh, eat a ton of food, and have an entertaining night together, not when you’re looking for candlelight and intimate conversation.

👯 Double Date: This is especially fun with another couple.

Share one of their famous bruschetta boards, split a bottle of wine, and enjoy taking your time instead of rushing through dinner. If you’re really hungry, add an appetizer like the crispy cauliflower or the seasonal burrata. I also always like to find out what their “soup of the moment” is.

💡 Desert Edit Tip: Watch for their Board & Bottle special. It’s currently Monday and Tuesday night. It’s one of the best values on the menu. Also, sign up on their website for Postino Pass. It’s free and we got a free bruschetta board!

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Don’t head home after dinner! Walk over to Topo and split their prickly pear soft serve for dessert.

It’s such a simple addition, but that’s exactly what I love about it. Dinner becomes bruschetta and wine, a walk through Downtown Gilbert and a fun little dessert stop — all without getting back in the car.

Cooper’s Hawk is a great date-night restaurant, but one of my favorite things about it is that you don’t necessarily need a perfectly planned reservation to have a fun night here.

Their wine tasting can be an entire date on its own, or you can use it to kick off dinner.

💰 Budget Pick: The last time we went, the wine tasting was only $12 per person to try 8 wines. Pricing can change, of course, but it was an incredibly affordable little date-night activity.

💡 Desert Edit Tip: Forgot to make a reservation? Put your name down for a table and do a wine tasting while you wait. Instead of standing around waiting for dinner, the wait becomes part of the date.

❤️ What We Order: The short rib with risotto is one of our favorites. It’s very rich so I recommend sharing and adding a salad.

🍫 Save Room for Dessert: Get the truffles. Usually not something I’d spend money on but it felt luxurious!

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Start with a wine tasting, stay for dinner and finish the night by sharing the truffles.

💰 Budget Friendly

This is one of our favorite authentic Mexican restaurants in the East Valley.

If you visit on Taco Tuesday, don’t miss the three-taco plate. The last time we went, it was under $10 and included three tacos plus two sides, making it one of our favorite affordable date nights.

You can choose from six different meats, and every one we’ve tried has been packed with flavor.

💡 Desert Edit Tip: Order a side of their chipotle cream and drizzle it over your tacos. Trust me—you’ll want to put it on everything.

One of the little details we appreciate is that meals are served on real plates instead of disposable baskets when you dine in. It makes the experience feel a little more special, and the staff has always been incredibly welcoming.

🎉 Seasonal Favorite: Their chicken tortilla soup is one of our favorite reasons to visit in the fall and winter.

If you’re a little more West: Try Casa Reynoso in Tempe .They’ve been around for a while and it’s authentic Mexican food. They’re tucked back in a corner in a plaza, but they are there!

Take a behind-the-scenes look at how local craft beer and Spirits are made, then head to their San Tan Brewing restaurant in Downtown Chandler afterwards. It’s a short Uber ride.

It’s a fun way to turn an ordinary brewery visit into an experience.

I got my tickets off of Groupon!

Check the class and tasting schedule at your local Total Wine & More and make a date out of learning something new together.

Depending on the schedule, you may find wine, whiskey or other spirit tastings and classes.

It’s a fun alternative to simply meeting somewhere for drinks because you actually get an activity along with it.

They had a beautiful charcuterie board too!

💡 Desert Edit Tip: Check the event calendar ahead of time. These aren’t necessarily available every day.

💰 Budget Friendly Option

At Home Version: Not one for crowds? Buy a wine tasting book, grab a few bottles at Trader Joe’s or Total Wine & More and do it at home! Add a small charcuterie board to pair with the wines. The best part? There’s no worry about driving home when you’re done! I was gifted Wine Folly and it’s a beautiful and very informational book.

Legend Wine Tasting Notebook, Guided Journal …

$9.99

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100 Wines: A Guide to Building Your Palate: a…

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Wine Folly: Magnum Edition: The Master Guide

$19.61

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Wine Tasting but Simple: From Clueless to Con…

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Pick one of your favorite restaurant meals and try to recreate it together at home.

You can usually find surprisingly convincing copycat recipes online just by Googling the restaurant and dish name. Shop for the ingredients together, make the meal, and then give your homemade version an honest rating.

How close did you get?

Rate it on:

🍽️ Presentation
😋 Flavor
🎯 How Close Is It to the Original?
💰 Was It Worth Making at Home?

You could even take a photo of the restaurant version the next time you order it and try to copy the plating at home too.

💰 Budget Pick: This can be a fun way to enjoy the idea of a favorite restaurant meal without paying restaurant prices, especially if it’s something you can make multiple servings of.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Don’t stop at the entrée. Recreate the restaurant experience too — make a favorite appetizer or dessert, pour the same type of drink you’d normally order, and put together a playlist for dinner.

Then decide: restaurant or homemade version?

Instead of ordering from the same place every time, spend a few months trying some of the East Valley’s local favorites and crown your champion.

Our favorites include:

❤️ Bella Pizza & Pasta (Don’t leave without trying the fried zucchini.)

❤️ Sal’s Gilbert Pizza

❤️ Venezia’s Pizza

❤️ Barro’s Pizza

Rate each one on:

⭐ Crust

⭐ Sauce

⭐ Cheese

⭐ Toppings

⭐ Overall Winner

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Make your own pizza bracket and don’t declare a winner until you’ve tried them all.

Pick several taco shops you’ve been meaning to try and turn them into a challenge.

You could visit a few in one afternoon and split something at each stop, or stretch the challenge over several months.

Keep track of your favorite meat, salsa and overall taco.

💡 Desert Edit Tip: Taco Tuesday is the perfect excuse to work your way through the list without spending a fortune.

Pick two or three dessert spots, order one thing to share at each, and decide which one wins.

This also works really well as an add-on when you’ve already eaten dinner at home but still want to get out of the house together.

💰 Budget Pick: Sharing one dessert at each stop keeps the cost surprisingly reasonable.

Downtown Gilbert, Downtown Mesa and Downtown Chandler are especially good for this because you can walk between multiple places.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Add one non-food stop between courses — an arcade, shop, live music or a walk — so the entire evening becomes an experience.

A few on my list:

✨ Aerial Coffee Co.

✨ Hooligans’

✨ Light Heart Coffee

✨ The Commons Coffee House

✨ Sagebrush Coffee

✨ ADEN Coffee House

✨ Mission Coffee & Tea

✨ Kada Vietnamese Coffee & Tea

You can rate each stop on the coffee, food, atmosphere and whether you’d come back.

💡 Desert Edit Tip: Check out the Arizona Coffee Pass if you want an easy way to turn trying local coffee shops into an actual challenge.

Pick out a book for each other, browse travel books for places you’d like to visit, or give yourselves a small budget and see what you each find. We’ve also found some pretty books for home decor this way!

A few local used book stores to check out, Half Price Books, Bookman’s and BOOKOFF.

P.S. if you’re looking for a great online option for used books, check out Thrift Books. I’ve gotten many well loved and great condition books from them. They’ve made great “just because” gifts for my Fiance too!

💰 Budget Pick: You don’t actually have to buy anything and Barnes and Noble is fun to browse for various reasons. I love look at their DIY books and stationary!

We’ve had a lot of fun doing this because you never really know what you’re going to come across. Half the entertainment is showing each other the interesting things you find.

You don’t even have to be looking for anything in particular.

Merchant Square is a cool one to check for antiques (plus you can get BBQ at American Way Market after!)
Hidden Treasures in Chandler is a large second hand store.
Goodwill is always a great budget option too!
I’ve heard Indy Clover is great for clothes. They have multiple locations in the Valley.

💰 Budget Pick: Browsing is free — although I make no promises about what you’ll convince yourselves you need.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Give yourselves a small budget and see who can find the weirdest, coolest or best vintage item before you leave.

Pack dinner or grab takeout, find a spot near the lake and just hang out together.

We’ve done actual picnics here, but we’ve also simply grabbed Chipotle and eaten by the stream at Eastmark Park.

Easy. Affordable. And it gets you out of the house.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Bring your fishing poles and stay awhile.

This is one of those dates where the activity almost becomes secondary. You have plenty of time to talk, hang out and enjoy being outside.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Bring dinner and combine it with the Eastmark picnic date.

This is the kind of laid-back breakfast or brunch date that’s perfect for a slower weekend morning. The Reuben Sandwich is STACKED here. Justin loved the spicy chicken sandwich with their Tennessee oil/sauce. The meat on the burgers is juicy and flavorful. They source as many ingredients as possible from local farms (including their own that you eat right nex to!), bakeries, and butchers.

💡 Desert Edit Tip: Save this one for patio weather. They also have misters but it’s still a bit hot in the middle of Summer.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Walk around Eastmark Park after to enjoy the water flowing, ducks, the farm and good conversation. Pop in to the little market inside the coffee shop and take home some flowers, salsa or a candle.

Head to Tempe Town Lake shortly before sunset and take your time walking along the water as the temperature drops and the city lights start coming on.

💰 Budget Pick: This one can be essentially free.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Grab dinner or dessert nearby before or afterward.

Rent paddleboards, a Kayak,a pedal boat, or bring your own and spend an afternoon exploring the lake together.

🌅 Sunset Pick: Go later in the day during appropriate weather and turn it into an evening on the water.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Culinary Dropout is a good laid-back restaurant nearby to go to before or after.

The scenery alone makes it worth doing, but the petroglyphs and water at the end make the hike feel like you’re actually heading somewhere rather than just walking a trail. This is absolutely a cooler-weather date. Bring plenty of water and check conditions before hiking.

💡 Desert Edit Tip: Parking can be very limited, but on your way to the trail you will pass by a house that advertises parking. This is what we’ve done. It adds a little bit of walking to your hike and you have to pay (last time we went is was $10 per spot with no time limit) but we found it was worth it to pay the fee to get on the trail during peak season.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Grab coffee or breakfast before you head out and make an entire morning of it. Or Pack a lunch and eat it under the shade of a rock when you get to the springs!

Spend a morning hiking, pack a picnic or simply enjoy the Superstition Mountain views.

🌅 Sunset Pick: The Superstitions at golden hour are hard to beat.

Bring something warm to drink when the weather cools down. Use the free “Sky Map” app on iPhone and Android to figure out what different constellations and planets you’re looking at.

💰 Budget Pick: One of the cheapest dates on the entire list.

It’s especially good when you want to get outside but aren’t looking for a full hike.

💰 Budget Pick

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Bring coffee and turn it into an easy morning date. Don’t forget some Cheerios (not bread!) to feed the ducks!

This is a great option when you want something outdoorsy without committing to a traditional hike.

🎉 Seasonal Tip: Check what’s blooming before you go.

Walk around the historic town, explore the shops and attractions, and enjoy the Superstition Mountain backdrop.

We had a great time here as a family and I’d love to go back for a date night! You can read my guide to going to Goldfield Ghost Town with Kids here.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Add the train ride or mine tour instead of simply walking around. Dress up for the time period and eat at the Steakhouse and Saloon!

It’s easy to spend a leisurely afternoon here without needing a strict itinerary.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Check their calendar for special dinners, tastings or seasonal events.

Schnepf Farms changes with the seasons, which means this can become a completely different date depending on when you visit.

Look for seasonal festivals, farm events, picking opportunities and holiday experiences.

🎉 Seasonal

It’s a fun option when you want pickleball to feel like an actual night out rather than simply meeting at a public court.

👯 Double Date: Pickleball is made for this.

There are free courts all over the East Valley, and you can pick up a beginner paddle set for around $35.

This is the set we have.

Once you own the paddles, you’ve basically created an entire category of nearly free dates. Morrison Ranch and Gilbert Regional are a couple examples of free places you can play. My neighborhood even has a portable pickleball net on the tennis courts. So you can always check for that too!

💡 Desert Edit Tip: Keep the paddles in the car and grab dinner or ice cream afterward.

We love going later when we can play for less and still get the full experience. You DO NOT need to know how to golf to do this! We play Angry Bird and other games that they have. I miss half the balls that I whack at. I just laugh it off and try again. They have food and drinks here. A lot of the food we’ve gotten has been pretty good (nachos for instance), but the drinks are pricey so if you plan to drink, you may want to start with drinks somewhere else and then end your night here with the cheaper golfing rates!

💰 Budget Tip: Check the current late-night pricing before you go.

👯 Double Date: Split a bay with another couple.

Indoor rock climbing gives you something completely different to do together and works especially well when you want an active date without being outside in the Arizona heat. Alta Climbing is on the Gilbert and Queen Creek border.

☀️ Summer Friendly

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Grab lunch or dinner down the street at Sage & Barrel Craft Eatery .

Head out to Canyon Lake and rent paddleboards from Yak N Sup for a date that feels like a mini getaway without having to travel far from the East Valley.

Paddle around the lake together, take in the canyon views and spend a few hours doing something active that feels completely different from your usual date night.

This is also a great option if you like the idea of paddleboarding at Tempe Town Lake but want something that feels a little more adventurous and scenic.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Pack lunch, snacks and drinks in a cooler and turn your paddleboarding trip into a full day at Canyon Lake.

We especially love going bowling later at night because the pricing can be incredibly reasonable.

It’s fun, competitive and doesn’t require much planning.

💰 Budget Tip: Check FatCats’ current late-night specials before you go.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Add arcade games or another activity while you’re there. They have indoor mini golf for a low rate, but it is a tiny course.

☀️ Summer Friendly

The old-school arcade games give it a nostalgic feel, and we especially liked playing darts.

It’s the kind of place where you can grab a drink, wander between games and actually do something together instead of sitting at a table all night. It was fun to carry around actual tokens and take on each other in old school games!

❤️ Our Pick: Don’t skip the darts.

💡 Desert Edit Tip: We almost didn’t give this place a chance because it reminded of what I’d imagine a Frat party would smell like. Think beer and stale air and sweat. The place was packed!

💰 Budget Friendly: Once we got over (or got used to?) the smell, we had a blast playing the games here and it was very affordable.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Pair it with dinner or another stop in Downtown Mesa. Worth Takeaway is famous for their sandwiches!

☀️ Summer Friendly

This is a great date for gamers, but it’s also fun if neither of you normally plays video games because it’s so different from playing at home. This one is a little pricier though I will say. Check out Sanbox VR in San Tan Village or Zero Latency VR in Gilbert. You typically need to book these in advance and make sure you show up for your spot early or at least on time.

☀️ Summer Friendly

👯 Double Date

Choose a theme you both like and see whether you can solve the puzzles before time runs out. There’s a new one in the East Valley called BRKTHROUGH to check out.

👯 Double Date: Even better with friends.

☀️ Summer Friendly

It’s casual, competitive and gives you plenty of time to talk while still having something to do. This is a great value for the cost and the amount of time you get on a date. I grew up going ot Golfland and Sunsplash but casually swore it off years ago. One night I figured, what the heck, let’s give mini golf a try! We’ve been back multiple times now.

💰 Budget Tip: if you like casual but authentic Mexican food, eat at Carolina’s Mexican Food before you go. it’s right down the street from Golfland.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Make a ridiculous prize for the winner — loser buys dessert.

🎉 Seasonal They also decorate it really cute during the Winter.

You can even make your own best-of-five series. We’ve found darts at Level One in Downtown Mesa. For Billiards, check Natalie’s, Jester’s or even smaller places like Mr. Brews Taphouse that just has a couple tables.

💰 Budget Pick

The candlelit atmosphere makes the entire experience feel romantic without needing to plan much beyond buying the tickets. Plus wearing your little black dress!

💡 Desert Edit Tip: Check the venue carefully before booking to make sure that particular concert is being held in the East Valley. For us, it was also worth the drive to Phoenix to catch a concert. Arrive early, if you’re late, they won’t let you in (supposedly, but I think I saw late people come in). We were early but it still took a while to get through the line and Justin grabbed us some drinks and a cookie when it had already started. The seat cushions were worth the cost to be comfortable!! The picture was cute, but we got some pretty good ones with the candles in the background after the concert was over, so maybe not totally worth the cost, but they are printed instantly and a cute physical photo to have. Who knows when I’ll print the ones we took on our phones!

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Make dinner reservations nearby and turn the concert into the centerpiece of the evening. Or just run to Cheba Hut in your fancy clothes like we did haha.

This is perfect when you want something that feels like a traditional date night but a little more special than going to the movies.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Have dinner beforehand or walk somewhere nearby for drinks or dessert after the show. There’s plenty of options!

Keep an eye out for special evening events. We’ve gone to a museum event with lights and music at night before, and it completely changed the experience.

It felt much more like a date-night event than a traditional museum visit.

We’ve had a lot of fun at museums in the Valley with the kids too! If you want to read about our experiences, click here.

💡 Desert Edit Tip: Check East Valley museum calendars periodically rather than waiting until you’re looking for something to do that night. Some of the best events are limited-date experiences.

A concert, performance, exhibition or special event can turn an ordinary weekend into something completely different.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Combine it with Level 1 and make an entire Downtown Mesa night out of it.

It’s quirky, nostalgic and completely different from a normal pizza date — which is exactly why it belongs on this list. You will also witness the largest Wurlitzer Theatre Organ in the WORLD. Additionally, it’s the largest type of any organ to ever be assembled.

☀️ Summer Friendly

💡 Desert Edit Tip: You can request songs near the organ player and tip them. This is also a hot spot for elderly peoples Birthday Parties and I personally find that really sweet but wanted to mention the overall vibe. It’s a casual environment. I’ve come here as a family outing but it could be a fun date too!

You each leave with something that reminds you of the date afterward, which makes this one especially cute. Check out Candle Chemistry. They allow walk-ins!

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Make the candles first, then walk somewhere nearby for dinner while they set.

This is one of those “we’ve never done that before” dates. I’ve never gotten a reading before but it could open the door to some thought provoking conversations with your date!

A Psychic and Palm Reading location recently opened up in Gilbert. Psychic House of Healing.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Grab drinks afterward and compare notes.

Even if you don’t know much about crystals, it’s surprisingly fun to browse all the different stones, admire the colors and formations, and see which ones you’re naturally drawn to.

You can read about the different meanings associated with each crystal, compare which ones you each gravitate toward, or simply appreciate how beautiful they are.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Give each other a small budget and pick out a crystal for one another. It’s an inexpensive little keepsake from the date — and you might be surprised by what your partner chooses for you.

Sign up for a paint-and-sip class and spend the evening following along with an instructor while you each create your own version of the same painting.

Half the fun is seeing how completely different your paintings turn out even though you were given the exact same instructions.

For an East Valley date, check out Pinot’s Palette in Gilbert or The Art House and find a painting you both want to try.

👯 Double Date: This would be especially fun with another couple.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Trade paintings at the end and take each other’s masterpiece home.

You can each make something for yourselves, paint something for each other, or choose pieces you’ll actually use at home. Once everything is glazed and fired, you’ll have a little reminder of your date to take home.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Make something for each other instead of yourselves — or paint matching mugs you can pull out for future coffee dates.

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If you’re looking for a date that’s completely different from dinner and drinks, sign up for a glassblowing class or workshop.

You’ll get to see how molten glass is shaped and transformed — and depending on the class, create a piece of your own to keep.

This is exactly the kind of date that’s fun simply because neither of you probably does anything remotely like it in everyday life.

Discounted classes are listed on Groupon! You may have to drive a little west for this experience though.

👯 Double Date: Bring another couple and compare everyone’s creations afterward.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Choose pieces for each other and keep them somewhere at home as a reminder of the date.

Take a cooking class together and learn how to make something you’ve never tried before.

Depending on the class, that could mean homemade pasta, sushi, pizza, a new cuisine or even desserts.

The best part is that you’re not only getting an activity and a meal out of the date — you might leave with a recipe or technique you can recreate together at home.

👯 Double Date: Cooking classes are a great option with another couple.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Take what you learned and plan an at-home rematch a few weeks later. Make the same dish without the instructor and see how well you actually paid attention.

Try something completely outside the usual date-night routine and sign up for a metalworking class or workshop.

Depending on what’s offered, you might learn basic blacksmithing, welding or another metalworking technique while creating something you can actually take home.

It’s hands-on, a little unexpected and definitely gives you a better story than “we went out to dinner.”

I’ve found these listed on Groupon!

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Choose a project you can display or use at home so your date becomes part of your decor.

We love that O.H.S.O. gives you more than just a dog-friendly patio. Depending on what’s happening, you can hang out, play arcade games and catch live music too.

🐶 Dog Friendly

🎶 Live Music

🎮 Games

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Check the event schedule before you go and time your visit with live music.

What makes this spot especially fun for dog owners is the small dog park right in the plaza, so you can grab a coffee or a drink and let your dog get in a little outing too.

It’s an easy option when you want to get out of the house together without having to leave your four-legged third wheel behind. Plus, it’s directly across the street from a free parking garage.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Take a walk around Downtown Chandler afterward and turn a quick coffee or drink into a relaxed afternoon or evening out.

Look for a spot with country dancing, live music or another style you both enjoy.

Downtown Gilbert has Dierk’s Bentley’s Whiskey Row and Downtown Chandler has The Stillery for Country Dancing.

💡 Desert Edit Tip: Check what’s happening that particular night before heading downtown. Live entertainment schedules change.

The Perch in Downtown Chandler has been great for live music. They’re building one in Downtown Queen Creek too!

Piano Bars can be fun and there’s one by Mill Ave. in Tempe called Low Key.

Karaoke is still around too. The Parlour Room in Downtown Gilbert (connected to the White Rabbit, by the way!) has karaoke nights on Thursdays from 7pm to close.

💡 Desert Edit Tip: This is a great way to make a restaurant you’ve visited before feel like a completely different date.

The intimate space is designed to make you feel like you’re inside a ship, complete with portholes where the scenes outside actually change as you sit there. Some former Disney Imagineers were even involved in bringing the immersive experience to life.

Because it’s so small inside, there can be a bit of a wait — but honestly, you don’t have to spend the entire night here for it to be worth going.

We like to stop in even if we’re only having one drink.

💡 Desert Edit Tip: UnderTow doesn’t serve food, so eat before you come.

❤️ What We Love: Check to see if they have their cocktail kits available to take home. When we bought one, it included the alcohol plus all the little extras needed to make the drink — even things like an orange and cinnamon stick for ours. It also came with four adorable little green painted tin-style cups with handles that we got to keep.

It was such a fun way to bring a little bit of the experience home with us.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Have dinner nearby first, then make UnderTow your after-dinner stop for one really good cocktail. If the take-home kits are available, grab one on the way out and save it for a future at-home date night.

The Perch is one of those places that gives you plenty to do without having to plan out every part of the night.

We’ve gone for the live music and had a great time listening to bands playing ’90s music like Sublime and Red Hot Chili Peppers. But the music isn’t the only reason to come here — there are also pool tables, shuffleboard and real birds throughout the property, which makes the whole place a little more interesting to explore.

It’s a fun choice when you want a casual night out where you can grab a drink, listen to music and actually have something to do together.

💡 Desert Edit Tip: Check their live music schedule before you go so you can plan your date around a band you’ll enjoy.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Make The Perch one stop on a Downtown Chandler date night. Grab dinner nearby, walk around downtown, then head over for drinks, live music and a game of pool or shuffleboard.

The East Valley has indoor ice rinks where you can skate year-round, but there’s something much more romantic about making this a winter date. Bundle up, hold hands around the rink and enjoy doing something that feels decidedly un-Arizona for a couple of hours.

☀️ Summer Bonus: Of course, when it’s 110° outside, stepping into an ice rink also sounds pretty amazing.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Grab hot chocolate or coffee afterward and lean all the way into the winter-date feeling.

Go play a round surrounded by holiday decorations and enjoy one of those Arizona winter nights when it’s finally nice enough to spend the evening outside.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Grab hot chocolate or a holiday treat afterward and drive around looking at Christmas lights.

There are plenty of places to find them around the East Valley, but a few to put on your list are:

🎄 Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch — Gilbert — Look for their seasonal holiday light experience and event dates.

🎄 Agritopia — Gilbert — Take a drive or walk through the neighborhood to see the homes decorated for Christmas.

🎄 Morrison Ranch — Gilbert — Another neighborhood known for beautiful holiday lights, made even prettier by the area’s tree-lined streets.

💰 Budget Pick: Neighborhood Christmas lights make this one of the easiest inexpensive holiday dates.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Grab hot chocolate or a seasonal coffee first, put together a Christmas playlist for the drive, and rate your favorite houses as you go. Pick a winner before you head home.

Head to an East Valley pumpkin patch or fall festival, walk around, grab something seasonal to eat and enjoy being outside without melting.

You don’t have to have kids with you to enjoy the fall atmosphere.

Vertuccio Farms is usually where we end up, but there’s quite a few options available. Mother Nature’s Farm in Gilbert is pretty cool too.

💫 Upgrade Your Date: Pick out a pumpkin together, take it home and have a pumpkin-carving date later that night.