Love is once again in the air as First Dates has returned to screens for its 25th series earlier this year, with maitre d' Fred Sirieix welcoming another batch of hopeful singles through the restaurant doors in search of romance.
Over the past 12 years, viewers have watched countless awkward introductions, heart-warming connections and memorable first impressions unfold on the Channel 4 dating show. While one thing has remained constant through the programme's run - Fred's presence at the heart of the action - the restaurant itself has changed several times.
In fact, First Dates has now called three different venues home since it first launched in 2013. For many viewers, the show's original setting remains its most recognisable. During its first seven years on screen, couples met at London's Paternoster Chop House, a restaurant located near St Paul's Cathedral.
The venue became synonymous with the show as nervous daters arrived one by one before being introduced to their potential match by Fred. The London restaurant served as a backdrop for hundreds of First Dates between 2013 and 2020, helping establish the show as one of Channel 4's most successful factual entertainment formats.
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However, a major change arrived in 2020 when production moved up north to Manchester. From 2020 to 2023, the series was filmed at The Refinery in the city centre. While the move coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, executive producer Jon Crisp later revealed that bosses had already been planning a relocation before filming resumed.
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"To be honest, we’d been looking for quite a while to change the restaurant because we filmed a lot there," he explained to the BBC. "We were keen to shake things up a little bit, create a new environment for daters which would keep their experience as real as possible."
The relocation also altered some of the show's familiar routines. During pandemic-era episodes, daters approached the bar alone rather than being personally escorted to their table by Fred, helping production adapt to social distancing requirements.
"Manchester is also quite fun, we’ve got new waiting staff who are from the area, and that gives us another flavour and different angle, and hopefully it adds a new charm," Jon added. Yet the Manchester chapter would prove relatively short-lived.
In 2023, First Dates relocated once again, this time heading to Bath in Somerset. The move coincided with the show's 10th anniversary on air and marked the beginning of the show's current era.
Since then, the restaurant featured on screen has been The Botanist, a bar and restaurant housed inside Bath's historic Octagon Chapel. The Grade II-listed building dates back to 1766 and is one of the city's most distinctive landmarks.
Bath itself was reportedly chosen after being named Britain's most romantic city in various travel surveys, making it a fitting setting for a show built around finding love. The location also boasts literary connections, with author Jane Austen famously associated with the city during her lifetime.
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The move formed part of production company Twenty Twenty's wider commitment to regional production outside London. A number of the team's staff are based at the company's Bristol hub, making Bath a natural choice for the series' latest home.
Fred was enthusiastic about the chance when filming began in the city. "Making this new series feels special, celebrating a decade of bringing people together on the show, but there’s always more love to be found," he said at the time. "They say Bath is the most romantic city in the UK and it’s true. So what better place to set the scene for romance to blossom than there?"
Elsewhere, First Dates' spin-off show - First Dates Beach Club - is set in a much sunnier location. Aired from late 2025 to early 2026, the show used the Valhalla Gastro Beach Club as its backdrop, a picturesque venue on the Mediterranean coast of Spain, between Cadiz and Tarifa.
First Dates continues this Friday at 10pm on Channel 4.
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