San Bernardino didn’t become known as “the Friendly City” by accident. The nickname stuck because people there are so gosh-darn friendly to one another. That doesn’t mean you can just walk outside and find a friend in the city, of course. You have to know how to navigate the fast-moving social scene if you want to meet someone new and land a date.
Want to woo someone in San Berdoo? Want to turn the so-called Gate City into your own personal Date City? Then you’ve come to the right place. Our dating experts have combed through local resources and compiled the popular spots to meet singles in the Heart of California.
Whether you’re interested in meeting folks online or offline, the City on the Move has plenty of date-friendly places where you can put the moves on someone special.
San Bernardino Dating Sites
Today’s singles have many more ways to meet people than the daters of yesteryear did, and online dating is a great resource if you’re hoping to make a fast connection. You can pursue a specific type of date by browsing a niche dating site, or you can cast a wide net on a general dating site. You literally have thousands of options at your fingertips, and all of them are free to try.
Best Singles Site
Match has been around longer than any other dating platform (since 1995!), so you’ve probably heard about it from friends, family members, or TV commercials. Its good reputation as a dating site stems from its quality-driven approach to pairing couples. Match determines long-term compatibility based on a person’s age, location, lifestyle, interests, and other personality traits.
- Relationships: Friends, Dates, and Relationships
- Match System: Browse by zip, age, appearance, more
- Our Experts Say: Match has facilitated the most dates and relationships of any dating site, and its large audience and high success rate make it our top review. Our Review »
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Over 50 & Senior Sites
While San Bernardino is definitely dominated by 20-somethings and 30-somethings (the average age is 28.5), that doesn’t mean senior daters can’t have fun, too. OurTime empowers singles over 50 to get into the action and enjoy a curated dating space where baby boomers are in the majority.
- Relationships: Dates and Relationships
- Match System: Search by profiles by zip and more
- Our Experts Say: OurTime is well-known in the over-50 dating crowd, particularly because it has a ton of helpful search features and an easy layout. Our Review »
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For Black Men & Women Only
BlackPeopleMeet caters to the 14.19% of the population that identifies as African-American. Since 2002, this niche dating site has helped thousands of black and biracial singles meet one another online. It takes less than five minutes to create a profile and start browsing through this diverse network.
- Relationships: Deep Relationships or Just Casual Dates
- Match System: Search by location, age, more
- Our Experts Say: BlackPeopleMeet.com is the one of the largest and most popular dating sites for black and biracial singles, and the site is used by more than 5 million people a month. Our Review »
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Hookup & Sex Site
Adult Friend Finder is the go-to hookup site for casual daters around the world. Its sexually charged atmosphere is exciting for singles who’re eager to skip the small talk and make something happen. You never know what will happen when you engage in a live chat with the uninhibited singles and swingers on this site.
- Relationships: Hookups Only
- Match System: Search by location, interest, more
- Our Experts Say: Make no mistake: this site isn't about making friends, it's about finding hookups and casual encounters. No adult site has a larger or more active user base of those seeking discreet fun. Our Review »
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Popular Dating Apps
Dating apps are the way of the future, and they’re fast outpacing dating sites in terms of popularity and utility. Singles can take advantage of the location-based features and compact profile setup that allow them to quickly sort through viable date prospects. Many dating sites have converted into dating apps to offer the same vast network from a portable and convenient interface. We recommend trying the following reputable dating apps next time you’re looking for a fast date.
Match.com
- Relationships: Fun Dates, Serious Relationships
- Match System: Browse by location, age, interest, and more
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About the App:
Available via the App Store and Google Play, Match is a fantastic app for dates and relationships. With a user base of 30 million singles, Match is where you’ll have a high chance of success. It’s free to download, create a profile, search for date prospects, and receive compatible matches based on personalized preferences. Free members can also chat with select members and send unlimited likes.
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eharmony
- Relationships: Long-Term Relationships, Marriages
- Match System: Get daily match suggestions
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About the App:
Responsible for 4% of marriages in the U.S., eharmony is among our top picks for relationship-minded heterosexual singles. To become a member, add the app to your phone (iOS or Android) and then take its 29 Dimensions® of Compatibility Matching Quiz. It’s absolutely free to do both these things — as well as receive matches and communicate during other special events.
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OurTime.com
- Relationships: Dating and Relationships
- Match System: Search by age as well as zip, gender, more
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About the App:
Made just for single seniors, OurTime is one of the most well-known niche dating apps. It’s a fun and straightforward app with simple swiping features. Once two people swipe right on each other, they can communicate. For more match options, visit the ConnectMe and I’m Interested pages.
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San Bernardino Singles Bars
Some singles prefer texting online to talking in person with a crush, but others find they have more luck when they can look someone in the eye and read his or her body language. If you’re in this latter category, the online dating space probably isn’t for you. Instead, you should hang out at a place where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came. That’s right, I’m talking about a neighborhood bar. Below, we’ve ranked some of our favorite watering holes where San Bernardino singles can pick up a date. Cheers!
Wooden Nickel
The Wooden Nickel Bar & Grill is a beloved local hangout known for its mouthwatering barbecue, live music shows, and friendly atmosphere. It's not uncommon to see five or six motorcycles parked outside and sports fans cheering over a game. The bar's open mic events bring rock-n-roll fans together and give up-and-coming singers a chance to strut their stuff. Singles can spend night after night at the Wooden Nickel without busting their budgets because the beer is cheap and the laughs are free. One Facebook review called the bar "my home away from home." That sounds about right.
Trevor's Rustic Inn
"Rustic" is definitely the word to describe Trevor's Rustic Inn. The wooden, earthy tones of the bar can make you feel as if you're in someone's basement or game room. You're surrounded by pool tables, shuffleboard tables, and pinball machines, and the bar has tons of options to satisfy you. Whether you're digging into a juicy bacon-topped burger or sharing a tower of onion rings at the bar, you can't go wrong with this menu. You can score points with someone special at Trevor's Rustic Inn by ordering a round of drinks and starting a friendly game of pool.
South Side Saloon
The South Side Saloon may look like a dive on the outside — and on the inside — but its come-as-you-are vibes appeal to people who don't have to put on airs to have a great time. The bar offers cheap drinks (especially during its daily happy hours from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.) and good vibrations, and you don't have to make a reservation to join in the fun. The South Side Saloon doesn't serve food. However, the bartenders do allow patrons to bring chow from other places, so you have something to munch on while you drink, chat, and play darts.
The Cutting Board Restaurant & Bar
Located in the DoubleTree hotel on Hospitality Lane, the Cutting Board Restaurant and Bar serves an eclectic mix of locals and out-of-towners. The large, chic restaurant has a wraparound bar where anyone can pull up a chair and relax for a few hours. The kitchen's culinary chops are legendary, and it's always churning out healthy, farm-fresh dishes. If you're in the mood for classic California fare with a modern twist, the Cutting Board Restaurant will hit the spot.
Celebrities Sports Grill
Over 12,000 people follow the Celebrities Sports Grill in San Bernardino, and it has earned its good reputation by treating every guest like a celebrity. This casual bar serves delicious wings, savory burgers, high-quality liquors, and craft beer. Celebrities is the place to go on game days because it has a 300-inch HD projection screen to help everyone get into the action. This family-friendly joint rolls out the red carpet and invites locals to enjoy themselves until closing time at 2 a.m.
Ye Olde Lamplighter
Since 1964, Ye Olde Lamplighter has distinguished itself from the local bar scene with its old-fashioned decor and chivalrous service. Its classic pub grub is reason enough to stop by this place. Chef Holland Vaughn is at the helm of the kitchen and makes sure every prime rib, streak, and frankfurter comes out perfectly. Ye Olde Lamplighter is busiest during its karaoke nights (Thursday through Sunday), and the quaint, neighborly atmosphere helps newcomers feel like part of the family in no time.
San Bernardino Speed Dating
If you had a choice between taking either the I-10 or one-lane roads across San Bernardino, you’d almost certainly hop on the freeway because it’s significantly faster (except maybe when there’s a pileup). Speed dating is the I-10 of the dating world. It’s going to get you where you want to be a lot more quickly by allowing you to skip the tedium of going on one date at a time. A speed dating event accelerates the dating process by offering participants dozens of mini-dates where they can see if there’s any chemistry and establish a mutual connection.
San Bernardino Singles Events
Singles events typically unite singles around common interests and activities, and that creates a dynamic atmosphere to meet new people. You can show up for a paint night, happy hour, hiking excursion, or another singles-friendly event to expand your social circle while doing something you enjoy. Activity-based singles events give participants plenty to talk about, so they can casually get to know one another in a low-pressure environment.
San Bernardino Singles Clubs
At its heart, San Bernardino is a youthful and vibrant college town where you don’t have to go far to find a party. The city’s nightlife keeps singles laughing, chatting, and hoping for romance. Dozens of dance clubs stay open all night long and offer a wild time to locals and out-of-towners alike. You can put on your dancing shoes and hit the club scene to mingle with countless hotties under the strobe lights. You can look on Yelp to find the most popular clubs in town.
San Bernardino Chat Rooms
Anyone who has lived through a San Bernardino summer (when temperatures can top 97 degrees) knows that going outside to look for a date isn’t always the best idea. Some days it may be wiser to stay in the air conditioning and search for romance on your computer. A chat room can help with that. Local chat rooms are always open for anyone who wants to talk, and the anonymity of this forum appeals to daters who aren’t quite ready to make a big commitment. There’s no pressure to jump on a relationship train or even meet in real life. You can just chill out in a chat room and see where things go.
San Bernardino Personals
Dating personals sites offer a straightforward and hassle-free way to meet local singles. You don’t have to wrestle with complex match systems or in-depth profile setups on these platforms. Creating an account on a dating personal site is similar to creating a profile on a dating site, but it takes way less time because personal ads only require a username, location, age, and gender. Everything else is strictly optional. Singles use dating personals to bluntly state what they’re looking for (hookup, date, relationship, etc.) and what they have to offer.
Join the Community at a Large Event
San Bernardino hosts several annual events to bring people out of their shells and give them a lot to see and do. Some events center around food, others around music or culture or even motorcycles, but they all inspire a heartwarming community feeling in participants.
The Route 66 Rendevous invites car enthusiasts to convene in downtown San Bernardino.
The Route 66 Rendezvous is among San Bernardino’s most well-known and beloved annual events. This four-day celebration takes place on the streets of downtown in September. The event’s car-related activities take up 35 blocks of the city and include car shows, parades, and live concerts. In 2012, an estimated 500,000 people showed up for the final day of events.
You can look at the city calendar to find out what’s going on this weekend.
By attending a community event, you can surround yourself with a crowd of folks looking to have a good time, and that’s a terrific opportunity to find a date.
Get a Date in the Heart of Southern California
Finding your S.O. in the S.B. isn’t all that difficult once you know where to go. San Bernardino is one of the friendliest big cities on the West Coast, so local singles should consider themselves lucky to have such a dating-rich environment to call home.
No matter how friendly the city is, though, making social connections still takes effort; it won’t just happen by wishing on a star. Singles have to take action and put themselves out there if they want to expand their dating horizons. The resources on our list can point daters in the right direction, but it’s up to you to engage in the kind of heartfelt conversations that lead to lasting relationships.
Now that you’ve read our recommendations, we hope you remember to bring your A-game to San B’s dating scene. Good luck!
