(Image: Pitch the Baby)
The Seattle Storm tip off at 7 PM. The Women’s Euro will fill Saturday and Sunday. It is a good weekend to hang out at Pitch the Baby, Capitol Hill’s new “inclusive, women-centered sports bar where everyone is welcome and women’s sports are always on tap.”
“Our bar is a space built for belonging, care, joy, and resistance,” the Capitol Hill food and drink all-stars behind the project say.
Its grand opening on 19th Ave E is planned for Friday, July 11th.
CHS broke the news in April on the new food and drink project from Monica Dimas, Anais Custer, and Kim “Kimfer” Flanery-Rye — the team really does have an all-star track record:
- Anais Custer (she/they) | Chief Program Officer / Beverage Director: Natural wine queen and vibe curator behind some of the city’s coolest spots like La Dive and Rich Rich.
- Monica Dimas (she/her) | Chief Operating Officer / Food Director: A culinary badass and hospitality vet. If you’ve eaten in Seattle, you’ve tasted her magic at Neon Taco, Tortas Condesa, Sunset Fried Chicken, Little Neon Taco, and Westman’s Bagels.
- Kimfer Flanery-Rye (she/her) | Interim Chief Marketing & Community Officer / Investor: A Founder of Inclusion Equals and Owner of F*Bomb Breakfast Club, is the investor and community builder.
The overhaul has come together in a flash in recent weeks as the experienced hospitality vets have been working to transform the long-ago Kingfish Cafe into the new sports bar. Casual Mexican eatery Rocket Taco has made a move across the street and is now stretching out at 19th and Mercer in the space once home to Linda Derschang’s Tallulah’s.
Dimas is also hatching a rebirth of her Tortas Condesa concept that will share the space as part of the project.
Inside, expect a cozier approach to a sports bar — but with plenty of screens to catch the action.
Friday’s opening of Pitch the Baby has been powered in part by community funding. The team was able to raise nearly $10,000 in support from crowdsource backers. “We’ve got the vision, team, and the location for a women’s sports bar. Let’s make this dream real,” Pitch the Baby’s pitch read.
The opportunity in sports bars that stretch beyond the NFL and MLB to include the WNBA, NWSL, and LPGA has grown with Seattle venues like Ballard’s Rough & Tumble Pub. But not everybody in neighborhood around 19th Ave E dug the Cocteau Twins-inspired name. A flyer campaign to compel the owners to consider a more motherhood-friendly name drew mostly some major eyeroll. “No babies were harmed in the making of this video,” quipped the coming soon bar in a recent social media promo video.
As for the name and the vibe, the Pitch the Baby team has come to play.
“It captures the playful spirit we’re bringing to the space and to sports in general,” Dimas told Seattle Eater earlier this year. “We recognize that sports fans come from all walks of life and aren’t a monolith, just like us. By choosing a name that’s a bit off-kilter, we’re honoring the different perspectives and backgrounds that make up the sports community.”
It all will come together Friday with kickoffs, tip-offs, first pitches, and first tees.
Pitch the Baby opens soon at 600 19th Ave E. Learn more at pitchthebabybar.com.
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