Where Team Gina Goes on Date Night

We might be a long way from Valentine’s Day, but if you know me, you’ll know I love two things above almost everything else: food and date nights with my wife.

Working at Gina certainly satisfies my appetite for trying delicious food, and I’ve brought her here on more than one occasion. An unexpected perk of the job, though, is getting brilliant date-night recommendations from the rest of the team.

Our chefs know London’s food scene as well as anyone, and the front-of-house team have proved themselves to have excellent taste too. So, whether you’re planning a first date or a long-overdue night out with your partner, here are Team Gina’s favourite places to go.

This one definitely deserves the top spot.

The popular Bermondsey wine bar was one of the first places Rav and I spoke about when I started at Gina. I went on a date there not long after moving to London and immediately fell in love with the atmosphere, the food and the extensive natural wine list.

When I asked the Gina team for their favourite date spots, 40 Maltby Street came up no fewer than four times.

After speaking to the kitchen team, Bianca’s seems to be the kind of place you return to again and again.

The cooking is inventive, the room feels relaxed and its neighbourhood atmosphere makes it an ideal place to sit and properly talk. It works just as well for a first meeting with someone from the apps as it does for an easy night out with someone you’ve known for years.

This recommendation comes from our general manager, Tom - better known as TJ - and our bar manager, Naveen. With that endorsement, a cocktail bar had to make the list.

The space is cosy and intimate, and the drinks are on another level. TJ had a banana-infused rum cocktail there last winter and hasn’t stopped talking about it since.

SOMA has another location, but the Soho bar puts you right in the middle of the action, with plenty of nearby options should you decide to keep the night going.

Trinity might feel like a bit of a journey for our North London neighbours, tucked away as it is in the heart of Clapham, but it is worth the trip.

London has no shortage of Michelin-starred restaurants, but Trinity stands out for another reason too: it has now been open for 20 years.

We have just celebrated Gina’s first birthday - something we are very proud of - so two decades in today’s hospitality industry feels like an extraordinary achievement. That alone makes it worth visiting, although the food is reason enough.

We have two South East Londoners on the team, myself included, so it only felt right to feature somewhere we might choose when staying closer to home.

Peckham has become a brilliant place for chefs and restaurateurs to experiment without the costs of central London. Forza Wine is a perfect example.

Expect natural wine, inventive cocktails and a rooftop view that makes the whole evening feel a little more special. It is the sort of place where you can settle in, order another glass and lose track of time.

I’m not sure about you, but writing this list has already got me planning my next date night.

Anyone up for a double date?