Bay City Date Night
8 stops · about 4 hours · Updated October 6, 2026
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Build a date night in Bay City, MI around dinner, a cocktail and something sweet, with closing times guiding the order. Gilly's Bistro serves comfort food, small plates and vegan and vegetarian options in a cozy setting; its 7 p.m. closing makes it an early-dinner choice. BarqueBC pairs similar food options with an on-site cocktail bar and stays open until 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For a more upscale, romantic setting, Prost Wine Bar & Charcuterie offers small plates, wine, cocktails and outdoor seating, with dinner reservations recommended.
Continue with cocktails at Coonan's Irish Hub, where the offerings also include late-night food, sports viewing and trivia night. For a different kind of pause, Level Up Lounge has board games, a TV, snacks and slushies. Neighbors Natural Wine + Bottle Shop adds a wine-focused name to the list at 809 Adams St.
Finish with ice cream at Buddy's Columbus Cone Inc., open until 9 p.m. every day. For pastries instead, plan ahead: Little Pastry Shop offers fresh-baked scones, pies and cinnamon rolls for takeout, closing at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday.
Dinner
evening
Stop 1
Gilly's Bistro
4.7(478)Bay City
Gilly's Bistro earns its dinner spot with comfort food, small plates, vegan and vegetarian choices, plus a cozy setting and outdoor seating.
Stop 2
BarqueBC
4.7(477)Bay City
BarqueBC brings dinner and cocktails together with comfort food, small plates, an on-site bar, indoor and outdoor seating, and accepted reservations.
Stop 3
Prost Wine Bar & Charcuterie
4.7(286)Bay City
Prost Wine Bar & Charcuterie offers a romantic setting for small plates and cocktails, with live music, outdoor seating and dinner reservations.
Cocktails
evening
Stop 4
Level Up Lounge
5.0(20)Bay City
Level Up Lounge adds an activity to the evening with board games and a TV, alongside pizza, subs, snacks and slushies.
Stop 5
Coonan's Irish Hub
4.7(1034)Bay City
Coonan's Irish Hub supplies cocktails and late-night food in a cozy setting, with trivia night, sports viewing and outdoor seating.
Stop 6
Neighbors Natural Wine + Bottle Shop
5.0(6)Bay City
Neighbors Natural Wine + Bottle Shop earns a wine-focused place on the list as a bar at 809 Adams St in Bay City, MI.
Something sweet
night
Stop 7
Little Pastry Shop
5.0(38)Bay City
Little Pastry Shop provides a takeout option for something sweet with fresh-baked scones, pies and cinnamon rolls, plus free street and lot parking.
Stop 8
Buddy's Columbus Cone Inc.
4.8(153)Bay City
Buddy's Columbus Cone Inc. makes an evening ice cream stop possible with daily hours until 9 p.m., a casual setting and takeout.
