Local Small Business Stories
How Tessie's Bar & Kitchen Became An Instant Favorite in
the Heart of Walpole Center, Mass.
This suburban Boston restaurant offers a burger bar
scene that is truly rare and well done at the same time
Tessie's Bar & Kitchen on Main St. in downtown Walpole.
Article and photos, unless otherwise noted, by Eric Hurwitz.
Article
updated on 1/18/2026.
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Tessie's Bar & Kitchen in downtown Walpole, Mass. started out small and mighty, quickly becomong a hometown favorite. Fast forward several years down the road, it's now big and mighty
Combining the existing location with a larger space at the former Mimi's Variety has yielded a beautiful restaurant that looks 21st-century relevant without compromising a traditional, cozy and comfortable dining experience. The new Tessie's features greatly expanded seating and a bar section, high ceilings, gray brick walls, wonderfully ambient hanging lights, and plenty of natural light shining through big picture windows revealing scenes of the beautiful Walpole town common across the street. This all results in stunning aesthetics that are HGTV renovation-worthy and a full-service dining experience that one would typically seek out in Boston.
And the food? Tremendous! If every town had a bar and grill like Tessie's, our nation's dining scene would become that much better. Take a look...
Burger with garlic tater tots from Tessie's.
Beet salad from Tessie's.
Homemade mac and cheese from Tessie's.
Hot dog from Tessie's
The Chili Bowl from Tessie's.
"The total space at Tessie's grew from 500 square feet to around 1,900," said Mark McAuliffe, who co-owns Tessie's with his wife, Maura. "The dining space expanded from 20 seats to approximately 70 and the bar seating from nine to 18."
Additionally, expanded outdoor seating makes Tessie's a wonderful gathering place for the warmer weather season.The pulse of a vibrant downtown can be experienced inside through the lively restaurant and bar scene, and outside with people strolling the town center surrounded by diverse and varied small businesses.
A vibrant outdoor dining scene at Tessie's.
For a long time, Mark and Maura had felt a bond to the 1006 Main St. space at the charming, quaint historic Walpole Center Block Building that dates back to 1927 -- so much, that they decided to start a business there. Tessie's opened in June 2019 and became an instant favorite as a burger bar going far beyond the industry standard. This hometown favorite eatery also features locally-sourced farm fresh chopped salads, a variety of comfort foods, and an impressive cocktail and local brew menu. An expanded menu is planned in the near future.
“We opened Tessie’s in 2019 and just a little over six months later, the pandemic hit," said Maura. "A menu and model that was optimized for takeout kept us open, but more importantly, a community that rallied behind us truly saved us. I do believe so many positives came out of the pandemic, especially the focus on staying local and reinvesting in our downtowns. We were fortunate to have outdoor dining in the warmer weather to meet the demands but when the cooler months set in, we were faced with space constraints and knew eventually we would need to either relocate or expand. We looked at a few other locations but our heart and soul has been with this corner block since opening the Raven’s Nest in 2010 and we were committed to continuing the journey to enhancing the adjacent space when it became available.”
Inside at Tessie's.
So who is Tessie? It’s a family name, named after Mark’s late mother, Teresa “Tess” McAuliffe, who passed away just seven months ago, at 92 years of age in Cork, Ireland -- as well as the McAuliffe’s youngest daughter, “Tessie” who carries her grandmother’s name and her love of singing.
Mark and Maura also own The Raven's Nest Pub & Eatery a few doors down at 998 Main St. and another Tessie's Bar & Kitchen at 841 Main St. in Waltham, Mass.The third time has been a charm for Mark and Maura McAuliffe, owners of
Tessie's Bar & Kitchen located in the heart of downtown Walpole, Mass.
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