Two people · Four dinner plans · Real menu prices
Dallas date night for two, under $100.
Pizza and pasta downtown, Italian comfort on Greenville, rice bowls in East Dallas, and Tex-Mex with flan. Each plan below is a real order from a published menu, with tax and tip already counted.
Four order examples with room for tax and a planned tip. Parking and additional orders are separate.
Most of us have been there: the restaurant is chosen, the evening feels promising, and then the bill arrives with tax, tip and a second round of drinks nobody planned for. A date night does not need to be expensive to feel special, but it does help to know the number before you sit down.
That is the idea behind this guide. Instead of saying a restaurant is “affordable”, we built four complete orders from published Dallas menus and worked out what each check could look like. Two mains, one shared item and a clear decision about drinks is the easiest formula, and it works at all four places below.
The four plans are deliberately different. One is pizza and pasta, one is classic Italian, one is relaxed rice bowls and one is Tex-Mex with dessert. Pick the kind of evening you want first, and then check whether the estimated bill suits you. You can swap dishes freely; the totals simply show what a sensible starting order looks like.
How these plans are priced: Estimates add 8.25% sales tax and a planned 20% tip on the menu subtotal. Partenope, Terilli’s and Loro include two drinks. The E Bar example is food only, with drinks left separate. Prices were checked October 22, 2026.
The order is the starting point
Four Dallas dinner plans for two, with menu prices
These are suggested combinations from published menus, not restaurant packages. Change the dishes if you like, but keep an eye on the parts that made each order fit the budget.
Downtown · Pizza and pasta
Partenope Ristorante
1903 Main Street, Dallas
Pizza and pasta make a good pair when neither of you wants to commit the whole meal to the same dish. Order one of each and share a few bites, or keep your mains to yourselves and start with the bread.
This example uses the downtown Dallas menu. Partenope also has other DFW locations, so keep the location attached to the order when you plan.
- Pane$11
- Margherita pizza$19
- Fusilli al Pesto$20
- Two Peroni 0.0% beers$12
The restaurant lists the pizza and pasta above as vegetarian. Check substitutions and dietary needs directly.
Greenville Avenue · Italian comfort
Terilli’s
2815 Greenville Avenue, Dallas
A plain Italcho gives the table something to share before the mains. We kept it simple on purpose so the starting price stays visible; extra toppings are a separate spending decision.
One ravioli dish and one chicken dish add variety, and they show that two Italian mains on the same menu can have quite different prices. This is the most traditional sit-down order of the four.
Terilli’s lists Monday as closed.
- Plain Build Your Own Italcho$12.50
- Three Cheese Ravioli$19
- Terilli’s Chicken Parmesan$27
- Two iced teas$7
The Italcho amount is the base order without extra toppings.
East Dallas · A flexible shared order
Loro
1812 North Haskell Avenue, Dallas
Loro publishes a Rice Bowl for Two offer beginning at 4 p.m. daily. It includes two rice bowls and one salad, which makes a comfortable base before you add anything else.
For this example, we chose the Malaysian curry chicken and crispy Szechuan tofu bowls. A shared karaage order adds a crunchy side without turning the meal into a smoked-meat feast.
Loro’s ordering guidance is to choose a seat, browse the menu and order at the bar.
- Rice Bowl for Two: two bowls + one salad$29.95
- Chicken Karaage$11.95
- Two handmade yuzu sodas$4
The published bowl offer lists supplements for steak, salmon or brisket. Those upgrades are not included here.
Old East Dallas · Tex-Mex and dessert
E Bar Tex-Mex
1901 North Haskell Avenue, Dallas
E Bar suits the evening where dessert matters more than a premium main. The enchiladas and shrimp tacos give each of you a separate plate, with queso to begin and flan to share at the end.
Drinks are left out of this plan. Decide on those at the restaurant, and spend the remaining room on purpose rather than letting a second round slip in unnoticed.
- Cup of queso$11.75
- Cheese Enchiladas$14.25
- Grilled Shrimp Tacos$18.95
- Flan$9.25
The enchilada plate includes rice and refried beans. The shrimp tacos list cilantro-lime rice and bean soup.
The check, with the assumptions visible
What will dinner for two actually cost after tax and tip?
The estimates below include the exact orders above, 8.25% sales tax and a planned 20% tip on the menu subtotal. The tip is a budgeting choice applied the same way to every example, so the plans are easy to compare.
| Dinner plan | Menu subtotal | Tax | Planned tip | Estimated check | Room under $100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Partenope · includes two N/A beers | $62.00 | $5.12 | $12.40 | $79.52 | $20.48 |
| Terilli’s · includes two iced teas | $65.50 | $5.40 | $13.10 | $84.00 | $16.00 |
| Loro · includes two yuzu sodas | $45.90 | $3.79 | $9.18 | $58.87 | $41.13 |
| E Bar · food only, drinks separate | $54.20 | $4.47 | $10.84 | $69.51 | $30.49 |
Check your actual bill for service charges before adding a tip. Substitutions, extra toppings, drinks and special-event menus change the final amount.
For a different order, use our Texas restaurant tax and tip calculator to plan the full check. Keeping the menu subtotal comfortably below your ceiling gives you more flexibility than arriving with an order already close to $100.
Match the plan to the evening
Which Dallas date night plan is right for you?
Price is only one part of the decision. Here is a plain way to choose, based on what each order actually includes.
| If you want… | Consider | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|
| The most room left in your budget | Loro | The lowest estimated check of the four, at $58.87, with $41.13 to spare for an extra dish or a drink round. |
| A traditional sit-down Italian dinner | Terilli’s | A shared starter and two different mains, with the highest estimated check at $84.00. |
| Something to share, with no heavy drinking required | Partenope | Bread, pizza and pasta, with two non-alcoholic Peroni 0.0% beers included at $79.52. |
| Dessert to end the night | E Bar Tex-Mex | Queso, two mains and a shared flan, with drinks left for you to decide. |
If you are still undecided, ask yourselves one question: do we want a long table dinner or a relaxed evening where we can order as we go? Terilli’s leans toward the first, while Loro’s order-at-the-bar style leans toward the second.
Keep the part you care about
What makes the evening feel like a date?
Choose the shared moment
Pick one part of dinner to enjoy together: bread before the mains, a starter you both wanted, or dessert at the end. That one choice gives the evening a shape without needing every course.
If neither of you wants the suggested starter, skip it. A budget example should help you decide, not become another set menu you feel obliged to follow.
Match the service to your mood
Some evenings call for settling into a table and ordering course by course. Others work better with a casual rhythm, where you order first and add something later if you feel like it.
Look at how the restaurant handles seating and ordering before you decide. The best fit is the place where you can enjoy your own pace comfortably.
Practical ideas
Five ways to keep a Dallas dinner date under budget
- Fix your drinks plan first. Three of the four examples include modest non-alcoholic drinks. If you would like cocktails or wine instead, work out the replacement cost before you order rather than after.
- Share one item, order the rest separately. A shared starter or dessert gives you something to enjoy together while each of you still gets the main you actually want.
- Count tax and tip from the start. An order that looks like $85 on the menu can easily pass $100 once tax and a 20% tip are added. Keeping the subtotal well below your limit avoids an uncomfortable surprise.
- Check the day and the time. Loro’s two-person bowl offer begins at 4 p.m. daily, and Terilli’s lists Monday as closed. A quick look at the restaurant’s own page saves a wasted trip.
- Leave parking outside the food budget. Parking is not part of any estimate above, so set aside something separately if you expect to pay for it.
Interactive tool · Make the invitation personal
Turn “we should go out” into a dinner plan
Choose a restaurant, add a date and write a short message. Your invitation updates as you type. Download the finished card as a PNG and send it to your person.
This creates a personal invitation; restaurant reservations are arranged separately.
Add your details, then download the card.
A personal invitation for dinner at Partenope Ristorante.
Before you leave
A short checklist for the night
- Save the correct location. Partenope’s downtown menu and Loro’s East Dallas menu are the ones used for these examples.
- Leave time for arrival. Check parking, the restaurant entrance and your booking details before you set out.
- Recheck special dates. Holiday dinners, ticketed experiences and special menus can have different prices from the regular menu.
Planning dinner is mostly about knowing where to begin. Choose the order that sounds good to both of you, keep the extras intentional, and leave the rest of the evening open.
Common questions
Dallas date night under $100: FAQs
Is $100 enough for dinner for two in Dallas?
For the four plans in this guide, yes. Their estimated checks, including 8.25% sales tax and a 20% planned tip, range from $58.87 to $84.00. Extra drinks, additional dishes and parking are not included.
Which plan has the lowest estimated check?
Loro in East Dallas, at an estimated $58.87 for the Rice Bowl for Two, chicken karaage and two yuzu sodas. That leaves $41.13 under the $100 ceiling.
Do the estimates include tip?
Yes. Each estimate includes a planned 20% tip calculated on the menu subtotal, plus 8.25% sales tax. Check your actual bill for service charges before adding a tip.
Are drinks included in the plans?
Partenope, Terilli’s and Loro include two modest non-alcoholic drinks each. The E Bar plan is food only, so any drinks add to the estimate.
When does Loro’s Rice Bowl for Two offer start?
Loro’s published offer begins at 4 p.m. daily. It includes two rice bowls and one salad, and supplements apply for steak, salmon or brisket.
Is Terilli’s open on Mondays?
Terilli’s lists Monday as closed, so choose another day or another restaurant from this guide.
Can I change the dishes in these plans?
Of course. The orders are suggested starting points built from published menus, not restaurant packages. If you swap dishes, recalculate the subtotal, then add tax and tip.
