Kelly’s Irish-born father, Hugh, opened the bar and restaurant in 1977 after spending years saving up money from bartending jobs to own his own spot. The younger Kelly grew up at his father’s knee, taking over in 1995 when Hugh launched his Kelly’s Ellis Island spin-off in Brookland.

“I’ve had every job in the place, from busboy to owner,” Kelly said. He even met his wife at the Times 14 years ago, when he was still too young to bartend but fortunate enough to be working the door as she entered.

Today, Kelly cannot hide his elation at having found his perfect job. The laid-back atmosphere at the Times mirrors his congenial, mellow personality and attracts a constant stream of young Hill staffers for a pint of Guinness and one of the last $10 lunches in the city.

“We’re the place for the staffers,” Kelly said. “All the VIPs go to the Capital Grille, and all the young staffers and the under-30 set go to the Times. It’s great when people can hang out and not see their boss.”

Of course, the Times has seen its share of famous congressional bosses stop by. Former Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) poured Guinness from behind the bar during his days as Speaker of the House, and Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) was known to visit the Times during Hugh Kelly’s early days.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), another longtime family friend, holds an annual fundraiser at the Times. While the flood of congressional business makes up the bulk of the restaurant’s customer base, Kelly noted that Georgetown Law students also flock to the Times from their nearby campus.

“For every congressman, senator or chief of staff, there is a huge amount of support [staff] … There are 20 people for every one of those people,” Kelly said.

Just as lawmakers take pains to please constituents, successful neighborhood hangouts have to work hard to maintain a friendly image. Kelly steered clear of sharing any scandalous anecdotes from his years at the Times, especially tales of non-VIPs caught in compromising positions.

“It’s not always a party, but everyone’s always having a great time,” he said.

In that spirit, Kelly pointed out that National Police Week is the Times’ second-busiest time of year (after St. Patrick’s Day, naturally). During Police Week, law enforcement officers from around the country congregate in Washington to engrave the names of the fallen in the Police Memorial, near the National Archives.

“People think it’s just a crazy convention, but it’s actually a sad time,” Kelly said. “We’re kind of a place where they relax a little through it.”

In another unexpected common trait between Kelly and his Hill clientele, he often finds himself making contributions to groups seeking the support of a leader in both the restaurant world and the Irish-American community. The Police Memorial Fund and Catholic Charities are frequent recipients of the Times’ donations.

“People tend to come to us frequently, and we can never say no,” Kelly said.

He also rarely turns down the chance to offer new additions to the Times’ menu, using a daily specials board with 10 to 15 rotating options as an opening to experiment and dish out unexpected new selections, most recently steak tacos.

The restaurant’s staples are corned beef and cabbage and fish and chips, as well as an extensive sandwich menu. The Times’ top-selling drinks are Guinness and the lighter Smithwick’s, in addition to its more than 170 types of liquor.

“To be honest, the staffers drink a lot of Miller Lite too,” Kelly said.

His restaurant will remain a happy-hour standby, but Kelly notes that it’s also a hot spot for lunch. There is no formal brunch, but the restaurant does serve food during the day on weekends.

“Our lunches are really rockin’,” Kelly said. “With all the night business, we serve anywhere from 100 to 300 lunches a day.”

With all that booming business, one might wonder how Kelly manages to make it home for quality time with his wife, who works at the Institute for Defense Analysis, and his daughter, Megan, who just celebrated her first birthday. Customers have a hard time escaping the bar without noticing Kelly’s energetic attitude, which rarely ebbs, whether he’s slinging hash or pouring fresh brews.

“I enjoy meeting customers. I spring out of bed every day,” Kelly said. “I love coming home, too. Trust me.”

Kelly hopes that his daughter will catch the restaurant-business bug, as her dad once did.

“If it went to the third generation, that would be cool. I plan to be doing this for the next 20 or 30 years.”