Popular Sports Bar Closes In West Hartford

WEST HARTFORD, CT — A popular sports bar has closed its West Hartford location as its ownership looks to move into a new area. Sliders Grill & Bar, an award-winning sports bar known for its wings, craft beer and live sports, announced Thursday that it is moving its West Hartford location to downtown Torrington.

“We opened the doors to our West Hartford location in June 2013. The town is great, our customers are loyal, our help is wonderful, and the atmosphere is top notch,” Fred Marcantonio, president and CEO of Sliders, said in a statement. “The only reason that we are moving is to better serve our fans in the Torrington area. Litchfield County is long overdue and ready for a Sliders of their own.”

The Sliders in Berlin is only 6 miles away from Sliders in West Hartford and the owners are confident their West Hartford customers will “unite in the Berlin location after the move.” With a move to Torrington, officials say Sliders will now be able to “better serve a broader audience and expand their very popular brand into the northwest hills region.”

The new restaurant will be located at 84 Main Street, the former Backstage Restaurant, next to the Warner Theater, and is 5,900 square feet with a multi-year lease. The building has “amazing bones” and was built in 1803.

Lisa Marcantonio, head of marketing and recruiting for Sliders, said, “Although we love everything about West Hartford and will miss this booming community, we are very excited to bring CT’s best wings, beer and sports to people who haven’t been able to experience Sliders before.”

All of the West Hartford staff will be placed in nearby locations. The West Hartford location’s last day of operations was Feb. 3 and the Torrington location is slated to open on April 1.

In addition to Berlin, Sliders also has locations in Plainville, Middletown, Southington and Wallingford.