Babe’s First 10 Weeks, Wrapped
PLUS hitch a ride with the Babe’s Party Bus to Rosemont for the PWHL game, text us a missed connection, and see our December calendar. And most importantly, vote for us in Reader’s Best of Chicago for Best Bar and Best Gay Bar!
we love a data viz and this one really captures some of the beautiful chaos that’s been happening at Babe’s since we opened in September
17,335 drinks served
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178 women's sports games watched
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1,082 photo booth visits
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17,335 drinks served 🍸 178 women's sports games watched 📺 1,082 photo booth visits 📸
WOW hello it’s been a minute since our last update in… March… and a LOT has happened! In March we were celebrating one year of existing as a concept, and today we’re celebrating making it 10 weeks as a real life bar. If you missed our grand opening (or just want to relive the fun), check out our photo galleries. Rather than try and fill you in on everything that’s happened since March (luckily there has been great coverage like this Eater article by Lisa Shames, our WGN Around Town segment, and this Block Club piece by Ariel Parrella-Aureli), here are the big updates by month:
We had a great time in October hosting Alyssa Naeher and Sam Staab from the Stars (they also had fun - they’ll be behind the bar again eventually!) and had a hard time telling apart the Paige Beuckers lookalikes from our November 1 contest. December has just kicked off and we’re quickly becoming a PWHL bar - I’m still learning all of the rules of hockey but I’m thankful for our bartender Mo and other PWHL fans who’ve been helping! We’re renting out a coach bus to shuttle a group out to Allstate Arena for the December 21st game, tickets are here (and we anticipate selling out!),
We have LOVED finally being able to open our doors and have the Babe’s community in for a drink and visit - we already have a crew of regulars, and there are plenty of nights where it feels like a Cheers/L-Word: Generation Q crossover episode. There have been multiple events that have filled us to capacity (including every WNBA playoffs game) - almost as though there are a lot of us who want to watch women’s sports!! We’ve been adapting to our cozy space and have made little changes and improvements every week based on what we see and hear from customers. Most recently, we’ve added a “Drink it Forward” program behind the bar (also considering calling it “Pour it Forward,” “Pass a Glass,” or “Libation of Love” thanks to some creative suggestions from our IG friends). We’ve gotten a few requests for gift cards, so we’re adding the ability to pay for a drink for someone to come and pick up at Babe’s. Their gift card is on display behind the bar until they come to redeem it! You can also leave a drink for a crush (see below for my Missed Connections plug) or a stranger with certain qualifications (on the board right now is a shot of Malört for anyone named Leah and a cocktail for someone who’s wearing glasses… come claim both if you’re a Leah who wears glasses!).
vote for Babe's
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best bar
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best gay bar
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vote for Babe's 🗳️ best bar 🏆 best gay bar 🏅
We were so excited to discover that we’re nominated in Chicago Reader’s Best of 2025 rankings for not just Best Bar but also Best Gay Bar!! Truthfully we were so consumed with opening chaos that I didn’t even realize nominations were open, but thank you to anyone who wrote us in and I will shamelessly campaign for both categories - I’m guessing we would be the first bar to win those two categories the same year (?? someone with more Chicago Reader knowledge please correct me if I’m wrong) and wow it would be such a fun statement to win them both! Voting ends Dec. 31st, make sure to get your votes in before then! Many thank yous in advance for helping us win!!!
text us your missed connection
☎️
312-883-BABE
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text us your missed connection ☎️ 312-883-BABE 💌
Me: Women’s sports bar owner, desperately seeking missed connections submissions to share with the Babe’s community and spark some fun and flirty chaos.
You: Have a phone and will text 312-883-2223 with your Babe’s missed connection - someone who you hope to meet at the bar some day, someone who you did meet and want to see again, someone who you locked eyes with during the PWHL ad break and want to sit next to at the next game.
PWHL
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Party Bus
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PWHL 🏒 Party Bus 🚍
Join us for the inaugural Babe’s Party Bus ride to Allstate Arena for the PWHL Takeover Tour on Sunday, Dec. 21st! Early bird tickets are $25, and when those are gone GA is $35. This covers your bus ride to Rosemont and back to Babe’s, plus a mimosa to start your day when we all wait for the bus to pick us up in the morning. Limited to 45 people, aka you and 44 new friends. We heard a rumor that there might be some guest bartenders at Babe’s that weekend before their Sunday game… stay tuned for details.
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thanks for reading
💕 thanks for reading
Wow this is a long newsletter for a bar!!! Thanks for making it this far - please stop in for a drink and say hi, I’ll help you brainstorm what your Missed Connection can be.
Keep an eye out for info about our winter merch line (I’m calling it a WINTER CAPSULE to add that extra flair) and our NYE party plans. Our calendar is always updated at least a week in advance with all of the sporting events we’ll be showing and any gatherings or parties happening at the bar, and you can put in an event request on that page or by emailing hello@babeschicago.com. We post our weekly schedule and more on our Instagram, though I’m working on sending newsletters out more regularly, too!
Having you all come visit the bar, watch games with us, and appreciate the space has already made the hard work of getting open worth it, The thing we hear most often, and that I’m most proud of, is that guests love the “vibe” of Babe’s, which we couldn’t pull off without the amazing community who’s rallied around us and welcomed us so warmly in our first ten weeks. If there’s anything on your mind or something you’d like to see included in future newsletters I’d love to hear it - my email is nora@babeschicago.com.
xoxoxo,
nora
