The top 6 LGBTQ-friendly date options in Charlotte

People ask me this question all the time. It’s either in person or via messenger, and it always hits me in the face like a cold, wet tilapia.

“Hey Joanne, where are the best LGBTQ dating spots?”

Yes, I understand why people ask. They’re either looking for a discreet place to take a new date or they want to support LGBTQ-friendly establishments. The reason for my tilapia-on-face emotions is I wish the question didn’t have to be asked at all.

The sad reality: Charlotte doesn’t have an LGBTQ Community Center anymore, so there are no built-in events for the community. Safe and fun LGBTQ date places are also essential since House Bill 2 has become law. Add in horrific police violence and it’s obvious why queer people — especially queer and trans people of color — need a safe space to heal and enjoy themselves.

Here are the top places to have a magical LGBTQ date, picked based on (1) overall queerness (2) mix of inclusionary and fun atmosphere, and (3) affordability.

Dish

This is the top queer date restaurant. Many of my friends have had their first dates here. And of course as per my own mythology, where my girlfriend Lara and I had the best first date ever in the summer of 2015 (shout-out to the wonderful Yolanda for being our server on that fateful day). The staff is kind and eclectic, serving comfort food of meatloaf and gravy to keep your internal butterflies too heavy to flutter. Order the magnificent Gaybreeze — a boat of an adult beverage with Stoli orange, orange juice, pineapple juice, cranberry juice and garnished with an orange wedge and maraschino cherry — to show you are the queerest of them all.

Dish: 1220 Thomas Ave.

Shiprocked at Snug Harbor every Thursday night

With a disco ball spinning and disco/punk/funk music pounding through your inebriated senses, you’ll want to dance in the dark with your date until 2 a.m. Local music and fashion legend Scott Weaver will yell at you if you’re not dancing or clapping or tipping the go go dancers — and I love when people yell at me to do any of those things. Lara and I have misty memories here of New Year’s Eve 2016, misty because we were drunk and I guess you could call what we were doing under that disco ball dancing.

Snug Harbor: 1228 Gordon St.

L4 Lounge

Play the sexy stranger game with your beloved or be sexy with an actual stranger in this small, vibrant lounge. Friday nights are “Club Nights,” cover-free evenings where you can dance to hip-hop, dance and Top 40 hits.

Saturday is the big dance party called “Radioactive Saturdays,” where there’s free entry until 11 p.m.. Wear a mesh dress like I once did and take breaks on their large patio to talk more with your long-term sexy stranger/actual sexy stranger. Or don’t talk at all if you’d rather keep them a making out in the single-stall restroom kind of “friend.”

L4 Lounge: 2906 Central Ave.

Petra’s Piano Bar

Years ago, this used to be known as a gay piano bar, and is still a welcoming, friendly atmosphere for everyone. This is where Lara and I had our first dance, which was not boozy like our later Snug Harbor outing. Owner Perry Fowler is a gem of a man who’s making this space brighter and better every day. There are special movie nights with drink specials, so keep yourself posted when those happen.

Drag queen and Charlotte Pride 2016 co-emcee Lana Cane hosts trivia every Tuesday starting at 8:30 p.m. where you can impress your date and possibly win $10, $25 and $50 bar tabs, plus door prizes. There’s also your chance to sing “Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore” to your sweetheart: Karaoke is every Wednesday starting at 10 p.m.

Had a JoRa moment last night at Petra’s. #PoweredonDreams

A post shared by Joanne Spataro (@lookitsjoanne) on Mar 13, 2016 at 2:15pm PDT

Petra’s: 1919 Commonwealth Ave.

Pike’s Old Fashioned Soda Shop

For the old soul who loves the aesthetic of a time gone by without the bitter flavor of yesteryear’s homophobia and transphobia. This cozy spot in South End has the best Tollhouse pie my Pretend Husband and I have ever eaten. Have a lunch time or even mid-afternoon date. Share a slice — what am I saying, each get your own but sample each other’s so it’s still romantic — among kitschy 50s retro memorabilia.

Pike’s: 1930 Camden Road, #2001

Park Road Books

I don’t know about you, but I get randy when I’m surrounded by books on a date. Get to know a hottie or reintroduce yourself to your steady hottie in the biography section. If there’s a book event going on in the back of the store, you can choose to either talk too loudly with your date or join in the event. Lara and I pick loud every time.

Park Road Books: Park Road Shopping Center, 4139 Park Road

Photo: Joanne Spataro

This story was originally published October 21, 2016 at 1:00 AM.