Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on June 18, 2025.
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Ever since Whitfield closed at The Ace Hotel (now the Maverick Hotel), we’ve been looking forward to a new spot that would be a worthy successor.
In 2025, Hey Babe opened and had a menu that made us think this could be the place, and we went in as quickly as we could to check it out.
On the surface, Hey Babe feels like a proper hotel lounge, with a robust menu of craft cocktails, wine, and beer. This alone would put the bar in the running for one of the best hotel bars in the city. But throw on their robust food menu as well, and this is the kind of place you can go for drinks, food, or a little bit of everything and not feel out of place- for guests of the hotels and locals alike.
To put it bluntly, Hey Babe has just about everything we look for in a good cocktail bar.
Hey Babe is a Delicious Cocktail Lounge
Although Hey Babe offers something for everyone, from food to beer and wine, it is the cocktail program that really stood out as a highlight of the space.
The cocktail menu at Hey Babe featured a mix of roughly twelve unique creations, as well as four mocktail options, and is the kind of menu we struggled with if only because we wanted one of everything.
For our first round, we went with aptly named Bee-Sides (made with thyme infused gin, xtabentun, lemon, and cardamom) and Li’l Baby Jeffrey (made with mezcal, lychee-saffron syrup, and lemon bitters).
Bee-Sides was an interesting cocktail as the xtabentun brought out a prominent anise and honey note that held up well to the intense thyme and lemon notes added to balance, and Li’l Baby Jeffrey balanced the smokiness of the mezcal with the bright syrup- although we are told that this one normally also came with a dragonfruit slice for color, which they were out of, we do admit we liked how it was completely clear all the same!
Our second round we opted for the Pandan Hi-Ball (house pandan soda and toki whisky) as well as the Full-Length Leather Coat (made with Scotch whisky, yellow chartreuse, bauchant, amaro rosso #5, and dopo teatro).
These two really showcased some of the best aspects of the bar menu with punchy pandan flavor in the hi-ball (it is very intense pandan!) and the Full-Length Leather Coat coming together for a bright flavor almost like an Aperol Spritz but with the boozy intensity and complexity of a Manhattan.
That one will be a regular order for us.
Our only regret was that we had to stop there, as the menu here really had the spectrum of interesting and unique flavor creations in the cocktails that we look forward to trying more of in the future.
Don’t Skip the Food When Visiting
One thing we lament about Pittsburgh’s bar scene is just how few places seem to have a full on-site kitchen. Yes, our food truck scene is amazing and makes up for it, but sometimes you want an all-in-one space for a meal and great drinks all in one stop. Hey Babe offers just that.
The menu here is the kind that has something for every visitor. Small plates for those who want a snack? Yep. Shareable mains for those who want to make a dinner? That too. Sandwiches for anyone wanting something a bit more approachable? You know it. Oh, and dessert too, of course.
This one really hits all of the options for visitors, whether you want a snack before dining elsewhere or making a night out here alone, and we went for the latter during our first visit. We ordered a mix from the small shareable and large sharable menu, which were brought out as they were ready for a mixed course menu.
Our first round included the house crab cake served with frisee, pickled ramp chimichurri (in season!), preserved lemon, and a lemon-parsley aioli as well as the salt and pepper shrimp with napa cabbage, jalapeno, ginger, garlic, basil, scallion, and an orange-five spice gastrique (with szechuan peppercorn for a slight tingly feeling to round it out).
The flavors of both of these hit as you’d expect, but it was the cooking style that really impressed us. The massive crab cake had a perfect fry on the exterior, being prominent but not overly crispy, and the shrimp coming also with a fried crispy exterior- but only on the edges (not the entire shrimp) making for a nice textural balance.
Our second round of dishes included the charred broccoli shareable with cippolini onions, ramp gremolata, focaccia crumb, and pecorino romano cream and had the perfect balance of cheesy, gooey, and crispy that we love in a charred broccoli dish.
The masa gnocchi was our final large share of the night, and was perhaps the most interesting. Homemade gnocchi made with masa was served almost like a take on chilaquiles with smoked chicken, salsa verde, pickled red onion, cilantro, cotija, and crema. All of the great Mexican flavors we love on that classic dish, but on top of masa gnocchi? It really was a unique take, although we do admit it maybe could’ve used a crunchy bit for textural or an acidic pop just a bit more- but it was still quite the dish all the same for those who want to try something just a bit more out-there.
To finish, we had to get a dessert, and opted for a strawberry trifle with yuzu, strawberry compote, whipped cream, and buttermilk biscuit. This one would’ve been a classic dish on its own with strawberries and cream, but the addition of yuzu added a lovely citrus punch that was a perfect way to end the meal.
Finally, it is worth noting that we were lucky to visit Hey Babe on the first day of their Golden Hour menu- a weeknight happy hour from 4 to 6 pm with discounted food, beer, wine, and classic cocktails. While we stuck with house creation cocktails, it was nice to get a 15% off perk on all food during that time as well. So check to see if they’re offering a great happy hour special on a weeknight to save a bit of money, too! (As always, happy hour specials can and do change, so reconfirm prior to visiting.)
Overall, we really are excited that a cocktail lounge has returned to the Maverick Hotel in East Liberty, and Hey Babe is going to fill a void in the neighborhood dining scene. Throw on their impressive food menu and happy hour specials, and we will be returning again for more very soon!
Hey Babe is located inside the Maverick Hotel at 120 S Whitfield Street in East Liberty.
