About Us

Many of our guests ask about the origin of our restaurant and, the name Mary Kelley. This is our story.

Mary Kelley's Restaurant and Pub is co-owned and operated by Dick Hammond and his wife Mary Kathleen (Kathy) Kelley-Hammond. Think that answers the question? Not quite...

The origin of Mary Kelley's Restaurant & Pub begin in 1945, when Kathy's grandmother - the original Mary Kelley - and her grandfather Walter Kelley, took over Big Ben's Tavern located in the south end of Columbus at the corner of Mitoff and Ohio Avenues. They renamed the establishment "Kelley's Tavern," and it served as a friendly gathering place for family, friends and neighbors for many years.

Mary and Walter, as well as their brood of four kids, took pride in the popularity and success of Kelley's Tavern, offering libations aplenty along with tasty pub fare. An image of the place can be seen just above on our masthead (that's Walter and Mary standing together behind the bar).

The couple lived nearby where they raised their family. Many members of the Kelley clan proudly worked at Kelley's along the way, including Kathleen. She remembers those days with great nostalgia, recalling that her least favorite responsibility was grinding up the meat for the house specialty, Turtle Soup.

Eventually the operation was turned over to brother Jack, until the place was eventually sold. Ironically, it now houses the Columbus office of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Mary Kathleen, had no idea that her destiny would be to someday run her own restaurant. Kathy (as she is now called) worked for Max & Irma's where she met and married Dick Hammond, a Chef and Restauranteur who graduated from the highly regarded culinary program at Michigan State University. He later trained at the prestigious Cordon Bleu School in Paris, France.

Almost fifty years after "Kelley's Tavern" became a success, the Hammonds opened their first restaurant together, Hammond's Bar & Grille, in Columbus' North End.

Together, with lots of enthusiasm and backed by solid experience, Dick and Kathy provided their guests with excellent food at affordable prices. With Dick's expertise in the kitchen and Kathy's dynamic personality, Hammond's also became a regular gathering place for family and friends. Their hard work and dedication earned Dick and Kathy the respect of both customers and employees.

After selling Hammond's in 1995, Kathy and Dick segued into a new restaurant venture in Dublin's Shoppes of Athenry with the creation of Mary Kelley's Restaurant and Pub. They affectionately named the place after Kathy's grandmother. Mary Kelley's opened in November of 1998. Dick and Kathy's devotion and restaurant savvy have once again led them to success.

And the restaurant is still "all in the family!" One of Mary Kelley's sons, Dick Kelley, (who also happens to be Kathy's dad) greets and seats guests for lunch. Mary's grandson, Keith Turnock, helps manage the dining room and the bar, and two great-ganddaughters, Molly and Theresa Shubert are members of the waitstaff.

Mary Kelley’s has been heralded by the Columbus Dispatch, Columbus Monthly, WBSN TV10, WTVN 610 Radio, Business First and Dublin Life, as one of Columbus' best restaurants. We appreciate their generosity, but it's your opinion that's most important to us.So come to Mary Kelley’s and remember how great an American family restaurant can be.