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Five Romantic Restaurants For A Grand Rapids Date Night

Celebrating Valentine’s Day or your anniversary? Planning a date night with your sweetheart? Hoping to wow your date on a first rendezvous?

Then I recommend dining at one of the five most romantic restaurants in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Dining at these restaurants will have you falling in love — at least with your food and drinks.

Disclosure: This local guide to Grand Rapids romantic restaurants contains some affiliate links. When you click on, make a purchase from, or book your hotel through one of these links, I may earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Of course, this is at no extra cost to you, and I only recommend products and services I have or would use myself.

Grove | East Hills

Seasonal corn bisque garnished with yellow cherry tomatoes, olive salt and mint leaves at Grove in Grand Rapids | The Epicurean Traveler
Seasonal corn bisque garnished with yellow cherry tomatoes, olive salt and mint leaves at Grove in Grand Rapids | The Epicurean Traveler

Consistently named one of Grand Rapids’ best restaurants, Grove offers unique dishes created with locally sourced ingredients. Get cozy with your date, sharing an appetizer of smoked salmon dip or beef tartare. Be sure to save room for dessert for two!

The impressive drink list features Michigan craft beers, tantalizing cocktails, and a nice selection of sparkling, white, rosé, and red wines by the glass or bottle.

Grove is located at 919 Cherry Street SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506.

Divani | Heartside

With its dim lighting and beautiful wine wall, this chic restaurant in downtown Grand Rapids is just the place to win a wine lover’s heart. The dinner menu features filet mignon, wild mushroom risotto, and pan-seared crispy duck. The extensive wine list includes a small selection of Grower Champagnes and a variety of French, Italian, Spanish, South American, Oregon and Napa Valley bottles.

Divani is located 15 Ionia Ave SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503.

Maru Sushi & Grill | East Hills

Blue mango roll at Maru in Grand Rapids | The Epicurean Traveler
Blue mango roll at Maru in Grand Rapids | The Epicurean Traveler

I recently had a successful first date at Maru, so I had to include it on this list. What I loved about Maru is it’s a contemporary sushi restaurant with inventive rolls. You’ll even find a selection of vegetarian options, and you can substitute brown rice. The sushi is some of the most complex and interesting I’ve found in Grand Rapids. The rolls are also on the larger side, so you can make a meal out of sharing two rolls and an edamame appetizer. Looking for a drink? I had a delicious mango martini, and the drink menu features a variety of cocktails, sake, wine, craft beer, and cider.

Maru Sushi & Grill is located at 927 Cherry St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506.

Bistro Bella Vita | Heartside

This Italian restaurant in downtown Grand Rapids may be my absolute favorite romantic restaurant. Every time I walk into Bistro Bella Vita, the dining room’s warm yellow glow transports me to Tuscany. On date night, share a gourmet pizza or indulge in a rich, heartwarming pasta dish. The wine list has Italian vino to pair with your food, but I recommend trying one of the 20 martinis. Top off your romantic meal splitting the carrot cake topped with vanilla mascarpone cream, walnuts, pistachios, and a cinnamon caramel sauce.

Bistro Bella Vita is located at 44 Grandville Ave SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503.

Reserve Wine & Food | Center City

Rose flight at Reserve in Grand Rapids | The Epicurean Traveler
Rose flight at Reserve in Grand Rapids | The Epicurean Traveler

On a warm summer night, sipping a glass of rosé with someone special on Reserve’s upstairs patio would be my ideal date night. The patio looks directly out to the beautiful Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids.

In winter, nestle in at the bar inside the contemporary chic dining room to taste a wine flight and share a customized charcuterie and cheese plate.

Reserve Wine & Food is located at 201 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503.

Save this list of romantic Grand Rapids restaurants to Pinterest!

Five Romantic Restaurants in Grand Rapids, Michigan

What is your favorite romantic restaurant?

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Written by:
erinklema
Published on:
February 14, 2016
Thoughts:
4 Comments

Categories: Michigan, RestaurantsTags: Bistro Bella Vita, Date Night, Dining, Divani, Grand Rapids, Grove, Maru Sushi and Grill, Reserve Wine and Food, Restaurants, Romance, Romantic Restaurants, Valentine's Day

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Crystal (The Imperfect Mom)

    February 14, 2017 at 8:10 am

    All of these look fabulous! I need to come up that way and visit.

    Reply
  2. Jenn

    February 13, 2017 at 8:16 pm

    We love the Grand Rapids area. In-fact we are considering a move to that part of the state. This is a great list of places to remember. We do love to eat out.

    Reply
  3. Jennifer Bowman (@JHBowman)

    February 13, 2017 at 10:29 am

    Ahhhh I’m getting hungry, now! GR seriously has some of the best food around. I can’t wait to go back and try some (or all) of these places! Happy Valentine’s Day to you and your sweetie. 🙂

    Reply
  4. Reyst LJ

    February 27, 2016 at 10:41 am

    I cannot wait to try all of these places (regardless of a love mate) the next time I am in Grand Rapids. The sushi looks fantastic. Thanks for sharing places to try outside of the usual chain market that makes the experience even more rewarding.

    Reply

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Hi, I'm Erin, and welcome to my culinary travel blog! I'm a proud Michigander sharing culinary adventures with you from the Midwest and beyond. Though I'm exploring the world one bite at a time, I'm confident I could live on pizza and red wine. I mean, if I really had to.

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