If you’ve been near Camden Yards lately, you may have noticed the popular bar Sliders has been getting a makeover. Well, the updates are complete, the wait is over, and the remodeled bar will officially open its doors this week.
What was formerly known as Sliders Bar and Grill has a new look as well as a new name, Section 771, that pays homage to the original bar’s history.
When Camden Yards was built in the early ’90s, stadium engineers went to Sliders for lunch daily. After the engineers took measurements from a pole in the center of the bar to the stadium across the street, they discovered Sliders was located 771 feet from home plate. In the remodeled bar, the new owners wanted to pay tribute to that detail in the new name.
The new owners took over Sliders at the end of last baseball season, and in January 2023 they gutted the entire building and started a full renovation.
The bar, which was built in the 1800s, received a facelift that included giant, hydraulic hangar doors that open up, new floors, a wider stairwell, and new bathrooms. Additionally, the second floor was expanded to accommodate larger parties and special events.
“We revamped everything,” said new general manager and bartender Tyler Stewart. “There’s going to be three 75-inch televisions outside along with a really good speaker system, so if you’re not going to the game but you want to be in that area, you can watch any event with us, right outside.”
“We also have a mobile bar that’s going to be outside all season long. But opening day for the Orioles on Thursday there will be five mobile bars outside, two pop-up bars inside, in addition to the two bars that are set into the building. So we have a total of nine bars on opening day, which is going to be the biggest day of the year by far.”
While Sliders was more of a dive bar, Stewart says the new space, which can hold up to 1,000 patrons with its outdoor area, will be more of a sports bar. Not only do they hope to host baseball fans, but they also expect large crowds for Ravens games and other sporting events.
Section 771 will feature a full bar with fresh-squeezed crushes; tons of local favorite beers; and their signature drink, the Home Run Bucket, a 32-ounce drink with three different Malibu rums served in a bucket. Additionally, their new experienced chef upgraded their entire food menu with elevated starters, salads, and handhelds.
“Things are definitely going to be different,” Stewart said.
“Sliders was always the place you go to if Pickles was too busy,” he added. “Then there was another bar called Bullpen, and then on the other side there was Frank and Nic’s. Frank and Nic’s is not in existence anymore, and Bullpen I believe this is the first year that it’s not in business. We’re [Section 771 and Pickles are] the only two left, so in the sense that we are the overflow bar, that’s not going to be the case anymore.”
