A Romantic Date in Newark

It’s a big day for you and your honey – a birthday, an anniversary, or maybe you’re planning to pop the question. Whether you want to make it a formal occasion, with flowers and a candlelight dinner, or take a more casual approach with tapas and dirty martinis, you can plan the perfect date in Newark. Here are some can’t-miss places for romance.

If a wine cellar isn’t your idea of romance, how about a bank?  The Hotel Indigo Newark Downtown (810 Broad Street) is  housed in the former National State Bank, built in 1912, and there are elements of the original design throughout.

The hotel’s restaurant, Alva Tavern features traditional bistro fare and handcrafted cocktails. The walls are exposed brick, pizzettes are baked in the original bank vault and the dinner menu offers charcuterie plates, roasted chicken and steaks. For warmer-weather romance, head on up to the Indigo’s rooftop lounge, Skylab, and enjoy the twinkling city lights of Newark and Manhattan with your cocktails.

The Ironbound is a perfect place to stroll hand-in-hand, window-shop and people-watch.  When you need a break from the crowds, stop in at Mompou Tapas Wine Bar & Lounge (77 Ferry Street). There’s an extensive wine list, craft beers on tap, and creative cocktails. The innovative tapas menu features modern takes on culinary classics, including codfish croquettes and savory, stuffed piquillo peppers. The dining room may be a bit noisy for a tete-a-tete, but the windows open onto the streetscape, and there’s a hidden garden patio available in the warmer months.

The menu includes Japanese and Korean dishes, as well as sake, beer, wine and cocktails. Sit at the sushi bar and feed each other sushi, or eat in the dining room or outdoor courtyard. It may be New Jersey’s largest city, but Newark has plenty of intimate as well as grand spots where you and your sweetie can find romance.

Newark Bound Magazine: This piece is an expanded compilation of excerpts from the Winter/Spring 2016 NewarkBound.

Anne-Marie Cottone, senior editor of NewarkBound, was a reporter and editor for many years at The Star-Ledger. As a writer, her work also has appeared in Inside Jersey, 40/74 magazine and the Asbury Park Press. Like many New Jerseyans, Vince Baglivo has ties to Newark that extend through generations. He has written for NJ Business, NJBIZ and North Jersey Media Group, and blogs for Newark Patch.

Brooke Tarabour has been a food and features writer for 25 years. She has written and blogged for The New York Times and other regional and national publications and penned Taste of New Jersey for The Star-Ledger for 18 years.