It can be nerve-wracking to try and meet someone new, especially if you’re interested in getting to know them on a more — ahem — intimate level. So, what do you say?
Here are some examples that got the respect of bartenders in earshot.
Thanks to all the Redditors who shared their stories. You can check out more answers from the source at the end of this article!
I married the bartender (She worked at Excalibur in Chicago).
We were talking about cooking for one, and she wrote out a recipe on a napkin. I took it and thanked her. I then asked her “Who should I call if I have any questions when making this?” Then she flipped it over and wrote her number on the other side.
We were married three years later. I still have that napkin.
DaveNay
Homeless man who’d wander in on occasion: “hey miss, could you spare a couple quarters? …so I can call you later?”
LobsterGarden
I work in a bar. This is the opposite of a smooth pick up line, but it still worked. I overheard a guy mess up asking a girl out once by asking her is she “Wanted to go eat a movie sometime?” Her response was, “Sure! I always watch what I eat.” I laughed and there was merriment and a good time was had by all….
theworriedgypsy
I am a bartender. I met my husband at work, he was a patron. The night of our first date, he said: “do you wanna come over and watch half a movie?”
aordsao
More pick up lines on the next page!
A regular would start a conversation with a girl, wait for the second laugh out of her and then drop the magic…
“When I text you goodnight later, what phone number should I use?”
Cue the third laugh and him getting her number.
Every.
Time.
e3kb0m63r
I was a bartender in a college town. The best one I heard was when a guy approached a girl at the bar;
guy: “hey, looks like you dropped something!”
girl: “really? What?”
guy “your standards, hi I’m Mike”
Girl laughed so hard she spilled her drink and he bought her a new one.
MajorMustard
My first month of bartending I had a girl quickly finish 2 cosmos. I came up and asked her how she was doing.
“I’d have another one, but you’d have to take me home”
Her group of friends got a nice laugh when I blushed.
pigiron5
I saw two people hook up without even saying anything to each other. They were looking at each other from across the bar, he raised an eyebrow, she half smiled and nodded. They met in the middle and it was on. They didn’t even buy another drink. I know they did not know each other as the bloke is my cousin.
nothinbeatsagoodsht
I saw a drinking guy sit next to a woman at the bar and say, “you mind if I sit here and hit on you for a while.”
That’s my go to pick up line other than Taco Bell hot sauce sayings.
PM_ME_YOUR_BEE_SYRUP
More pick up lines on the next page!
I once saw a girl go up to a fellow in a goth club and ask him if he washed his clothes in Windex. He was supposed to say no so she could say, “That’s weird, cause I sure can see myself in your pants!”
Trouble was, he was wearing patent leather pants, and excitedly answered “Yes! Aren’t they shiny?” Her line was ruined, but they left together anyway.
Meggarea
“Hi I’m (so and so).”
This coupled with a friendly handshake is literally the only line I’ve ever witnessed work.
Myhandsunclean
“Do you want the best sex of your life tonight?”
“No.”
“Then I’m the guy for you”
mcfaddes222
I am not a bartender but I saw this happen at a bar. I was sitting at a table with two of my friends, one girl, one guy. Some guy I have never seen before comes over, places three beers, one in front of each of us and proceeds to start talking to my female friend. I assumed it was just one of her friends I had never met. It took me a solid five minutes to figure out this guy was a stranger and then I was blown away with how smooth of a move that was.
8023root
A girl once bet that if she could fit an entire one of the cupcakes we sold in her mouth without using her hands, I would have to give it to her for free. She did and I did. I was so impressed, I got her a free drink too. 6 years later, we’re still together eating cupcakes.
CantankerousOctopus
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I was a bartender for a little while. On my last day I was celebrating my last day with everyone and the hottest girl at the bar that day said “after your shift wanna come over and celebrate?” Literally the only time that has happened to me in my life, I am still riding on that high.
pastathehoagie
Not while I was at work but was on a late train once and watched a tipsy woman chat a guy into getting off at the next stop to go to a pub that “had a jazz band on tonight”.
I know the pub she named and I know full well there was no jazz band on that night. That lady was hot and that guy was super lucky.
bennett93ish
I bartend in a pub next to a college campus. I watched a guy say “that’s interesting” or “Oh, man, that’s crazy!” for a full hour and a half before leaving with a girl way out of his league.
Fake it till you make it, ladies and gentleman.
customcombos
I work at a bar in Long Beach NY (male)
A female customer was giving me advice on how to hit on my bartender co worker (female) who is a very close friend of mine. She kept feeding me “adorable” things to say to my friend because she thought we looked cute together. I thanked her and took one step toward my friend then turned back to her and repeated it all back. She took the bait and it landed me back at her place.
patm516
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Saw an extremely drunk girl hanging out at the bar once. By hang out I mean she was leaning against the bar just to barely stay up. That’s when a drunk guy stumbles into her. I’d say that’s when their eyes met and they discovered true love, but it’s hard to say since they both had their eyes barely open and glossed over by slight alcohol poisoning. They both then grunted into each other’s general directions and proceeded to make out or eat each other’s faces off, can’t really tell.
Detoxbyretox
Not myself but my bartender relief, One night her friends come in with this guy and they get introduced but not in the “hey this is blah blah” and try to hook them up way, I guess they were just out with him. Anyways, they all closed down the bar (as her friends normally do) and they start to leave while she cleans up the bar. She see’s he left his phone so she runs out and gives it to him. Fast forward a few weeks and they come in and same thing happens. Well apparently he does it a 3rd time and she goes out and says something like “why do you keep forgetting your phone?!” And he said something along the lines of “well this is really the only alone time I get with you” A few dates and about a year later they’re happily married!
Tacobaee
When I was working as a bartender I witnessed something pretty epic/hilarious…
A good mate of mine was at the bar, and he’s a pretty stingy guy so he doesn’t spend too much when out on the town, and usually doesn’t get piss drunk. So yeah, my mate’s been at the bar all night, chatting to friends and other random patrons, and there is this total babe sitting on the other side of the bar from him that’s been eyeing him all night. I have no idea if he’s even aware of her or not. So she’s been sitting there for ages, sort of waiting for something to happen, just sipping on her lolly-drink. No dudes have bothered to approach her or anything so far.
This keeps up for a bit, and then this buff scary looking guy comes to the bar, totally wasted, and asks me for a beer. He asks me quietly what the hot lady’s been drinking and tells me to get her another one. He pays up and goes to the bathroom or some place.
I give the lady the drink and tell her it’s compliments of a gentlemen admirer (lol) and she just looks straight at my mate! Being the total miser that he is, he just nods at her and cracks a sly grin! She walks up to him and they start chatting, and 2 minutes later they leave together.
Meanwhile, the big guy comes back and see’s the lady missing, and promptly orders himself another drink.
mixedbloodlines
Bar tended in college. Guy walked up to a girl at the bar, goes “Hi my name is Ben, and I’m going to buy you drinks until you find me attractive.” Girl smiled and laughed and he asked what she would like to drink. She looked him over (he was already very attractive), turned to me and said “In that case, I’ll have a water.”
xray_anonymous
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I witnessed this line this weekend and I thought it was fantastic. After this girl had turned down some pretty good looking fellow, this other guy walks up to the bar like he’s going to order a drink and just casually says ‘man, he’s definitely taller than me so I sure hope I can make you laugh.’
Didn’t watch the whole thing unfold, but they were still chatting when I left.
Bloo_Berd
I was sitting heard a guy say this to the girl next to me “You look like a night of disappointment and week of dodged phone calls.” I didn’t hear the rest of the conversation but they left together.
executive313
I’m a bartender. Met my girlfriend when she asked me for two shots of a tequila and tabasco based shot and then said “that one is for you.” I still think she’s very cool.
woozlee
A coworker tried to start a game of tic-tac-toe with a pretty girl by drawing an empty board on a napkin and handing her the pen. She just wrote down her phone number.
FREAK_DOLPHIN_R