Good Golly, Miss Molly('s)

By Olivia Leigh in Food on Dec 21, 2007 3:30PM

Combine kitschy decor, deliciously moist cupcakes and a heart-warming tale, and what do you get? The most adorable bakery to hit Chicago in recent memory.

Molly's Cupcakes, located at 2536 N. Clark (between Wrightwood and Deming), opened just a week ago. Combining the right blend of food, hospitality, and kitsch, we don't envision it having any trouble finding a warm spot in the hearts of Lakeview denizens. Although they also offer brownies, mini-pies, and other baked goods, cupcakes are obviously Molly's prime offering, coming with a decades-long history of popularity. The namesake of the restaurant is owner John Nicolades' grade school teacher, who used to bake cupcakes on her students' birthdays, passing the recipe onto her student.

We've never really gotten the fuss about some of the other cupcake standards (Alliance, Cupcakes, etc.), always finding the frosting too heavy or the cake too dry, but the cupcakes at Molly's taste like upscale versions of ones we used to get at home. Moist, sweet (but not too sweet), and flavorful, we particularly enjoyed the lemon cupcake, topped with a candied fruit slice and filled with a gooey core of lemon curd, serve on one of assorted china plates, many of which were gifted to the bakery upon opening. Everything is made from scratch daily, including fresh apple cider, and as such, treats may be running low if you stop in late at night. If you're like us and need some caffeine with any baked good, a full range of Intelligentsia products are up for grabs.

The childlike spirit of the spot continues into the decor, with brightly colored furniture, small desks, and, best of all, wooden swings at the bar. The owner and employees, too, possess an adorably youthful spirit, excited about their first dining venture, and they're eager to talk about the business. They seem to be having a wonderful time bonding with the owners and employees of other local businesses, including nearby Toro Sushi and Oodles of Noodles.

While making a journey to east Lincoln Park might not seem worth it for a product served up at any hot bakery around town, Molly's instantly won us over in a way few places can. From the quality of product to the friendliness of the staff; from the insanely fun swings to the fact that a portion of the proceeds go to support local schools, we've found a reason to head over to the Park on more than a blue moon.

Molly's Cupcakes
2536 N. Clark
773-883-7220
www.mollyscupcakes.com