About Us

The Heart & Crown’s story began in a cellar of a pub in Omagh, County Tyrone, Ireland, where a young Larry Bradley spent his spare time at work bottling and labelling Guinness. If he wasn’t working in a pub, he was hanging out in one – they were a place where families and people of all ages gathered for food, drink, & good craic.

This stuck with Larry through his move to Canada in the early 70s with only $100 in his pocket and a couple of other careers under his belt (farm hand, barber).Over the next few years he would work as a hydro linesman, and later he would start a construction company, but it wasn’t until he came to Ottawa that he realized just how much he wanted (and the ByWard Market sorely needed) the homey comforts of an Irish pub.

Together with his wife Michèle, they took over an old French restaurant on the corner of Clarence and Parent.

In 1992, the first Heart & Crown opened its doors. More than 30 years later, now with several pubs across the city, the company continues to thrive and grow.

In 2024, Larry shared the difficult news that he had been diagnosed with cancer. He faced his illness with the same spirit, humour, and grit that defined his life’s work. He passed away later that year, leaving behind a legacy of warmth, community, and Irish hospitality that lives on in every Heart & Crown Irish pub.

Today, his family, staff, and generations of loyal patrons honour his memory by keeping the doors open, the pints flowing, and the craic alive – just as Larry always intended.