According to the commercial calendar, February is the month for love – a mushy, sentimental time that aptly follows on from the blue month of January. In this light, our five of the best shall aim to inspire those who are lucky in love, and try to give some guidance on where not to take your first date.
The Pavilion Bar
A look of horror will cross the face of any date subjected to their first foray into love in the Pratzky-splattered stomach of the Pav. Not only do you run the risk of meeting half of your class there, and awkwardly having to introduce your new “friend” to them, you also run the risk of losing your date to one of the many fit sportspeople who grace the Pav on a weekly basis. A bulwark of campus’s social life, the Pav is not the place to get to know one another, particularly as you’ll be straining to shout over the raucous of a class night out.
P Mac’s
P Mac’s is the one of the most classic date spots in the entirety of Dublin. It is consistently full of first, second and indeed third-time daters. Although entertaining to observe as an onlooker, the atmosphere of nervous hope, muted anxiety and self-conscious hair flicks can bleed into that of your own date. You may even be unfortunate enough to run into a previous fling, throwing off your charming conversation skills as you are all too aware that they too, are on another date.
The Cinema
On a very first date, the cinema is a dangerous choice of venue. Firstly, you are faced with the dilemma of choosing a film. If you haven’t even kissed, imagine the awkwardness of tensely sitting through the sex scenes of Call Me By Your Name, desperately trying not to touch or make eye contact. If you pick something particularly dark or disturbing, your date may be left thinking that you watch The Human Centipede alone in the dark before bed. Watching something “serious” or depressing like Requiem for a Dream will kill the mood faster than a cough can snuff out a candle.
The Basement of Mama’s Revenge
Nothing says “kiss me” quite like a whiff of onion breath, and a smile that’s peppered with pieces of coriander. Generally speaking, a burrito is quite a bit of effort to eat in a respectable manner, never mind in the context of a first date. It’s nigh on impossible. I have yet to be seduced by the sight of a burrito being haphazardly devoured. There are issues of explosions, puncture wounds and excess dripping. There is no way to continue the conversation through bites, for fear of spraying your date with pinto beans. Long pauses, awkward eye contact and eye-watering levels of chilli sauce (you went for the hottest one to show off), all point towards regret.
Doyle’s Pub
Nothing says “I’m not sure why I agreed to this date but I’m here now” quite like Doyle’s, conveniently located just a stone’s throw away from the gates of Trinity. Doyle’s is a College staple, but not exactly the most romantic of settings. If you’re unsure whether or not your date is in fact a date, you go to Doyle’s. If you’re sure that your date is better suited to friendship and want to diffuse things as painlessly as possible, you go to Doyle’s. Less of a “pub” and more of a designated area for friendzoning, Doyle’s is perhaps not the best choice to take a date for whom you have high hopes.
