Romantic Date Night Ideas in Columbus, Ohio – Dinner, Drinks and a Night at Hotel LeVeque!

Inside: Whether you’re celebrating an anniversary, birthday or just a normal Friday night, you’ll want to add this to your list of romantic date night ideas in Columbus, Ohio!

Follow along as we discover a cool hotel and amazing restaurant. There’s something special about checking in to a romantic hotel and we’re a huge fan of Hotel LeVeque. Stunning architecture, five star service and a fantastic restaurant right inside.

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My husband and I are a little obsessed with date night. The truth is, it takes a lot of effort and time and money to plan and go on dates. And there are many other things competing for your effort, time and money (kids – I’m looking at you!)

But we believe it’s important to show our little one that mom and dad have a strong relationship, too. And if I’m being honest, I worry about spending too much time being parents and not enough time being two goofy kids in love. I’m protective of our marriage and our relationship because you guys – I fell in love with a cute boy and he loved me back!

I hope I never forget how powerful that is. Empires were built on less. 

And we are always on the look out for some fun date night ideas in Columbus, Ohio. We love cheap dates and silly dates. We love grown up play dates and healthy dates.

But my favorite date night ideas in Columbus are always the romantic dates and the foodie dates.

So this year, for my birthday, my husband planned a romantic, foodie date night. Isn’t he the best?!

He booked a night at Hotel LeVeque, the gorgeous, luxury hotel inside the historic LeVeque Tower. Located in the heart of downtown, it’s close to the Ohio Theater, Capitol Square and many delicious Columbus restaurants!

My husband booked the stay using a free night award he received from the “Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant” credit card by American Express. Other perks of this card include a $300 travel credit, free credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, Priority Pass, and complimentary gold elite status at Marriott hotels! To see a full list of amazing benefits and to sign up for this card, check out this offer. (Referral link)

Or, you can look for a deal on the Hotel LeVeque here. (This site is my FAVORITE for finding hotel deals and steals!)

Romantic Date Night Ideas in Columbus, Ohio: Dinner, Drinks and a Night at Hotel LeVeque!

After cocktails, we walked around and took in the beauty of our city. You can easily grab your car out of valet, or just leave it there and grab an Uber to explore the area. One of our favorite things to do is walk along city streets and just talk…actually one of my favorite songs is “Hey Girl” from O.A.R. (Ohio State Alum, what?!)

In college, we used to joke how it literally represented our relationship:

I took this girl out last night and we left around 12,
We walked along lonely streets and got to know ourselves,
I like to read, she likes to write,
She likes to sleep, and I like to stay up all night,
My friends say I’m crazy and I agree,
But that’s okay ’cause that the way she likes to be

-O.A.R (Hey Girl)

But, not to worry. Even if you’re not into “walking along lonely streets” and getting to know yourselves, there’s a ton of fun date night ideas in Columbus. Maybe you’d like to make a candle at The Candle Lab? Or check out a performance at the majestic Palace Theater? You might be into taking a Segway tour or wandering through COSI.

After we worked up an appetite, we headed back to Hotel LeVeque so we could have dinner at the Keep!

The Keep is a modern brasserie, right in the heart of downtown Columbus. I loved the ambiance – the warm colors and art deco decor reminded me of a 1920’s speakeasy. It felt like something straight out of a Great Gatsby novel. Think gas lamps, and old-school cocktails.

We started dinner by selecting a cocktail. My husband is absolutely obsessed with Old Fashioneds, and was delighted to see several on the menu. He selected a classic Old Fashioned, and I thought it’d be fun to try their Honey Old Fashioned – made with honey infused, small batch bourbon. Then we moved on to dinner.

Award winning Chef Jonathan Olson absolutely kills it. My husband and I loved watching him work in the open concept kitchen. Both of us are ex-restaurant managers, and my husband spent most of his time in the kitchen. We were enchanted watching Chef Olson execute his masterpiece. Working in a kitchen can be highly stressful. Knives, heat, people rushing around and getting flustered – all of which can add to the stress. Chef Olson’s kitchen was more like a performance. Calm, confident, each person moving between one another and around each other flawlessly. As if it was some sort of a fantastically choreographed dance.

And then the food started coming out.

It was such a fun (and delicious) way to celebrate my birthday!

Looking for some more date night ideas in Columbus, Ohio?

How about sampling Afghani dumplings?

Or enjoying a romantic meal at 1808 American Bistro?

Maybe you can check out the Best Damn Brunch in the Land?

Happy dating, folks!

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