A romantic Valentine’s Day dinner doesn’t need to break the bank. With these affordable Valentine’s Day dinners at under $75 a person, love birds can connect over a delicious meal without an unsavory surprise when the check arrives.
A Food Affair Restaurant
1513 S. Robertson Blvd, Los Angeles
From the dining room’s stone wall coverings to the patio’s wooden fence and string lights, everything about A Food Affair is cozy and inviting. Served in an intimate setting for guests to relax and talk, the mouthwatering dishes of lobster bisque, duck leg confit and chocolate terrine on the restaurant’s Valentine’s Day menu provide an unforgettable, and wallet-friendly experience.
Café Massilia
110 E. Lemon Ave, Monrovia
What better place to go for Valentine’s Day than the City of Love? Featuring Parisian dishes like creamy leek soup, stuffed tomatoes “for her,” breaded Brie atop a Mesclun salad “for him” and beef tenderloin, Café Massilia seeks to recreate the traditional romantic ambiance of French bistros during this holiday.
Café Pinot
700 W. Fifth St, Los Angeles
In partnership with the LA Library, Café Pinot has created a Valentine’s Day menu inspired by famous literature. Aptly named the Literary Love menu, it includes a Waldorf Salad as a nod to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, gnocchi and truffles in honor of Romeo and Juliet, Cowboy Steaks for two a la “Brokeback Mountain” and decorative chocolates dedicated to each literary couple. Whoever said reading isn’t sexy wasn’t eating the right meal.
Chaya Venice
110 Navy Street, Venice
After the grueling task of choosing a mate for the evening, couples can dine at Chaya in Venice where the Valentine’s Day dinner options are numerous. The menu is largely seafood based and features everything from oysters and shrimp to yellowtail sashimi and salmon ceviche, and that’s just the first course. After feasting on sea bass, mahi mahi and scallops, guests are offered a romantic treat: a heart-shaped bread pudding with dulce de leche ice cream.
Cicada
617 S. Olive St, Los Angeles
Housed in the historic James Oviatt building, Cicada’s striking interior reflects the Art Deco architecture of the early 1920s. The dimmed setting and vintage accents take guests back to a time when romance meant an elegant dinner and a night of dancing. With dishes like a tomato and mozzarella bocconcini salad, braised short ribs and chocolate lava cake, Cicada takes care of the details and the delectable cuisine so guests can concentrate on one another.
Drago Centro
525 S. Flower St, Los Angeles
Of the four courses on Drago Centro’s Valentine’s Day dinner menu, one of them is solely comprised of the restaurant’s famous pasta. Diners can choose from fettuccini carbonara, garganelli with pork sausage, and chestnut agnolotti that will work wonders in recreating a certain iconic scene from “Lady and the Tramp.” To go along with their noodles, guests can choose from a variety of antipasti salads, main dishes like braised ossobucco and desserts such as vanilla panna cotta and handmade chocolates. In a space that’s as classy as Drago Centro, this dinner is a steal.
The Eclectic Restaurant
5156 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood
For those who don’t want to be tied down this Valentine’s Day, the Eclectic Restaurant has a sampling of enough cuisines to satisfy any wandering heart. Seafood lovers will agree that the Dungeness crab and artichoke dip is a real catch, while herbivores will adore the vegetarian wild mushroom risotto. Served in such a romantically jazzy setting, with original paintings lining the walls, the food (especially the Sicilian donuts) will have guests falling head over heels for the Eclectic and each other.
Michael’s Pizzeria
210 E. 3rd St, Long Beach
Pizza and love have gone hand in hand since Dean Martin sang about moons and pies and amore. As one of the highest rated pizzerias in the United States, Michael’s Pizzeria offers dishes from their regular menu at a special Valentine’s Day price. Dinner includes an appetizer, dessert and a pizza to share, making it the perfect date night for new couples—one can learn a lot about a person based on their willingness to share their tiramisu.
Mo-Chica
514 W. 7th St, Los Angeles
Blending traditional Peruvian cuisine with modern techniques, the Valentine’s Day dinner at Mo-Chica gives romantic dining a Latin flare. Diners can meander through a four course menu that begins with a salad of winter truffles and beets, leads to a generous helping of bright cilantro rice with quail, reaches its peak with an aji mirasol butter poached lobster and concludes with a plate of chocolate-dipped strawberries and caramel alfajores.
Tapenade
11301 W. Olympic Blvd #116, Los Angeles
The best couplings in food and in life are made by joining two opposing elements to form a complementary pair. With their Spice and Romance menu, Tapenade in West LA plays with the concept of sugar, spice and everything nice to take guests on a culinary journey of textures and taste. Crispy Brussels sprouts are used in Spanish, Tunisian and Indonesian applications, cream of carrot soup is infused with orange and cinnamon, Ahi tuna is soaked in vanilla, essence of red beet and cardamom then seared for a tender rare finish, and walnuts and bananas are layered in a gratin with vanilla gelato. For every familiar ingredient, there’s an innovative twist, inspiring couples to get adventurous not only with their dinner, but with the rest of their evening.
