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They'll spank you at Babycakes

Start the day with a mug of Joe, a splash of whiskey, and a pistachio cupcake.
Start the day with a mug of Joe, a splash of whiskey, and a pistachio cupcake.

What is it about gay bars?

A special magic lurks here, generating static between bear bellies, designer button-ups, and open-air chest hair. Top 40 club jams that would normally inspire contempt at Gaslamp disco dumps transform into personal anthems for the evening. You find yourself shouting along to “This time baby, I’ll be bulletproof,” with a cranberry vodka in each hand and a newfound swagger in your step, and you begin to suspect that your neighborhood dive (not to mention your sexual orientation) has been selling you a misguided if not gravely repressed lie all along.

Hillcrest is famous for such dens of Dionysian abandon, where “Call Me Maybe” becomes an existential truth and laser lights refract off of polished steel nipple rings deep into the “Let’s Hear It for the Boys” night.

Place

Babycakes

3795 Fourth Ave, San Diego

Then there’s Babycakes. A pastry’s toss from Uptown institution the Brass Rail, Babycakes embodies all things enchanting about Hillcrest’s nightlife, except it opens at 9 a.m. daily and specializes in cupcakes, coffee, and cocktails.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Sassy yet sophisticated, Babycakes entreats you to start the day off Irish with a mug of Joe, a splash of whiskey, and a pistachio cupcake, while ample outdoor patio space and free Wi-Fi makes the Fifth Avenue confectionary an ideal spot for day drinks and laptop “work.”

The cocktail menu touts a handful of concoctions designed to complement the in-house cupcakes (gluten-free are available on weekends on a first-come, first-serve basis), drinks such as the Brandy Alexander (brandy/dark crème de cacao/creamy cream), the Chunky Munky (vanilla vodka/dark crème de cacao/banana liqueur/creamy cream), and the Richy Rich (ChocoVine/vanilla vodka/Kahlua).

Others invite intrigue based on name alone: the Happy Ending Shot (Bailey’s Irish Cream/Kahlua/whipped cream), the Masterbaker Shot (ChocoVine/dark crème de cacao/Rumple Minze), and Sticky & Sweet Tea (sweet tea vodka/lemonade).

Babycakes celebrates the month’s birthdays (RSVP at babycakessandiego.com) every third Saturday with a hosted vodka bar from 9 to 10 p.m., free cupcakes, drink specials, and birthday spankings.

Breaking further ground, Babycakes trades overproduced club hits for ’90s jams and radio-friendly rock. On a recent visit, the soundtrack jumped between the Postal Service, Foster the People, and Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl.”

Incidentally, “This shit is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S” perfectly describes the quirky patisserie.
Chad Deal

Hours: Mon–Thu, Sun 9 a.m.–11 p.m.; Fri, Sat 9 a.m.–12 a.m.
Happy: weekdays 5 to 8 p.m., $3 wells, wine, and beer
Cards accepted

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Start the day with a mug of Joe, a splash of whiskey, and a pistachio cupcake.
Start the day with a mug of Joe, a splash of whiskey, and a pistachio cupcake.

What is it about gay bars?

A special magic lurks here, generating static between bear bellies, designer button-ups, and open-air chest hair. Top 40 club jams that would normally inspire contempt at Gaslamp disco dumps transform into personal anthems for the evening. You find yourself shouting along to “This time baby, I’ll be bulletproof,” with a cranberry vodka in each hand and a newfound swagger in your step, and you begin to suspect that your neighborhood dive (not to mention your sexual orientation) has been selling you a misguided if not gravely repressed lie all along.

Hillcrest is famous for such dens of Dionysian abandon, where “Call Me Maybe” becomes an existential truth and laser lights refract off of polished steel nipple rings deep into the “Let’s Hear It for the Boys” night.

Place

Babycakes

3795 Fourth Ave, San Diego

Then there’s Babycakes. A pastry’s toss from Uptown institution the Brass Rail, Babycakes embodies all things enchanting about Hillcrest’s nightlife, except it opens at 9 a.m. daily and specializes in cupcakes, coffee, and cocktails.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Sassy yet sophisticated, Babycakes entreats you to start the day off Irish with a mug of Joe, a splash of whiskey, and a pistachio cupcake, while ample outdoor patio space and free Wi-Fi makes the Fifth Avenue confectionary an ideal spot for day drinks and laptop “work.”

The cocktail menu touts a handful of concoctions designed to complement the in-house cupcakes (gluten-free are available on weekends on a first-come, first-serve basis), drinks such as the Brandy Alexander (brandy/dark crème de cacao/creamy cream), the Chunky Munky (vanilla vodka/dark crème de cacao/banana liqueur/creamy cream), and the Richy Rich (ChocoVine/vanilla vodka/Kahlua).

Others invite intrigue based on name alone: the Happy Ending Shot (Bailey’s Irish Cream/Kahlua/whipped cream), the Masterbaker Shot (ChocoVine/dark crème de cacao/Rumple Minze), and Sticky & Sweet Tea (sweet tea vodka/lemonade).

Babycakes celebrates the month’s birthdays (RSVP at babycakessandiego.com) every third Saturday with a hosted vodka bar from 9 to 10 p.m., free cupcakes, drink specials, and birthday spankings.

Breaking further ground, Babycakes trades overproduced club hits for ’90s jams and radio-friendly rock. On a recent visit, the soundtrack jumped between the Postal Service, Foster the People, and Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl.”

Incidentally, “This shit is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S” perfectly describes the quirky patisserie.
Chad Deal

Hours: Mon–Thu, Sun 9 a.m.–11 p.m.; Fri, Sat 9 a.m.–12 a.m.
Happy: weekdays 5 to 8 p.m., $3 wells, wine, and beer
Cards accepted

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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