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'Selfie Room,' Tire Swings at Old Town's New Pizza Joint, The Happy Camper

By Mina Bloom | November 9, 2015 5:19pm
 The Happy Camper, 1209 N. Wells St., is set to open Monday evening.
The Happy Camper, 1209 N. Wells St., is set to open Monday evening.
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DNAinfo/Mina Bloom

OLD TOWN — The Happy Camper, a playful pizza restaurant with tire swings and a "selfie room," is set to open Monday evening.

The folks behind Homeslice, 938 W. Webster Ave., have taken over the space formerly occupied by gastropub The Refinery, 1209 N. Wells St., and the space next door.

The result is a 6,000-square-foot pizza restaurant called The Happy Camper — complete with old Airstream campers, tire swings and a "selfie room."


An old camper inside The Happy Camper, 1209 N. Wells St. [All photos DNAinfo/Mina Bloom]

Like Homeslice, pizza pies ranging from 10 inches to 18 inches are the focus on The Happy Camper's menu. In addition to the typical offerings like sausage and pepperoni, there's also a huge selection of chicken pizzas, like the "Ed," which is topped with roasted chicken, bacon, spinach, red onions, roasted garlic, diced tomatoes, parmesan and cream cheese. 

Patrons will also find calzones, appetizers like meatballs and mozzarella bread sticks, salads and soups on the menu. For weekend brunch, the restaurant offers everything from pulled pork hash to breakfast pizza. 

The Happy Camper also resembles Homeslice on the inside. There are old Airstream campers parked in the back — which act as lounges where patrons can dine — as well as globe lighting and wood accents.


The old camper serves as the host stand.

Venture to the back bar, and you'll find tire swings in place of bar stools. Owners Clay Hamilton and Josh Iachelli were testing them out Monday afternoon before the official opening.


Tire swings in place of bar stools in the back bar.

In the hallway there's a room outfitted with mirrors everywhere you turn that Hamilton hopes will become "the world's trippiest selfie room." 

The "selfie room" is about a week or two away from its debut. Hamilton said he's working on installing some soft lighting so flashes won't interfere with the photos, as well as an illuminated Happy Camper sign. 

It's in stark contrast to other bars, like Harry's Velvet Room in River North, which explicitly does not allow selfies. 


The restaurant's "selfie room," will debut in a week or two. It's lined with mirrors.

The Happy Camper opens for dinner at 4 p.m. Monday - Friday. Hamilton said the restaurant will stay open late on weekdays, mostly likely closing a little earlier than 2 a.m. On Saturdays and Sundays it'll be open from 10:30 a.m. until 2 a.m.

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