Village Voted 3rd Best Hot Spot in USA for Romantic Outdoor Dining

When it comes to romantic outdoor dining, few places can top the West Village.

In a recent survey from the web site datingadvice.com, the West Village was voted the third most popular romantic outdoor dining hot spot in the country, right behind the historic district in Savannah, Ga. and the French Quarter in New Orleans, according to the survey of 3,000 foodies.

As the sunsets get delayed, gone are the days of freezing in arctic winds; instead we find ourselves lured by sun-kissed afternoons and breezy evenings, wanting to indulge in restaurants with candle-lit patios, garden courtyards, and rooftop terraces.

Klea Metta who was dining in Via Carota restaurant in the West Village on June 20 with her partner told Our Town Downtown that “scenes from movies and T.V. shows have popularized the area.”

“Sometimes I pass by restaurants and I’m like, I saw this in “Sex and the City”, so it’d be so romantic to eat here,” Metta told Our Town Downtown. Her partner Ray Arapi, on the other hand loves spending evenings in the neighborhood with Metta, “The nightlife is good, the atmosphere gets cozy and that goes pretty well with Italian or French cuisine”.

Both Metta and Arapi, who are from Albania, said they love frequenting the Village and dine there at least two to three times a week.

For other folks, it’s the timeless atmosphere of the Village that makes it romantic.

“I’m definitely not going to Flatiron for a romantic dinner, it has to be the West Village,” said Christopher Krane who was sipping margaritas at Bar Pisellino. “This place is nostalgia-inducing, almost untouched, compared to the other parts of the City.”

Sarah Levitt, his partner has a more sentimental and personal view of the area. “I come down here all the time for him, now that’s romantic.” Levitt says that the place has always been dreamy. “It’s like a movie and it makes you feel like you are the main character of the film”.

The company behind the recent survey, datingadvice.com agreed. “Lined with a variety of restaurants offering outdoor dining, couples can enjoy intimate garden patios and small terraces with everything from gourmet meals to casual brunches in a picturesque neighborhood setting.”

The West Village nosed out quite a few other reknowned tourist destinations including #4 Ocean Avenue in Carmel-by-the Sea, CA; #5 Downtown Charleston, SC., #6 Downtown Asheville, SC.; #7 Harbor Town, Hilton Head Island, SC, #8 Provincetown, Cape Cod, MA; and #9 Old Town, Albuquerque, NM.

The West Village even nosed out world-renowned Waikiki, Honolulu (Ohau), Hawaii.

It is probably no surprise that a city which is said to have 25,000 outdoor dining spots across the five boroughs, the most outdoor dining spot of any city in the country, scored so high. The West Village even before the pandemic was famed for its many outdoor dining options concentrated in a relatively small area.

Of the 38 Michelin starred eateries that Eater NY highlighted across the five boroughs recently, eight of them were in the West Village area including Kanoyama at 175 Second Ave., Wallse, 344 W. 11th St.; Jeju Noodle Bar, 679 Greenwich St.; Carbone, 181 Thompson St.; Blue Hill, 75 Washington Place,. The Musket Room, 265 Elizabeth St.; Aerta, 77 Woth St. and Jungsik, 2 Harrison St.

Whether you call it an incidental by-product of the pandemic or the desired way of dining in New York summers, the Alfresco dining experience gained huge popularity due to the pandemic (amongst other concepts like work from home).

The notion of sharing a meal outdoors with a partner under the summer sky with the gentle caressing wind is magical. As humans living in the 21st century, we are surrounded by noise - the constant honking, vehicles passing, subway announcements, and smartphones. Indoor dining has the same experience, it’s a concoction of constant restaurant chatter, clinking of crockery, and random music. Outdoor dining brings sweet relief