Budget-Friendly First Date Ideas
Let’s face it, going out is getting pretty expensive these days. The cost of a day or night in Toronto only increases if you’re looking to foot the bill for both you and your date. You don’t need to hear about rising inflation and the high cost of food these days, you’re well aware of the financial pressures, that’s why you’re here. So let’s get to the good stuff. What are some fun and unique first date options that won’t break the bank?
The Nature Date
Why not get to know each other in a beautiful natural setting? Being surrounded by the birds and the bees could help spark those romantic feelings. During the nature date you’ll be walking around taking in the sights and sounds, this allows for easy conversation.
What else is great about this date? Natural outdoor settings are generally free of charge! You could walk through a beautiful park, along a beach boardwalk, or visit a garden. If it’s too cold to enjoy an outdoor walk you can also consider indoor botanical gardens - some are free entry, but others might charge a small entrance fee. Toronto’s Allan Gardens is a great example of a no-cost indoor botanical garden.
Be sure to check out the Riverdale Farm date - Riverdale Farm is located in the heart of Toronto and is freely accessible!
Source: Unsplash, photo by Takahiro Sakamoto
The Gaming Date
Playing games with your date is an easy way to break the ice and bring out your fun sides. Game cafes, like Bampot, and arcade bars are popular these days so you should be able to find somewhere nearby to invite your date to. Arcade bars are particularly well-suited to a first date as the games are usually casual and quick. If you prefer the cozier games cafe date, just make sure to pick an easy card/board game that won’t put on the pressure.
So what’s the cost? Many game cafes range from $5-$10/person to play unlimited games. For arcade bars, try to pick somewhere that charges an entrance fee (usually $5-$10/person) for unlimited game play - otherwise things could get pricey if you’re playing per game. Drinks and food are usually pretty lowkey at these venues and won’t hurt your wallet too much.
Toronto’s Zed*80 arcade bar on the Danforth is stacked with awesome vintage arcade games and makes for a perfect first date night. You could start with a quick bite to eat at Ryus Noodle Bar, or just head straight to the arcade to keep things budget friendly.
Source: Dreamstime
Explore a New Neighbourhood
Being a tourist in your own city can be so fun! Invite your date to a great neighbourhood you’d like to explore and discover the city together. Or if they’re unfamiliar with your favourite hood, you can play tour guide and impress them by dropping in to all of the must-see spots. This is another “walk-about” date with plenty of opportunity to chat (but no pressure to do so).
Check out the best local stores, galleries and cafes. If you stick to browsing the trendy shops and dropping into free galleries you might keep the costs down to nothing more than a cup of coffee.
Tandem offers curated dates for some of the trendiest neighbourhoods in Toronto. Check out our Local Love date series to get some ideas.
Source: Dreamstime
The Book Lover’s Date
If you know that your date is into books, surprise them with this unique low-cost option. Check out some of the best indie-bookstores around the city and browse the vintage and quirky titles on the shelves. Get to know each other's tastes by pointing out your fav reads, or interesting finds.
Browsing bookstores is totally free of charge, but if things are going well on the date you can also pop into a cafe or bar at the end of your date to connect over your love for literature. If you take your date out on Tandem’s Story Book Romance: Book Crawl in the Junction date you can head to Famous Last Words cocktail bar - an intimate bar with craft cocktails inspired by famous pieces of literature.
Source: Unsplash, photo by Pauline Loroy
Get Physical
Want to get your blood pumping on the first date? If your date is up for it try a light physical activity like biking, rollerblading or skating. This is a great option if physical activity is important to you, it’s a quick way to know if you’re on the same page when it comes to getting moving. However, make sure you ask your date ahead of time if this is something they would be into. Some people aren’t comfortable with certain physical activities and wouldn’t appreciate being surprised with this situation.
Winter time in Toronto can come with its challenges, but it also brings ice-skating season! Many of the rinks in Toronto are totally free to use, making for a great low cost date (renting skates is an additional cost but you can bring your own if you have them). Check out the Skate Date in the City: Nathan Phillips to take your date to Toronto’s iconic skating rink. If skating goes well, head to the nearby Twilight Café for hot drinks and board games.
Source: Dreamstime
The Artful Date
Are you looking to impress your date with a thought-provoking cultural experience? Why not visit some of the city’s free-to-access art galleries! Private indie galleries are generally free of cost, so head to a neighbourhood that has a few galleries in the same area and take a little tour. To keep things fun and casual, you can drop in to bars and cafes in between the galleries and chat about the art you’ve seen.
Toronto’s Junction neighbourhood is hard to beat for its selection of indie-galleries. They’ve also got some of the best local breweries in the city! If art and beer sounds like it might be up your alley, then check out the Gallery Hopping Junction Triangle: Breweries + Galleries date.
Source: Dreamstime
There you have it, dating without the financial woes.
Going out on a great date doesn’t have to break the bank. There are many low-cost options that are sure to impress. In fact, these out-of-the-box ideas will probably be more memorable than taking your date to the trendiest new restaurant.
Now get out there and knock those first dates out of the park!
For more date night ideas and fun things to do in Toronto, join as a member for free recommendations personalized to your tastes: https://app.tandemexperiences.com