Crave Dessert Bar $

500 W. 5th St., Charlotte
704/335-0588
www.cravedessertbar.com [1]

HOURS: Tues.–Sun. 6 p.m.–2 a.m.

COST: Most entrées less than $10

Who doesn’t love a restaurant that has a dozen different cupcake flavors on the menu? Opened in 2009, Crave has quickly become one of the hippest hangouts in Uptown.

Contrary to its name, Crave Dessert Bar is a restaurant—the menu lists small bites like spiced hummus and cheese plates—but almost everyone is here to satisfy a craving for something sweet.

Decadent doesn’t begin to describe the desserts that come out of the kitchen. The sweet treats include Southern Belle, a pecan pie cupcake drizzled with maple sauce, and Berry Berry Wild, a dessert made with fresh raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries mixed with sugar and lemon and topped with a sweet biscuit.

The decadent desserts go with coffee or cocktails. In fact, the menu suggests wine or liqueur pairings for each dessert: Fonseca 10-year Tawny with the rich, silky chocolate mousse and raspberry sorbet combination called Julia’s Child; Terrazas Malbec for the Victorian, three layers of rich chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling and chocolate butter cream icing.

Before falling into a cupcake coma, check out the artwork displayed throughout the lounge. The works were created by local artists and are rotated on a regular basis.