Best Date Night Spots in Scottsdale
Scottsdale, Arizona — updated August 21, 2026
Tasting menus in Old Town, a French kitchen on Goldwater Boulevard, resort bars that serve past midnight: eight Scottsdale places sorted by how well they hold up for a night out for two.
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Scottsdale date nights tend to cluster in two places: the walkable blocks of Old Town around Main Street and Goldwater Boulevard, and the stretch of Scottsdale Road heading north toward the resorts. That geography matters, because several Old Town kitchens run past midnight while the north-side dining rooms close by 9 p.m. The list below is ordered by how well each place holds up for two people over a long evening, with review counts noted so you can tell a settled reputation from a promising one.
1. Cafe Monarch
The strongest case for a planned, sit-down evening: an eight-course tasting menu on a quiet block at 6939 E 1st Ave, backed by a 4.8 rating across 1,558 reviews, which is about as settled as a rating gets in this city. The kitchen posts gluten-free and vegetarian/vegan versions of the tasting, so dietary differences between two people are workable rather than awkward. Hours favor a late start: 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 5 p.m. to midnight on Friday, and 4:30 p.m. to midnight on Saturday. There is also a caviar list and a separate dessert menu. Reserve, since the format does not accommodate walk-ins well.
2. Francine Restaurant
French cooking in Old Town at 4710 N Goldwater Blvd, holding 4.7 across 1,445 reviews, a figure large enough to treat as proven rather than promising. Reviewers single out the beef carpaccio and the hamachi crudo. If you want the evening to start cheaply and stretch, the happy hour appetizer list runs 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. with olives and six oysters at $12, and the burger and tuna tartare at $18. That timing makes it a good first stop before a later drink elsewhere in Old Town, since the room is a short walk from Main Street.
3. Virtu Honest Craft
A small courtyard restaurant at 3701 N Marshall Way with a 4.6 rating from 746 reviews. That is a smaller sample than the two above, but consistent enough to be reliable. Posted hours differ by source: the restaurant lists dinner Monday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., while third-party listings show a 5 p.m. Tuesday-through-Saturday start and Monday closed. Call before making Monday plans. Street parking in the Marshall Way arts district is free after 7 p.m., which simplifies a walking date through the surrounding galleries.
4. Fat Ox
The north-side option, at 6316 N Scottsdale Rd, rated 4.4 across 1,260 reviews. Two formats work for a couple. Aperitivo Hour runs daily from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the bar and lounge, good for an early, low-commitment drink. The dining room offers a tasting menu at $80 or more per person for parties of two to seven, available Sunday through Thursday, with an optional $45 wine pairing chosen by the sommelier. Note that the entire table must order the tasting. Doors open at 3:30 p.m. and the kitchen closes at 9 p.m., so this is an early evening.
5. ZuZu
Inside Hotel Valley Ho at 6850 E Main St, rated 4.5 from 1,162 reviews. The draw for a date is flexibility: it serves from early morning through 10 p.m. daily, so it covers a breakfast date, a brunch, or dinner without changing venues. Happy hour runs Monday through Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m., with bites at $9 to $12 and drinks at $6 to $8. The kitchen also runs a Chef Roulette feature. The hotel setting means you can carry the evening onto the property afterward rather than driving somewhere else.
6. The Beverly on Main
An upscale cocktail lounge at 7018 E Main St, open since 2015 and rated 4.4 across 1,020 reviews. It is built for the second half of a date: open daily from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., with the kitchen running until 1:30 a.m., so a late dinner or a shared plate after a show is genuinely possible. Happy hour is Monday through Friday, 4 to 7 p.m. The room goes 21 and up after 8 p.m. Food runs to bar cooking done properly, including the Beverly Burger with smoked gouda and chipotle mayo on an English muffin.
7. EVO Old Town Scottsdale
A louder, later Old Town option at 4175 N Goldwater Blvd, rated 4.4 with more than 1,600 reviews, so the score is well tested. It runs daily from 4 p.m. until the early hours, with happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. and late-night food served until 1:30 a.m. That makes it useful as a landing spot rather than the centerpiece of the night, particularly if dinner ended early on the north side. Note that the restaurant operates a second Scottsdale location; this entry refers to the Old Town room.
8. Cottontail Lounge
The bar at the W Scottsdale, 7277 E Camelback Rd, rated 4.4 from 205 reviews. That is a thin sample compared with everything above, so treat the rating as promising rather than proven. It opens at 10 a.m. daily, which makes it one of the few entries here that works for a daytime date: brunch is served 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and includes Irish steel-cut oats at $9. Closing times vary by source, with midnight listed early in the week and 2 a.m. on the later weekend nights. Check before planning a late arrival.
What we left off
Eddie V's Prime Seafood scores well in Scottsdale, at 4.7 from 1,487 reviews, but it is a national chain with locations across the country, so it falls outside what this guide covers. Dirty Dogg Saloon was also cut, not for quality but for fit: it is a late-night saloon with happy hour running to 8 p.m. and college football drink specials, closed Sunday and Monday, which is a different kind of night out than the one this list is about.