Cozy winter date ideas in NYC

Get warm and cozy together at World Spa, the new 50,000-square-foot spa in Brooklyn that has authentic spa experiences from all around the world. While there, you can indulge in Eastern European banyas (Russian steam baths with wood stoves), Finnish saunas, cleansing Himalayan salt therapy sessions, Turkish and Morrocan hammams (types of steam baths), Japanese onsens (hot springs) and much more. Plus, World Spa serves food endemic to the cultures that its various treatments highlight. Make it a day-long date!

The Metropolitan Museum of Art‘s “Date Nights” give visitors an opportunity to become acquainted with artwork with informal drop-in gallery chats, the chance to listen in on gorgeous live music and sip on yummy cocktails every Friday and Saturday nights in the American Wing Café from 5pm to 9pm, starting February 18.

Go old school at The Standard Hotel, which now has bumper cars in its plaza. Crash into them and then enjoy a cozy snack, including pizza, grilled hot dogs served with onion relish, sauerkraut and spicy brown mustard, a bucket of fried chicken wings or top-notch ranch potato chips with sour cream and chives. Of course, there will be drinks on hand including a hot Leather Interior (bourbon, amaro, hot chocolate, raspberry and egg) to the Bad Driver (vodka, botanical liqueur, blood orange and lemon). Non-alcoholic options on offer include a hot apple cider and a Test Dummy (lemongrass, orange, ginger, strawberry, lime and soda).

Silver Lining at the Moxy Lower East Side hotel, is the perfect setting for a cozy date. Partly inspired by Andy Warhol’s Silver Factory, the artist’s uber-famous NYC studio, the space was conceptualized during the depths of the pandemic, according to an official press release, “when the yearning for a place to socialize and celebrate was at its most acute.” On the live entertainment front, you can expect a rotating cast of local piano players, vocalists and DJs to take over the stage, which is set up the focal point of a room filled with wall coverings featuring hand-drawn illustrations that tell the story of both the bar itself and the neighborhood as a whole.

Relax in a private red cedar sauna or soak in a hot tub while enjoying stunning views of the New York City skyline at the Winter Spa at The William Vale hotel. The al fresco pop-up spa features five cedar saunas and two hot tubs on the luxury hotel's outdoor terrace, where you can sweat out all the stress of the year in a tranquil urban oasis.

NYC is already an incredibly romantic city. With all those legendary sights, how could it not be? But don’t underestimate the power of a hotel to make the city even more amorous. From a room with a fireplace or hot tub to a hotel with her perfect cozy restaurant, these will set your hearts ablaze.

Great Jones Distilling Co. is a 28,000-square-foot venue with a fully functioning distillery as well as educational tours and tasting bar experiences, plus numerous drinking and dining venues within the space. This is the perfect venue to try your hand at making delicious drinks with your date.

The Little Shop, one part bodega and one part speakeasy, just  at South Street Seaport is the perfect spot to pick to show off your date planning skills. The new bar is straight through the cleaning aisle of a grocer, and your group of couples can snack on easy bites like vegetable empanadas, duck dumplings, torched shishito peppers and sip down refreshing cocktails like “Turmeric,” “Celery,” “Tamarind” “Strawberry” “Celery” and “Ginger,” each simply named after their main ingredient. Plus, there's a “Double Hot Chocolate” made with ancho infused coconut milk on the menu that screams wintertime.

Today, museum restaurants aren't just for tourists or dire dining situations. They’re standalone destinations locals might just go out of their way to check out, which sounds like a great date pick to show off your cultural side. After wandering art exhibitions for hours, you can pop by Mina's Restaurant for Greek-minded food, and dig into dishes like tahini-babka French toast, strapasada (scrambled egg toast with tomatoes and Arahova feta), peinirli (boat-shaped cheese bread).

Bring your sultry swimsuits to TWA Hotel’s rooftop infinity pool and lounge in water that's now cranked up to a toasty 95 degrees Fahrenheit. As of right now, there’s zero charge for visitors to swing by, so this date won’t take out a chunk from your paycheck. Even better than a free pool day, they've also turned the poolside bar into a "Runway Chalet," a 1960s après ski-themed winter hideaway that’s both heated and tented.

Bond with the person that has put up with you thus far at a animated piano bar and beloved West Village institution. One minute you could be belting out a Broadway or Disney song with the rest of the bar, and the next, getting even more comfortable with your person showing them your um, terrible singing voice.