St. Louis will soon be home to its very own bar dedicated exclusively to women’s sports. As reported by SLM earlier this year, St. Louis is one of four U.S. cities chosen to open a franchise location of The Sports Bra, in addition to Boston, Las Vegas, and Indianapolis. The Sports Bra, which opened its first location in Portland, Oregon, in 2022, is the world’s first sports bar to show only women’s competitions.
Now, The Sports Bra has officially announced that it plans to open its St. Louis location at 7344 Manchester Road, the former home of Boogaloo in Maplewood, in early 2026. The 2,950-square-foot space will offer seating for up to 120 visitors indoors, as well as outdoor seating for about 30 people.
Here’s what to expect at The Sports Bra’s forthcoming St. Louis location.
The Team
The Sports Bra’s expansion came about after a 2024 investment by Alexis Ohanian’s 776 Foundation with the goal of expanding franchising. The brand officially invited potential franchisees to invest in October 2024, and this announcement of four new locations is expected to be the first wave of growth. The timing coincides with a 275 percent increase in media coverage of women’s sports over the past five years.
“The Sports Bra is more than just a place to watch the game—it’s a movement,” Nguyen says. “Our team spoke with hundreds of interested people about opening a franchise location, and we’ve met some incredible people along the way. These owner/operators are capable, enthusiastic, and deeply committed to The Bra’s mission. We continue to support them as they locate the perfect spaces for their own Bras.”
The St. Louis franchise comes from Heather Hill and Sara Pilsner, who met while playing on the same softball team as kids. Hill, who will serve as owner-operator of The Sports Bra St. Louis, has more than two decades of experience in retail management and a decade of experience in catering and hospitality.
“For so long, women’s sports have been excluded from a typical sports bar, and just by simply changing that channel from ESPN to ESPN+, we’re going to be able to create fandom, create a space that’s inclusive and welcoming for all,” Hill says. “We understand that representation matters, and the ideal hope is that our dads and moms and blended families bring their kids in, and their daughters can see themselves on these screens in a room full of 30 people cheering and screaming for the sport. There’s tons of women that just support sport in St. Louis, and giving everyone that platform to come together and build fandom is just so awesome. Every city needs it.”
The Concept
In keeping with the original concept, women’s sports will be the focus at The Sports Bra St. Louis. The bar is excited to champion local teams such as the St. Louis SLAM (five-time national champs in tackle football), Lou Fusz Athletic, and the Arch Rival Roller Derby, in addition to showcasing national leagues such as the National Women’s Soccer League, Women’s National Basketball Association, Professional Women’s Hockey League, and Athletes Unlimited Softball League. The St. Louis location will also highlight collegiate women’s teams from local universities such as Saint Louis University, University of Missouri–St. Louis, and WashU, as well as the University of Missouri–Columbia.
Fans can also expect to see special watch parties and events centered on supporting women and girls who love to play and watch women’s sports. The Sports Bra’s original location is packed with swag from scores of women’s teams and plentiful rainbows and unicorns. Expect the same from the four new locations, which Nguyen calls the “Starting Five.”
“It’s an inclusive environment where we welcome belonging,” Hill says. “You can expect to learn something about sport, to appreciate sport and just grow your general knowledge of sport. Also, we have a really good menu. We make really good drinks. We pride ourselves on our hospitality, and the food and beverage program is top-notch. So not only do you get to be in a room filled with others that are creating fandom, but then you also just get a great meal and a great time.”
The Menu
The made-from-scratch menu has the usual bar and grill favorites—ribs, wings, fries, sandwiches—but also includes plentiful vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free options. Wings, for example, can be chicken or cauliflower with a choice of preparations (Sweet Heat Dry Rub, House-Fermented Buffalo, or Aunt Tina’s Vietna Glaze) and dipping sauces (ranch, blue cheese, or cilantro-lime tahini).
Grass-fed beef for the burgers will come from St. Louis-area producers. In keeping with The Sports Bra’s original concept, each new location will be locally owned and operated and will source ingredients from small businesses in its community.
There’s no upcharge for swapping in grilled chicken or Beyond Meat on the smashburger or pub burger. That pattern of dietary flexibility repeats throughout the menu, though some items (such as the Tempeh Reuben) are offered only in vegetarian, dairy-free versions.
Many dishes are inspired by founder and CEO Jenny Nguyen’s Vietnamese heritage, including Mom’s Baby Back Ribs. The half rack of pork ribs is prepared in a clay pot style, a method that’s popular with home cooks and yields a balance of saltiness (thanks to fish sauce) and sweetness (from caramelization in coconut milk). The ribs are served over herbed cabbage slaw.
While the St. Louis location of The Sports Bra will largely be similar to that of the original, Hill says each individual franchise will get to add some local flair. At the St. Louis location, expect to see takes on local favorites such as toasted ravioli, St. Louis-style pizza, or gooey butter cake.
On the beverage menu, Nguyen and her team had fun with the names, such as the Pickle Ball (dry gin, vermouth, and pickle juice) and the Cherry Picker (gin, cherry juice, lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg white).
There are just as many mocktails as signature cocktails, and they’re just as carefully crafted. Take the Scrum Punch, which is based on the N/A spirit Lyre’s Rum and mixed with Honeybee Lemonade Syrup’s Jamaican Sorrel, as well as cranberry and pineapple juices. Likewise, The Sports Bra stocks several options of nonalcoholic beers, plus coffee, soda, juices, and what they call refreshers, fruit-forward concoctions like the Power Jam, with blueberry compote, mint, lemon, and simple syrup.
The Sports Bra sources spirits, beers, ciders, and kombuchas crafted by women. “We’re proud to support, promote, and invest in the women who are changing the game in the beverage industry,” its website states.
If you ask for an Arnold Palmer, the restaurant will serve the iconic half lemonade, half iced tea beverage, but you should note that here it’s actually called the Patty Berg, named for a founding member of the LPGA whose 15 major title wins set an all-time record for a female golfer—and who, by the way, was a speed skater during the winter.
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