When that annual festival of love comes around, restaurants are the ones drooling. Valentine’s Day is one of the biggest nights of the year in the restaurant biz, and helps thaw the gears after notoriously slow winter weeks.
Of course, in the right company, any place can be romantic, from the Sheetz drive-thru to The Cork 1794 or even your own kitchen. We’re not going to sneeze at any couple’s choice as their favorite meal for the night. But if you don’t have a go-to, or you want to try something special, we thought we’d leave this list of our favorites right here, sort of like a menu of menus.
All we really know is that with the celebration of love falling on a Saturday this year, you should probably book a table pretty soon ― or your kitchen it will be.
A. Francisco’s, 1201 State St.; 814-453-5531: High-end pizza and wine
More: Erie restaurant A. Francisco’s offers gourmet pizzas, Italian-style tapas
Bar Ronin, 948 West Erie Plaza Drive; 814-920-4100: Authentic Japanese cuisine.
Born & Braised, 802 W. 18th St.; 814-315-1228; One of the only chef-owned restaurants in town. BYOB to Born & Braised.
Cloud 9 Wine Bar, 25 E. 10th St.; 814-870-9007; Full bar and killer food join fine wine at this downtown hub.
Colao’s Ristorante, 2826 Plum St.; 814-866-9621; Delicious Italian with romantic vibes for days. The only thing missing is the wandering violinist.
The Cork 1794, 900 West Erie Plaza Drive; 814-651-0332; Flagship restaurant to Red Letter Hospitality. Long-time go-to in fine dining in Erie
Falcone’s Kitchen, 2901 Copperleaf Drive; 814-833-4843; Brand new fine Italian dining just a skip down Edinboro Road.
Spaghetti and Meatballs is a required dish at any Italian restaurant, but at Falcone’s even this is a special dish.
Lucero, 940 West Erie Plaza Drive; 814-969-7009; Spanish tapas house made for long, casual conversational evenings.
Oliver’s Rooftop, 130 E. Front St.; 814-920-9666; Flagship location for Nick Scott Enterprises. You can’t beat the sunsets or the 270-degree view of Erie’s Bayfront
Peppino’s Wine Bar & Italian Chop House, 6590 West Lake Road, Fairview; 814-474-2016; Long-time fine-dining steakhouse nestled in the quiet westside neighborhood.
Pineapple Eddie’s Southern Bistro, 1402 W. 10th St.; 814-454-0700; Delicious Southern, soul food cooking with a modern twist, tucked into near-west residential setting.
12 spots worth seeking out: Discover Erie’s hidden gem restaurants
Ricardo’s, 2112 East Lake Road; 814.455.4947; One of the OGs of Italian-themed restaurants in Erie. Steakhouse also serves American comfort food.
Serafini’s Trattoria, 417 State St; 814-310-8576; Downtown Italian diing started by direct descendant of the original Serafini family.
Window boxes dress up the building that houses Serafini’s Trattoria.
Shoreline Bar & Grille, 2 Sassafras St.; 814-636-1005 Attached to the Courtyard by Marriott, it’s one of the best winter views of Presque Isle Bay.
Skunk & Goat Tavern, 17 W Main St, North East; 814-347-9078. Sister to The Cork 1794, the food, service and atmosphere draw full houses every night.
The Skunk & Goat Tavern features an open concept with lots of seating.
Two45 Waterfront Grille, 55 West Bay Drive; 814-240-7263; Another great view of the bay and a notable fine-dining location on the bottom floor of the Sheraton Erie Bayfront.
Contact Jennie Geisler at jgeisler@timesnews.com. Find her weekly newsletter at https://profile.goerie.com/newsletters/erielicious/.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Valentine’s Day is a Saturday this year; Romantic restaurants to try