The best dating spots for music fans in NYC

Though TV’s Showtime at the Apollo might make you think otherwise, the city’s home of R&B and soul music is actually quite cozy (as they say, the small screen adds about ten pounds). Known for launching the careers of Ella Fitzgerald and D’Angelo, among many others, this venue will lend a taste of classic New York to your night out.

For romancers seeking to keep up with the latest sounds, this eatery, bar and stage, located on a happening little Williamsburg strip, offers au courant musical acts and DJs that range from experimental (Pharmakon) to the voguish (Ariel Pink). And the food's pretty good too.

If you and your romantic interests prefer club nights to jazz-soundtracked wine n' dines, this 1,900-square-foot Bushwick spot awaits your arrival. Beachy palm-tree-adorned decorations and no-nonsense techno DJs combine to make for a pumping tropical dance party where the mixologist-crafted Sex-on-the-Beaches abound.

It can be difficult to see the stage in this narrow, congested but clean basement space—but it gets big points for its keen indie- and underground-rock bookings, among the most adventurous in Manhattan. Located in the heart of the Lower East Side, Cake Shop lives up to its name, selling vegan baked goods and coffee upstairs to which you'll be expected to treat your date.

Standing inside a packed venue on a summer night can get a little steamy (in the wrong ways), so consider moving the date plans to a blanket picnic at Prospect Park. Thanks to Celebrate Brooklyn!, the Bandshell is an ideal place to hear great music in the great outdoors. 

For an all-grown-up date night, this unabashedly slick club launched by oenophile Michael Dorf is New York’s only fully functioning winery—as well as a 350-seat concert space. Acts tend to be on the quiet side—this is, after all, a wine bar—perfect for hushed flirtatious whispering.

For anyone looking for that archetypal saxophone-and-Chardonnay-filled romantic outing, this 30-year-old bistro-cum-clubhouse features a miniature basement cabaret devoted to readings and music, along with a genial dining room that opens wide to the sidewalk in summer.