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Babe’s Sports Bar, the first and only bar in Chicago exclusively showing women’s sports, opened in the Logan Square neighborhood on Sept. 27. Nora McConnell-Johnson co-owns the debut business with her best friend Torra Spillane. They met at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, and were co-captains of their rugby team, informally called the Badass Sparkle Princesses or BSP for short. The first bar ever dedicated 100% to women’s sports began with The Sports Bra, opened in Portland in 2022. “That was the original model for what a women’s sports bar could be,” said McConnell-Johnson. Here, Whiskey Girl Tavern in Edgewater prioritized showing women’s sports, among other games, since opening three years ago. All of the establishments are not just for women, though. “We’re for anyone who wants to be part of the women’s sports community,” said McConnell-Johnson. She credits the menu to bar manager Margaux Lent, previously at Marz Community Brewing and the head brewer at Ørkenoy. “We have this Negroni that we call A New Kind of Negroni,” said McConnell-Johnson. Their take on a Negroni sbagliato cocktail mixes gin, Campari and sweet vermouth, topped with a prosecco float. The Babe’s Lineup #1 is the lead off to a rotating rum punch, she added. The drink currently features pineapple and lime juices plus a house-made Babe’s spice syrup. A Dill Breaker comes in a thrifted coupe with gin, dry vermouth and pickle juice, plus a little pickle and onion skewer. Their wine program will offer seasonal bottles alongside a “home team” red and white, plus prosecco on tap, all available by the glass, carafe and bottle. The menu also features low alcohol and nonalcoholic drinks. “Torra’s background is in public health,” said McConnell-Johnson. So they used her business partner’s research methodology to survey their Instagram followers and found that low and no ABV options were important to them. “Which makes sense, especially at a bar that’s focused on community more than drinking culture.” A nonalcoholic Painkiller drink shakes pineapple, orange and lime juices with cream of coconut, garnished with a pineapple wedge and nutmeg. “Some people do add a shot of rum to it,” she added. Her own background may also seem surprising for a bar owner. “I was a teacher for a long time,” said McConnell-Johnson. Teach For America placed the young Minnesotan at a middle school in New Orleans in 2012 for their two-year program, but she stayed for seven years. “I loved teaching,” she said. “I taught pretty much everything.” As a fifth-grade teacher, that included teaching her students about the legendary American athlete “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias. The bar isn’t officially named after her, but a nod to women in sports and other men-dominated spaces. McConnell-Johnson moved to our city in 2019 to attend the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, graduated with a master’s degree and then worked at Chicago Public Schools doing education policy and strategic planning. The CPS experience taught her how to work in a bureaucracy, and that she’s not built for an office job. “I love the chaos of a middle school classroom,” said McConnell-Johnson. “Which is, it turns out, very similar to a bar.” Some people have questioned her background, because she had never worked in a bar. “And I’m like, you are underestimating what teachers do,” she said. “You’re telling me that you don’t fully understand how hard it is to be a teacher.” While she taught reading and writing, there were other lessons. “What I was really good at was making middle schoolers feel safe and loved, in a space where they wanted to be together,” said McConnell-Johnson. “And I think that is something I’m really trying to bring to Babe’s.” Do note that you have to be 21 or older to enter. “It’s a cozy smaller space,” she said, praising their designer and contractor Ilyana Schwartz, principal at Last Call Design & Build. “And there’s a beautiful wood bar.” A long chartreuse banquette on the opposite wall showcases donated trophies above. “We asked anybody who was a women’s sports person that had a trophy or memorabilia from their past,” she added. A disco ball, in their green and pink signature colors, was made by a regular who met her girlfriend at one of their watch parties in the early fundraising days. “They’re the first Babe’s couple that I know of,” said McConnell-Johnson. The back lounge seating includes bleachers under a vintage scoreboard from a rec center in Illinois. The pathway to the outdoor seasonal back patio was revamped in AstroTurf. Two gender neutral restrooms have rotating disco balls, and serve as the setting for their alternate Instagram account showing Babe’s bathroom selfies. Sports fans will find eight screens in total, with three behind the bar, three above the banquette and two in the back lounge. Sound plays throughout on Bluetooth speakers, including in the restrooms. There’s no food on the menu, but there is a free french fry drop. “We don’t have a kitchen, which was intentional,” said McConnell-Johnson, who didn’t want to have to learn how to manage a kitchen too. “And there are so many good takeout options around, so you can bring your food in.” Babe’s is working especially closely with Yaba’s Grill, two doors down on Armitage Avenue. “They are a Palestinian Middle Eastern deli,” she added. “And they make awesome food.” Most nights, the deli will bring over a few trays of hot and crispy lemon and pepper seasoned fries, and the bar will pass out little bags to everybody at around 9 p.m. “One of the things that’s important is special moments in gatherings,” said McConnell-Johnson. “It breaks the ice and builds community.” 3017 W. Armitage Ave., babeschicago.com New restaurant openings, in alphabetical order: Crumbs.nd.Creams Katrina Requiron and her husband Mharloe Requiron have opened the latest Filipino business with lines out the door, their shop specializing in the traditional frozen sandwich cookies known as sylvanas. Crumbs.nd.Creams began baking in Albany Park on Sept. 13. They began with her grandmother’s recipe for the cookies, also known as silvanas (cashew meringues sandwiching buttercream and coated in cookie crumbs), but have expanded beyond the classic flavor to a dozen, including ube, coconut and buko pandan. 4825 N. Pulaski Road, 224-600-9641, crumbsndcreams.com Dorothy’s Bakery Brian Bruns and his wife Taylor Bruns named their bakery, which began as a farmer’s market favorite, for his grandmother. Dorothy’s Bakery started slicing in Lincoln Park on Sept. 24. Longtime fans from Dorothy’s Bistro can now find their beautiful sourdough breads, bagel sandwiches and seasonal pastries alongside espresso drinks. 2318 N. Clark St., dorothyschicago.com Pink Flores Bakery & Cafe Andrea Melendez and her mother Lizbeth Hernandez have transformed their Latina-owned home cake business into a pink dream come true. Pink Flores Bakery & Cafe debuted in Pilsen on Sept. 7. Look for cake, of course, plus sandwiches and beverages, including a dragon fruit, lavender and matcha drink. 1517 W. 18th St., instagram.com/pinkfloresbakerycafe In reopening news: Atelier, the Michelin-starred tasting menu restaurant now under chef Bradyn Kawcak, reopened in a new larger, but still intimate Lincoln Square space on Oct. 10. 4544 N. Western Ave., 773-681-0651, atelier-chicago.com In fundraising news: Dear Margaret, the lovely French-Canadian-Midwestern restaurant in Lakeview, remains closed temporarily due to a fire on Oct. 6, and GoFundMe aims to support the staff. The Street Vendors Association of Chicago, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that represents hundreds of immigrant families and elderly community members, has organized a GoFundMe to provide emergency support for street vendors who are losing their livelihoods amid an increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions. In closing news: Frank and Mary’s Tavern, the classic Chicago neighborhood bar opened by Frank Stark and his late sister Mary Stark in Avondale in 1972, revitalized by general manager Tony Mata, sold and closed for renovations and an uncertain future after 54 years on Oct. 8, according to Mike Sula, the James Beard Award-winning food writer at the Chicago Reader and founder of Monday Night Foodball, which has moved from the tavern to Thattu for now. Do you have notable restaurant news in the Chicago area? Email restaurant critic Louisa Kung Liu Chu at lchu@chicagotribune.com.
