Cheap dates: Cambridge/Somerville

A beer and a bowl                       
Seeking out a single spot for food, drink and some break-the-ice entertainment? Try Sacco's Bowl Haven, an old-timey bowling alley with a liquor license and a pizza parlor. It's lost a shade of character since getting renovated in 2010, but remains a cut above the fratty atmosphere at Jillian’s and Kings. Thanks to $2.50 shoe rentals and $3.50 games, it also won't hurt your pocket quite as much as that swanky cocktail bar in the South End. 45 Day St, Somerville (617-776-0552, saccosbowlhaven.com)

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You’ve got a golden ticket           
There aren’t any Oompa Loompas, but Somerville does have its very own chocolate factory that offers weekend tours ($5 by online reservation, no golden ticket necessary). Sample some chocolate nibs, explore the scrumptious-smelling bean grinder rooms, and learn more about Union Square’s Taza Chocolate and its cocoa concoctions, which come in flavors like cinnamon chocolate and yerba mate. Afterwards, proceed to Inman for a quick bite at Punjabi Dhaba, a no-frills Indo-Pakistani restaurant known for its tasty mango lassis, clunky cafeteria trays, and propensity for blasting Bollywood music videos at top volume. 
Taza: 561 Windsor St, Somerville (617-623-0804, tazachocolate.com). Punjabi Dhaba: 225 Hampshire St, Cambridge (617-547-8272, royalbharatinc.com)

Japanese-American(a) Relations  
Start your Porter Square night at Café Mami with a heaping helping of yaki-don (Japanese beef and rice) and a green tea milkshake. Then, cross the street and settle down at Toad, one of the city's preeminent no-cover live music spots. Most evenings they showcase some rootsy Americana and/or dusty classic rock. While the bar's acoustics make conversation slightly difficult, you can at least size up your date's musical tastes. What better way to weed out the Beliebers? 
Café Mami: 1815 Massachusetts Ave, Porter Square, Cambridge (617-547-9130). Toad: 1912 Massachusetts Ave, Porter Square, Cambridge (617-497-4950, toadcambridge.com)

Bad art, better flicks
Cinemaphiles discouraged by $10 movie prices should scurry to Somerville Theatre after work to catch a matinee for a mere five bones. Post-film, take your ticket stub and a couple of glasses of concession-stand wine downstairs for free admission at the theater's Museum of Bad Art. The god-awful paintings are worth a hearty chuckle or two. If you're getting stomach rumblings, skip to the other side of the square for homemade pumpkin ravioli and $2.50 beers at Mike's. Somerville Theatre: 55 Davis Square, Somerville (617-625-5700, somervilletheatreonline.com). Mike's: 9 Davis Square, Somerville (617-628-2379, mikesondavis.com)

A slammin' Wednesday night
For local poets, the Cantab's weekly slam reigns supreme. If you think you can drop some stanzas with the best of 'em, swing by a half-hour early and throw your name in for the 8pm open mic. Otherwise, sit back and soak in a night of virtuosic wordplay. Thanks to the $3 cover, it's a worthy excursion even for poetry noobs and people-watchers. Coupled with a lamb shawarma from nearby Moody's Falafel Palace, you can't get a much cheaper outing in Central Square. Cantab Lounge: 738 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge (617-354-2685, slamnews.com). Moody's Falafel Palace: 25 Central Square, Cambridge (617-864-0827, falafelpalace.net)

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