Cupid Candies and Ice Cream [Pictures]

LTHForum,

Hit Cupid Candies and Ice Cream last week after a visit to GNR nominee Vito and Nick's. Solid selection of candy, I particularly liked the dark chocolate cherries and the dark chocolate orange peel.





The 95th street shop is divided into two distinct sections with the ice cream side a little larger with seating. Cupid's ice cream was very good, not oh my gosh good, but the ice cream was rich with good texture and the ingredients, in particular the liquid marshmallow for the Sundays, top notch. Speaking of which, there is a branch of GNR nominee Top Notch Beefburger right across the street.

The youngsters making the Sundays were friendly and efficient, and the young lady in charge of the candy shop impressed me to no end, she was one of the most precise people I have seen in quite some time. Every candy was placed just-so, every fold of the paper, every movement, I can only hope her future profession is something requiring concentration, precision and dexterity, she would make a fine surgeon.

Cupid Ice Cream





Pride in product is evident, when asked if they made the caramel corn in-house the polite, but emphatic, response from the future surgeon was, "we make everything"

If I lived in the area I'd be hard pressed not to make a future GNR two-fer of Top Notch and Cupid once a month.

Enjoy,
Gary

Cupid Candies
7637 S. Western Avenue
Chicago, IL 60620
773-925-8191

Cupid Candies
9420 W. 143rd Street
Orland Park, IL 60462
708-403-3636

Cupid Candies
4707 W. 95th Street
Oak Lawn, IL 60453
708-423-2729

Top Notch Beefburger
2116 W 95th St
Chicago, IL 60643
(773) 445-7218

Top Notch Beefburger
4720 W 95th St
Oak Lawn, IL 60453
(708) 422-5544

Vito and Nick's
8435 S Pulaski Rd
Chicago, IL
773-735-2050

There was a Cupid's on 63rd Street a couple of doors from the Marquette Theatre. When I was growing up it was always a hard decision, Cupid's, or 4 blocks away the original Gerties at 59th and Kedzie. My dad would order a pineapple sundae with chocolate ice cream at Cupid's then bring home little jars of their hot fudge. They still sell the hot fudge and it is still wonderful.

G Wiv wrote:If I lived in the area I'd be hard pressed not to make a future GNR two-fer of Top Notch and Cupid once a month.

I agree that Cupid's is just the kind of place that could become an LTH Favorite. My hot fudge marshmallow sundae was very good. If enough people make the two-fer visit, we might just be considering Cupid's for a GNR next year.

I enjoyed our visit to Cupid and thought the history of the place and neighborhoodly feel were noteworthy but I wasn't that thrilled with the goods. For me, the ice cream was ok but nothing special. The flavors were somewhat ordinary and the texture was not nearly dense enough. It almost had a whipped consistency. It also annoyed me that they crammed my order into a container that was way too small and, as such, it started dripping all over the place almost the moment I removed the lid.

I thought the candies -- and the nuts within them -- were certainly fresh but the chocolate was not great, just good.

I spoke to one customer in the store who had 40-year memories of Cupid and it was great to get her take. Obviously, she loved the place and recounted having Cupid candies at her grandparents' house, as a kid. I can certainly respect that and her loyalty but for me, without the benefit of history, I thought it was just ok. Charming as it is, I just don't see this place as a food destination.

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dukesdad wrote:There was a Cupid's on 63rd Street a couple of doors from the Marquette Theatre.

The terrazzo entryway remains at 3143 W 63rd but little is left of the interior, now a cheap jewelry store.



Sherry-Brener, the Spanish guitar studio one door west, a stunningly beautiful shop, is still open. The Marquette Theater was immediately west of there, where the Walgreens parking lot is now.

ronnie_suburban wrote:I enjoyed our visit to Cupid and thought the history of the place and neighborhoodly feel were noteworthy but I wasn't that thrilled with the goods.

I can't disagree. A few years ago I bought caramels from Dan's (Joliet), Cunis (South Holland) and Cupid (95th St). Six or eight colleagues at work, including a few real candy fanatics, all ranked them in exactly that order. Cupid's caramels weren't bad at all but didn't compare well with the others. That reminds me that caramel apple season is already underway at Dan's.

One of the last Chicago family-owned candymakers preps for Valentine’s Day, and a sticky future ahead

at ChicagoTribune.com Louisa Chu wrote:Cupid Candies is one of the last of the old-line, family-owned candy makers in Chicago, like Margie’s Candies on the North Side. Greek immigrants once made the city the candy capital of the country. Now Cupid is one of the first to forge into the future by making CBD chocolate. Although Stefanos’ health is challenged, he gets help from loyal, longtime employees, most of whom are Mexican immigrants carrying on the tradition.

Feb. 12, 13 and 14 are the three busiest days of the year for boxed chocolate makers like Cupid. “The best day of the week for Valentine’s to fall on is actually Friday,” said Stefanos. It does this year. “Then Saturdays and Sundays are for those who forgot and want to get out of the doghouse.”

at ChicagoTribune.com Louisa Chu wrote:What you won’t find at Cupid stores are the CBD chocolates they make for the Elope brand based in Evanston. CBD, short for cannabidiol, is a cannabis compound that does not get you high, but is instead consumed for anxiety or chronic pain. After years of resisting requests, Stefanos relented because of his relationship with the owner of Elope, he said.

“John is still talking about carrying them (at Cupid), but it would be highly monitored,” said Biliskov. The CBD double chocolate meltaways, three layered mints that look just like your grandmother’s favorite candy, are available online and at local retailers including Fresh Thyme. When Stefanos took over Cupid, he concentrated on wholesale candymaking over their own retail stores.

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