Culture

What to do on a first date with tastecard

20-02-2024

Dylan Mitchell

First dates can be an exciting but nerve-wracking experience, and choosing the perfect location for a first-date dinner can be a daunting task. There are lots of things to consider; dietary requirements, level of intimacy with which you are both comfortable, atmosphere, noise levels - you don’t want to have to holler into your prospective loved one’s ear (or maybe you do? Ear fetishes are for another time, thank you!) must all be ‘fed’ - see what we did there? - into the mix.

Don’t worry too much though, here at tastecard we have given some serious consideration to the first date challenge. We’ll help you navigate the dos and don’ts of what to do on a first date including first-date-dinner etiquette tips and our all-time favourite ideas for dating on a budget.

Spend less, still impress - dating on a budget

The ideal restaurant for this much anticipated first date should offer a lively but not deafeningly loud atmosphere, great food, and a setting that will bring out the inner conversationalist in both of you. Connection is what it's all about. The type of cuisine and vegan/vegetarian menu options are important factors to consider. It’s essential to choose a restaurant that offers various options catering to different dietary needs and preferences. Remember, you don’t know your date too well yet so it’s important to have options even when you are sticking to a tight budget.

Impress your date in sleek city-centre surroundings

A dinner date is a classic first date idea that lets you get to know your potential romantic partner in a comfortable and, ideally, inviting environment. But what about if you want to impress your date with your choice of boujee location in a top-notch city centre eatery? With tastecard you can whisk your date to some of the hottest dining locations without breaking the bank.

Take the Podium Restaurant at the stylish Hilton hotel on Deansgate in the heart of Manchester city centre. The restaurant sits on the ground floor of Beetham Tower, and the décor has a certain 1960s Modernist quality - think Netflix’s ‘Madmen’ but reinvented for the modern era - even though it opened to much fanfare back in 2006. The food is super impressive and, because our offices are local to Deansgate, we’ve been known to dine here, choosing the exceptionally good mackerel tartare as our starter and the quintessentially British cumbrain rib-eye steak as our main course.

The Podium Restaurant can be found at 303 Deansgate, Manchester. It’s worth calling ahead before you book because, being a top city eatery, this place can get a little busy - call 0161 8701600. Be sure to show your server your tastecard when you get the bill to get 25% off the total and to show your first date just how charmingly cost-conscious you can be.