Cheap things to do: Best “international” dates

GO: RUSSIA
If Doctor Zhivago taught us anything, it’s that fur hats are sexy, and that Russians take their romance seriously. So start the night off at the Russian-French Anyway Café (34 E 2nd St at Second Ave; 212-533-3412, anywaycafe.com) by splitting a Romanoff salad with vodka-cream caviar dressing ($10), then support the proletariat by sharing some Russian peasant-style beef ($14). In Soviet Russia, movies watch you! Head to Pravda (281 Lafayette St between Jersey and Prince Sts; 212-226-4944, pravdany.com) for its FREE ’20s and ’30s Russian-cinema series, Sundays at 8pm, with a splurge-worthy vodka-and-lemon Leninade ($24 for two) in hand. Popcorn is for capitalist pigs—nosh on the complimentary homemade potato chips and caviar dip.

GO: JAPAN
Meet your Harajuku girl (or guy) at Angel’s Share (8 Stuyvesant St at 9th St, 212-777-5415), at the crossroads of downtown’s mini Tokyo. Head upstairs to the bustling Gyu-ya restaurant and enter through the unmarked door on the left. Once inside, huddle into a banquette or snag a club chair in the back room, then whet your appetite for romance over a classic cocktail like the Evidence, made with Earl Grey–infused vodka ($13). Now that you’re in a state of heavenly bliss, go around the corner to subterranean sake bar Decibel (240 E 9th St between Second and Third Aves; 212-979-2733, sakebardecibel.com). This intimate lair serves more than 70 sakes—try the Nigori, a sweet unfiltered variety ($10), and nibble on a heaping plate of edamame ($3). Kampai!

GO: MEXICO
UES couples in the mood for romance, pay attention. Start your night off at Taco Taco (1726 Second Ave between 89th and 90th Sts, 212-289-8226), a redundantly named Mexican restaurant that’s as cozy as the fare is tasty. Order a healthy portion of two tacos—chicken or beef—with rice and beans for $12. Back stateside, snuggle even closer at Brandy’s Piano Bar (235 E 84th St between Second and Third Aves; 212-744-4949, brandysnyc.com). This tiny space can get crowded, but that’s because the service is just too damn good: The bartenders sling $5 beers and take turns belting out hits like “Come Sail Away.” Tap your toes and sing along. And at the end of the night, remember: True love doesn’t care how gaseous or tone-deaf you may be.

GO: MIDDLE EAST
At Ashkara (189 E Houston St between Ludlow and Orchard Sts; 212-260-8302, ashkaraone.com), you can drown tasty falafel in fresh toppings (17, to be exact) from the self-serve salad bar ($4–$5). Then, stroll over to Le Caire Lounge (189 E 3rd St between Aves A and B; 212-777-7447, lecairelounge.com) to unwind—and swap spit by sharing a fruit-flavored hookah (weekdays $15, Friday or Saturday $20). If you gave up smoking with Bloomberg, just groove to the fun and funky world music and choose from the extensive beverage menu (most wines are $7 a glass). It’s a night of global fun without the need for a passport and those tiny bottles of travel shampoo.

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