Date Ideas: Uptown District

In our Date Ideas series, we shine a curated light on two to three thoughtfully paired romantic activities worth checking out no matter the depth of your wallet or tone of your relationship. From a light-hearted first date exploring the Heights by bike to a sentimental anniversary celebration Downtown with dinner, dessert, and dancing, we’ve got you covered start to finish with our date ideas.

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Owned and operated by artisan chocolatier Annie Rupani, this luxury chocolate boutique located across from the Galleria at Westheimer and Post Oak has become a mainstay in Uptown since opening their doors in 2014.

The shop, which boasts an intimate indoor seating area, coffee bar, an assortment of gelato flavor, champagne and of course their hand-painted artsy chocolates, pulls from the rich culture surrounding cacao and chocolate.

Rupani melds this culture with new ideas and modern techniques to present fresh and traditional treats and sweets. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a sweeter note to start on.

• Location: 5000 Westheimer Rd #602, Houston, TX 77056
• Hours: Tuesday to Thursday 11am to 7pm; Friday and Saturday 11am to 8pm; Sunday noon to 6pm
• Price: $$

For a left-field edge to your date and a different view of the city altogether, take the elevator up to the 51st floor of William’s Tower at the corner of Post Oak and West Alabama.

Designed by uber famous architect Phillip Johnson, the building made its debut in 1983 and currently weighs in as the 4th largest skyscraper in Texas. The nerves you’ve accumulated on your date will seem all the smaller once you take one of the six elevators located in the first floor lobby to the 51st floor observation deck to get a view.

If making your way to the top doesn’t suit you or you just want bonus points: make sure to walk through the 64-foot tall Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park green space lined with benches and Texas Live Oaks before making your way to dinner.

• Locations: Click the links above for directions
• Hours: Daily 8am to 9pm
• Price: Free

Say Oui to a delectable French dinner with drinks at Etoile Cuisine et Bar. Located only a short drive away in the Uptown Park shopping center, Etoile has been delighting the taste buds of locals, visitors and critics alike with unassuming and authentic French food since bursting onto the scene in the fall of 2012.

The wait staff are skilled at assisting and explaining the French menu to initiated diners so you won’t have to withstand any humiliation if you haven’t brushed up on la langue.

Expect a business casual environment, a seasonal menu filled with fresh ingredients and realistically a check that can become large with dinner and drinks, but won’t seem so bad once you’ve seen and tasted what this place is all about.

• Location: 1101 Uptown Park Blvd, Houston, TX 77056
• Hours: Monday to Thursday 11am to 3pm and 5pm to 10pm; Friday and Saturday 11am to 3pm and 5pm to 10:30pm; Sunday 11am to 3pm and 5pm to 9pm
• Price: $$$$

Price Tag Categories

• $ = under $10
• $$ = $11 to $30
• $$$ = $31 to $60
• $$$$ = above $61