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Dating is hard no matter where you live, but it might be even harder because of that.
A new study from Tawkify takes a sweeping look at where first dates thrive (and where they die), analyzing 95 U.S. cities using Yelp data, Google search trends and a survey of 1,000 singles. The conclusion is both obvious and oddly validating: where you go matters—maybe more than you think.
RECOMMENDED: The best (and worst) cities for dating and finding love, according to locals
Denver takes the top spot overall, thanks to what the study describes as a near-perfect mix of highly rated restaurants, bars, breweries and coffee shops. New York City, meanwhile, comes in at a surprising No. 24 but does dominate in specific categories, ranking first for both bar dates (with 92% highly rated venues) and coffee dates (94%). In other words, if you can’t find a decent first-date spot in NYC, that might be on you.
But the study is just as interested in what people actually want out of those dates, which is where things get more revealing. The classic dinner-and-drinks setup is no longer the default fantasy. Instead, 28% of singles say a coffee shop is their ideal first date, while 22% prefer an activity like mini golf or bowling. That may seem slightly boring, but no doubt cuts down on booze-fueled bad decisions that could derail a relationship before it even starts.
But not every city is making romance easy. Wichita lands at the bottom, largely due to a lack of highly rated venues across key categories, while places like Port St. Lucie and Toledo struggle in specific areas like bars and coffee shops. The implication isn’t that love is impossible there, just that it might require a little more creativity.
Perhaps the most telling stat, though, is that 22% of singles say they’ve blamed a bad first date on the location itself. Or to put it another way: In 2026, the first date isn’t just about who you’re meeting. It’s about the room you're in—and whether it gives you a fighting chance. In some cases, it's not you. It's the space.
Here are the top 20 best cities in the U.S. for a first date:
1. Denver, CO
2. Garland, TX
3. Orlando, FL
4. Irving, TX
5. Oakland, CA
6. Cincinnati, OH
7. Long Beach, CA
8. Minneapolis, MN
9. Seattle, WA
10. Pittsburgh, PA
11. St. Louis, MO
12. Anaheim, CA
13. San Diego, CA
14. Enterprise, NV
15. Portland, OR
16. Plano, TX
17. Santa Ana, CA
18. Irvine, CA
19. Atlanta, GA
20. Miami, FL