Pasta Bowl + Kingston Mines 

Second dates are hard. You already both talked about your embarrassing freshman year stories and all about your cringey family history, so what else is there to do but plan a night out that has less to do with talking and more with eating and dancing? This date will include dinner and show and is highly recommended to do on a Thursday for the free tickets at Kingston Mines for students.

Pasta Bowl

Starting the night off with one of my favorite Italian restaurants, the Pasta Bowl on North Clark Street. Open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. giving you more than enough time to plan for the second event of the night. Not only is the food here amazing, the environment itself creates a welcoming experience with the friendly staff and cozy neighborhood vibes. The food cost ranges around $13 to $17 per pasta but is definitely worth it with their $4 beer special on Thursdays. My go-to is conchiglie gorgonzola but a fan favorite is farfalle pollo.

Kingston Mines

One of the oldest blues clubs in Chicago is just steps away from DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus and on Thursday nights students get free admission. Instead of a night at McGees, Kingston Mines offers an alternative to off-pitch karaoke with live music that will not disappoint. Kingston Mines is a quick 13-minute walk from Pasta Bowl, giving you enough time to walk off the full plate of rigatoni you just ate. They are open from 7:30 p.m. to 4 a.m., but you should make sure you show up promptly to avoid the wait time. They have a wide selection of drinks including a full cocktail menu, my favorite being the Blues Juice Sangria. After you both grab your drink of choice, find a spot in the crowd and get ready for some of Chicago’s best blues music. You may have to yell to talk to your date, but there should be more dancing than talking anyways.