5 affordable Valentine’s Day date ideas at Tacoma-area bars and restaurants
Beyond the standard Valentine’s Day steakhouse affairs, we’ve gathered a handful of special-occasion ideas for those who waited until the last minute to book a reservation and those who prefer a casual affair.
Perhaps the city’s most popular romantic restaurant, Lobster Shop, is closed for renovations. When it reopens this spring, you can indulge in iced platters of raw oysters, believed to have aphrodisiac qualities.
Meanwhile, head instead to Perry’s, a wonderful cocktail bar in downtown Puyallup that feels both approachable and noteworthy.
Here are four restaurants and one tasting room to consider celebrating this weekend or on Feb. 14 itself in and around Tacoma. Note that prices typically do not include tax and gratuity.
PERRY’S COCKTAIL BAR
▪ 105 S. Meridian, Puyallup, 253-604-7920, perryscocktailbar.com
▪ Tuesday-Saturday 4-9 p.m. (until 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday)
Reserve a table by calling the restaurant or find a seat at the bar in this midcentury-styled restaurant and lounge, open since 2020. The standard menu offers plenty to appreciate on its own, including lightly fried calamari with house-pickled chili, a juicy wagyu burger and wild mushroom pappardelle. On Feb. 14, the kitchen will offer surf and turf, oysters on the half shell and, of course, its awesome cocktail menu. Finish the evening with an in-vogue espresso martini and olive oil cake with cassis.
CRUDO & COTTO
▪ 2717 N. Proctor St., Tacoma, 253-292-1120, crudoandcotto.com
▪ Tuesday-Saturday 4:30-9 p.m.
This contemporary Italian restaurant takes cues from Pacific Northwest ingredients, especially seafood. Maybe you visit for happy hour, served daily 4:30-5:30 p.m., for a dozen oysters under $30 and house-pickled veggies, heavenly fried calamari and zucchini and half-off bottles of select red and white wine. For a fuller meal, enjoy the Feb. 14 four-course prix fixe for $80, with white truffle butter steak, eggplant parmigiana and profiteroles for dessert. The regular menu also pleases with an array of fresh fish and a few hearty mains, like chicken marsala and braised short ribs with beet risotto.
THE BLIND PIG AT MILLHOUSE
▪ 2515 N. Proctor St., Tacoma, millhouseproctor.com/blindpig
▪ Monday-Thursday noon-10 p.m., Friday noon-midnight, Saturday-Sunday 11 a.m.-midnight
Who says you need to spend a lot to celebrate? The Blind Pig is the kind of cocktail bar you can visit every day, and on Valentine’s Day, you can splurge for less because it’s still Tuesday. Happy hour runs all night, which translates to $2 off wonderful house cocktails from the leaning-classic menu, $4 draft beers, $5 glasses of wine from a lovely little selection. Save even more with $5 draft cocktails. Pair with salad and some of the best pizza in town — now that’s a dinner date.
ALMA LOUNGE & THE GRAND CINEMA
▪ ALMA: 1322 Fawcett Ave., Tacoma, 253-368-6509, almatacoma.com/lounge-menu
▪ Wednesday-Sunday 4 p.m.-midnight
▪ The Grand: 606 Fawcett Ave., Tacoma, 253-593-4474, grandcinema.com
It’s about time for the resurgence of dinner and a movie. Do both this weekend (note the restaurant is open Wednesday-Sunday, so not on Tuesday, Feb. 14) with a combination deal with The Grand and ALMA. Visit either venue to begin your date, $75 total for two people. Enjoy one appetizer, one dessert and two entrees at ALMA Lounge, where fantastic cocktails mingle with bites inspired by indigenous ingredients: cheesy braised wild boar dip, duck tacos and wild mushroom pasta mornay. Then pick your film, perhaps an Oscar-nominated one, and be thankful for good food, indie theaters and each other.
DAHLMAN CELLARS
▪ 113 N. Tacoma Ave., Tacoma, 253-342-9455, dahlmancellars.com
▪ Thursday 4-8 p.m., Friday 3-8 p.m. Saturday 1-8 p.m.
Add this experience, or simply choose it alone and return home with a few bottles from this cozy winery tasting room in the Stadium District. Initially one-day only, Dahlman Cellars expanded its Valentine offer to run Feb. 9-11 during standard hours. Treat yourself and your companion to a wine tasting and a box of Browns Point-based Kelly’s Chocolates for just $20 each, valued at $38.
