The Best Restaurants for a First Date in Highland Park in Los Angeles

Pasta leads the way at Hippo in Highland Park, with a sweet corn cappellacci in mushroom sauce that stands out on the menu. For a date night, open with the ceviche crudo and its housemade tortilla chips. Dinner runs Wednesday through Sunday from 5pm to 9pm.

Amiga Amore has a small room with white stucco walls, clay roof tiles and colorful woven chair cushions, set in a former denim repair shop. Out back, a patio with string lights and a gazebo gives bigger groups room too. The wine list is a small Italian one, with a michelada for something different, and the neighborhood feel stays casual.

A low-lit room that has been likened to a 1970s basement gives Sam's Place, a Highland Park wine bar and restaurant, its character. The natural wine list is small by choice, and the mood is relaxed and unpretentious, which keeps a night out low-key. Plates come out fast and are easy to crave, which keeps the evening moving.

Plants fill the compact dining room at Mala Class, a tiny Sichuan restaurant in Highland Park. The menu is a tightly curated modern Sichuan one, served in a bright, modern room where locals and diners from across the city share the tables. It is a sweet pick for a first date. Mala Class takes walk-ins only, so expect a wait on busy nights.

Leather booths and banquettes line the dining room at Hermon's, and nearly every seat looks onto the U-shaped bar in the middle of the room. The seating gives two people a booth or banquette to settle into while the bar stays in view. We recommend the whole grilled branzino with whipped garlic, and the loaded potato fritters, fried coconut tiger prawns and lemon baked Alaska are other favorites.

Checker Hall is half restaurant, half bar, and it sits upstairs in a Highland Park masonic lodge. The menu blends Mediterranean flavors with coastal California cooking, with skewers and mezze plates to share. Go late for more buzz, once the attached music venue empties out.

Highly Likely pours coffee by day, then shifts to dinner under moody lighting, open until 10pm. The patio is full of olive trees and greenery, with an outdoor bar. Walk-ins are welcome for a first date, and the evening menu has harissa meatballs, koji chicken schnitzel and crispy brown rice salad.

Taiwanese comfort food is the draw at Joy on York in Highland Park. Share the minced pork rice, a classic of that cuisine that the kitchen cooks well, then add a thousand-layer pancake griddled until the bottom is crisp. The two make a natural pair to order together.

Mason's Dumpling Shop is a fast-casual Chinese spot in a Highland Park street-corner mini-mall, and the more casual sibling of Luscious Dumplings. Food is boiled, steamed or fried fresh to order, with pork soup dumplings, chicken and cabbage dumplings and a stewed pork belly bun on the menu. Go early, since the dumplings can sell out for the day. It is open for lunch and dinner Wednesday through Monday.