Love is in the air!

Spring is a great time for starting new relationships. As the snow thaws, so, too, do people's hearts. As new flowers begin to blossom, romance blossoms with them.

Also, plenty of people are in a low-key hurry to figure out their romantic situations before Valentine's Day. If you're one of the many, many Denverites who's coming out of 2021 ready to go on dates, then these are some of our top recommended destinations for turning a meal into a romance.

Charcoal Chicken - Chook

Courtesy of Chook

Don't be misled by the name: the term charcoal chicken refers to the dish's preparation, not flavor. 

Chook is a quirky little neighborhood restaurant that packs some serious all-star food into a deceptively quaint storefront. You can smell their signature rotisserie chickens roasting from a block away, which means this location makes for an undoubtedly pleasant-smelling first date—which is always a good trait to have! Their menu is perfect for sharing, offering a flexible (and delicious) range of classic homestyle sides alongside their incredibly flavorful chicken. Regardless of how well your date goes, your stomach will be happy!

Moo Krob Rang Nam - Daughter Thai

Courtesy of Daughter Thai

This is one dish we're willing to bet you haven't had before, which makes it a perfect first-date experience! Moo Krob Rang Nam is a super tasty, super sharable dish that consists of crispy pork belly served atop little pucks of roasted eggplant with a rich black ginger garlic sauce. Yum!

Granted, just about any item off of Daughter Thai's menu is perfect for first dates. Their meals all come with generous portions that are perfect for sharing, meaning you can always order a couple of different dishes and explore them together. As an added bonus, plenty of their all-star cooking comes plated with edible flowers! How many other restaurants offer that sort of romantic ambiance? 

French Onion Soup - Pony Up

Courtesy of Pony Up

Equal parts cozy and sophisticated, the french onion soup at Pony Up is the perfect meal to warm up a promising first date on a chilly day. Or to warm up a chilly first date. Or to salvage a first chilly date. Either way, the cozy ambiance of this authentic little pub makes for an instantly charming dining experience. The delicious food and adorable mural of a bulldog in a suit don't hurt either! 

Just be careful about how you pitch this restaurant to a prospective date. After all, ducking the bill is one thing, but trying to duck it before you've eaten is an entirely different class of dealbreaker. 

Maple Sriracha Wings - Crush Pizza + Tap

Courtesy of Crush Pizza + Tap

Okay, chicken wings might seem like an odd pick to see on a first date list, especially at a pizza restaurant. That said, Crush Pizza + Tap's signature smoked chicken wings are good enough to warrant their own separate restaurant, and that's a good note to start a relationship on. Any of the sauces on their menu are a solid pick, but the Maple Sriracha has to be our favorite. The fact it offers both sweetness and heat(ness) means it's sure to hit the palate of any wing connoisseur. 

Besides, if this relationship goes anywhere meaningful, you're going to be eating wings together at some point, right? You might as well get started early! 

Coffee and Brunch - The Mercury Cafe

Courtesy of the Mercury Cafe

The last entry on this list is also the vaguest one, and there's a good reason for that: you go to the Mercury Cafe more for the ambiance than the food itself. Their brunch menu, in particular, has plenty of charming takes on Sunday morning classes (with locally-sourced food!), but the real charm in the Mercury Cafe lies in the unique local culture that it cultivates. You can see the cafe's 30-year history through its decor, eclectic drink list, and general quirkiness. 

If you want to be surrounded by Christmas lights and serenaded by a jazz band, this is the place to do it. 

What's your favorite place to take a promising first date? Sound off in the comments!