We know romance doesn’t just happen on Valentine’s Day. It happens over shared plates, great conversation, and meals that stretch longer than planned. This month, with restaurants across London leaning into the season, we asked our team a simple question: where would your dream date be and how are you actually spending Valentine’s this year?
From cosy neighbourhood spots to full-blown fantasy escapes, here’s how the Sessions team are doing Valentine’s.
Here’s what they had to say:
Daniel Hanssen – Buying & Supply Chain Manager
Dream Date Spot: A candlelit table tucked into the side of a snowy mountain in Zermatt, overlooking the Matterhorn. Champagne flowing, a bubbling pot of cheese fondue in the middle of the table, crisp alpine air and nowhere else to be. Equal parts cosy and cinematic. Post-dinner, a night ski down the slopes or, if the champagne’s gone a bit far, a snowmobile ride back down. And if money’s truly no object… a helicopter drop-off feels only right.
Heading out or enjoying a cosy night in this Valentine’s?
Heading out – but keeping it cosy and close to home. Tappo, a small neighbourhood wine bar run by a lovely Italian man, is just down the road from my place. It’s warm, welcoming and Alfie-friendly, so no one gets left behind. We’ll sip on tasty Italian wines in low lighting and generous share plates.
Anna Higgins – Senior Brand Manager
Dream date spot: Sune Restaurant – Sune Restaurant, the personal project of hospitality power couple Honey Spencer and Charlie Sims. Modern European sharing plates that lean into comfort, made with high-end seasonal produce. Relaxed, thoughtful and exactly the kind of place you want to settle into for the evening.
Heading out or enjoying a cosy night in this Valentine’s?
Staying in, it’s too cold. Likely cooking something nice at home, maybe handmade pasta… or one of those M&S date-night deals. Don’t sleep on them.
Rosie Beckwith-Smith – Business Development Manager
Dream date spot: Tsiakkos & Charcoal is a much-loved Greek Cypriot restaurant tucked away in Maida Vale, known for its warm, no-frills hospitality and exceptional charcoal-grilled cooking. With an open kitchen at the front of the restaurant, dishes are cooked over live coals using traditional recipes passed down through generations. Expect comforting mezze, perfectly grilled meats and classic Greek Cypriot flavours, all served in a relaxed, neighbourhood setting that has earned the restaurant a loyal following. Absolutely ordering the Tzatziki
Heading out or enjoying a cosy night in this Valentine’s?
Heading out for dinner at Aphrodite Taverna in Notting Hill! Serving authentic Greek Cypriot cuisine with fresh land- and sea-based ingredients. Their dishes use a selection of traditional family recipes, from hearty souvla (spit-roasted lamb) cooked over a charcoal grill to their infamous oven-baked kleftiko. Homemade smoked taramosalata, grilled halloumi, and the moussakka are also popular with our regular clientele.
Leanne Fahy – Executive Assistant
Dream date spot: Circolo Popolare
I’m a die-hard Italian food fan! Stuffed pasta in particular is my ultimate weakness (death row meal, honestly). The menu here ticks every box, and I love a restaurant built for sharing. Tasting everyone’s order is non-negotiable.
Heading out or enjoying a cosy night in this Valentine’s?
I will be staying in & having a Galentines with the girls – Movies, drinks & Pasta Evangelists on Deliveroo.
Eleanor Brooker – Senior Business Development Manager
Dream date spot: wine bar with picky bits. Spicy margarita and/or a dirty martini to start, olives and bread with salted butter, cornichons and iberico ham, then some sort of steak tartare.
Heading out or enjoying a cosy night in this Valentine’s?
I’m going to Wilsons (Michelin restaurant in Bristol, just named the top restaurant in the UK from Square Rooms – £78 set menu!). Wilsons is a small, independent farm-to-table fine dining restaurant in the Redland area of Bristol. It’s known for its seasonal, produce-led tasting menus that are deeply rooted in sustainability and regenerative agriculture. Followed by a gig in Bath (Mumford and Sons hehe)
Ashley Scantlebury – Partner Learning & Development Manager
Dream date spot: Dalston Jazz bar (Pay what you want), delicious fresh seafood and live jazz. Food is so delish – think fresh oysters, spicy prawns with sourdough to mop up all the sauce, whole dover sole to split with your guests etc.
Heading out or enjoying a cosy night in this Valentine’s?
Staying in because it’s so cold. Will likely do a cheeky takeaway, maybe Eat Poor Boys. Poor Boys is a casual, New Orleans-inspired American restaurant in Kingston upon Thames, focused on hearty sandwiches, fried favourites, seafood, and Southern comfort classics with a friendly, fun vibe.
Jackson Evens – Marketing Manager
Dream date spot: Trattoria dal Billy in Cinque Terre. Panoramic sea views, incredible service and the freshest seafood. Start with the antipasto misto de mare (12 daily sharing dishes) followed by grilled king prawns and black tagliarini with seafood. Combine with an Aperol and the sunset…it is the best.
Heading out or enjoying a cosy night in this Valentine’s?
Cosy night in given the cold London winter! So you better believe, we’ll definitely be getting the new SoBe Valentine’s day bundles, which give any 2 burgers, fries, tenders, dips and loaded Biscoff churros. Everything you could need for a cosy night in, add a movie and we’re sorted!
Matt Ranger – Managing Director
Dream date spot: Kebab Queen tasting menu – high-end, elevated kebab-inspired food, intimate setting, exciting drink pairings. Unlike traditional restaurants, food is served directly onto a heated countertop without plates or cutlery. This “plateless” service is designed as a sensory experience, encouraging diners to engage more actively with their food.
Heading out or enjoying a cosy night in this Valentine’s?
Lunch at Min Jiang to celebrate Chinese New Year. Min Jiang is a celebrated Chinese fine-dining restaurant perched on the 10th floor of the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, offering spectacular views over Hyde Park and the London skyline. Renowned for its authentic Asian cuisine, the menu highlights expertly crafted dim sum and its iconic wood-fired Beijing duck, prepared using traditional techniques and often carved tableside.
Following lunch, I will be heading to the pub for the Scotland vs England game & finish the night with a kebab/burger takeaway or liquid dinner.
Jimmy (James) Gale – Head of Creative & Partnerships
Dream date spot: My ideal Valentine’s is a weekend escape: an evening Eurostar to Paris, roses and champagne revealed as the train pulls away, setting the (deliberately corny) tone. We arrive late, check in, and head straight to Cendrillon for a gloriously hedonistic night. Order the whole menu! The next day has a slow start, lunch at Bistro Paul Bert – classics only Steak au Poivre, Creme , then wandering Parisian backstreets – chatting with old boys in tabacs, placing bets on chariot races, smoking cigarillos in cafés, hunting for vintage Ricard glasses, getting dressed in fabulous French Dandy outfits in vintage stores. Sunday is for the farmers’ market and smuggling our body weight in cheese, pâté, and cured meats back to London.
Heading out or enjoying a cosy night in this Valentine’s?
Out but valentines could go either way: dinner at a classic – St. John or Bocca di Lupo or something intimate perhaps a little candlelit spot, like Brutto or Casse Croute, followed by drinks and an activity of some sort. Or we end up in a Latin nightclub, salsa dancing slightly worse than we’ll admit, me tolerating old Colombian men politely asking to dance with her and finishing the night with street-side tacos CDMX is a fave, a little Taiwanese hole in the wall which we’ll keep a lid on for late night fried chicken or a midnight shawarma, getting Tahini everywhere!
Cameron Matheson – Group Financial Controller
Dream date spot: Bincho Yakitori in Brighton which is easily the best restaurant in Brighton. I would recommend ordering the pork belly yakitori, sweetcorn ribs and miso butter, kimchi, asparagus and bacon yakitori, kara-age chicken & charred sweet potato. After dinner, we will head to Bar Medusa or Bohemia for cocktails.
Heading out or enjoying a cosy night in this Valentine’s?
I am going to an airbnb in Lewes for 2 nights! Lewes is a lovely little town with vibrant dinning options, pubs and breweries. We will go out for lunch both days, but will be cooking dinner in at the airbnb. TBC on what we will cook but I expect steaks one night and Asian inspired the next. Sunday roast on the Sunday of course…!
Whether you’re booking a table, cooking at home or keeping it low-key, Valentine’s Day is really just about making time for the people (and food) you love. Huge thanks to the Sessions team for sharing their dream date spots and plans. Consider it a little Valentine’s night inspiration.
However you’re celebrating this February, we hope it’s filled with great food and even better company.
Until next time!
