America's Most Romantic Restaurants

Vanilla poached lobster and dessert tasting menus pair nicely with sunset views at this 72-year-old landmark restaurant. But the hottest tables are for chocolate brioche French toast at “high tide breakfasts,” from 7 to 10 on weekday mornings, when the rollicking waves set the mood. —Brendan Spiegel

If you’re always drawn to the next hot new thing, may we introduce this West Village number? Sotto 13 has the signs of a trendy Manhattan restaurant—inventive small plates meant for sharing, gourmet pizzas, mixologist-designed cocktails—in an alluring space. A roaring wood-fired pizza oven is the centerpiece of the rustic dining room, outfitted with bare wood beams, wrought-iron caging, and a skylight that reveals a weeping willow. sotto13.com —Brendan Spiegel

Romantic sunset dinners over the water aren’t reserved exclusively for California and Hawaii. Designed to resemble the luxury liners that once sailed Lake Erie, this one-of-a-kind establishment perches on a lakeside cliff with sweeping views that extend to the downtown skyline, sparkling in the distance. Secure a window table and dive into cedar-planked organic salmon roasted in a hearth oven and warm chocolate truffle cake speckled with cocoa nibs and coffee caramel. —Brendan Spiegel

If you think "Maine" and "winter" can't be synonymous with romance, you haven't dined at this restaurant ensconced in two restored 1820s-era barns, complete with candles and fine white linen and silver. (The staff has witnessed countless marriage proposals.) Evergreen trees are visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and the seasonal four-course tasting menu emphasizes local game and produce in dishes like pan-seared quail breast with hedgehog mushrooms. —Brendan Spiegel

Descending into Zambra—carved into a subterranean space below a bookstore—feels like entering into a colorful, secret world. Designed by a local artist, the low-lit retreat is accented with Moorish arches, wooden columns, and booths lined with throw pillows. An eclectic tapas menu combines influences from Spanish, Portuguese, North African, and Gypsy cuisines with farm-to-table Carolina ingredients and an excellent wine selection. Call ahead to find out if your night will include a live jazz trio or belly dancers. —Brendan Spiegel

Start with the restaurant’s signature coconut mai tai as you settle in to a “sunset table” on the outdoor lanai overlooking Kauai’s Poipu Beach. Watch whales playing in the surf, or simply focus on the flavorful Pacific Rim cuisine in front of you—lemongrass and kaffir lime crusted sea scallops, fresh ceviche served in a coconut shell, and the molten chocolate “desire,” a decadent flourless chocolate mocha tart. the-beach-house.com —Sarah Storms

Calling a Thomas Keller restaurant “romantic” is kind of like calling an Apple product “well designed.” Yet the combination of a Napa setting, three Michelin stars, and careful-to-a-fault service makes The French Laundry impossible to ignore. The real world practically disappears as you pass through the vine-covered entrance to this sanctuary of inventive, French-inflected American cuisine. —Sarah Storms

Glassmaker Simon Pearce’s restaurant, housed in a restored mill overlooking the falls of Vermont’s Ottauquechee River and its covered bridge, is a food destination worth its out-of-the-way address. The exposed-brick and blond wood terrace dining room—hanging over the falls—is open and airy in the summer and fully glass-encased during winter. Ask for “table #5,” an intimate two-seat table set directly over the rushing river. —Sarah Storms

As cheesy as a replica Eiffel Tower might seem—especially in Sin City—this is no Vegas buffet. Ride the glass elevator to the 11th floor, high above the buzzing Strip, where you can watch the Bellagio’s water-fountain light show from floor-to-ceiling windows. Choose from an extensive French menu—from blue cheese soufflé to herbed crêpes and creamy foie gras—all paired with the restaurant’s wide variety of wines. —Sarah Storms

Florida’s most secluded retreat can be reached only by seaplane or boat, but a meal at Little Palm Island is worth the quick trip over azure waters. Explore the five-and-a-half seaside acres along crushed seashell paths, then meander to the breezy, candlelit dining room. Dine on the terrace set above the beach or at a table right on the white sand, next to a roaring bonfire. —Sarah Storms

Sure, ocean sunsets are a romantic cliché, but that doesn’t make them any less dramatic. And sunset views from every table out over the Pacific Ocean and Russian River bathe the River’s End in romance. The wine (heavy on area vintages, of course) and food only add to the experience. Share the succulent Dungeness crab—fresh off the Sonoma Coast fishing boats—and don’t miss the made-for-two crème brûlée with bourbon-soaked vanilla beans and chocolate ganache. ilovesunsets.com —Sarah Storms

Couples can take a pre-dinner stroll hand-in-hand along the walkways that wind through the manicured gardens surrounding Canoe on the banks of the Chattahoochee River. Inside the warm, brick-lined dining room, chef Carvel Grant Gould prepares refined takes on hearty southern dishes, such as slow-roasted Carolina rabbit and duck sausage crêpes with pistachio-blackberry compote. canoeatl.com —Brendan Spiegel

Peacocks wander freely at Green Pastures, a grand southern estate with perfect rows of flowers and sprawling live oak trees. On the sunporch and inside the lavish 1888 Victorian-style home, the fine china is piled high with Texas-meets-France gourmet creations. Case in point: grade-A steaks prepared with lots and lots of truffles. greenpasturesrestaurant.com —Brendan Spiegel

Full-length windows look down over Lake Union from this 1950s structure, originally commissioned to be “the world’s most beautiful restaurant” and now a landmark of Pacific Northwest design. Old-growth cedar beams and stone columns anchor the homey dining room, bathed in natural light and with glass sculptures nearly as artful as the dishes on the seven-course tasting menus. —Brendan Spiegel

On a side street in the Uptown neighborhood, chef Lucia Watson’s cozy restaurant and wine bar epitomizes the notion of cooking with love. Weekly menus are designed around farmers’ market ingredients: beautiful charcuterie boards accented with pickled carrots and pistachio-crusted goat cheese; lush desserts built around fresh fruit; and a sustainable wine selection that changes seasonally. —Brendan Spiegel

Here’s a recipe for romance: take a waterfront mansion and restored lighthouse, add a secluded peninsula and a generous dose of ocean views, season with fresh New England lobsters, oysters, and scallops, plus applewood-smoked confit of wild boar, and cap things off with a Belgian chocolate terrine. —Brendan Spiegel

When comfort food is the key to a romantic evening, this French farmhouse–style restaurant—modeled after a Provence auberge—is where to go. Dishes like ravioli of slow cooked rabbit with black Tuscan kale and Louisiana shrimp with garganell pasta feel right at home in the restaurant’s intimate wood-and-stucco setting. laprovencerestaurant.com —Sarah Storms

Set at 10,900 feet, this Aspen bistro serves up 40-mile views of the surrounding peaks, along with an Alps-like menu of raclette, rainbow trout, and veal schnitzel. Open only on Thursday nights during ski season (December–April), this snug, former ski patrol hut serves dinner to guests arriving via a starlit snowcat ride up the mountain in the Aspen Highlands. Choose from spiced cider, mulled wine, or hot cocoa to keep you warm during the half-hour trip. —Sarah Storms

The setting may be a 19th-century stone-walled citrus-packing house, but the experience at this rustic SoCal restaurant (in the T+L award-winning San Ysidro Ranch) is thoroughly modern. Find your table laid with fresh, local sunflowers; then share a Belgian chocolate pot de crème under the stars on the ocean-view deck, with its wood-burning fireplace and heated stone flooring. sanysidroranch.com —Sarah Storms

The mashup of chic, modern Everest and Chicago’s circa-1893 stock exchange building creates a spark that fuels its romance. Adding to the flame is a rich menu complemented by some 1,600 bottles of wine. The views don’t hurt, either, with the Sears Tower and its imposing neighbors just beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. —Sarah Storms

While a 12-acre organic farm minutes from downtown Phoenix may sound like a mirage, Quiessence, set in a historic farmhouse at the back of the sprawling property, is enchantingly real. Walk along a crooked flagstone path, behind a walled garden, to your table under light-strung trellises on the patio. A daily-evolving menu dictated by local produce, house-made pastas, and a well-edited domestic wine and cheese menu round out the experience. —Sarah Storms

The romance of this small ski town is only enhanced by the Snake River Grill’s sophisticated spin on Wild West dining. With its wood-burning oven and luxe log-cabin atmosphere, “the SRG” (as locals call it) sets the mood for delicious dishes like elk tenderloin and pancetta roasted chicken breast. —Sarah Storms

Some advice: arrive early for your reservation. Views of the Blue Ridge Mountains—seen by a pre-dinner stroll around the property—are the perfect appetizer to a romantic dinner. And “Chef’s Table” dinners kick the romance factor up a notch: sit next to the kitchen’s baronial fireplace and watch as chef Patrick O’Connell creates a multicourse meal before your eyes. —Sarah Storms

Draped in 900 yards of rich fabric, mood-lit with candelabras, and topped off with a floral centerpiece featuring dozens of orchids, Fleur de Lys, in San Francisco’s Nob Hill area, is opulent dining at its best. Share dishes from a mouthwatering menu of fresh caviars, fondants, soufflés, and meat cuts, plus a specialized—and equally indulgent—vegetarian menu. —Sarah Storms

L.A.’s Little Door may as well be called The Secret Garden—its intimate patio, accessed through rustic wooden doors, is filled with bougainvilleas and has a tiled fountain and koi pond. Wrought-iron candelabras bathe the lush garden in soft light, and an outdoor bar serves champagne and wine (and the entire selection is offered by the glass). thelittledoor.com —Sarah Storms

No, you’re not in Napa Valley—The Vineyards, set amid junipers, limestone ledges, and (of course) rows of vines, is pure Texas Hill country. Dine on mesquite prime rib and poblano corn chowder in the glass-enclosed patio with views of the active vineyard and rose garden, or in the candlelit wine cellar. Complement the meal with a bottle from the house selection of Texas vintages, like the restaurant’s signature cuvée. Cap off the night with dessert at a private table set among the vines. thevineyards.org —Sarah Storms

Whether or not you believe in the oyster-as-aphrodisiac theory, this Boston restaurant is the place to indulge on bivalves. And these are fresh—brought in from coastal Duxbury, just outside the city. Romantic ambience comes with shutters made of Wyoming snow fence, a Jet Mist granite bar, Vermont farmhouse-reclaimed wood wainscoting, and a three-dimensional wall of Gabion cages filled with the signature mollusk’s shells. islandcreekoysterbar.com —Sarah Storms

Located in the original carriage house of Charleston’s stately Wentworth Mansion, the building dates back to—you guessed it—1886. And it still boasts much of its original charm, like the wood-burning kitchen fireplace, stable doors, and gleaming heart-of-pine floors. Retreat into one of the candlelit recessed booths set along one wall, designed to mimic the original carriage openings, to enjoy dishes like lamb chops with Carolina gold rice and striped bass with spaghetti squash and chestnut puree. —Sarah Storms

Walk into this Society Hill bistro with its open beam ceilings, hearth-brick walls, candle-lit wooden booths, and soft Italian music for a taste of not-so-brotherly love. Housed in a 200-year-old granary, the restaurant effortlessly melds history and romance: the opulent bar was salvaged from the circa-1912 luxury liner City of Detroit III, and the wine cellar that used to serve as an underground tunnel is now a private dining enclave with one table for two. bistroromano.com —Sarah Storms

A Victorian-style estate seems like an odd spot for unbeatable views of Colorado’s imposing Pike’s Peak and a Western-inspired menu. Built in 1876, the sprawling pink sandstone Briarhurst Manor is listed in the National Historic Registry but opens its doors to diners and visitors alike: choose from the stately Sitting Room, the light-filled Garden Room, or the lush surrounding grounds for great French–cum–Rocky Mountain fare. briarhurstdining.com —Sarah Storms

Drive through New Jersey horse country’s quaintest town, with the gurgling Raritan River punctuating the landscape. End up at this property’s 1912 carriage house and its Table at the Farm—a veritable culinary center founded, in part, by Richard Branson. With the restaurant’s cozy dining room, gleaming bar, and in-house cooking school, a trip to Jersey never sounded so appealing. ninetyacres.com—Sarah Storms

Vermont’s quintessential ski town has received a sizable upgrade: luxe Stowe Mountain Lodge has partnered its panache with local Vermont farmers and cheesemakers to stock the open kitchen of mountainside Solstice restaurant. Don’t let the dreamy views of Spruce Peak distract from rustic dishes like truffled beef pot roast adn Shetland salmon, or the amazing seasonal cocktails (house-spiced vodka and apple cider, anyone?). stowemountainlodge.com —Sarah Storms

This gorgeous dining room—anchored by a glass-enclosed wine cellar with a built-in fireplace and set against the foothills of New Mexico’s Sangre de Cristo Mountains—is perfect for Valentine’s Day dining. Finish off the house made pappardelle (braised chicken, mushrooms) with the best bite of the night: a dark chocolate souffle for two, topped with green chile cream. fourseasons.com —Sarah Storms