London’s Hidden Gem: Date Night in Argyle
Date night is hard enough when you’re able to go out and do things, like take your favourite person to dinner and the movies. But because COVID-19 has changed the traditional dating activities, it doesn’t mean your dates can’t still be entertaining and fun.
With London now in Phase 3, most restaurants and stores in Ontario have now opened and visitors can now eat on restaurant patios and continue to pick up their favourite meal. While the movies are closed, and will likely remain that way for a while, you can always find a beautiful park and watch the world go by while basking in the beautiful summer sunshine. But where can you go in London that you haven’t been to a thousand times already? What if you want to add a little something different to your date?
You should check out the Argyle area, a little neighborhood in East London with a mix of food, fun, and fare, all with free parking and access to one of the prettiest parks in Southwest Ontario. Here, you can have fun with your date while supporting local businesses. So, plan your afternoon or evening, pick a place and treat your partner to a date filled with some activities that they will remember for years to come.
Hang Out at the Park
Kiwanis Park is a small green haven in the middle of East London. It stretches from Dundas Street all the way south to Pottersburg Park on the Thames. Its vast expanses of green grass, lovely shade trees and wide walking paths that have bridges over little creeks make for the perfect date background. This park is a jewel hidden among the concrete of the city, where you can take hours walking slowly through winding paths, talking with your date about all the important things in your lives.
The Kiwanis Park splash padis a place you can visit if you want to dip your feet in the cool water; but be sure to bring a towel. Dotted through Kiwanis Park, you’ll also find tables for eating or playing checkers. The park also has one of London’s largest skate parks, which is perfect for hours of skating fun if you’re adventurous.
To make this a perfect date spot, pick up a lunch or dinner at one of the restaurants or food stores found throughout Argyle and make a romantic picnic of it. Soak up the sunshine and relax with your favourite person.
Where to grab some grub
In today’s current environment, date night isn’t likely to include a movie or dinner inside the ambience of a restaurant anytime soon. But you can still get the same good food to-go, and several restaurants in the Argyle area have open patios where you can sit with your date, socially distanced from other patrons of the restaurant. The Argyle restaurants open with patio seating include:
If you feel like picking up dinner to go eat in Kiwanis Park, for example, we have a number of other incredible restaurants that are open for pickup, including:
- Gonzalez Barbeque, which is hidden inside of Gibraltar Weekend Market,
- Big Mama’s Barbeque, also inside Gibraltar Weekend Market
- Casa Blanca
- Shawarma Guys.
Special little details only the locals know
In tight-knit communities, everyone knows the best places for little treats: Where to go for a smoothie on a hot day, or where the best hamburger truck in town is parked on Thursdays. Argyle is no exception.
If you don’t want a full meal, but just want a snack while you find a quiet spot to hang out with your date, you can try out Ed’s Poutine, which is a food truck that has been making the best fries in London for 19 years.
Or, for a sweet snack, you can take your date to the Gibraltar Weekend Market for a treat from Jared’s Baked Goods or Li’l Slice of Heaven.
Argyle has gaming stores, like The Game Chamber or Johnny Games and other great little shops to spend time walking around and maybe find something fun to do. Buzzy’s Nifty Thrifty and Gibraltar’s Weekend Market are also both fun to peruse.
So, come to date night in Argyle!
Argyle is a jewel hidden in East London, and with all the local shops and restaurants, it’s perfect place for your next date night. You’ll find endless, easy-to-find, free parking, a wide variety of food and fun and easy access to a beautiful park to enjoy. Come to Argyle and experience East London’s Best Hidden Gem.