NASHUA— During his 18 years as an Army engineer, Bill Therrio always dreamed of opening a family business.

“The idea for our restaurant and bar was a lifetime dream of our family to have,” said Therrio, who opened MacKenzie’s Restaurant and Bar at 96 Main St. earlier this summer. “I was in the military and got out after 18 1/2 years, started a landscape business, and my son and I decided to stop that and open a restaurant.”

Therrio sold his landscaping business and most of his possessions, and in December began work on the downtown Nashua space.

The name of the bar came from the maiden name of Therrio’s mother, who was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. The restaurant’s offerings run the gamut of traditional Celtic food and beyond. In addition to bangers and mash, Scotch pie and Chicken Bonnie Prince Charley, MacKenzie’s also offers tavern fare and the occasional Portuguese and Indonesian dish.

Therrio, whose Army tenure included stints in Bosnia, Nicaragua, Rwanda and El Salvador, said he picked up other recipes throughout his military travels that he plans to introduce to the menu.

The bar adds to a growing number of Main Street bars that have opened over the last few years, including O’Brien’s Irish Pub, the Sausage King and the Timber Grille.

MacKenzie’s is sparsely decorated, with more of an emphasis on its menu items than its ambience. A Celtic bodhran drum and harp adorn the walls, and Therrio said he will add to the collection with time. Oak woodwork lines the room — from the bar to the tables to the cabinets — all of it built by Therrio and his son, Taylor Therrio.

Taylor said they are following the worldly tradition that has taken form in pubs across the United Kingdom.

“In England they’re having a change where you still have your traditional fare, but they’ve been all over the world, and they’re taking on different tastes and introducing them in their pub menus,” he said.

“We wanted to bring that to Nashua and show them that there is traditional food but also stuff taken from other countries.”

MacKenzie’s also carries steak tips and comfort foods like seafood chowder, shepherd’s pie and chili, in addition to a range of domestic and foreign beers, wines and spirits.

Live music is showcased five nights a week, Tuesday through Saturday, with Celtic, blues, rock and folk acts lighting up the stage at the front of the room.

Bill Therrio said the music is a part of the vision he has for the restaurant. And he hopes to bring something to downtown Nashua that he feels is lacking.

The idea is a “place where people can go and have nice music and have something good to eat, something good to drink and something good to listen to,” he said. “I don’t know if you’ve been around Nashua — there ain’t really much going on.”

Therrio said from a financial standpoint having live musicians doesn’t always pay off. But he hopes the dividends will come when word gets out that there’s a place downtown with live music most nights of the week.

“Right now it’s a little slow because of the time of year,” he said. “It costs a little more than what we bring in on some nights, but we think that in the long run it will generate an atmosphere and a place that people know where to go.”

Asked what he’d like to see the restaurant become in a year, Therrio said his aspirations are simple.

“I’d like to see it grow as a household name, so people know where to go to have a pint and some good food and a good time.”

MacKenzie’s grand opening will take place Aug. 29.

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Simon Rios may be reached at srios@newstote.com.