Valentine's Day is approaching and whether or not you're celebrating, we can all agree that heading out to find a table at your favourite restaurant for the occasion is less than ideal. If you feel the same as us, and would rather avoid the sheer awkwardness of planning and Valentine's date (whether with your partner for 10 years or 10 minutes), we're rounding up the best Valentine's Day recipes for an at-home feast.

Perhaps it looks like a wholesome bowl of pasta, or just a round of drinks to cheers a frivolous holiday, maybe it looks like a three-course meal lit by candles to express your affections. Whether it's for a housemate, sibling, friend or lover, we've put together a number of recipes to put you all in the mood for boundless affection and nourishment, below.

1. Madeleines with roasted milk chantilly by The French Exit

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A dessert that balances comfort with quiet sophistication – the iconic shell-shaped cake is remade through a modern bistro lens by Brisbane's hottest new restaurant The French Exit. Give yourself a little time in prep for this one: the batter is rested overnight to deepen flavour. Finish with a restrained scattering of sea-salt flakes.

2. Ragno cocktail by Bar Allora

Bar Allora’s signature cocktail and a playful nod to the childhood spider drink many of us grew up with. It's the perfect Valentine's Day beverage: equal parts memory and mischief. It reimagines that familiar fizzy sweetness through an adult lens – layered, spirited and unmistakably Italian in attitude. It’s a cocktail that doesn’t take itself too seriously, yet feels entirely intentional.

3. Spaghetti vongole by Miriam Al-Noah

There’s a certain elegance to a bowl of spaghetti vongole that makes it the perfect 'I love you' kind of dish. It feels both deeply comforting and effortlessly refined. Briny clams meet the heat of chilli, the sweetness of shallot, and the brightness of lemon, creating a balance that is as much about restraint as it is about flavour.

4. Soft-boiled eggs and sourdough toast by PIÑA

What's better than Valentine's dinner out? A Valentine's breakfast in bed, that's what. And this soft-boiled egg and sourdough toast from Yuvi Thu, Co-Owner and Head Chef of Room Ten and PIÑA in Potts Point (some of our favourite Sydney cafes), delivers exactly that: crisp toast, rich eggs, and a smoky, cultured quail spread from Aussie brand Forged (who create entirely new foods through culturing) that instantly lifts the whole plate.

5. Warm chocolate tart by Table Manners

This isn’t your average chocolate fix. But then again, Valentine's Day isn't your average day. And at Table Manners – a neighbourhood gem tucked into Bronte’s Macpherson Street – dessert comes with drama. Rich, velvety, and still oven-warm, these tarts are a masterclass in restraint and indulgence all at once. The kind you crack into with a spoon, only to find the centre still molten.

6. Meatballs by Harkam

There aren't many foods as comforting and heart-rending as the traditional Italian meatball – lathered in velvety, rich tomato sauce and paired with crisp, olive-oil drenched bread. And these ones from Harkam restaurant's head chef Shaun Nash are bound to be some of the best you will ever make.

7. Frog in a Pond by Chris Yuille

There’s something funny about merging a dessert for children with probably the most adult liqueur on the market – Green Chartreuse, an elixir of 130 botanicals, made by Carthusian monks on the same mountainside for nearly 400 years. Serve this to a lover that doesn’t take themselves too seriously. Substitute any other grade gelatine leaf one-for-one. Just remember, the higher the grade, the clearer the jelly.

8. Foccacia by Gio Paradiso

For Italian restauranteur Gio Paradiso, this was the Friday after-school snack and was present at any picnic, eaten always after it had cooled. It’s a simple recipe that requires time and patience but will cost you very little and will impress all who eat it. And all you will need is one large bowl and a decent size baking tray.

9. Trofie pesto pasta by 10 William

As summer begins to roll upon us, it's time for aromatics and tender new season vegetables. This dish, this recipe, summer. 10 William's recipe for pesto pasta with green beans and potatoes, as their head chef advises, is best to be eaten "shaded by the late setting sun, with the slightest breeze. Wine, yes, natural of course, maybe a vermentino, licked by seaspray, kissed by citrus and wild herbs or a smoky, lacy rose from Sicily like summer rain on hot tar road."

10. Lemon and maple crepes by Valentine Fodor

There aren't many people we'd trust more with our Valentine's Day sweet treat dish than Valentine Fodor (aptly named) (AKA Vege Mamma). The Sydney-based cake maker specialises in eccentric cakes featuring whipped meringues, buttercream frostings, fruit curds and decadent flavour combinations dreamed up for special occasions. But for V-Day you can whip together something a little more doable without Fodor's skill-set – and make your date these zesty sweet crepes.

11. Spaghetti al Tartufo by Matteo Downtown

Pasta is the hearty food we all turn to no matter the season. It is a go-to meal for many, with its iterations vast and easily variable based on your current cravings. And on Valentine's Day, what better a time to try make the Matteo Downtown Spaghetti al Tartufo recipe, dreamed up by Head Chef, Adam Szymankiewicz? A resounding “yes chef!” from us on this idea.

12. Coconut and cashew chocolate delights by Loco Love

These coconut and cashew chocolate bars were the deliciousness that captured the hearts of our earliest Loco Love enthusiasts. They are vegan and refined sugar-free, blending the luscious creaminess of coconut with the nutty richness of cashew, and a sweet vanilla taste. Enrobed in quality dark chocolate, this nourishing treat will bring wellness and pleasure to your taste buds.

If you're in the mood to give a gift alongside the gift of abundant food/alcohol, you can check out our best Valentine's Day gift guide. If you're needing for something slightly more specific, our best Valentine's Day gifts for her, or for him, might be of interest.

Perhaps you're wanting to go down the activity route, in which case you can take a look at our guide on Valentine's Day activities, or you might be opting to do nothing at all (best paired with the above martini) and are planning on cementing yourself to the couch for a Valentine's Day movie marathon. If your romance is new, and the art of gift giving hasn't yet been established, we have a gift guide for that, as do we one for platonic relationships. Happy V day to you and yours.