The best Dublin restaurants for a romantic date night

Michelle and Barack Obama famously kept their ‘date night’ alive despite the stresses and strains of being the President and First Lady, having kids, and living in the public eye. Even science says that you should make the effort. According to a study by the Marriage Foundation, couples who go on a date night just once a month are fourteen percent less likely to break up. Professor Steve McKay, of the University of Lincoln, and his colleagues used data from the Millennium Cohort Study of 10,000 mothers who were either married or cohabiting as a couple when their child was nine months old. The researchers looked at how often these couples went out together at that time and then compared it to see if they were still a couple a decade later.

The results were interesting; of 9,969 couples surveyed, 11 percent managed a weekly date night, 30 percent dated once a month, 23 percent went out as a couple less than once a month and 36 percent never went out together. The study found that the positive effect of a monthly date night only worked on married couples, and not cohabiting couples. They also found that holding the dates more frequently, such as weekly, did not increase the chances of staying together. Phew...at least some pressure is off then.

So c'mon you know you want to, spend on a babysitter and save on a divorce.

Here's our pick of the most romantic Dublin spots for your loved-up night out away from the kids:

1. Magistorium Reincarnated from the old energies of McGonagles and The Crystal Ballroom, Magistorium, just off Grafton Street, hosts eclectic performances and cultural events while you eat and drink. My hubby and I were super-impressed by the venue, with its Game Of Thrones vibe, the food (salmon pate to-die-for), and the attentive service. We felt like a king and queen for the night as we enjoyed the 1922 'Midnight In Nightown' experience – comedy, dance, live music and even James Joyce celebrating the release of his just published masterpiece Ulysses. Both of us agreed that it was lovely to be fed, watered, and entertained all night in one spot without having to go from place-to-place. magistorium.com 2. CAPO The time-honored way of showing love in Italian culture is through food, so if you need to inject a bit of romance into your relationship, new Italian restaurant, CAPO is for you. The sister restaurant of Counter Culture, it is run by renowned restaurateurs Ronan Ryan and his wife Pamela Flood, who pride themselves on sourcing the finest ingredients. Capo is exclusive to night-time – on Thursday, Friday and Saturday – 6pm til late. It serves Cal-Ital style dishes or if you fancy upping the romance states, you can avail of the private dining area for some 'il crib dell'amore', (the food of love). caporestaurant.ie Modern Chinese food that's finger-lickin' good? Eh, yes, please. This is definitely the Dublin 8 restaurant of-the-moment, with its super-cool décor, hipper-than-hip clientele, and reasonably priced Chinese yumminess. We had prawn toast that would make your eyes water, steamed dumplings with sour sauce we wanted to lick off the plates long after it was finished, and exploding jumbo prawns in just-the-right-amount-of -spice sauce. Everything was light, delish, and memorable. There's also a signature duck dish, you need to pre-order and it's cooked on a wood-fired roasted oven for 50 minutes And if great food and novelty train carriage and Hong Kong-inspired décor isn't enough to entice you, the tunes are brilliant – funky, bangin', and from a brilliant sound system, and best of all, it goes on until late... time to get your boogie-pants on after you dine people. hangdaichinese.com 5. Wishbone The clue is in the name. If you fancy a slightly more casual (read as messy) date night you'll be delighted to know that Dublin's first restaurant dedicated to chicken wings has opened its doors and it's pretty amazing! You'll find Wishbone located at 16 Montague Street in Dublin 2, in between Harcourt and Camden Street. With funky decor and a menu that is easy-to-read, trust me: the salted toffee apple wings are worth the babysitter alone. Did I mention the fact that their desert menu includes Ferrero Rocher cake? Yes Ferrero Rocher CAKE...I'll leave it at that. Happy date night you crazy kids!