Step into the wayback machine and set the dial for the 1930s, even the '20s, and you'd still be able to pop into Margie's Candies and get a decadent hot fudge sundae or a box of chocolates for your sweetheart. Margie's is a Chicago landmark that has served the Bucktown community since 1921 (in 80+ years of scooping, it's impossible not to mention the famed visit by the Beatles after their Comiskey Park show). Margie's Candies is a Chicago legend.

The decor gives the impression that not a whole lot has changed in that time. It's still a cozy (cramped?) little shop with dolls, knickknacks, old newspaper clippings and other assorted mementos that have inhabited the shop for decades. In addition to the various deserts and candies, Margie's also serves a limited menu of soup and sandwiches and salads. The food is more along the lines of a dime-store cafeteria (egg salad sandwiches) than a real diner, but that can be forgiven: Desserts and hand-dipped candies are the focus and the specialty. The more than 50 sundaes on the menu encompass more than enough splits, as well as standard fudge and brownie sundaes, pie a la mode and belly busting bowls .

Margie's opens early and closes late, so you can satisfy that sweet tooth at any time during the day or night. In the warmer weather you can also eat outside (although the scenery on Western Avenue is generally not very appetizing).

Average cost: <$10