In the Words of MyCheekyDate
Because sometimes the most modern thing you can do…
is meet someone the old-fashioned way — preferably not on the Central line at rush hour.
Let’s be honest: dating apps should come with a warning label by now.
“May cause scrolling fatigue, serial pen pals, existential dread, declining standards, and a sudden urge to flee to the countryside.”
And yet — speed dating quietly thrives in London.
Not because it’s quaint or retro, but because it’s refreshingly human in a city where dating has become more admin than romance.
Here’s why speed dating still works — and why it might be working better than ever in London.
✨ 1. Zero illusions, zero filters, zero “Tube lighting disaster”
No curated angles.
No seven-year-old holiday photos from Ibiza.
No “6’2” in my profile but mysteriously shorter in person” maths.
Just real Londoners, face-to-face, no Photoshop, no pretence — which is… honestly… revolutionary these days.
Speed dating is the antidote to swipe-induced delusion.
✨ 2. Chemistry in real time > messaging for five weeks (usually while stuck on the Northern line)
In person, connection happens fast.
In five minutes, you learn more than fifty messages ever could —
their voice, humour, timing, warmth, confidence, presence…
Things no app can translate. Things no Tube delay can ruin.
Half the people you'd swipe left on would charm you instantly over a pint in Soho.
Speed dating brings that spark back.
✨ 3. You meet people who actually want to date (a rarity in this city)
Apps are full of people who are:
• Passing time between stops
• Half-interested
• “Just seeing what’s out there”
• Killing boredom in Pret
• Emotionally unavailable since 2012
Speed daters?
They show up with intention.
They are warm, open, social, and actually hoping to meet someone — not “just vibes.”
You’re starting from aligned intentions.
In London, that’s practically gold dust.
✨ 4. It’s efficient — like networking for the heart (minus the LinkedIn energy)
In one night, you meet 10–20 singles you’d never bump into in real life.
Not at the gym.
Not in Sainsbury’s.
And definitely not in silence on the Victoria line.
Speed dating compresses months of “maybe one date if someone eventually replies” into a single fun evening.
It’s dating — without the drag.
✨ 5. The energy is unmatched in a room full of hopeful Londoners
There’s something deliciously electric about it:
💛 butterflies
💛 cheeky glances over a drink
💛 soft laughter
💛 the “wait… who is that?” moment across the room
Apps can’t replicate it.
The Tube certainly can’t.
Speed dating can.
✨ 6. It cuts through the nonsense (bless it)
Face-to-face, you can’t ghost mid-conversation.
You can’t juggle seven chats while still talking to them.
You can’t pretend to be a DJ/entrepreneur/crypto king living “between London and Dubai.”
You’re just… yourself.
Which is refreshing — and rare.
Speed dating brings dating back to kindness, honesty, and authenticity.
✨ 7. And honestly? It’s simply more fun than dating apps
People forget this part.
Dating is supposed to feel exciting — not like an unpaid part-time job.
Speed dating reminds you that connecting, flirting, laughing, and meeting fabulous new people is meant to be enjoyable.
Not a swipe.
Not a chore.
Not a queue you have to stand in (we have enough of those in London).
💛 At the end of the day…
Speed dating works because people work.
Real conversations work.
Real smiles work.
Real chemistry works.
In a world full of swipes, short attention spans, and half-hearted “u up?” messages, speed dating remains one of the few places where you can show up, be your lovely London self, and maybe — just maybe — meet someone who feels like a breath of fresh air.
And if nothing else?
You leave with:
• a fun night
• a good story
• and the warm reminder that connection still exists
Not in your inbox.
Not in the algorithm.
👉 In the room.