Press Release

Diner Reviews are in: OpenTable Announces the 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America Ahead of Valentine's Day

January 30, 2023

Book before February 7th to beat the rush, plus additional tips & tricks for planning made easy

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Whether celebrating Valentine's Day, Galentine's Day or Palentine's Day, OpenTable is debuting a number of resources to help celebrate loved ones in style. First up, the anticipated annual list of the 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America1 features spots that diners say deliver on romance – the list was culled by analyzing over 13 million US diner reviews. Additionally, regional diner guides spotlight restaurants for every kind of vibe including first dates, proposal-worthy and group dates; while OpenTable's Experiences feature helps diners discover and book chef tastings, dinner-and-a-show and more.

No matter the backdrop, data from OpenTable indicates the time to book Valentine's Day reservations is now. Last year, more than half (54%) of Valentine's Day reservations were booked by February 7 – but diners seeking a table at one of the 100 Most Romantic Restaurants should plan to book even earlier: in the past, the restaurants on this list booked up by February 1.2 

"Over the 2022 holiday season and into January, dining exceeded pre-pandemic levels – we anticipate this trend to continue through Valentine's Day," said John Tsou, VP of Marketing for OpenTable. "Data from our Q1 Diners Survey3 also revealed that US diners are looking to splurge for the holiday: over one-third plan to spend more money on Valentine's Day dining this year, compared to years past."

Data-driven tips to snag that hot table

To help diners navigate one of the busiest dining days of the year, here are additional tips and tricks to increase the chances of snagging that hot table, based on insights from Valentine's Day 20222:

Consider dining outside of prime hours. Last year, nearly half (46%) of dinner reservations were from 6:00-7:59 p.m., while only 24% were from 8:00 – 9:59 p.m. and 30% from 4:00 – 5:59 p.m. This year, consider earlier or later windows if you have a specific venue in mind.
Make Valentine's Day a weekend affair. In 2022, Saturday, February 12th was the single biggest dining day of the year, presumably due to diners celebrating the holiday the Saturday prior. This year, expect Saturday, February 11th to see a similar boost, so try booking on Valentine's Day or the two days leading up to it if Saturday is a no-go.
Try out OpenTable Experiences, increasingly popular for Valentine's Day: To up the ante, check out OpenTable's experiential offerings such as: a pop-up wedding chapel at popular Brooklyn Pizzeria, L'industrie; afternoon Tea at the Terrace at The Maybourne Beverly Hills; and a Sinatra Supper at Boston speakeasy, Carrie Nation.
Still no luck? Set an availability alert for the chance to nab a table if one becomes available.

Restaurants diners love: the 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America

OpenTable's 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America, culled from over 13 million diner reviews, represents beloved diner spots coast-to-coast. This year, the list spans 27 states – California again takes home the #1 spot, with 13 restaurants on the list. Arizona features nine restaurants and Florida and Hawaii clock in at eight.

While over 20 different cuisines are spotlighted, diners equate romance with Steakhouses (19% of the list), followed by Seafood (18%), American (17%) and Italian (9%).

The 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America for 2023 are (in alphabetical order by state):

Alabama

Arizona

California

Colorado

Connecticut 

District of Columbia

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Illinois

Indiana

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana 

Minnesota

North Carolina 

New Jersey 

New Mexico

Nevada

New York 

Ohio

Pennsylvania 

Rhode Island 

South Carolina 

Tennessee 

Texas

Washington

The 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America for 2023 can be viewed here.

Methodology

1 100 Best Restaurants in America for 2022 Methodology
OpenTable's 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America for 2023 is generated solely from diner reviews (those who book via OpenTable and dine can leave reviews) collected between December 1, 2021 and November 30, 2022. All restaurants with a minimum "overall" score and number of qualifying reviews were included for consideration. The overall score is made up of unique data points, such as overall diner rating, user klout, total number of reviews, and regional overall rating. Qualifying restaurants were then scored and sorted according to the percentage of reviews, for which "romantic" was selected as a special feature.

2 OpenTable Data Methodology
OpenTable looked at seated reservations and diners from online, phone, and walk-in reservations on 14th February in 2022.

OpenTable Survey Methodology
OpenTable surveyed over 11,000 diners in the U.S. between January 3-7, 2023.

About OpenTable
OpenTable, a global leader in restaurant tech and part of Booking Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG), connects more than 1.5 billion people with restaurants every year. Powering hospitality at more than 55,000 restaurants, bars, wineries, and other venues globally, OpenTable drives reservations, experiences, payments, guest insights and operations, enabling restaurants to run their most successful business yet.

Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/diner-reviews-are-in-opentable-announces-the-100-most-romantic-restaurants-in-america-ahead-of-valentines-day-301733485.html

SOURCE OpenTable, Inc.

Jenna D'Aniello, jdaniello@opentable.com