A date-night meal doesn’t have to mean choosing the fanciest restaurant in Peterborough and hoping the menu suits you both.

The better place to start is by first deciding what sort of evening you want: something a little theatrical, a table full of dishes to share, a relaxed curry and a drink, or food you can take your time over.

Four Peterborough restaurants give you quite different versions of the night out.

Here’s what each one is good for, based on its current menu, booking information and opening details.

For an occasion that feels different: Katana

At 44 Broadway, Katana is the pick if you want the meal itself to give the evening some shape.

The restaurant serves Japanese Pan-Asian food, sushi and teppanyaki, so there’s more going on than simply choosing a main course each and waiting for it to arrive.

The menu includes sushi platters from £20 and main dishes priced from £14 to £23.

If you want to make it feel more like an occasion, the five-course tasting menu is £49.50 per person, while the seven-course version is £59.50.

That gives you two great ways to plan it.

Keep things flexible with a few dishes from the menu, or book the tasting option and let the restaurant set the pace.

The tasting menus are the more committed choice, so they’ll suit couples who want the food to be the main event rather than a quick meal before something else like theater, cinema or a couple of drinks after.

Katana is open Monday from 5pm to 10pm;

Tuesday to Friday from noon to 2.30pm and 5pm to 10pm;

Saturday from noon to 4pm and 5pm to 10pm;

and Sunday from noon to 4pm and 5pm to 9pm.

 For sharing and a bit of choice: Fire & Wok

Fire & Wok at 36 Cowgate is built around Cantonese and Szechuan food, with dine-in bookings available.

It’s a good fit for a couple who would rather order several things for the table than get locked into one dish each.

The restaurant’s three-course signature set menu costs £31 per person, with a minimum of two people.

That gives you a clear price point before you book, while the wider menu leaves room to choose around different tastes and spice preferences.

There’s also less pressure around timing: Fire & Wok says it opens daily from noon to 10pm.

That makes it handy for a lunchtime date, an early evening meal or a later booking when you don’t want to rush from work.

For drinks, small plates and a livelier plan: Tap & Tandoor 

Tap & Tandoor’s Peterborough branch is at 53 Cumbergate, in Queensgate.

The menu combines Indian small plates, tandoor grills and home-style curries with craft beer and cocktails.

This is the one to look at if your ideal date is not a formal two-course meal. Small plates start at £6.95, curries from £9.50 and the mixed grill is £21.95.

You can share a few starters, order something from the grill, or keep things simple with a curry and a drink.

The venue opens from midday seven days a week, giving you plenty of room to plan around shopping, a film or an early evening in the city centre.

 Its format also makes it easier to keep the bill and the meal flexible: order a little, see how you feel, then add another dish if you’re still hungry.

 For a relaxed sharing meal: Turkish Kitchen

At 34 New Road, Turkish Kitchen gives you another route into a date-night meal, with meze, charcoal-grilled dishes, combination kebabs, fish and sharing platters on the menu.

That mix suits couples who want to build the meal together rather than choose two completely separate plates.

Start with meze, add something from the charcoal grill, and let the meal stretch out. There are also larger sharing options if you’re both arriving hungry.

The restaurant is open Monday to Thursday from 11.30am to 10.30pm, Friday and Saturday from 11.30am to 11pm, and Sunday from 11.30am to 10pm.

Reservations are available through the restaurant’s website.

So, where should you book?

Choose Katana for sushi, teppanyaki or a tasting menu that makes the night feel like an occasion.

Go to Fire & Wok if you want Cantonese or Szechuan food with a set-menu option and broad opening hours.

Pick Tap & Tandoor for Indian small plates, grills and drinks in a flexible city-centre setting.

Turkish Kitchen is the natural choice for meze, charcoal cooking and a meal made for sharing.

Menus, prices and availability can change, so check the restaurant’s current page before booking.

The main thing is to decide what you want the date to feel like first.

Once you’ve done that, Peterborough gives you four very different starting points.