9 Pensacola restaurants that are sure to make sparks fly on date night

With romance sparking from New Year's Eve kisses and relationship hard launching all the way to Valentine's Day on Feb. 14, it's time to start thinking about Pensacola restaurants that will woo your special someone. Luckily, Pensacola has an abundance of restaurant choices that will match your relationship personality. Whether you're looking for wine and conversation over charcuterie, a tabletop grill experience where you and your partner get to be the chef, or a four-course surprise meal custom-curated to your table, this list covers the basics. Check out our top nine date night picks.

Restaurant IRON

22 N. Palafox St.

Restaurant IRON embodies romance. While the restaurant’s dining is state-of-the-art, the environment is causal enough to still relax and be comfortable. A seat at the chef’s bar provides a look into the kitchen as they prepare the meal. Whether you’re falling victim to the dim lighting or the strong cocktails that exuding feelings of romance, Open Table affirmed your suspicions by placing Restaurant IRON on the “100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America” list for 2020. The meals are interesting and enjoyable to share if you are with someone who cares to dine adventurously. The team at IRON consider each plate a piece of art, ensuring that each plate overdelivers your expectations. Aside from the food, the custom-crafted cocktails like the IRON Goddess or the slice of a perfectly salty and light piece of homemade Nutella icebox pie, are all sure to impress.

The District: Seville Steak & Seafood

123 E. Government St.

The District’s place on this list is two-fold. For one, it offers an intimate, elegant dinner setting where you have your pick of dry aged steaks, aged in house for a minimum of 35 days and then charred for service. If that’s not impressive enough, there is an array of delectable sharable sides, from bourbon whipped sweet potatoes to grilled asparagus with bearnaise. But what is possibly more enticing is the swanky upstairs lounge that offers live music, tapas and cocktails where a reservation isn’t necessary. You can wander upstairs to secure your choice of seating, whether it be leather chairs or share a coach, surrounded by melodic tunes of a house pianist while sipping on “The Grand Lady of Palafox” with Empress 1908 Indigo Gin, lavender infused simple syrup, lemon juice, Prosecco and dehydrated lemon. Grand is the word to describe it, so make sure to dress for the occasion, as it is enforced.

Kali Ichiban

600 W. Garden St.

Kali Ichiban was downtown Pensacola’s first Korean barbecue eatery and remains a favorite for a reason. For starters, the interactive dinner opportunities are a bonding moment if you venture to try the table grill experience. If you’re looking to really get to know your partner or make new memories, there’s no better way to do it then with the help of an open fire and a plate of raw meat. While the restaurant provides all the necessary tools and does the clean-up, you can cook your meal to order over a shared bottle of sake. You start by choosing the protein for your meal, whether it be the Beef Ka-Bi (beef short ribs), pork belly, or Chicken Kal-Bi – you’ll be sure to have fun taking turns playing chef. A pro-tip is to order one of the restaurant’s signature sushi rolls to snack on as you go.

Pearl & Horn

1504 W. Intendencia St.

Pearl & Horn is not only breathtaking to step inside, but the menu gives you flexibility in ordering small plates to share or choosing stand-alone entrees. The restaurant focuses on presenting dishes that reflect the best of land and sea, but toying with flavors and ingredients you may not often encounter. Some of the small plates include the bison kabob served with harissa mint yogurt and grilled flatbread, the swordfish pastrami skewers made with pastrami spice rub swordfish and served with drunken mustard, Brussel sprout fennel apple slaw, marble rye crumble.  It also has a variety of craft cocktails, like the Figgy Old Fashioned, Pear & Sage Bees Knees or the Chef George Martini.

Playing to its original identity and theme, the restaurant has two uniquely decorated rooms that are thoughtfully curated to reflect the atmosphere of both the land and the sea. The “Pearl” room has the timeless beauty of pearl necklace-strung chandeliers, grey and silver toned shimmering accents, and the room’s crowned jewel: a glass case oyster bar. The “Horn” room takes you into a whimsical hunting-inspired parlor with wood-tones, dark green horseshoe-shaped booths, live plants, and a special vintage wood-carved bar where diners can slip inside to snap a photo.

Brother Fox/Sister Hen

415 N. Alcaniz St.

Lily Hall offers two unique concepts, Brother Fox and Sister Hen, that provide a romantic dinner paired with a secret speakeasy. Brother Fox is championed by Chopped Champion Darian Hernandez, who help bring the Spanish-inspired, old world way of cooking to the Old East Hill neighborhood. While the food is the starting point, where you can indulge in a plate full of beer-brined oysters or a mouthwatering carne asada, what makes it special is the speakeasy connected to the restaurant perfect for a night cap. While the entry point is silly and playful, an old telephone that you have to call the bartender on to be allowed inside, the cocktails are state of the art. Each drink has distinct steps and accompaniments, like the signature Bees Knees that comes engulfed with a honeycomb stamped iced cube. The dark lighting, wood-tones, vintage mirrors and menus read by candlelight all contribute to the magical first date-feeling, regardless of how long you’ve been together.

Wine Bar

16 Palafox Place

If you’re looking for a great-get-to-know you option, there is no better place to taste fine wines and share small plates and state-of-the-art charcuterie platters than downtown Pensacola’s Wine Bar. The brick alley courtyard area lined with local artwork and string lights transport you to a world all your own, filled with cured meats and gourmet cheeses. The charcuterie boards come with a variety of special touches, like the spiced almonds and assorted fruit. Another solid option to share is the baked brie with puff pastry, port wine poached pears, black garlic honey pecans and a baguette. While the alley is perfect for light snacks and conversation, you can also opt for a denser dinner, like the chicken piccata, double-cut lamb chops or fresh catch with shishito pesto.

Angelena’s

101 E. Intendencia St.

If you’re looking for a picture-perfect date-night, Angelena’s coastal Italian vibe is cultivated by Food Network Chef James Briscione and wife, Brooke Parkhurst, who curates and sources Italian wines. The pasta is made in-house, and Briscione’s rotating pasta menus allow you the opportunity to experiment with your taste buds. This past month’s tasting menu, for example, featured a crab Rangoon ravioli with colatura sweet and sour sauce, lobster ravioli made with squid ink pasta, lobster and mascarpone filling and vichoise sauce, or the calamarata made with octopus, shrimp calamari, n’duja, tomato, anchovy breadcrumbs.

Whether you’re soaking in the glamor of the bar or cozying up in a booth in the main dining room, you’re met with a lively buzz of chatter while still protecting the elegance and intimacy of the space. Make a reservation if you can, as this place fills up fast, and don’t forget the limoncello cheesecake.

Union Public House

36 E. Garden St.

If you’re looking for a fun way to get to know someone, Union Public House provides the best of both worlds of a state-of-the-art meal while maintaining the social “public house” atmosphere. The menu prides itself on experimental flavors along with innovative cocktails. This is the place that embodies the “come as you are” mentality that allows for a casual meet-up over a cornmeal crusted shrimp salad or Nashville chicken sandwich, but also surpasses expectations entrée more elegant, like the pan roasted red snapper with a miso white wine creamed kale, Play of Sunlight yellow oyster and chestnut mushrooms, Calabrian emulsion and sweet potato hay.

At Union, you don’t have to take yourself too seriously, and that’s reflected in the menu. Prime examples being the “Bringing Snack Back” snack pack that comes with a Dirty Fords gin martini and a pork rind with crème fraiche and caviar, or the Cookie Jar dessert that brings a nostalgic cookie jar to your table filled with delicious, homemade cookies that entice you to stick your entire hand inside to pull one out.

Agapi Bistro

555 Scenic Highway

If you think you’ve seen it all in Pensacola’s dining scene and are looking for something a little more adventurous, Agapi Bistro’s Chef’s Blind Tasting Menu is a one-of-a kind experience. When forgoing the option of ordering individual entrees and choosing the tasting menu route - diners are able to meet the chef preparing their mystery four course farm-to-table meal specifically for them. The chef will build the menu around the diner’s profile, including those that are gluten-free, vegan or vegetarian. Pair it with a wine flight for an interactive dining experience you won’t forget.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola romantic restaurants perfect for date night