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Later this month, EVA AI is opening what it calls the world’s first AI dating café in New York City, a pop-up designed for people who want to take their AI companions out on an actual date. A real table, a real room and a phone sitting across from you as your plus-one.
AI companions have quietly gone mainstream. According to research cited by EVA AI, nearly one in three men and one in four women under 30 have interacted with an AI companion, using chatbots for conversation, emotional support or stress relief. Until now, those relationships have lived entirely on screens, but the cafe is the company’s attempt to move that connection into the physical world.
The simple concept is deliberately a little surreal. Instead of tables for two, the space is built around tables for one. Each seat includes a phone stand that positions your AI partner directly across from you. The design, meanwhile, leans cinematic with dim lighting, minimalist decor and an intimate atmosphere that mirrors a classic date-night restaurant—until you notice that everyone is gazing fondly at their phones.
To participate, guests download the EVA AI app, create a customizable AI companion and join the cafe’s waitlist. Once inside, there’s no programming, no required interaction and no pressure to socialize with other humans. You can chat, vent about your day, flirt or sit in silence together. The experience is intentionally unstructured, designed to feel like “going out,” not like testing a product.
For the New York City pop-up, EVA AI is also previewing new features, including live voice chat that lets users speak with animated AI partners in real time, making the interaction more like a conversation at a table.
The idea is already stirring debate. Supporters see it as an extension of how people already use AI: as a low-pressure form of companionship, especially appealing to those burnt out on dating apps or dealing with social anxiety. But critics worry that it blurs the line between technology and intimacy, raising questions about loneliness, dependency and what qualifies as a relationship in 2026.
Whether it reads as dystopian, fascinating or peak “only in New York,” the cafe does tap into a real cultural shift where emotional connection doesn’t always require another human on the other side of the table.
EVA AI Café is slated to open in February 2026, with exact location details shared with guests on the waitlist. Reservations are required and tables are strictly solo.