Upcoming Navy Yard Bar Wants to Save Nats Fans from Chain Chicken Wings

Walters Sports Bar, the former Park View haven for baseball fans from the owners of DC Reynolds and the Looking Glass Lounge, will re-open in a new location near Nationals Park. Washington City Paper reports that owner Jeremy Gifford aims to open the bar and restaurant at 1221 Van Street SE by March 28, when the Washington Nationals host the New York Mets for their season opener.

Gifford tells WCP that developer JBG Smith wanted to bring in a tenant “who lived and breathed local sports and had a passion for it as opposed to a Buffalo Wild Wings.”

The massive Buffalo wing chain, which says it has a restaurant in every state in the country, has a location adjacent to the Metro station just a few blocks away from the Walters site.

According to WCP, the new Walters Sports Bar will feature a self-pour beer system that charges customers by the ounce.

Walters Sports Bar is named after former Senators ace Walter Johnson, who brought the city a World Series title in 1924 and is generally regarded as the greatest pitcher in the history of the district (apologies to Max Scherzer). The original location closed about a year ago.

The Facebook page for Walters first shared renderings of the new bar in June.

Walters Sports Bar/Facebook

In addition to “B-Dubs,” Walters Sports Bar will also be competing with The Big Stick just a few blocks away. Neighborhood hang Justin’s closed in October. Dacha Beer Garden in Shaw plans to have a grand opening for a sprawling Navy Yard location around the same time Walters opens its doors.

• Walters Is Back From the Dead, Hopes to Open in Navy Yard for Baseball Season [WCP]
• Navy Yard Watering Hole Justin’s Cafe Has Closed [EDC]
• Here’s a Timeline for Dacha’s Beer Garden in Navy Yard [EDC]