A Hub for Dubs: The Dub is Kansas City’s first sports bar opened for women’s inclusivity

“Dog Days are Over” by Florence + The Machine blasted from the speakers.

I could barely hear the song over the loud camaraderie of customers as I walked through the large paned glass door into Kansas City’s newest sports bar: The Dub. 

Opened on Oct. 16 and located in the heart of downtown Kansas City near West 9th Street and Baltimore Avenue, The Dub is the first sports bar entirely dedicated to women’s sports and inclusivity. 

Finding a spot to park on the street was a mess, but after circling the busy downtown area, I managed to secure a paid parking spot in a nearby garage after much frustration. 

When I entered, I was immediately greeted by owners Monica Brady and Rachel Glenn and went to seat myself at the already set tables. Initially, the place was very loud, with people everywhere — not a spot for a calm, sit-down meal. 

Much of the bar’s theme was based on the Kansas City Current — KC’s professional women's soccer team.

An entire red and teal mural wall features known female athletes like Serena Williams and Simone Biles, as well as a drawing of the Canadian Pacific KC stadium — the first soccer stadium in the world built specifically for a women’s professional team. The colors around the restaurant also mimic the Current’s colors with red chairs, teal menus and cups and teal painted walls and ceilings. 

The entirely teal and red restaurant was overwhelming, especially considering that the Current had no part in founding the restaurant. 

Additionally, there was another dining room themed as a locker room for the KC Glory — KC’s professional women’s tackle football team. The brown cabinets resembling a locker room, and trophies brought in by KC residents lining the top of them, were unique ideas. However, the room felt too stereotypical of an attempt to make the design unique for a sports bar. 

Above the bar, a white and black sign read “Pay them what you owe them” — a protest slogan that many women’s sports organizations have adopted. It refers to a call for fair wages and equal treatment for women in professional sports. 

As a female athlete, I felt represented with the KC Current being displayed and women’s games being played on the TV. Overall, these were the only differences between this bar and a normal sports bar where mainly men’s sports are played. 

Representation through decor even found its way into the gender-neutral bathrooms, where there were photographs of famous moments in women’s sports, such as Brandi Chastain’s iconic sports bra moment after the U.S. 1999 women’s World Cup victory. Chastain famously took off her jersey after scoring a penalty kick to celebrate. 

When sitting down at the small two-person table, I felt like the only underage person inside, even though all ages were allowed in, and it was definitely expected considering how The Dub was labeled online — a bar. 

After only a glance at the menu, the sheet pan nachos that I saw all over their Instagram page had to be ordered. And even though the place was packed with people, my freshly made food was delivered in under 10 minutes.

I’m definitely not the biggest nacho cheese fan, especially at a sports game with their plain chips plastered in artificial cheese. But these nachos had much assortment to them. 

Topping the tortilla chips was white queso, black beans, jalapenos, pico, melted cheddar and on the side, sour cream and salsa. For only $14, these nachos were stacked. They were way too big for one person to eat and would definitely need to be shared with a large group.

Each chip was heavily coated with queso, with not one single dry chip, and the jalapeno added a much-needed spice that contrasted nicely with the pico to cool down my taste buds. 

Another item I ordered was the kids grilled cheese, and it came with potato chips. The grilled cheese was merely average, and there was nothing besides the plain toasted bread and melted cheese that put this above my expectations. 

The nachos and grilled cheese were more upscale than the food typically found at a baseball game, which usually offers plain hot dogs, or a men’s professional soccer game, where the most complex item made to order is a slice of pizza.

While eating, two games were being played on the various TVs around the bar. The first was a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I women’s volleyball game. Then the next, an NCAA D1 women’s soccer game. Games I would never see played at any other sports bar, and it was satisfying to see women’s sports representation. 

The purpose of the bar isn’t to only play women’s games; major men’s games will certainly be played too, according to the staff. 

As women's sports leagues like the National Women's Soccer League continue to gain traction in the U.S., The Dub is helping to bring this inclusivity and good food to Kansas City.