Iowa City’s newest camping-themed pizza restaurant and bar Scout’s Honor opened its doors on Saturday.
Its open floor plan allows patrons to take in the cabin-like feel of its chestnut-paneled walls, neon signage, dance floor, and giant wooden camper van that serves as a centerpiece for selfies.
Once construction is complete, the pizza bar located at 219 Iowa Ave plans to utilize its front outdoor space with a patio.
The design is inspired by the combined travels of the owners Nick Carroll and Josh Immerfall, who also own the bar’s recently opened neighbor CAMP.
Immerfall, who owns Donnelly’s Pub in Iowa City, and Carroll, who owns Pat and Fran’s Irish Pub and Hatchet Jacks in Coralville, partnered to open these camp-themed additions to Iowa City’s downtown stretch.
Scout’s Honor has a different spin on the indoor camping experience than its sibling CAMP offers, featured in its motto “Pizza by day, party by night.”
The bar and pizza restaurant offers a variety of camping-themed cocktails, food, and desserts while providing old-time favorite draft beers.
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Like the camp water cocktail CAMP offers, Scout’s Honor has its signature — the State Fair Lemonade, which is kegged and made of vodka, house-made lemonade, and served in a 32-ounce bucket.
Guests can have their cocktails or beers put in the bar’s branded glassware, which changes color from hot pink to dark purple due to cold drinks.
Coming in as its most popular pizza, according to staff, Scout’s offers the “combine” pizza made with white sauce, sweet corn, Canadian bacon, and drizzled with hot honey.
Its menu also offers sandwiches, salads, and a particularly sweet treat — the S’mookie — which is a skillet s’mores cookie topped with vanilla ice cream.
“The menu is inspired by what people want to eat and what people like, and we take pride in doing those things,” Immerfall said. “We take pride in doing things with quality and cleanliness, and we’re excited to bring those things to everyone in Iowa City.”
Scout’s Honor is open on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. and on weekends from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.
“I hope people come in and love the food,” Carroll said. “I hope people come in and love the drinks and have a good time and are treated well by everybody. That’s what we hope.”
“I think the biggest challenge is just like getting people to know that we’re open and ready,” Rachel Eisenmann, the general manager of both CAMP and Scout’s Honor, said. “A strength is that the people who have found it have had an incredible time.”
Along with a new restaurant and bar comes a new staff, who will be trained by Eisenmann herself.
“We’ve been really fortunate to find just a cool group of people and be able to create our own culture here,” Eisenmann said. “I’m just excited to watch it grow and bring some more life to Iowa Avenue.”
