Ray’s Place

Blind dates can be nerve-wracking. Your date could be the real-life incarnation of his or her Twitter feed, or there’s always the chance that the conversation will be more of a battle than a reward.

Ray’s Place offers a safe haven for a blind date. If things aren’t going well, you can always find comfort in the simplicity of the familiar neighborhood restaurant.

“It’s a casual atmosphere,” Marissa Pillitteri, a sophomore psychology major, said. “There’s not a lot of pressure, which makes it easier to get to know each other.”

Tree City Coffee & Pastry

Tree City Coffee & Pastry makes meeting your prospective beau for the first time a cozy and relaxed experience. A fireplace with an elaborate metal sculpture reaches up to the ceiling in the center of the room. Around it rests comfortable, modern chairs. The atmospheric, gentle music playing in the background makes for an almost infallible blind date.

“There are so many different things on the menu that can be conversation starters,” Kiana Duncan, a freshman broadcast journalism major, said. “It’s a really chill environment, so it’s the kind of place where you can just sit and talk for three hours.”

Tree City offers direct-trade and organic coffee, in addition to a selection of pastries and peanut butter sandwiches to share.

Bar 145

If your goal is to impress, Bar 145 has a certain cool factor that can make the first meeting a little less uncertain. Whatever happens, there will always be great music and bourbon.

“There’s a clash between casual and fast dining,” Jemar Johnson, Bar 145‘s general manager, said. “It’s a comfortable energy with the music and the bands.”

The menu is versatile enough that your date is sure to find something to suit his or her fancy, whether he or she want a more formal, roasted salmon dinner or are craving a burger and fries.

For extra fun, check out the evening entertainment, like trivia or wine night.