Booze-infused treats & more in Grant Park

It was always the best when other school kids brought cupcakes on their birthdays, especially given how difficult it is for first-graders to reach the Courvoisier. Thoughtfully combining the two: Cupcake Lounge.

Set in a relaxing date-ready space with white leather pod chairs, globe-shaped string lamps, and a blue/white mosaic bar, CL serves boozy baked desserts alongside sammies and hot foods, and's run by a hairstylist/former adult novelty shop owner and her Army-chef younger bro, who says you'll be able to "sit back with your shawty and actually talk", but you should go anyway. Only top-shelf hooch is used in the 'cakes, whether just Grey Goose and Patron (they say just about everything else is fair game, too), or in cocktail homages like White Russians and Irish Car Bombs; they'll also feature non-boozed seasonal recipes (watermelon in summer, sweet potato pie in fall), and keep year-round flavors like red velvet, Oreo, and Chunky Monkey, assuming Micky Dolenz doesn't eat himself first. Non-diabetic coma-inducing meals include locally sourced veggie soup along with buffalo chicken/lamb sliders, Krystal pup-like mini hot dogs, and 'wiches like a Monte Cristo panini on rye or pumpernickel, and slow-roasted beef the chef says is so good "you might come back and hug someone in the kitchen", although if there're buttered rolls about, you know R. Kelly is gonna be looking for more than just that.

They also have organic teas & coffees, cold, pureed mango-based "fruit soups" described as "something between juice and a slushie", plus banana pudding and chipotle chocolate mousse "dessert shooters", just another thing those thoughtless little brats forgot to bring in on their birthdays...seriously Timmy, where the eff's my Buttery Nipple?!?