First date spot picks in Back Bay

A good first date spot in Back Bay is a place you can leave after one drink, a short walk from a Green Line stop. Boylston and Newbury Streets have several, near Copley and Hynes Convention Center. You've agreed on a night, and now one of you has to name a place without knowing how the evening will go.

This post suggests seven places, from a drink to dinner to mini golf. Then it covers which station to meet at, how to plan the length of the date, and the last trains home. It's part of our guide to Back Bay, and date spot ideas across Boston covers the rest of the city.

Which first date spot in Back Bay should you pick?

Pick by how long you want to commit. A drink can end after an hour, dinner runs longer, and mini golf gives you something to do besides talk.

Our picks in Back Bay

Chosen by the Where2Meet team. Photos, ratings and addresses load live from Google Maps.

• Back Bay Social

  Suggest this Boylston Street bar and restaurant for one drink that can turn into dinner. It's moderately priced, takes reservations, stays open until 2 a.m. every night, and is about a 6-minute walk from Hynes Convention Center on the Green Line.

• Moon Bar

  Choose this bar on Columbus Avenue when one of you rides the Green Line and the other the Orange. Arlington is about a 4-minute walk and Back Bay station about 10. It's moderately priced, takes reservations, and is closed on Sundays and Mondays. It closes at 10:30 p.m., or 11:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

• Stratus

  Pick this cocktail bar on the 51st floor of the Prudential Tower when you want a view to talk about. You need a View Boston ticket to get in, it takes no reservations, and it closes at 10 p.m. Hynes is about a 6-minute walk, and Copley about 7.

• Swingers Back Bay

  Book mini golf here if you'd rather have something to do than sit across a table. It's on Boylston Street, about a 5-minute walk from Copley. It's closed on Mondays and stays open until midnight on Friday and Saturday.

• Eva

  Reserve this Mediterranean restaurant on Newbury Street when you want a sit-down dinner at a moderate price. It closes at 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Hynes is about a 5-minute walk.

• Serafina Back Bay

  Try this Italian restaurant on Newbury Street if Copley is the easier stop for both of you, since it's about a 7-minute walk from there. It's moderately priced and takes reservations. On Mondays it opens at 5 p.m., and it closes by 10 p.m. every night.

• Faccia a Faccia

  Save this Italian restaurant on Newbury Street for a first date you both want to make a big night. It's expensive and takes reservations. It opens at 5 p.m., with weekend lunch too, and Hynes is about a 6-minute walk.

Google Maps

The hours, reservations, price levels and walk times on these cards come from Google Maps as of November 2026. Walk times start at each MBTA station.

You may not know yet what your date eats. Eva, Faccia a Faccia, Serafina and Back Bay Social all serve vegetarian food, so you can suggest any of them before you ask.

Stratus costs more than a drink, because the Prudential Center says entry comes through View Boston. View Boston lists a $48 ticket that covers the observation decks, the bar and one drink, plus a $3 booking fee. Agree on that before you suggest it.

Which station should you meet at?

Meet at Copley if you can, because all four Green Line branches stop there. An Orange Line rider can get off at Back Bay station, about a 5-minute walk from Copley.

Name a landmark rather than a street number, such as the plaza in front of Trinity Church at Copley Square. You'll find each other more easily, and you can walk to the place together.

Hynes is closer to the western end of Newbury Street, but only the B, C and D branches stop there. An E branch rider should get off at Copley, about a 9-minute walk from Eva.

Should a first date start with a drink or dinner?

Start with a drink and keep dinner optional. Neither of you is then committed to a full meal with someone you just met.

Back Bay Social and Swingers are both on Boylston Street, and Newbury Street is one block north. So a first stop on Boylston can become dinner on Newbury without another train.

The Commonwealth Avenue Mall, one block north of Newbury Street, gives you a free way to keep talking after you've paid the bill.

How late can you stay and still catch the T?

Leave by about 12:15 a.m. Sunday to Thursday and 1:15 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Only Back Bay Social stays open past those times, since every other pick closes by midnight.

The MBTA's subway guide says to reach a downtown station such as Park Street by 12:35 a.m. Sunday to Thursday, or 1:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, to make the last connections. Park Street is three stops east of Copley.

Commuter rail runs on its own timetable. If one of you rides it home from Back Bay station, check the MBTA schedules page before you choose a late stop.

For ideas in another city, see date night bars in Manhattan and where to go on a date near Union Square.

How to do it in Where2Meet

Start a Date night plan in Where2Meet and send your date the link, with no account needed. You each add a station or cross street rather than a home address, which suits two people who have only just met. Compare transit times to Eva and Swingers, vote, and whoever started the plan picks the final spot.

Common questions

What is a good first date spot in Back Bay if you don't drink?

Choose an activity or a meal over a bar. Swingers has mini golf and arcade games, and Eva and Serafina both serve dinner.

How do I get to Back Bay from Cambridge?

From Harvard or Kendall, take the Red Line to Park Street and change to any westbound Green Line train. Copley is three stops along, after Boylston and Arlington.

Is Back Bay good for a date night with more than one stop?

Yes, because the picks on Boylston and Newbury Streets are a block apart. You can have a drink, dinner and a walk on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall without taking a train between them.