Dinner Date Bookings in London: How They Work and How to Plan One

A dinner date is the booking for people who would rather not start the evening in a hotel room. You meet at a restaurant, eat and talk like any two people out for dinner, and then carry on somewhere private. It takes the pressure off a first meeting, and many clients find it the most natural way to spend time with someone new.

What a dinner date booking is

On our profiles, a dinner date is a three-hour booking. The time covers the meal and the time together afterwards, so plan the restaurant part to take roughly half of it, an hour and a half at the table is comfortable without rushing either half.

Almost all dinner dates are outcall: she meets you at the restaurant, and afterwards you go back to your hotel or home. A handful of companions also list an incall dinner rate. Each companion sets her own price, shown on her profile under “Dinner date (3hrs)” and on the rates page. Some companions do not offer dinner dates, if that line reads N/A, choose someone else or book a longer standard booking instead.

The meal and drinks are paid by you, on top of the booking fee. That is normal etiquette, and it is worth budgeting for, especially in Mayfair or Knightsbridge.

Choosing the restaurant

The best restaurant for a dinner date is not necessarily the most famous one. Look for:

• Somewhere you can hear each other. A loud, packed brasserie on a Friday night makes conversation hard work.
• Close to where you will go afterwards. Ten minutes’ walk to your hotel is ideal; a taxi across London eats into your three hours.
• A table you have reserved. Turning up without a booking in central London on a weekend is a gamble.
• A dress code you both know about. Tell us if it is smart, so she can dress to match.

Hotel restaurants work well for exactly these reasons. So do neighbourhood places near where you are staying. Marylebone High Street, the streets around Paddington Basin, or Kensington Church Street all have plenty of options within a short walk of hotels.

On the evening

Arrive a little early and get the table. Tell the staff you are expecting a guest; she will ask for the table under the name you gave us. When she arrives, it is simply a dinner, order what you like, talk about what you like. There is no script.

A few things make it easier for both of you:

• Settle the booking fee discreetly at the start, an envelope passed over before you sit down, or card payment arranged with us beforehand, not across the table at the end.
• Keep the conversation light at first. Asking for personal details she has not offered (her real name, where she lives) is the quickest way to make a nice evening awkward.
• Drink moderately. Three hours goes faster than you think, and the second half of the booking is part of it too.
• If the meal is running long, decide together whether to add an extra hour rather than letting the time run out mid-evening. Most companions list an extra-hour rate.

Dinner date or overnight?

If you want dinner and the rest of the night, an overnight (eight hours) usually works out better than a dinner date plus several extra hours. Our guide to longer bookings explains how overnights work and who offers them.

For a dinner with two companions, Nandini and Deepika take duo dinner dates, see duo bookings.

Business dinners and events

Some clients book a companion to accompany them to a work dinner or a social event. If that is your plan, tell us when you book: where it is, the dress code, roughly how many people, and how you would like her introduced. It lets her prepare, and it avoids surprises for either of you. If you are travelling for work, our notes on hotel bookings cover the practical side of the rest of the evening.

How to book a dinner date

1. Choose a companion in the gallery whose profile lists a dinner date rate.
2. Reserve the restaurant, then call or WhatsApp 07502 952 167 with the date, time, restaurant and where you will go afterwards.
3. We confirm her availability and the total. Booking a few days ahead gives you the widest choice, especially for Friday and Saturday evenings.

You can read what other clients have said about their evenings on our reviews page.