Thursday, January 30th, 2025

New eatery opens on Main St.

New 202 Tavern replaces Watson House restaurant

By William Kincaid
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard

Kameryn Cline, Celina, serves drinks to a table of customers at 202 Tavern during the grand opening on Wednesday.

CELINA - The 202 Tavern held its grand opening on Wednesday, unveiling a robust menu of entrees, sandwiches, wings, flatbread and sides and a full-service bar flush with beer, wine and cocktails.

After weeks of preparation, owners Mandi Bruce and Jacob Poeppelman opened their latest restaurant on the first floor of a historic, nearly 150-year-old restored downtown building at 202. S. Main St., Celina.

It fills the vacancy left when The James Watson House shuttered at the beginning of the year.

"The 202 Tavern is our next big adventure in Celina, and we are excited to bring the city an entirely different concept from what we are used to running, something we think everyone will be able to enjoy," Bruce and Poeppelman said in a joint statement. "We believe this sports-centric restaurant is the perfect place to catch the big game and enjoy a meal with family and friends!"

Celina's newest eatery prides itself on a scratch kitchen, lively atmosphere, attentive service and full bar, they said.

Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard

Owner Mandi Bruce takes her customers' orders at 202 Tavern on Wednesday.

"Some popular menu items will likely be wings, fish and chips, or a pasta dish made fresh to order," Bruce and Poeppelman said.

Other entrees are salmon, prime rib, center cut sirloin, shrimp tacos and smothered chicken.

The main menu also boasts sandwiches, wings, salads, flatbreads, sides and appetizers. There's also a children's menu.

The bar is stocked with canned and bottled beer, draft beer, wine, and classic and specialty cocktails.

Poeppelman and Bruce also own The Anchor and The Bay, both located in Celina.

Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard

202 Tavern is at 202 S. Main St. where The James Watson House restaurant was.

The building at 202. S. Main St. is owned by Michael Hoying and Phil Moeller. Hoying, a St. Henry native, is vice president and partner of Dayton-based construction business Brackett Builders. Moeller lives in Maria Stein and owns Moeller Real Estate.

"We're also very excited for what the future holds with Jacob and Mandi," Moeller told The Daily Standard. "They've done a great job at other locations, and we expect the same, so we think the new restaurant is going to be just a great place for people to go in downtown Celina, and we hope to continue to do good things and bring more and more people there."

The building underwent a complete overhaul two years ago. The first floor was painstakingly gutted and rebuilt into a magnificent eatery boasting a rustic industrial look with modern flourishes.

The interior features high ceilings, wooden floors and exposed brick walls.

"I think I knew what we were getting into with it being 140 years old, and we've done a few older buildings in the past," Hoying previously told the newspaper. "So I think it's using the surprises, taking advantage of them. We weren't sure that we would have exposed brick. We weren't sure how easy or not easy the plaster would come off but that turned out really well."

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The 202 Tavern is open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard

The bar offers canned and bottle beer, draft beer, wine, and classic and specialty cocktails.

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