Local Landmark Gets New Life at The Clocktower Kitchen & Bar

Sitting prominently at the corner of Main and Chillicothe streets, Plain City’s The Clocktower Kitchen & Bar has a gravity-driven clock on its upper floor from 1902. Built and installed by the Seth Thomas Clock Co., it has been maintained by the city over the years.  

“There’s only so many people who actually work on those kinds of clocktower mechanisms, so they had to find a specialized person to do it,” says Ben Greig, who opened The Clocktower Kitchen & Bar with co-owners Chelsea and Shane Whitacre in summer 2025. “Typically, on Wednesdays they wind it up and then they have to reset all these weights.”

The Clocktower Kitchen & Bar features New American cuisine, so expect revamped American classics that fit with the reinvigorated space and rural location.  

“Plain City’s a great farm town, so we’re trying to utilize everything that we can get from the area,” Greig says.

While the menu shifts with the seasons, Greig says certain dishes will likely never change, like the poblano cornbread, Cajun shrimp appetizer or the smash burger. Try the pickled onion rings, beer-battered and served with a Szechuan ranch. 



“I think we’d probably get a lot of flak if we ever took those off the menu,” says Greig, who also recommends the prime New York strip, pan-seared and basted in butter. “We typically change the sides out, but I’m a big steak guy, so I think that we do a good job.” 

The bar menu is equally strong, featuring local draft beers, wines and a creative cocktail selection. Try the nutty and smoky Farmer’s National, an Old Fashioned crafted with pecan wood smoke, molasses bitters and Buffalo Trace bourbon.

Diners experience local history when enjoying a meal in the main dining room, the upstairs event space or the turf-lined patio. The building served as the local hardware store for nearly eight decades before becoming an antique store.

“We got pretty lucky,” Greig says. “We have original hardwood floors, original tin ceiling, the whole back bar is all original to the hardware store … so it’s got the cool ladder and all the drawers and pullouts.”

101 S. Chillicothe St., Plain City 43064, 614/873-2970, theclocktowerkitchenandbar.com

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