‘Amazing’ downtown Sacramento restaurant is among best in the US for date night, Yelp says

Planning a date night soon?

You might want to stop by the Sacramento restaurant that was recently named one of the most romantic places to take a date by Yelp.

The popular review site website recently published its 2025 list of the Top 100 Date Night Restaurants in the United States, right in time for Valentine’s Day.

According to Yelp, there are three main things diners look for in a date night restaurant: an intimate atmosphere, Italian cuisine, and special touches or complimentary champagne or other freebies to celebrate special occasions.

Here’s what Yelp reviewers had to say about the lone Sacramento restaurant on its list:

Why is Sacramento restaurant a top spot for date night?

Frog & Slim, 1420 16th St., Suite 300, in downtown Sacramento, was No. 61 on Yelp’s list of best date spots in the United States in 2025.

The restaurant had an average rating of 4.6 stars on Yelp as of Monday, with reviewers describing its food as “so flavorful” and its servers as “friendly (and) knowledgeable.”

“I can’t say enough about this place,” Madison A. of Carmichael wrote in her Yelp review. “It’s just such a gem and Sacramento is lucky to have this very talented chefs vision brought to life in this city.”

“This place is amazing,” Yelp user Dawana M. of Sacramento wrote in a separate review. “The food, the service, the atmosphere is top tier. This is one of the best restaurants in the Sacramento area.”

The Frog & Slim dinner menu, curated by executive chef Christian Viau, includes dishes such as Kobe beef carpaccio, golden beet salad, king salmon, mussel and shrimp piccata pasta and bread pudding.

What other California restaurants made the list?

Yelp’s list featured 13 California restaurants, including Cesarina, an Italian restaurant in San Diego that ranked No. 1 overall.

Yelp praised the restaurant’s dreamy dinners, light-festooned patio and special perks including souvenir Polaroid photos.

One reviewer called the spot “truly magical.”

• No. 1: Cesarina, San Diego
• No. 5: Maccheroni Republic, Los Angeles
• No. 11: Wolf in the Woods, San Diego
• No. 15: Seven Hills, San Francisco
• No. 25: Viaje, Long Beach
• No. 27: The Goat & Vine, Temecula
• No. 37: Siamo Napoli, San Diego
• No. 42: Malama Pono Restaurant, Los Angeles
• No. 44: Casablanca Moroccan Kitchens, Los Angeles
• No. 54: Chez Bacchus, Long Beach
• No. 61: Frog & Slim, Sacramento
• No. 92: L’Ardoise Bistro, San Francisco
• No. 96: The Lime Lite, Fresno

Where are 10 best date night restaurants in US?

These are the best restaurants in the United States for a date night, according to Yelp:

1. Cesarina, San Diego
2. Club A Steakhouse, New York City
3. Intero Restauran, Austin
4. Penumbra, Chicago
5. Maccheroni Republic, Los Angeles
6. Pane e Vino, Miami Beach
7. Le Fou Frog, Kansas City
8. dLeña, Washington, D.C.
9. Da Andrea, New York City
10. Bavette’s Bar & Boeuf, Chicago

How did Yelp come up with rankings?

Yelp created its ranking by searching for restaurants with a large number of reviews that mention the phrases “date night,” “romantic,” “valentine” and “anniversary.”

The review site sorted the restaurants into a rank-order system using several factors, including the total volume and rating of reviews that featured those keywords posted from Jan. 1, 2021, through Dec. 31, 2024.

This story was originally published February 11, 2025 at 9:27 AM.

Camila Pedrosa

The Sacramento Bee

Camila Pedrosa is the California Diversions Reporter at The Sacramento Bee. She previously worked on The Bee’s service journalism team and was a summer reporting intern for The Bee in 2024. She graduated from Arizona State University with a master’s degree in mass communication.