CLEVELAND, Ohio — Pioneer is Cleveland's newest and hottest bar, quite literally.
Located inside the new 'Intro' building on West 25th and Lorain Avenue the chique camping-inspired spot is blazing its trail in Ohio City while blazing its food over an open flame.
"We really wanted to give warmth to the space and bring the outdoors in," said owner Dan Whalen.
Speaking of warmth, the focal point when you walk into Pioneer is their 20-foot-long custom Argentinian wood fire grill.
"The name Pioneer really came from this idea of, when is the situation when you'd be cooking over an open flame," said Whalen. "It's when you're roughing it out in nature."
Pioneer is a family affair, Dan's brother Brian is the executive chef of Pioneer. Chef Brian has created a smoke-infused culinary experience for guests by taking traditional bar good and elevating it with a grill that reaches 900 degrees.
"It takes a different bread to work back here in this type of heat," laughed Brian.
Brian is built differently and so is his menu.
Some of the highlights include a flame-grilled burger with bacon jam, charred chicken wings and tacos asadero.
Pioneer has been open in Ohio City for about a week. In the coming weeks, they will open an open patio that features an old-school air stream trailer they have converted into a bar as well as stunning views of the West Side Market.
Pioneer is open for dinner at 4:30 p.m. and is planning on opening for lunch in the near future.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above previously aired on 3News on June 12, 2022.