Treehouse Tavern

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The story below is from our July/August 2023 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you! 

A family-owned Bent Mountain eatery proves that ‘delicious food’ and ‘kid-friendly’ are not mutually exclusive concepts.

Picture this: it’s a warm summer evening, you’re sitting on an outdoor patio while you nibble nachos and wood-fired pizzas while your kids run around, alternating between playing cornhole and coloring with chalk. This dream dining scenario is exactly what Roanoke natives Lee and Scott Markham imagined for a family-friendly restaurant that delivers on both the food and hospitality fronts. Treehouse Tavern is now a reality, serving up creative tavern-inspired fare, barbecue and more in a family-friendly space in Bent Mountain.

The Markhams, who have three children of their own, first met when Scott hired Lee, then earning a degree in art education at James Madison University, as a hostess at his downtown establishment Trio Bistro. As their family grew, so did their aspirations to open a restaurant that provided a welcoming space and delicious menu for the whole family, a concept they felt was lacking in the area. 

“They might get kids, but they don’t get food. They get food, but they don’t get kids,” Scott says. 

The tavern category is well-covered with a line-up of sandwiches, burgers, salads and wood-fired pizzas, but with creative twists. To wit, there’s the perennially popular bacon-and-Brie burger with onion marmalade, and chili cheese nachos topped with beef chili and hatch chile queso. The Markhams hope to expand the kids’ menu, which is comprised of classics such as hot dogs, burgers and chicken tenders, to include mix-and-match options. 

“We’ve noticed with our own kids that we never want to order full meals,” Lee says. “Especially if you have multiple kids, we only need one order of fries, and this one wants fruit and that one wants a burger.”  

Prior to Treehouse Tavern, the building most recently housed Bent Mountain Bistro. After sitting dormant during COVID, the space needed renovation but it had good bones, including beautiful 100-plus year-old reclaimed wood beams. The Markhams added fresh paint, changed out the chandeliers and sconces, hung airy drapes and tapped local artist Maggie Perrin-Key to paint a vibrant wall mural. To add definition to the space, they built and installed two planter boxes to partition the bar area and dining room. Next, the pair will devote more attention to the patio, one of Treehouse Tavern’s main draws. 

“We’ll be able to focus more on the family-friendly aspect when we get more outdoor space. Most of the time it’s easier when you’re outside. And the acoustics in the restaurant are not favorable for loud kids,” Lee says. 

They’ll enclose the patio by filling in the corner gaps with stones and add a couple more tables, and fully fence in the outdoor play area that will feature games and activities such as cornhole and sidewalk chalk. Soon they’ll open an outdoor bar — anchored by the original bar from Brambleton Deli — where they envision serving drinks and appetizers. Scheduling live music is on the docket for this summer too.

Outdoor cooking is a cornerstone of Treehouse Tavern’s concept and adds to the festive and laid-back vibes. The wood-fired pizza grill and outdoor smoking set-up are carry-overs from the previous owners but taken up a notch.

In addition to smoking pork butts, wings and St. Louis glazed ribs, the pair smoke salmon, eye of round beef for cheesesteak sandwiches and vegetables, such as jalapeños, onions and tomatoes to jazz up salsa. Some of the smoked meats find their way onto other menu items, as with quesadillas, Cuban sandwiches and the BBQ pizza, which sees the blistered pies topped with pulled pork, a duo of cheddar and mozzarella, caramelized onions and local BBQ sauce.

To create a menu with more of a dinner feel, the couple have served entrée specials like shrimp ‘n’ grits and a Soul Bowl, composed of BBQ, black-eyed peas, collards and rice. They’d like to add a comforting curry fashioned after a homemade recipe, starting with a vegan base of sweet potato, coconut and chickpeas, with the choice to add chicken. 

Offering more vegan dishes is in line with how they eat at home, and something that Lee sees as becoming more prevalent in the area too due to the Alpha-Gal Syndrome. Lee’s mother has it, which results from tick bites and causes an allergy to red meat and pork.

“That’s actually becoming a lot more prominent in our area, especially out in the mountains,” Lee says. “There is a market up here for vegetarian dishes. We’re trying to incorporate things that can be vegetarian or vegan, and [have the option to] add meat.”

Another example is the Hot Mess, a dish with sweet potato, black beans and cheese, and a smoked pork add-on. Treehouse Tavern’s existing vegan items include a vegan pesto pizza, vegan Parmesan to sub in and create a dairy-free pie, plus vegan vanilla ice cream for dessert.

The Markhams are quick to point out that Treehouse Tavern is a work in progress, particularly since the Markham’s youngest is still an infant. There’s a crib set up off the main dining room so that Lee can come to work more often during off-hours, but it’s still challenging to juggle the family-work-life balance and make good on their vision.

“It’s hard to let go of trying to do everything at once and feeling like we should have the highchairs and all the separate kid menus. The intention is there.”

Fortunately, they have a solid and enthusiastic team in place, and a legion of loyal supporters from the Bent Mountain community. But the Markhams see the potential for Treehouse Tavern to exist as a third space for the broader Roanoke community as well. It’s a 20-minute drive from Roanoke County and a convenient stop for motorists on their way to Floyd or Bent Mountain or cyclists en route to Bottom Creek Gorge. The pair see potential for hosting seasonal events like a pumpkin patch come fall or a hot chocolate and holiday photo op for folks on their way back from picking up Christmas trees.

As for how they chose the name Treehouse Tavern, Lee says: “We’re trying to convey that it’s for everyone. It’s not just a tavern, it’s not just a kid-friendly place — we’re trying to accommodate everyone.”

The story above is from our July/August 2023 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!