Clyde-Owned Sports Bar Spirit of '77 Makes its Debut Tonight

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Photography by Allison Jones

Mastermind Nate Tilden — the man behind still-buzzy Olympic Provisions and Clyde Common — promised to reinvent the sports bar with his new MLK watering hole Spirit of '77, and from the looks of the interior, he's totally there. Designed by the Official Mfg. Co under the guidance of co-owner and creative director Jack Barron (who also co-owns the Ace Hotel), Spirit combines sports bar staples (giant flat-screen TVs), hipster-carnival games (pop-a-shot b-ball!), an indoor bike parking area, and tongue-in-cheek retro touches (menus designed like trading cards; a "sports history" collage that Photoshops Spirit gear on classic sports figures). Menu leans toward upscale bar food with options like cocktail ribs, house-made pickles, and hushpuppies with jalepeno jam.

And though the spot officially opens tonight (lunch service starts next week), it's already getting national buzz courtesy Bon Appetit restaurant editor Andrew Knowlton, who twatted this afternoon "Craft beer, solid bar food, smart design, & sports on TV should not be mutually exclusive. @spiritof77bar (PDX) reinvents modern sports bar."
· Spirit of '77 [Official site]
· All Previous Spirit of '77 Coverage [Eater PDX]