The Best First Date Spots in Boston

Wander through art-filled rooms at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Fenway, then spend some time in the flower-filled indoor courtyard at the center of the museum.

Admission is free Thursdays from 5pm to 9pm. Buy tickets ahead for the best chance at the time you want, since the popular slots fill up. The museum is closed Tuesdays.

Walk the Charles River Esplanade, a 64-acre park with riverfront access and miles of trails. A loop here is simple to extend with coffee or food nearby. Free community programs include fitness classes, concerts and guided tours.

Wander Boston Public Market downtown, where more than 30 New England artisans and food producers sell groceries, prepared meals, crafts and local drinks year-round. Pick up something to eat, then take it to the benches and swings on the nearby Greenway.

The market is open Sunday through Tuesday from 8am to 6pm and Wednesday through Saturday from 8am to 8pm, though some vendor hours vary.

Take a drink out to the waterfront patio at Alcove, a coastal New England restaurant in the West End beside North Station.

The bar program covers cocktails, mocktails, beer and wine, and it is one of the calmer places nearby to end the night. Dinner runs from 4pm to 10pm every day, with mains like a half chicken and fish and chips. Book through the restaurant's website.

Parish Cafe in Back Bay builds its sandwich menu around recipes from well-known Boston chefs. The casual room has a full bar and window nooks for a more tucked-away seat.

The kitchen is open from 11:30am to midnight Sunday through Wednesday and until 2am Thursday through Saturday, with outdoor dining in spring, summer and fall.

Meet for cocktails at Marcelino's in the Seaport, then add Mediterranean tapas-style dishes if you want to stay for dinner. The Levantine steak comes with pistachio butter, harissa-spiced tomatoes and roasted batata. Reserve through the venue's website.

Share tapas-style plates at Pagu in Central Square, where the menu draws on Japanese, Spanish and Taiwanese cooking. Dishes arrive as they are ready, making it easy to order a few things for the table.

Share the suckling pig for two, which comes with bao, romesco, hot sauce and pickles, then split the Basque cheesecake. Use the reservations link on the website.

South Street Diner near South Station stays open around the clock and is the city's only all-night dining spot. Meet for breakfast, lunch or a late bite, with cheeseburgers, classic breakfast plates and bottomless coffee on the menu.

Find the unmarked door to Brick & Mortar in Central Square, a Cambridge cocktail bar serving both original drinks and classics.

Limited reservations are available daily. The bar opens at 3pm Monday through Friday and at 5pm Saturday.

Enter Yvonne's through a faux barbershop, which opens into a speakeasy-style supper club downtown. The globally inspired menu is built around plates made for sharing.

Book on the website, since reservations are for supper only. Friday and Saturday reservations all require a credit card.