Say hello to Hey Babe, a promising addition to Pittsburgh’s food and drink scene

East Liberty offers plenty of places to get soused, and each one has its charms. Trying to impress a date? Commerce Bar is the sexiest spot in town. Planning a boozy brunch with some out-of-towners? Your parents will love Margaux. Going out with a group? Grab a table in Lorelei’s beer hall and order a few pizzas from Woodfired.

Oysters and Sazeracs? Muddy Waters.
Women’s sports and local beers? Title 9 PGH.
The platonic ideal of a neighborhood bar? Kelly’s.

You get the idea.

The first floor of The Maverick hotel, once home to the short-lived M Bar and the Ace Hotel’s Whitfield restaurant, recently welcomed Hey Babe, a “throwback lounge” by big Burrito Restaurant Group veterans, Danielle Cain and Rob Hirst. From their pre-opening Instagram posts, I couldn’t quite tell what they were going for. But I have fond memories of a New Year’s Eve spent in Ace Hotel’s lobby. I enjoyed M Bar when it was around, partially because it felt like a little secret. And I’m always looking for another option to get a martini on a Monday.

While it may have taken a few months, I’m excited to say Hey Babe has come into its own and carved out a niche in the East Liberty food and drink scene.

“Throwback lounge” is an appropriate descriptor. There’s a certain classic, laid-back elegance to Hey Babe that feels designed for comings and goings. The area is nicely sized, with high-coffered ceilings and large windows (three of which are covered in colorful, instantly iconic decals). Globe pendant lights and fringed hanging lamps provide gentle warmth. The blue walls are lined with connected velvet booths, and the center of the room is dotted with high tops that comfortably fit three people. Everything is generously spaced to allow easy movement throughout.

On my first visit to Hey Babe, a busy Friday evening just days after opening, its strengths were more suggested than obvious. The food menu offered (and still offers) small and large plates, all called “shareables,” and a selection of sandwiches and salads. There were gems, particularly the crispy eggplant with grilled peppers and whipped feta, on its way to becoming a signature dish. Most items I tried were good, but not revelatory, and the eclecticism suggested a lack of focus or clear identity.

The inventive cocktails were the highlight. Spirit-forward tipples like the luxurious Artist In Residence (Hayman’s Vibrant Citrus Gin, Cynar, Cherry Heering, Luxardo Maraschino, and chocolate) comfortably shared space with the summery Li’l Baby Jeffrey (Cruz De Fuego Mezcal, lychee-saffron syrup, and lemon bitters) and the refreshing Pandan Hi-Ball (house-made pandan soda and Suntory Toki whisky). The cocktails, in addition to an impressive selection of wine, beer, and non-alcoholic options, made the drink menu more than twice the size of its food counterpart.

A promising sign for any new bar or restaurant is its willingness to make changes. When I visited Hey Babe a second time, a little over a month later, the menu had been tweaked in a positive direction. The dishes that had left me lukewarm had been removed. In their place were some real stunners, including the decadent, yet bright five-spiced pork belly (with fish sauce caramel, daikon, Granny Smith apple, crispy shallot, and a citrus and herb salad). I also ordered the BLT, on which house-made bacon, pesto aioli, and pine nuts elevated the dish from a foolproof diner staple to something that makes your eyes involuntarily roll back in your head.

Even the cocktail menu had been updated. One drink I’d tried on my first visit had been a bit overengineered, with too many strong flavors clashing. On my second visit, it had been replaced with the Summer Moon, a deceptively simple mix of Suntory Toki, Meletti, and Aperol that tasted like a distant cousin of a Boulevardier, with upfront sweetness and a bitter, complex finish. It immediately topped my list of favorite local cocktails.

I tend to judge a cocktail bar by its gin martini, so I ordered one from Hey Babe’s $9 “Golden Hour” menu (available 4-6 p.m., Monday through Friday). The pre-chilled glass was given a few spritzes of vermouth, and the house gin (Askur Yggdrasil, an Icelandic London dry) was shaken with ice. I’d normally be wary of a shaken gin martini, but the extra dilution helped, considering the glass was only waved in the general direction of Italy. It was a terrifically cold, smooth, and boozy drink worth coming back for.

Hey Babe is an ideal setting for happy hour or a nightcap, somewhere you can run into friends and linger at their table without feeling like you’re in the way. You can share some plates to tide you over until your dinner reservation, or park yourself in a booth and make an evening of it. I’d love to see them expand their hours to breakfast and lunch, a selfish wish that demonstrates how quickly Hey Babe has made its mark. Meet me there some early weekday evening; I’ll buy you a $9 martini.

This article appears in Aug 6-12, 2025.