Small talk across a restaurant table runs out fast if there's nothing to react to. A date built around watching something, tasting something, or doing something with your hands gives the conversation a reason to keep going. Five ideas that don't rely on either of you carrying the whole conversation.
Trivia night at a local pub
Show up as a team of two, even if you lose badly. It's low-stakes, it's funny when you both get something obviously wrong, and there's a built-in topic every few minutes instead of one long stretch of talking.
Browse a thrift or vintage store
An hour of picking things up, holding them against yourself, asking "would you wear this" — it tells you more about someone's taste and sense of humor than a dinner conversation usually does. Cheap too, if the date doesn't go anywhere.
A street food crawl, three or four stalls
Split small portions instead of one big meal each. If a stall sells dried fruit, a bag of Mazafati dates is an easy last stop — sweet, no cutlery, easy to split two ways.
Stargazing somewhere outside town
Twenty minutes' drive out is usually enough to lose the streetlights. Bring a blanket and something to eat that won't spill in the dark — dates and a handful of nuts work better than anything that needs a plate.
A volunteer shift, together
An hour at an animal shelter walking dogs, or a community garden pulling weeds, gives you a shared task and shows you how someone acts when nobody's impressed by them. It's an unusual first date, but it tends to be memorable for the right reasons. If it runs long and you both get hungry, a bag of dried fruit travels better than anything from a vending machine.
None of these need a reservation or a plan B. Pick whichever fits the week, and if the conversation still runs dry, at least there's something else happening around you.