Up to Date: an After-Dark Guide to the East Village, New York

Set in the heart of Alphabet City, this timeless Italian restaurant is the perfect place for a cozy, uncomplicated dinner date. It offers unpretentious Tuscan cooking, allowing you to spend less effort deciphering the menu and more time turning on the charm. Its truffle pasta is particularly dreamy and sure to get your date beaming with delight. For a bit of fun, the wine list comes as a collection of tagged bottles in a crate. Want to recreate the Lady and the Tramp (1955) spaghetti scene? This is the place to do it.

With a name like Lovers of Today, it’s hardly the most subtle of choices, but there’s a good reason why this East Village bar is so popular with dating couples. Down a twinkly alleyway with a neon heart marking the entrance, this snug haunt really sets the mood just so. Booth seating is intimate, lighting is low, and cocktails are effective. Also, it’s supposedly Taylor Swift’s favorite bar in NYC.

If kooky is the new sexy, the vintage-store chic at Joyface scores highly for seductive potential. There’s no drinks menu, but you can ask for any cocktail and bar staff will oblige. Alternatively, pull some ingredient names out of the lucky dip bowl for a bit of random fun. Mellow lighting and a glitter ball add to the bar’s intimate basement vibe, complete with squishy sofas and a glowing gas fireplace. If it doesn’t feel too forward, you could head to the waterbed in the corner with your drinks.