13 unique gift ideas for Valentine’s Day

This year, think outside the box to wow your Valentine. Use these ideas for fun, flirty and family-friendly one-of-a-kind gifts for your one in a million. These gift ideas include something for everyone in your life, from the plant lover to the New York City foodie. In particular, there are plenty of experience gifts for Valentine’s Day. Because why not gift the present of your presence?

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Photo courtesy of Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream

A taste of New York
If you and your Valentine are spending the 14th apart this year, send a taste of home their way. Goldbelly offers a luxurious menu of iconic NYC dishes, including a fully-loaded Russ & Daughters Brunch, multi-layered Union Square Cafe Lasagna, and a delightful dim sum assortment from Nom Wah.

Don’t forget dessert. Several local New York City eateries are offering special sweets for February 14, like Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream’s “Cutie Cake.” Priced at $104, the mini ice cream cake features the shop’s Passion Fruit-Swirled Raw Milk ice cream, with a heart made of Strawberry Jam and Smooth n’ Delicious Strawberry ice cream, all on top of a frosted vanilla cake. Pre-order your Cutie Cake for nationwide delivery here. If you’re local, cakes can be picked up at Morgenstern’s in Greenwich Village between February 8 and February 14.

Photo courtesy of Milk Bar

Set the mood this Valentine’s Day with Milk Bar’s Red Velvet Cheesecake, made of tasty double chocolate red velvet cake and frosting, a cheesecake filling, and topped with red velvet crumbs. The six-inch cake, which serves up to 12, is priced at $59 and is available for in-store pick-up and local delivery. The truffle version of Milk Bar’s Valentine’s Day cake is $29 for 12 truffles.

Photo courtesy of Magnolia Bakery

Magnolia Bakery’s world-famous banana pudding is getting a chocolatey makeover for Valentine’s Day. As part of a limited-edition menu, the bakery is serving up a chocolate-covered strawberry pudding, made with layers of fresh roasted strawberries, chocolate cake crumbles, chocolate fudge icing, and vanilla pudding. Perfect for February 14 is the “Date Night Sampler Pack,” which includes two classic cupcakes and two cups of chocolate-covered strawberry pudding.

A cooking class
Whether you’re total novices or culinary professionals, there’s always more to learn about food. Treat yourself and your loved one to a couple’s cooking class. Browse the class calendar at a local culinary school such as Miette or Freshmade. OR cook from the comfort of your own kitchen with a virtual class from a celebrity chef like Christina Tosi (of Milk Bar fame) or Christopher Kimball.

Photo courtesy of Le Moné

A wine tasting
Pick up your favorite bottle or try something new, then spend the night tasting and learning about wine from the comfort of your couch. For a fun experiment, pick up something more affordable like Apothic Cabernet Sauvignon, and a bottle with a higher price tag, such as Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cab. See if you and your Valentine can detect the pricier wine by taste alone. Or, for something totally new, grab a bottle of sake from Brooklyn Kura or make a cocktail with Le Moné, a low-alcohol and low-sugar aperitif made with New York farm wine and California brandy.

An alcohol-free tasting
If you and your loved one are cutting back on alcohol this year, it doesn’t mean you can’t indulge in a delicious tasting. There are plenty of unique zero-proof drinks these days, from beer to spirits to wine. Some, like Three Spirit and Seedlip, even come with health benefits. After you taste, you can test your mixology skills.

Photo courtesy of Uncommon Goods

A personalized artwork
Show off your “mountain crew” with this adorable Valentine’s Day gift that captures a prized family pastime in a one-of-a-kind print. Created by Patricia Carlin, this is the perfect gift for a ski or snowboard-obsessed Valentine(s). The charming artwork allows you to customize the piece with between two and 14 characters designed to look like your family or friends.

Photo: Partners Coffee

A coffee subscription
If you fear your Valentine before their first cup of coffee in the morning, set them up with a subscription to keep them happily caffeinated. Partners Coffee will deliver bags of the freshest whole beans directly to your loved one’s apartment every week, two weeks, or month. As part of a special Valentine’s Day deal, Partners Coffee is offering a limited edition Sweetheart Duo, a package of Brooklyn and Elevate roasts for $26.75, and the Sweetheart Bundle, which adds the San Francisco blend to the duo for $45.50. Treat the single friend in your life (or yourself!) to Partner Coffee’s Single Origin Coffees, which will be 15 percent off between February 11 and February 14.

Photo courtesy of Uncommon Goods

A romantic tea time
And if your sweetheart prefers tea over coffee, these heart-shaped tea bags add a little romance to tea time. Made in France and priced at $34, each set comes with five English Breakfast, five Earl Grey, and five White Berry tea bags.

Photo courtesy of Uncommon Goods

A paint date
Uncommon Goods offers some fun and cozy at-home classes for two to get your creative juices flowing. Sign up for a Romantic Date Night Painting Class and learn to paint by shadows together. Led by art teacher Jennifer Funnel, the 90-minute couples’ painting class is an introduction to acrylics, with all of the materials you need (sans bubbly and romantic ambiance) delivered right to your door.

A chocolate bar made in Brooklyn
Forget the classic heart-shaped box of chocolates this year and support a local business instead. Red Hook-based Raaka Chocolate is known for its unique tasting dark chocolate candy bars, with everything made from scratch. The best-seller collection is available for $15 on Amazon and includes their Coconut Milk, Pink Sea Salt, and Bourbon Cask Aged bars.

For Valentine’s Day, Raaka partnered with the New York Botanical Garden and local florist Stems Brooklyn to offer a special chocolate-and-flowers gift set. The $60 gift includes a handmade dried flower bouquet and three limited-batch chocolate bars (Hibiscus Cinnamon, Jasmine Mint, and Rose Cardamom) that are part of a collaboration with NYBG. The set is available in limited quantities as a pre-order for local pick-up at Raaka’s Rockefeller Center pop-up and at their Brooklyn factory through February 3.

Photo courtesy of Uncommon Goods

A plant-your-own succulent kit
Instead of short-lived roses, this pretty DIY succulent kit lasts for months with minimal care. Plus, it’s a fun activity that puts your green thumb to the test. The plant lover in your life can arrange the plants and decorative moss in the heart-shaped frame and then hang it on a wall to admire their handy work.

A Hoya Heart duo
Gift the plant lover in your life this adorable plant pair from The Sill. Known as the Hoya Heart Plants because of their heart-shaped leaves, Hoya kerrii are tropical succulents. The perfect plant for Valentine’s Day, the single leaf cutting keeps its lovely heart shape for years to come. The duo is available for $55, or a single heart for $32.

A perfect-for-staying-in puzzle
A 1000-piece puzzle can offer hours of entertainment. So stay in this February and put together a mind-bending work of art that you can even hang on the wall when you’re done. Illustrated by artist Aurélia Durand, the Find Your Voice puzzle features a colorful, 60s-inspired backdrop.

Wayfair’s unisex bathrobe is selling for $42.

A cozy robe
Who doesn’t crave the comfort of a fluffy robe on a frigid February morning? Warm your Valentine’s heart and body with a thick and luxurious robe like the Super-Plush Robe from Brooklinen. Made with Turkish cotton, the robe has a relaxed “spa-like” fit. We also like this super-soft 100 percent cotton terry cloth robe from Wayfair. Pockets make the robe cozy and convenient.

RELATED: 

• The Sill’s Valentine’s Day Collection is perfect for the special plant-parent in your life
• Romantic Valentine’s Day takeout and treat options from NYC restaurants

Lead photo credit: Photo of Partners Coffee courtesy of Partners Coffee