Women's sports bar to replace Noble BBQ in Portland

The Sports Bra, a sports bar chain focused exclusively on televised women’s games, will replace Noble BBQ at 476 Stevens Ave. in Portland’s Deering Center neighborhood later this year. The 118-seat venue is set to open in Maine in the current location of Noble Pizzeria & Barbecue, according to owners who said Tuesday that Ann Freeman, a lawyer at Bernstein Shur, and Emily Lesher, a chemistry professor at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, will operate the site. Freeman and Lesher said they will work with Noble owner Ryan Carey during the transition, including interviews for potential rehire of current staff. The space will undergo updates ahead of a grand opening at an undetermined date. The Sports Bra was founded in April 2022 and later announced expansion in 2025 to Boston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas and St. Louis, while continuing Noble-style pizza with a “Pine Tree State” pub twist.