Correction (5 October 2026): an earlier version of this page listed places and details we could not stand behind. It has been rewritten from scratch: every place below was confirmed at two independent sources on 5 October 2026, and every price was copied from the page it was published on.
A date wants low stakes, an easy exit and something to talk about that isn’t the menu. This page covers five sit-down places in and around Deer Park where the venue’s own pages or the Australian Good Food Guide (AGFG) give you something to plan with: a date-night line, a set menu, a booking note or a feature list.
Only one of the five is in Deer Park itself. Cena is on Mount Derrimut Road in Deer Park. Izakaya Rin and The Boardwalk Pizzeria are both in Caroline Springs, Desi-Licious is in Ravenhall and the golf club bistro is in Derrimut, all in neighbouring suburbs. Each heading carries the venue’s real suburb.
We read what the venues publish and nothing else. We cannot tell you how loud a room is or how a table feels, so “talk-ability” below is read openly from stated features. Check booking and hours with the venue before you go.
The quick picks
| If you’re after | Head to | Order this | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Deer Park dinner with a date-night line on its own site and a weekend booking warning | Cena | Margherita (pizza) | $24.00 |
| A set Thursday date menu with a drink included | Izakaya Rin Japanese Restaurant & Bar | Thursday Date Night: one drink and 4-course sharing menu (per person) | $88 |
| A pizza and pasta menu with AGFG’s “Romantic” tag | The Boardwalk Pizzeria | MARGHERITA (V) | $25 |
| An Indian dinner or a Thursday-to-Sunday lunch on a smaller budget | Desi-Licious | Veg Thali | $22.00 |
| A daytime date with mini golf and a bistro | Mt Derrimut Golf & Community Club (The Eatery at MDGC) | Mini Golf: Adult | $14 |
Cena — 75a Mount Derrimut Road, Deer Park VIC 3023
Cena’s own site says: “Whether it’s a family outing, date night or an overdue catchup with friends – we’re here to make it memorable.” It also calls itself “a spacious family-friendly venue, that’s both perfect for large groups or a romantic date night”, so that is the venue’s description, not ours. The same site says: “We do strongly recommend making a reservation for Friday and Saturday nights.” If your date lands on a weekend, book first.
The site lists Monday as closed, dinner service from 5:00 PM on the other six days, and a lunch sitting on Friday and Sunday. The menu mixes pizza and pasta, so it works whether you want to share a pizza or order a main each. Its site also says a vegan cheese can be substituted onto the pizzas if you ask.
On the menu (copied from cena.melbourne/menu on 5 October 2026):
- Margherita (pizza): $24.00
- Funghi (pizza): $26.00
- Rigatoni Carbonara: $32.00
- Gnocchi Zucca Spinaci: $34.00
Split or splurge: Share the Margherita at $24.00 and the Funghi at $26.00 and keep it light, or go to the pasta end with Rigatoni Carbonara at $32.00 and Gnocchi Zucca Spinaci at $34.00 each.
Izakaya Rin Japanese Restaurant & Bar — Shop A3, 1-7 Caroline Springs Boulevard, Caroline Springs VIC 3023
This one is in Caroline Springs, a neighbouring suburb, and it is not a Deer Park branch. Its site opens its date-night page with: “Whether it’s a first date, an anniversary, or just a Thursday that deserves something special, this is the spot.” The Thursday Date Night is a set deal of a 4-course sharing menu with a complimentary drink (beer, wine, mocktail or sake) for $88 per person.
On other nights the site lists a Tuesday steak night that pairs a steak with a drink, and a Wednesday Izakaya Night with set drink prices. Weekend bottomless brunch is “available by booking only”, and the site says outdoor seating is available but subject to weather conditions, so have a plan B inside. We recorded no opening hours for this venue, so ring or check the site.
On the menu (copied from izakayarin.com.au/tuesday-steak-night and izakayarin.com.au on 5 October 2026):
- M5 Wagyu steak with a drink: $48
- Kirin beer (Wednesday Izakaya Night, from 5pm every Wednesday): $7
- Highball (Wednesday Izakaya Night, from 5pm every Wednesday): $12
- Thursday Date Night: one drink and 4-course sharing menu (per person): $88
Stage: The site pitches Thursday Date Night at a first date or an anniversary, and a set sharing menu means no menu-reading standoff; the $88 per person covers the Thursday Date Night menu and one drink.
The Boardwalk Pizzeria — Springlake Shopping Centre, 1-7 Caroline Springs Boulevard, Caroline Springs VIC 3023
The Boardwalk Pizzeria is also in Caroline Springs, inside Springlake Shopping Centre. The AGFG feature list for it includes “Alfresco Dining”, “Fully Licensed”, “Romantic”, “Water Views” and “Disabled Access”, which is the only accessibility note we recorded for it. That is AGFG’s tag list, not our verdict.
The pizzeria’s site lists dine-in Monday to Friday from 04:30pm and Saturday and Sunday from 12:00pm, finishing “late” with no closing time printed. A separate breakfast and lunch Cantina has conflicting days on the site, so check days if you want a daytime date. The site has a “BOOK NOW” link.
On the menu (copied from theboardwalkpizzeria.com.au/MenuA3_Boardwalk_Jul26web.pdf on 5 October 2026):
- MARGHERITA (V): $25
- THE BOARDWALK: $29
- SPAGHETTI CARBONARA (Italian Style): $34
- CHICKEN PARMIGIANA: $39
Say this: The menu prints “THE BOARDWALK” pizza at $29 with mozzarella, pancetta, scamorza cheese, roasted potatoes and rosemary, which gives you an easy opener: would you order the potato pizza?
Desi-Licious — 269 Robinsons Rd, Ravenhall VIC 3023
Desi-Licious is in Ravenhall, a neighbouring suburb. AGFG’s feature list for it includes “Romantic”, “BYO”, “Fully Licensed”, “Disabled Access” and “Onsite Parking”. AGFG’s hours show Tuesday closed and dinner on the other six days, with lunch on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Dinner runs until 11:00 PM on Friday and Saturday and 10:00 PM on other days, per the same listing.
The menu’s lunch section carries the Veg Thali, which lists four curries, naan, rice, pappadum, raita, dessert, salad and a salted lassi. Menu prices are the online-ordering prices. For a lower-stakes first meet, a Thursday-to-Sunday lunch is the cheaper route.
On the menu (copied from thedesilicious.com.au/menu on 5 October 2026):
- Veg Thali: $22.00
- Butter Chicken + Naan/ Rice: $18.00
- Tandoori Chicken Naan: $14.00
- VEG SAMOSA: $8.99
Split or splurge: Split the VEG SAMOSA at $8.99 as a starter, then order Butter Chicken + Naan/ Rice at $18.00 each from the menu’s lunch section, or one Veg Thali at $22.00 if you want the set plate.
Mt Derrimut Golf & Community Club (The Eatery at MDGC) — 475 Mt Derrimut Road, Derrimut VIC 3026
This is a golf club bistro in Derrimut, a neighbouring suburb, and it is a daytime option. The club’s site gives bistro trading hours of Monday 11:00 – 15:00, Tuesday and Wednesday 10:00 – 16:00, and Thursday to Sunday 10:00 – 18:00. The site says: “The outdoor terrace area provides a unique and beautiful setting for a relaxing drink or meal.” It also describes “a romantic dinner for 2 by the fire”, but the bistro hours above finish at 18:00 at the latest, so ask the club what that line means in practice.
The pull for a date is the activity: the site describes an 18 hole mini golf course with three levels of difficulty on each hole. Mini golf hours are Monday to Friday 10am to sunset, and 9am to sunset on Saturday and Sunday. The bistro prices are not printed as text on the page we read, so the prices below are for mini golf and the driving range.
On the menu (copied from mtderrimut.com.au/driving-range-mini-golf on 5 October 2026):
- Mini Golf: Adult: $14
- Mini Golf: Child (5-17yr old): $9
- Mini Golf: Family (2 Adults + 2 Children): $34
- Driving range: Bucket of 30 balls: $13
Talk-ability: Mini golf gives you something to do with your hands between sentences, and the terrace is described on the club’s site as a setting for a drink or meal; we have no sound information for either.
Quick answers
Which of these has a set date-night menu?
Izakaya Rin’s Thursday Date Night is a 4-course sharing menu with one complimentary drink for $88 per person, according to its own site. Cena names date night in its description but does not price a set menu on the pages we read.
Is anything on this list actually in Deer Park?
Only Cena, at 75a Mount Derrimut Road, Deer Park. Izakaya Rin and The Boardwalk Pizzeria are in Caroline Springs, Desi-Licious is in Ravenhall and the golf club bistro is in Derrimut.
Which places say to book?
Cena’s site strongly recommends a reservation for Friday and Saturday nights, The Boardwalk Pizzeria’s site has a “BOOK NOW” link, and Izakaya Rin says weekend bottomless brunch is by booking only. We recorded no booking statement for Desi-Licious or the golf club, so ring ahead.
What suits a daytime date?
The golf club bistro and its mini golf, where Mini Golf: Adult is $14 on the club’s price list. Desi-Licious has an AGFG listing that shows lunch from Thursday to Sunday, and Cena’s site lists a lunch sitting on Friday and Sunday.
How we checked
We checked every place on this page against at least two independent sources on 5 October 2026: OpenStreetMap, the places’ own websites, the Australian Good Food Guide and council pages. Every price is copied exactly as printed on the page linked under Sources, on 5 October 2026. Menus, prices and opening hours change, so check with the venue before you go. The cover photo is illustrative, from Unsplash, and does not show any place on this page.
Seen something out of date? Email [email protected] with the page link and what has changed, and we will check it again.
Sources
- Cena: openstreetmap.org/494689931, cena.melbourne, agfg.com.au/cena-123908, cena.melbourne/menu, cena.melbourne/about
- Izakaya Rin Japanese Restaurant & Bar: openstreetmap.org/9923318347, izakayarin.com.au, izakayarin.com.au/thursday-date-night, izakayarin.com.au/tuesday-steak-night, izakayarin.com.au/japanese-restaurant-deer-park, izakayarin.com.au/book-a-table
- The Boardwalk Pizzeria: theboardwalkpizzeria.com.au, agfg.com.au/the-boardwalk-pizzeria-115887, theboardwalkpizzeria.com.au/MenuA3_Boardwalk_Jul26web.pdf, theboardwalkpizzeria.com.au/KidsMenu_Boardwalk_Jul26_web.pdf, theboardwalkpizzeria.com.au/BreakfastLunch_Cantina_Jul26_web.pdf
- Desi-Licious: thedesilicious.com.au/menu, agfg.com.au/memories-of-india-melbourne-69386
- Mt Derrimut Golf & Community Club (The Eatery at MDGC): openstreetmap.org/27187899, mtderrimut.com.au/cms, brimbank.vic.gov.au/explore-deer-park, mtderrimut.com.au/driving-range-mini-golf, mtderrimut.com.au/bistro
