8 Uptown lunch date spots where you can probably avoid your coworkers

That’s because weekday lunch dates signal 1) I am thinking about you enough during the day to the point where I’d like to see you in the middle of the day and 2) I’m willing to make time in my day to prioritize you above work-related matters that are arguably more pressing. That, or they signal that you are unemployed and loaded down with free time.

Either way, here’s where to go off the fast-casual beaten path to avoid your coworkers who are probably just ordering Jimmy John’s again anyway.

Alexander Michael’s

Address: 401 W. 9th Street
Lunch hours: Open at 11 a.m. daily

This is a casual tavern but it appeals to me for a day date because of its prime location in the heart of Fourth Ward, a picturesque little neighborhood filled with historic Victorian homes. Go ahead and try not to fall in love there.

Aria

Address: 100 N. Tryon Street
Lunch hours: 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. Monday – Friday

Their 3-course express lunch is the perfect way to compress a fancy dinner experience down into a timely and affordable lunch option. You get a choice of salad, pasta entree and slice of cheesecake for $8.99. How very ‘Lady & The Tramp’ of you.

Basil

Address: 210 N. Church Street
Lunch hours: 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Save takeout for another time. For an elevated, sit-down Thai food experience, this is your spot.

Dandelion Market

Address: 118 W. 5th Street
Lunch hours: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Monday – Friday

If you only go to Dando to dance like a maniac upstairs after the dining table has been hoisted into the air at night, you’re missing out on some killer food. (They used to have a salad served in a bowl made out of cheese that changed my life.) And since a lot of us equate this spot more with nightlife, it’s a perfect change of pace for an unexpected day date.

Levant

Address: 135 Levine Avenue of the Arts
Lunch hours: open daily at 11 a.m. Monday – Friday

If you’re going for ambience, this is definitely the most lavishly decorated restaurant on my list. It’s full of ornate carved wooden chairs, plush curtains and other decor sourced from the Levant region in the eastern Mediterranean. It’s the sister restaurant to Kabob Grill so you’ll find a lot of the same quality Mediterranean dishes like hummus, falafel, shwarma and kabob. Favorite.

Malabar

Address: 214 N. Tryon Street
Lunch hours: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Monday – Friday

This is a Spanish restaurant so you could get a bunch of tapas to share (cute) or go your own way with a bocato (sandwich). Whatever you do, wrap it up with churros con chocolate. It’s a date, after all.

Mimosa Grill

Address: 327 S. Tryon Street
Lunch hours: open daily at 11 a.m. Monday – Friday

I feel like this is where bank execs go on business lunches so if you’re not a bank exec it could be a good date spot. While all your friends are eating Johnny Burrito in the basement (not a terrible idea, actually), you’ll be one crab cake + fried green tomato tower away from a significant other.

Rooster’s

Address: 150 N. College Street
Lunch hours: open daily at 11 a.m. Monday – Friday