NYC Baseball Date Night for Under $200

• Pre-Game
• Game Time
• Post-Game
• Price Breakdown Table
• Other City Guides

Fun and Inexpensive Date Night

Making good summer date night plans in New York City can be overwhelming with how many options you have to choose from. Great date night ideas are hard enough to find as is, but great, affordable ones are next to impossible. There are a million and one things to do in New York City but on a nice summer night in NYC Yankee Stadium shouldn’t disappoint.

Pre-Game

Yankee Stadium is located in the Bronx on 161st street, which may scare off some Manhattanites who rarely dare to venture that far north but it isn’t really that far at all. Hop on the 4 express train to 161st st – Yankee Stadium stop (28 min from Wall Street, 20 min from Union Square or 16 min from Grand Central) and you arrive just steps away from one of the most magnificent ball parks in the world.

The new Yankee Stadium first opened its doors in 2009 with over 50,000 seats and is rarely filled to capacity. This works in your favor, as great deals on tickets aren’t too hard to find. Thursday evening games may be your best bet for snagging date night tickets. You can pick up tickets for around $40 each for Lower Terrace Level seats on most Thursday evenings. Tickets at Yankee Stadium are re-selling for about 25% less than face value and aren’t hard to come by so don’t get caught paying full price. If you’re not worried about your view of the field you could choose to grab some Bleacher Seats for around $15 a piece.

Game Time

Yankee Stadium is a modern day coliseum that has everything and anything you’d expect to find at a great ballpark. They have the usual ballpark franks, pretzels, peanuts and beers but you can find some uniquely New York options that we suggest checking out. Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi have brought their famous Nolita sandwich shop Parm to Yankee Stadium. Located in the Great Hall between Gates 4 and 6, pick up one of their staple chicken parm or exclusive Yankee Stadium ‘Fresh Mozz” sandwiches and try to keep your mouth from watering.

Another one of the best options in the ballpark is Lobel’s of New York in Section 134. Lobel’s, the NYC butcher shop institution, serves up hand-carved steak sandwiches to order. They don’t come cheap at $15 but we think you’ll agree that it’s well worth the price.

Yankee Stadium claims that it is one of the best beer ballparks in the league but there aren’t too many options that impress. Most stands around the stadium have a few lower end imported draught options but if your going to spend over $8 on a beer you’re going to want to make sure it’s a good beer. Head over to Section 110 on the first base side of the ballpark to grab a few brews for you and your date. Here you’ll be able to choose between a McSorely’s IPA, Goose Island IPA, Magic Hat #9, Widmer Hefeweizen, and a some other premium brews for between $9-$12 a pop.

These tips should help get you started at the park, but roam around as Yankee stadium really does have something to satisfy whatever you’re craving.

Post-Game

After the game the 161st street subway station can be a get a bit congested and if you’re on a good date there should be no reason to each rush home. Pick up your own authentic Yankees fitted cap or T-shirt as you weave through the crowds and if you and your date are up for something adventurous trying checking out Bate restaurant at 860 Melrose Avenue. Bate is a friendly and authentic Guinean joint that’s open until 2:00 am on weekdays and it’s a great place to try while you wait for the crowds to clear. Don’t be scared to step inside this Bronx hidden gem, go expand you’re taste buds with lamb’s head soup ($10), guinea fowl with acheke ($15) or any of the other items on the menu that you probably have never tried before. Bate definitely brings you a nice change of pace from the Manhattan restaurant scene.

If the idea of exotic food on a date doesn’t mesh well with you there are plenty more post game spots that you could check out on the upper west side. Summer and ice cream go really well together, so instead of hopping on the 4 train back into Manhattan, hop on the B train down to 86th street. Once off the train walk a block over to 561 Columbus Avenue, to one of NYC’s greatest sweet spots at Momofuku Milk Bar. Their upper west side location serves up some of the most amazing desserts in New York; try the cereal milk soft serve, crack pie, or compost cookies. You can’t go wrong with anything you choose here. If the weather cooperates, Momofuku and a stroll through central park should end the night on a perfect note.

Price Breakdown Table

Other City Guides

Not in Boston? Not a problem. SeatGeek also has great guides for baseball date night (under $200 as well, of course) in San Francisco and Boston. Check them out if you’re looking for fun, affordable date night suggestions closer to home.