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A typical date night could include dinner at Boulevardier or Nova followed by a show at the Kessler or the Texas Theatre. It could be pool and fried chicken at Chicken Scratch/The Foundry. There’s always dinner at Smoke and cocktails at Bar Belmont or beer and horseshoes at Waldron Lodge. But why not try something unexpected this month? Let us take you through one impossible day of dates in Oak Cliff, our picks for affordable, neighborhood-centric date ideas anytime.

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6 a.m. | Sun salutations, $24 ($12 drop-in rate)
This Bishop Arts yoga studio offers a 6 a.m. vinyasa flow class from instructor LJ Hash. It is intense, but if you and your sweetie can face the challenge, you can do anything together.
Sync Yoga & Wellbeing
611 N. Bishop
214.946.2224, syncdallas.com

7 a.m. | Watch the sunrise, free
The sun rises at 7:22 a.m. Feb. 1, and it arrives a little earlier each day. Lovely places to watch the sunrise in our neighborhood include Lake Cliff Park and near the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge.

Danny Fulgencio

Vera’s Bakery: Danny Fulgencio

7:30 a.m. | Coffee and donuts, $2-$8
We don’t need no Krispy Kreme. Our neighborhood has Southern Maid, Oak Cliff Donuts, Maroches and Vera’s, among many other fine bakeries. At Lone Star Donuts, a square “pretzel” donut costs about 80 cents. They also have cheap coffee, but it’s cheap for a reason. For a perfect cup, try Davis Street Espresso (which serves Vera’s donuts and churros plus croissants from Rush Patisserie), Oddfellows, Bolsa Mercado or Espumoso in the Bishop Arts District.
Lone Star Donuts
1727 N. Beckley
214.946.2185, lonestarfunfoods.com

Davis Street Espresso
819 W. Davis, 214.929.6752

 

Trinity Levee: Danny Fulgencio

Trinity Levee: Danny Fulgencio

8 a.m. | Ride the levees, free-$70
Show off your adventurous spirit by taking your date for a bike ride on the Trinity River levees. Borrow or rent mountain bikes and get on the levee at Trinity Overlook Park. If gravel grinding is not your thing, try a spin on the fully paved Santa Fe Trestle Trail, which starts at Eighth and Corinth, crosses the Trinity River and ends at Riverfront Boulevard.
Oak Cliff Bicycle Co.
408 N. Bishop, 214.941.0010, ocbicycleco.com

Trinity Overlook Park
Beckley and Commerce

Santa Fe Trestle Trail
1837 E. Eighth, trinityrivercorridor.com

 

Stevens Park Golf Course: Danny Fulgencio

Stevens Park Golf Course: Danny Fulgencio

9 A.M. | Tee time, $23-$50
Take in the North Oak Cliff hills and excellent downtown views at Stevens Park Golf Course. Our neighborhood is home to one of the best municipal golf courses in Texas. Play 18 holes with a cart Monday-Thursday for just $43. Weekday afternoons, without a cart, it’s $23. If you’re rusty, get in shape for this date through Clairevista Vitality Club’s golf conditioning classes.
Stevens Park Golf Course
1005 N. Montclair
214.670.7506, stevensparkgolf.com

Clairevista Vitality Club
2001 Sylvan
214.744.5400, clairevista.com

 

Thrift stores on Jefferson: Danny Fulgencio

Thrift stores on Jefferson: Danny Fulgencio

 

10 A.M. | Treasure hunting
Bond over a mutual love of all things retro. Go upscale vintage shopping at Zola’s Everyday Vintage and M’Antiques. For a more adventurous shopping trip, try the thrift stores on Jefferson at Marsalis.
Zola’s Everyday Vintage
414 N. Bishop
214.943.6643,
zolasvintage.com

M’Antiques
424 W. Davis,
214.941.4195

 

 

11 A.M. | Foot spa
Treat your sweetie to reflexology at Oak Cliff’s only foot spa. A 40-minute foot treatment costs $26, and 90 minutes costs $60
Ya ya foot spa
509D N. Bishop
214.707.0506, yayafootspa.com

Noon | Do the D-Link, free
Dallas Area Rapid Transit now provides free transportation from Oak Cliff to Downtown via the D-Link. It picks up about every 15 minutes at Davis and Bishop from 11 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Disembark at Main Street Park or the Dallas Arts District for people-watching, museum-going or a fancy lunch.
DART D-Link
dart.org/dlink

1 P.M. | Fancy lunch
A lunch date is a good way to come across as posh without spending a lot, and our neighborhood has several options, including Smoke and Tillman’s, both romantic options. Hattie’s, however, has all that natural light to make you look like a noontime angel for your special friend.
Hattie’s
418 N. Bishop
214.942.7400, hatties.com

2 P.M. | Chocolate, $5-$30
God bless Oak Cliff. We have not one but two chocolate shops. February specials at Dude, Sweet Chocolate include cherry whiskey and walnut fudge, preserved lemon and Bailey’s truffles, and a sexy “potion” or syrup made with vodka, orange liqueur and lime. At CocoAndré, find heart-shaped boxes of hand-rolled truffles including strawberry/passion fruit, raspberry/lavender, café con leche and lemon chiffon.
Dude, Sweet Chocolate
408 W. Eighth
214.943.5943, dudesweetchocolate.com

CocoAndré Chocolatier
831 W. Davis
214.941.3030, cocoandre.com

Kiest Park: Danny Fulgencio

Kiest Park: Danny Fulgencio

 

3 P.M. | Take a walk
Twelve Hills Nature Center provides about a half-mile nature walk, which is nice especially when wildflowers are blooming in the spring. To throw a little cardio into your date, try Kiest Park, which has two miles of paved trail, ideal for baby strollers or skating.
Twelve Hills Nature Center
817 Mary Cliff
twelvehills.org

Kiest Park
3080 S. Hampton
214.670.1918, dallasparks.org

 


4 P.M. | Smoothie/fruit cup/sno cone time

The classic and famous Aunt Stelle’s sets a standard for sno cones in Oak Cliff. But they have limited hours and are only open between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Any other time, try a smoothie or fruit cup from Frutería Cano or Papaya. While Cool & Hot does have good sno cones, its location in a former gas station on the Interstate does not scream romance, so maybe pick a couple up and bring them to the park.
Aunt Stelle’s
2002 W. Clarendon, 214.946.1431

Cool & Hot
930 E. Eighth, 214.944.5330

Frutería Cano
1133 N. Zang, 214.943.9677

Papaya
925 W. Jefferson, 214.948.0311

Kidd Spring Park: Danny Fulgencio

Kidd Spring Park: Danny Fulgencio

 

4:30 p.m. | Feed the ducks
Kidd Springs and Lake Cliff parks have plenty of benches, pavilions and recesses that lend themselves to canoodling. Feeding the ducks is a great excuse to find yourself in one of them on a date with someone new. It’s also great for a date with little ones in tow.
Kidd Springs Park
711 W. Canty
214.670.7535

Lake Cliff Park
1200 N. Zang

 

 

5 p.m. | Happy hour
Every cocktail on the menu at Bolsa is $5 all day on Tuesdays (and 3-5 p.m. Monday-Friday). At La Calle Doce, happy hour runs 3-7 p.m. Monday-Friday with $3 margaritas. Most places in our neighborhood offer happy hour specials on weekdays. There’s something for everyone.
Bolsa
614 W. Davis
214.367.9367, bolsadallas.com

La Calle Doce
415 W. 12th
214.941.4304, lacalledoce-dallas.com

6 p.m. | Watch the sunset
The sun sets at 6 p.m. Feb. 1 and sets a little later every day after. Various places on Jefferson Boulevard will give a view of the sky on fire, including the Texas Theatre and Sunset High School.

6:30 p.m | Taco time
Taquería El Sí Hay is a go-to for taco tailgate dates. But Oak Cliff has plenty of options for indoor seating and great tacos. Los Torres specializes in goat tacos and serves them in house-made tortillas. The Mexico City-style street tacos at El Tizoncito beat those Uptown taco places any day. Taco Wagon, the renovated Chuck Wagon restaurant that opened last summer, has a covered outdoor seating area and serves Tex-Mex tacos with guiso or ground beef.
El Sí Hay
601 W. Davis
214.941.4042

Los Torres
1322 W. Clarendon
214.946.3770

El Tizoncito
3404 W. Illinois
214.330.0839, eltizoncitous.com

Taco Wagon
3320 W. Davis
214.467.3690

7 p.m. | Lucky Dog Books
Browsing a bookstore is a great way to get to know someone. One’s preference for Harry Potter or Western novels or academic histories or Elizabethan poetry says a lot. There is plenty to do with your eyes and hands during awkward moments. And if it’s really that bad, the maze-like aisles of this bookshop make it easy to duck out unnoticed.
Lucky Dog Books
633 W. Davis
214.941.2665, luckydogbooks.com

7:30 p.m. | Pie at Norma’s, $2-$5
Pie is half price thirty minutes before closing time at Norma’s every day. Pick your favorite booth or sidle up to the counter with cups of coffee or a cherry Coke with two straws.
Norma’s
1123 W. Davis
214.946.4711, normascafe.com

Redbird Skate Land: Danny Fulgencio

Redbird Skateland: Danny Fulgencio

 

8 p.m. | Couples skate, $4
Make your date feel like a kid again at Red Bird Skateland. The skating rink on the outskirts of Duncanville has adults-only skate from 8-10 p.m. Thursdays, and it only costs $2 per person including skate rentals.
Red Bird Skateland
1206 N. Duncanville Road
972.298.7400,
redbirdskateland.com

 

 

 

9:30 p.m. | Free tacos at Outpost
The owners of Smoke and Bolsa recently purchased Outpost from its creators, Coeval Studio (see page 14). Chef Tim Byres is adding his touch to the place, and the restaurant is going for a later crowd — they’re open till 2 a.m. Let the siren song of free tacos draw you and your date to this trendy spot. They serve free suckling-pig tacos starting at 9:30 p.m. every Monday.
Outpost American Tavern
1115 N. Beckley
214.946.1308, outpostdallas.com

10 p.m. | Karaoke at Barbara’s
Don’t just tell your date you love her, sing “Ring of Fire” for her at Barbara’s. If all goes well, you could be singing “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” together later. Barbara’s has karaoke Thursdays, Sundays and every second Saturday of the month.
Barbara’s Pavilion
325 Centre, 214.941.2145

11 p.m. | Texas Theatre
The Texas Theatre has late-night movies and dance parties every month. Movie tickets cost about $10 each, and you can always just have a drink and chat in the comfy upstairs lounge.
The Texas Theatre
231 W. Jefferson
214.948.1546, thetexastheatre.com

Midnight | Metro Diner
Play Michael Jackson on the CD jukebox and stare into your lover’s eyes over a plate of pecan pancakes before saying goodnight.
Metro Diner
2316 W. Davis
214.943.7473