The Most Romantic Restaurants in Downtown LA for a Date in Los Angeles

Perch is a French-leaning restaurant and bar perched atop an older office building, with Pershing Square spread out below. Fire pits and a standout downtown view make the patio the place to settle in, with live jazz playing nightly. Most seating is outdoors under heat lamps, so bring a layer, and the French-inspired menu includes scallops. Weekdays are calmer, while weekends run busier and dressier.

Few restaurants in LA look as striking as 71Above, which is on the 71st floor of a downtown tower in the Financial District. Save 71Above for a special occasion. Dinner is a three-course prix fixe where you choose your own dishes. We recommend the agnolotti, called outstanding, and the scallops, praised for its curry.

Redbird brings a little romance to date night in a building that used to be a church. The open-air main dining room faces the bell tower under a retractable roof, and heaters plus a fireplace that burns wood take the chill off cool nights. Outside, bistro lights are strung above the trees. The kitchen and the business belong to Neal Fraser, a well-known LA chef and restaurateur.

In the Fashion District, Dama serves upscale Latin food in a room built around a big wooden bar, with tiled floors and wicker ceiling fans overhead. The room feels open and laid-back, and the cocktails make it an easy pick for a first date or a date night. The menu includes whipped beans with crispy pork, clams and chorizo, and a crispy pork shank served as build-your-own tacos. Finish with a popcorn tub full of soft serve.

Baroo, a modern Korean restaurant in the Arts District, has built its name on fermentation and a free-spirited style. The room feels relaxed despite its fine-dining touches, so the evening is easy to settle into. A seasonal six-course tasting menu changes often and is built on homestyle Korean bansang meant for sharing, with dishes like kimchi-brined pork collar and pastrami-stuffed squash blossom mandu. Vegan and vegetarian tasting menus are available too, and vegan dishes should be ordered ahead.

Camélia pairs French cooking with Japanese touches in a room that is polished but playful. Nothing here feels stuffy, and that keeps date night light. We'd start with the umeshu-infused martinis, then share the duck frites or the ham katsu croque madame. Reservations open 21 days ahead, and walk-ins are welcome at the bar, where seats are first come, first served and the full menu is available.

Up on the rooftop of the Downtown LA Proper Hotel, Cara Cara serves Mexican-inspired new American food in a setting more elegant than Perch. It is calmer than Perch, which gets rowdier later in the night, so it suits a quieter date. The menu is snackier and more straightforward, with focaccia, tacos, a burger and a lobster roll. Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne are the owners.

Da Prato brings a little Tuscan romance to Downtown LA, tucked inside a street-level loft in the historic Higgins Building. With candlelight, fresh flowers and an intimate, supper-club atmosphere, the industrial space feels more like a dinner party in someone's home. It's a beautiful setting for a romantic evening over handmade pasta, including The Nymph, delicate pasta sheets tossed in sage and Parmesan butter, or the linguine alla trabaccolara with cod, capers and olives.

Kar Son is a Chinese restaurant in Row DTLA, with a menu that draws regional dishes from across China. Its kitchen follows classic Chinese cooking and the traditional techniques behind it. Settle into a wide booth by the floor-to-ceiling windows for a date night or a casual dinner in Downtown LA.

Tucked into Little Tokyo's Honda Plaza, Kinjiro is a small, hushed izakaya with the air of a private supper club. The minimalist, down-to-earth room is good for a relaxed date or a special night out. The menu is traditional izakaya food, with grilled meats and raw and cured seafood, and popular plates include bone marrow dengaku, beef tongue and seared uni. There are just two seatings a night.