At long last, NELLIE’S, a gay sports bar, managed by Darren Philips, will be opening at 9th and U streets on July 16, the day of the Night Out at the Nationals game. Blade photos by Henry Linser
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ZACK ROSEN
Friday, July 13, 2007
Nellie’s, the long-awaited gay sports bar, is finally set to open at the corner of 9th and U streets on July 16. Though a host of construction setbacks delayed the bar’s debut for the better part of a year, Nellie’s will host the after-party for Monday’s Night Out at the Nationals gay baseball event and be open every night afterwards.
“Good things come to people who wait,” says owner Doug Schantz. “I would challenge anyone to say that a construction process went on time.”
Nellie’s is located in a commodious row house that was the former site of the Addison Spurlock Photography Studio near the border of the U Street and Shaw neighborhoods. Combining a large downstairs bar with a smaller “pub room” that can be used for private functions, plus a soon-to-be-opened second-story deck, Schantz hopes to attract a crowd that will reflect the neighborhood’s diversity.
“A gay sports bar would be easy,” Schantz says. “[Nellie’s] is a straight-friendly sports bar, which is something that is needed in this area. With all the different things it has to offer — the atmosphere, the sports, the deck — I’m hoping that [gays and straights] will cohabit it together.”
Nellie’s will also function as
a restaurant. Co-owner Rocio Anzola, who formerly helmed
the Silver Spring restaurant “Cubanos,” wants to change customers’ expectations of bar food. Nellie’s will feature empanadas, calamari and the intriguing “crab pretzel.” All food comes in small, medium and large serving sizes to suit an individual, a pair of friends or an entire sports team.
“This will be bar food with a twist,” says Anzola. “You’ll have your burgers, your onions, your french fries, but we’re going to add different sauces to it and you’ll have the luxury of picking your toppings.”
NAMED FOR SCHANTZ’S great and great-great grandmothers, Nellie’s is decorated with a combination of classic sporty flourishes and the barest hints of camp. Vintage stadium sinks sit in the bathroom and giant black-and-white photographs of the aforementioned grannies hang above a dark wood bar. Besides a plethora of TVs, which will always be playing sports, the deck will add a casual terrace feel, and a number of board games are available for those who prefer their fun inside.
“It’s a bar for people with ADD,” says general manager Darren Philips, who has formerly managed Logan Tavern and Cobalt. “There’s a lot of things for people to do.”
The opening of Nellie’s has been more than 12 years in the making. Schantz, whose background is in advertising, moved to D.C. after living in Chicago and New York, and he wanted to replicate those cities’ diverse gay scenes in the District. After a failed attempt to open Nellie’s near the corner of 14th and P streets, Schantz moved to the LeDroit Park neighborhood and found that the area lacked a venue like the one he sought to open.
“I think that with the number of bars that have closed down, there’s a void in D.C. right now,” says Philips. “I think it’s a perfect opportunity for new bars and new neighborhoods to open up.”
Although the nearby Be Bar faced challenges from anti-gay community members, Nellie’s faced no such opposition. Though gay Washington residents have flocked to the area, Schantz prefers not to use the term “gay ghetto” in describing Shaw’s future.
“I think that terminology is a little dated,” he says. “There’s already straight couples and gay couples cohabiting in Shaw. I think that it’s going to be a mix, which is what urban [living] is all about.”
Nellie’s will host two private opening parties for nearby business owners and “friends of Nellie’s” before a public grand opening sometime in August. The kickoff to the fall sports season will also be celebrated with an official opening of the deck.
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