The 8 best couples cooking classes in NYC

The Institute of Culinary Education offers a wide variety of cooking classes from its Brookfield Place kitchen. In fact, it runs the largest program of ‘hands-on’ classes in the whole of the US. The special set of classes just for couples is massively popular, and with good reason, too. Classes include sushi rolling and sake tasting, expert advice on preparing the perfect steak and bourbon dinner, and taco-making paired with tequila tasting. Lots of fun, we can pretty much guarantee. 

If there’s one food item well placed to send those romantic sparks flying, it’s a macaron. Why? Well, they’re French for starters, but more importantly, they’re so damn delicious you can’t help but start to swoon. And if you’ve ever wanted to learn how to create the perfect little sweet treat with your sweetheart, then the excellent folks at Atelier Sucré will show you exactly how at their excellent East Village school. Délicieux, nos amis! 

What romantic dinner would be complete without a glass (or two... maybe three...) of wine? Oenophiles and casual drinkers alike will enjoy this cooking class that incorporates drops of the good stuff into each recipe. You’ll get to prep dishes like salmon en papillote, bacon and leek risotto and red wine-poached pears while sipping your favorite vintage. And although this BYOB class isn’t exclusively for couples, we can’t think of a better reason to check it out than date night. Plus you’ll have some awesome recipes to take back when you want to make some culinary music at home. Bon appetit!

No complicated souffles or baked Alaska here: The Brooklyn Kitchen focuses on recipes that any home cook can easily recreate after class. In fact, you barely need to know your knife from your napkin or your spoon from your spatula because these guys will teach you literally everything you need to know. Drop in for one of their date-night lessons to learn how to expertly sear a steak, work with puff pastry, and whip up a simple fruit torte. Now all you need to do? Master what you’ve learned from the comfort of your kitchen.

It’s all sugar and spice and everything nice in this baking class at one of our favorite gourmet cupcakery spots, in the East Village. You’ll learn to mix three different batters, whip an ultra-fluffy frosting, and then ice the cakes like a total pro. The dozen cupcakes you create with your partner are yours to take home and eat as quickly as you damn well please. Which we think will be very quick indeed. And remember, actual sweets always beat whispering sweet nothings in their ear, if you ask us.

As if Eataly weren’t already the temple of all things delicious and Italian, you can also learn to cook pasta, pizza and more incredible Italian classics at the brand’s much-lauded Flatiron location. Bring someone special for a hands-on lesson in Italian cuisine and make them even more desirable in your eyes. After all, what’s hotter than someone who can cook quality Italian dishes? Here, a resident chef will demonstrate how to prepare the food and an expert sommelier will walk you through the accompanying wine pairings. Bliss.

At this Lower East Side chocolate shop, the artistic design of each truffle, bar and confection is just as important as the flavor. Honestly, one bite and you’ll totally know what we mean. And the really good news is that you can learn to create the good stuff yourself. All you need to do is to take a 90-minute lesson from the Tache Artisan Chocolate master chocolatier to find out how to mold and decorate your own candies. The one problem? As soon as your sweetheart gets a taste of these, you’re never getting away with lackluster drugstore chocolates ever again. Hey, we warned you.

Consider this 2.5-hour class the prep work for your next anniversary or celebration. The instructors will demonstrate the techniques, then allow you to try at your own workstation. You’ll prepare hanger steak, pommes anna, dark chocolate mousse and a champagne cocktail to enjoy at the end of the class, and leave with all the recipes and skills you need to recreate the meal at home.