What makes a restaurant romantic? In Yelp’s opinion, the magic recipe includes an intimate setting, special touches that make memorable moments and, in many cases, Italian food.
Those are the themes that emerged this year as the dining review platform culled its list of the 100 most romantic restaurants in the country, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Four Colorado establishments made the cut in 2025, and while they don’t serve Italian food, diners noted they were apt for a date night.
In fact, Yelp developed its list by searching restaurant reviews for key terms like “date night,” “romantic” and “anniversary.” The website then ranked businesses by the number of reviews they had and the rating of reviews that mentioned the keywords from January 2021 to December 2024.
Denver’s jazzy supper club Nocturne (1330 27th St.) was the highest-ranked local restaurant at No. 18. Love is in the air almost as soon as the live bands begin to play, reviewers note, and it must be contagious. Nocturne bumped up significantly this year after being ranked No. 51 on the romantic restaurant list in 2024.
“Came here for a fancier date night with the hubs as we were feeling some yummy food in a cool setting while listening to smooth jazz. All boxes checked. And then some,” wrote Yelper Azure G.
Valentines looking for a mountain staycation might want to consider Breckenridge. Rootstalk (207 N Main St.) landed at No. 30 on Yelp’s list of romantic destinations and the restaurant also recently received the stamp of approval from the James Beard Foundation. Owner Matt Vawter won the title of Best Chef in the Mountain Region — which includes Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming — at the 2024 James Beard Awards.
Two other Denver haunts made Yelp’s list: Steakhouse Guard and Grace (1801 California St.) came in at No. 23, followed by Sushi Den (1487 S. Pearl St.) at No. 64.
