Quality: A chill place to stay awhile
Walking in downtown Champaign, you might have noticed a small, unobtrusive sign, "Quality," sticking out of a wall. There have been people going into the "Lox, Stock and Bagel" place ― which has been defunct for quite some time now ― and as one of those inside, I've often seen quite a few people peer in the large windows on their way, curious at what is going on.
What's going on is that there's a new bar in town. I was clued in to this by the mention in the Best series. It was funny to me that it was in the Best: Food section, given that the new owners adamantly state that they do not want to carry anything perishable, but Best New Place to Booze is a very apt award for this place.
Neil and Aaron Van Natta (brothers from Watseka) have had the property for about two years now, but the long process of getting the place renovated and looking as they wanted it to look took some time. They liked the location, on the corner of Chester and Neil, and they liked the organization of space once a wall was put in between what is now Quality and the store next door, Circles Boutique. The inside took a long time to revamp though, with no electricity or running water, holes in the floor, and walls that did not look up to par. The pipes everywhere had to be removed, but if you look at the wall towards the beer garden, or in the middle of the room, you'll get an idea of what the place looked like, as some of them are the only things left intact.
The style of the bar is sparse in color to "make other colors pop," according to Aaron. With the paintings currently on the wall, that's definitely the case, though it's all still a work in progress, as they find more art to hang permanently on the walls. Neil knew the area from stopping by on his way to Carbondale from Watseka, visiting with friends, and with the location available, thought it would be a good opportunity for himself and his brother.
Much of the woodwork was put together by a talented contractor from Watseka, Andy LaBounty, who was able to make their ideas come to life, such as the huge bookcase and the bar wall. I was immediately drawn to the bookcase, particularly once I saw how many of the books were fantasy, sci-fi, and contemporary literature. There's plenty of Gaiman, Tolkien, King, even the new Mockingbird series in its entirety. You're welcome to sit and read awhile, and the setup is perfect to do so. Most of the reading collection is made up of books that the owners enjoy, either from Aaron's personal library (extras that he's already been through) or from garage sales and other places.
With long tables for big groups and small tables in the corner for individual reading and relaxing in the sun, the idea of the bar seems to be "something for everybody." There's a dartboard in one corner of a room, a chalkboard to doodle on in another corner of another room, the bookcase to grab books from and stay awhile, random art, and a sit-down Ms.Pacman machine filled with other arcade games as well.
The hours are standard: 3:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. all week. There will be ads soon, to get the word out about this place, though word of mouth has worked pretty well so far. The beer selection is pretty good, with a well-thought-out printed beer menu, as well as an ever-changing chalkboard on the wall listing the current draft selection.
The draft beers are American craft beers, and there are no plans on changing that. They have lots of foreign bottles, but with so many American craft beers, there's a continually changing list of beers for them to choose from to fill their 16 drafts. As they spoke, Aaron and Neil mentioned that they're open to ideas, and they might be willing to have imports on draft for a special week, but otherwise, the plan seems to be to stick with American craft beers overall.
Beer is the main beverage they concentrate on, though they have a decent liquor selection for the rest of their drinks. They also have a straightforward wine selection, so don't expect too much variety as far as wines go. Personally, though I love beer, I've taken to skipping the places in town that focus on it, because they are inevitably awful at mixed drinks, and someone in my party always wants one. This place trumps those though, in that they actually have incredibly friendly bartenders who know how to mix drinks. I know, I was surprised too! Having been to the beer places in town, I thought it was required that the bartenders glare at you, make you wait in line for thirty minutes, and make shitty mixed drinks to punish you for not being cool enough to drink their beer, but it turns out that they're trying something different at this place, namely, good, friendly service and providing you with the drinks that you order at a decent price.
Quality will eventually have daily specials, but Neil and Aaron are interested in reading the crowd and seeing what's enjoyed before they begin to put some of their ideas into practice. They're making a Facebook page, starting a Twitter feed (which will list the daily specials when they start), and if you're interested in getting a job there, they have a listing on a website (which they'll be updating over time).
They're not planning on ever serving food, but they have menus behind the counter and encourage people to order in as they feel like. Any restaurants in town willing to deliver should make sure that they have menus at the bar.
With free WiFi, a small but nice beer garden, lots of spacious — as well as intimate — seating inside, a friendly staff, and good beer, this is definitely a place to try. It hasn't gotten too popular yet, as it's mainly still word of mouth, so now is definitely the time to check it out. And ask the bartenders questions if you feel like it. Every time I've asked Terry anything (he's my favorite bartender, or at least, the only one I ever have in the place, and he's great), he's always been there to provide me with information on the beer or the bar. With friendly service in a relaxed environment, Quality is definitely a great bar to check out this summer.
All photos by Scott Weber.
40 comments
J Hannah
I am sure this is a lovely place, but honestly, how many bars in downtown Champaign does that make now? Every time I hear about a new one now I can barely bother to take notice of their name. But then, I am sick today so maybe I am just being cranky. It seems to be working for downtown Champaign.
Lindsey
The more places to hang out and drink with buds, the better. Good for downtown. I’m glad this space in particular is finally being used again.
Perhaps there are a lot of bars in downtown Champaign… nevertheless, I’m always glad when I find a new place to hang out, and when there is one less empty storefront (Lox, Stock and Bagel being one that was empty way too long.)
J Hannah
Downtown Champaign hasn’t had a problem with empty store fronts in a long time, sure there are a few, but certainly not a problematic number. As I said, I am having a cranky day. I use to live in downtown for many years and left when the influx of trendy bars got to a certain level that my rented parking space was always illegally parked in, I often found my car puked on or a couple getting busy on it at night, and most nights were full of the noise of fighting drunk people. Clearly people enjoy having a plethora of bars in a small space to chose from, as I said, its working for downtown Champaign. There are other places for those of us who don’t want to be surrounded by drunk people and bars to hang out and to live. Now if only downtown Urbana had a great cafe . . .
And if only downtown Champaign had a nice community-supported locally-focused grocery store!
If only the old IGA in the Round Barn Center became a nice community-supported locally-focused grocery store!
J Hannah
I really need to stop using my actual name as a handle on this site if I want to comment and not be the voice of the co-op, don’t I? ;)
We very much wanted to located in downtown Champaign with our first move and had identified the Claudin Welding building as the perfect location, even had a market study done about it which rated it an “A” location if we could get the city to work with us on its lack of adequate parking. We were very torn between that site and our current one (which was also labelled an “A” location and has proven to be so and didn’t have the parking issues) and it ended up coming down to timeline - we had to be out of the IDF as quickly as possible as we could get thrown out any day at the time and the folks who bought the Claudin building weren’t ready to give us a price or say when they’d be ready to lease it.
There is a ton of interest from the co-op’s owners in a Champaign store, there always was, and I am very supportive of the idea if that’s what the owners want.
I honestly would have said that to anybody based on the comment about the lack of cafe’s in Urbana. If you ask me what Champaign is sorely missing, that’s my number one answer. Luckily Urbana isn’t too far.
J Hannah
That cracks me up - I thought that was aimed specifically at me, oh the way our own self-importance leads us to assume! And it also makes me glad, its awesome that a community-supported local-focus grocery store is the first thing you’d add to downtown Champaign to increase its awesome factor if you could.
@Beth — I’d just like to point out that this magazine has a FOOD & DRINK section, not just a FOOD section. Just, FYI. Good review.
Carry on!
J Hannah
Seth, if that was aimed at where I’ve accidentally taken the comment thread, for what it is worth it was a good review. Like I said, I got cranky and felt the need to be mouthy about what I think of there being so many bars in downtown Champaign. It wasn’t a commentary on the writing or the validity of the review showing up here, but I still think it was relevant enough to topic to be posted here.
J Hannah- No, Seth was commenting on my line saying that it was funny it was listed in Smile Politely in the “Food section.”
That was poor wording on my part. What I was commenting on was the title of the article, not section, which was “BEST Food 2011” Not BEST Food and Drink 2011. But I went on to say that the title of the award it won was apt.
Anyway.
@Beth — Fair enough, I just wanted to clarify. I suppose I just consider Food to encompass what we imbibe as well.
@Jacqueline — I agree with you mostly. The last thing downtown Champaign needs is another watering hole with nothing to separate it from the rest of the bars. Can’t someone open a Ping Pong bar at the least? That would rule.
@Jacqueline — I agree with you mostly. The last thing downtown Champaign needs is another watering hole with nothing to separate it from the rest of the bars.
Not to continue commenting on my own article (I hate doing that, sorry) but bah. I think it does separate it from the rest of the bars in that as a non-food serving bar that focuses on beer, it doesn’t serve shitty mixed drinks and it does have attentive bartenders. This distinguishes it from at least two to three bars in downtown Champaign off the top of my head. But maybe I’m just a hater :)
I’d be down with a Ping Pong/pinball place though.
@Beth — I hear what you are saying, and I happen to like Quality as well. But I guess I am just desirous of some more restaurants in downtown — that serve really great and interesting food. Bars, to me, are a dime a dozen, and while I am simply glad that the space is no longer dead empty, I am also just wishful thinking on your article.
For the record, I really like Quality, and I listed it in our BEST Food 2011 article because I thought so highly of it.
I just want something FRESH for downtown. Like a grocery store. Or a park with an ampitheater. Or a french fry stand. Or food trucks. Or a rock music venue that is JUST a rock music venue. Or a minor league baseball team…
Dana
@Seth: In Beth’s defense, it was not so much the section of the site as the awards, which is labeled as “best food: 2011”, and what I believe she is refering to above.
I agree, though, excellent review, and now I absolutely want to check the place out whereas before I might have gotten around to it eventually, but if I didn’t, oh well.
Dana
... and my slow response due to multi-tasking means everyone already covered it. Carry on, indeed. ;-)
eL
This is a great review. If I hadn’t already been to Quality several times, it would make me want to go there.
I’ve only visited at night, so I missed seeing the bookshelf. That’s a cute, original little feature.
As far as being something “new” downtown, the only thing new is that it’s a bar that just opened. Bars that serve great beer and no food and have knowledgeable bartenders!?!? Oh wait, we HAVE those here.
As far as not serving shitty mixed drinks, the first time I visited Quality two days after it opened I told the bartender, “Okay, brand new bar, give me something great!” .... and he made me a shitty, disgusting mixed drink. Beer bar, huh? I’m embarrassed to say that I had a better time at Destihl’s bar during my first and only visit than I have at all of my Quality visits combined.
Also, just having tables outside doesn’t make a “nice beer garden.”
I’m not trying to be a hater, but besides being open and serving booze, Quality hasn’t really done much to deserve all this praise. I’ve given the place the benefit of the doubt and have visited several times, even though every time I go I have a ho-hum experience at best. The ambiance is weird (although the design is very nice, bravo), the people who visit look unsure about what they are doing there, and the beer garden is tiny and lacking. The fact that they have little decor, a book shelf, a chalk board, a random video game, etc., shows that Quality itself isn’t sure what it wants to be yet. It’s great to know the owners are looking for customer feedback, and will let the patrons shape the setting.
Their prices are great, and I’m all about supporting local business, so I will keep going every time another one of my friends wants to “check it out” and I will keep spending my money there. Quality seems to be a fitting name—it’s not mind-blowing, it’s not wonderful, it’s not really even somewhere you’d want to bring your out of town friends—but if you want a place to sit and drink beer that’s not your own living room, this bar is certainly somewhere you could go.
Okay. Has anyone noticed that, like, every single book they have on their bookshelf is brand spankin’ new? And has anyone else had the almost impossible to tame urge to borrow one or 37 of said books?
I wonder if they’d be down with using their shelf as an informal book exchange…you know, so’s I can drunkinly engage in communal literacy.
It also bears mention that, by and large, Aaron’s book collection is pretty up to snuff in my fairly snobby opinion. And to that point, a good book collection is almost as fun to curate as a good bear selection.
Kari
Caleb: I have had the same impulse when browsing the titles.
Also, how does one procure a “bear” collection? ;)
Bars that serve great beer and no food and have knowledgeable bartenders!?!? Oh wait, we HAVE those here
This is going to come across as sarcastic, but I assure you, I’m sincere. I really like trying out peoples’ suggestions and giving my opinion of places to others, which is why I started writing for SP in the first place.
Please tell me bars in town that don’t serve food, have a great selection of beer, and can mix drinks. Provide some drink examples and names, so I can go. I tend to prefer beer, but I got tired of friends having to throw out/discard drinks because they were just gross (terrible mixing of way too much of an ingredient) and not tasty at all. It’s one thing when I just want to get drunk, but for outings with friends to hang out, I want a place everyone can get a drink and enjoy it (not have to gulp it down so you don’t taste it.) Don’t just name a bar, tell me something to get so I can try giving places in downtown Champaign another try.
doug
A good bear collection takes years to build. Most of the world’s top bear connoisseurs start from a young age, usually around age three or four with a few small teddy bears. This instills in them a fascination, an almost primal desire, for all things bear. Once they get a bit older, say eleven or twelve, parents may choose to buy their child their first live bear—this is normally something small and cuddly like a koala bear. If your child doesn’t appear to be progressing as quickly as his/her bear-loving peers, don’t fret: several of the world’s best bear collectors took some time to develop around this stage. Some even required a year or two extra of nurturing one of those hilariously oversized carnival prizes before they were ready for their first small, live bear.
In short, bear collecting can be a rewarding experience that can teach valuable life lessons—ones that will stay with children for the rest of their lives.
eL
Beth, I apologize I misread your earlier statement about beer bars, but I will answer your above questions.
You ask about a place that serves great beer as well as delicious mixed drinks, I immediately think Radio Maria. Their beer selection is amazing, and they also have a fabulous wine list and great mixed drinks. The DO serve food, so you’ve got me there, but their bar is visually stimulating enough where you shouldn’t mind sitting there for a drink or two with friends!
Both the Pigs seem to be THE places to be if you’re looking to find tasty beers you can sip (or chug if you want to drop $50 in a couple hours). I feel kind of sad for your friends that are apparently ordering drinks around town and having to pour them out. I assume you’re talking about the Pigs, as they specialize more in beer?
If you’ve only had terrible mixed drink experiences at the Pigs, I could only suggest being more proactive in describing exactly what you want? I don’t know, I don’t work there, I’m not that invested in the place, but it does stink if you aren’t a beer drinker and feel like you can’t get a good drink.
Mike ‘n Molly’s is also a favorite for beer selection that also has a full bar AND the best beer garden in town. Of course, you won’t find a mixed drink menu like you would at Boltini, so it really depends on what you’re looking for.
After thinking about it, I get what you’re saying about Quality being a new place that has great beers and can also make mixed drinks. Granted, the drink they mixed me which was supposed to be their “speciality” was dump-outtable, so we’re all bringing personal tastes to our opinions about local establishments. What Quality lacks in beer gardens and ambiance, it makes up in great prices and the novelty factor.
Anyway, I guess where we can all agree is that there’s something for everyone in downtown Champaign as far as bars go, and once you’ve lived here long enough, no matter your favorite establishment, it’s nice to check out something new and get out of the old routine.
Sorry to be Debbie Downer all over your article! Like I said, reading it makes me feel like I’m missing something when I visit, and it’s new enough I’ll have plenty of chances to grab a drink there this summer when friends swing through town. Thanks for being so thorough in your research and follow-ups on here!
Different views and experiences are good things. Thanks mucho for sharing yours. I love Radio Maria, myself, so we’re both totally in agreement there. Radio Maria, Esquire, Seven Saints, Boltini’s… even the buffalo chicken sandwich at Guido’s… there’s plenty of great food/booze places in downtown Champaign. No disagreement from me there!
I’ve just had bad experiences with the beer places in town :/ so the outgoing friendly bartenders at Quality, and the mixed drink experiences (simple things that my friends have complained about other places) stood out to me. Maybe it’s because I’ve had a chip on my shoulder from the past, but either way, hearing other experience= excellent.
I just want something FRESH for downtown. Like a grocery store. Or a park with an ampitheater. Or a french fry stand. Or food trucks. Or a rock music venue that is JUST a rock music venue. Or a minor league baseball team…
hear, hear!
Jane
I was excited to try Quality because it looked and sounded like a relaxed place to hang out that would be a good alternative to places places that seem focused on hipness and expensive “martinis”, like Boltini. Unfortunately, I hung out at Quality recently on a weekend night with friends and found it pretty unbearable. The acoustics are terrible, it didn’t seem all that crowded but managed to be insanely loud. By the time we left I was hoarse from yelling to be heard. The staff seemed unattentive to my group and the crowd was obnoxious as hell (admittedly not the fault of the bar, per se, and would vary). I’m not too bothered by cigarette smoke, but there was quite a bit blowing in from the beer garden part. Definitely not my type of place. Sadly, I don’t think even the presence of Ms. PacMan will get me to come back!
B
The name, Quality, really turns me off. It seems like a nice place w/ potential, but I can’t say the name without feeling/sounding snobbish. It just sounds so presumptuous…
@ doug & Kari: Behold, a photo of Quality’s dry storage room: http://bit.ly/lQ7wKZ
Justin Hedrick
hey seth, just out of curiosity (because i seriously know that you have an answer), where would the minor league park be?
The name comes from the Quality grocery store owned by their parents in Watseka. To me, it reminds of the long-gone time of the old A&P stores….
Frank Eagleton
There would be no minor league ballpark. As with many things, Champaign whiffed with the Colts a long time ago, so that adventure won’t be repeated. Bloomington-Normal, Peoria, and Springfield (I believe) all have minor-league teams. Indianapolis, not that far away, has a Triple A team.
Regarding the glut of downtown bars: Time to stop with that now. It’s good that Champaign revived the downtown from the collapsing dung heap it was 20 years ago. But just throwing bars into every corner, ground-floor building is a bad approach. Change it.
doug
I’ve joked with my friends that we should open Quantity across the street. Wooden tables and benches of questionable construction, over-sized mugs, and troughs of Natural Light.
Low-hanging fruit?
DC
Even though I am very much a barfly, I am not that interested in Quality. The space inside seems nice, but it’s another beer bar offering a similar selection of beers to many other bars in downtown Champaign. And I’m saying that as a person who drinks beer almost exclusively.
I was really hoping for something different from what is already offered. I’m not sure what that is, exactly, but nothing about Quality stands out to me.
And, as somebody who spend yesterday in Quality’s beer garden, that is a less than steller place to drink. It’s small and half the tables aren’t close to being level. Of beer gardens in downtown Champaign, that is probably one of the worst.
I do like the idea of a nice grocery, and I love the idea of some sort of quick-and-easy street food in the downtown area. I can’t see that happening anytime soon, though.
Frank: tell it, sister.
DC: stellar*
yeah, i’m a dick :) but i actually agree with pretty much all you said. Quality Liquors is like Megan Fox: well put-together, but empty inside.
justin hedrick
ike, you like megan fox? you and i are fastly approaching the best friend nexus.
i’m sorry, but it seems like the poor bar grabbed at the trendy ideas and fell a bit short. plus, i’m a family man and only really like bars that have live music. i shat thee not.
miles
I have yet to make it out to Quality, but the bookshelf is the biggest draw for me, a beer drinker who considers any mixed drink by definition pour-outtable. Caleb *probably* has good taste, but I’ll be my own judge.
My last great bar memory was when the proprietor of Seven Saints shared his Hemingway enthusiasm around a Two-hearted.
How about a genuine comedy club downtown? A small, intimate venue for local acts AND to bring in national acts traveling in, through, and around the region for one-night engagements.
Now THAT would be an exciting addition to the downtown space.
T.McDade
Went to Quality last night. It was good.
Caleb: you’re only mostly right about the book shelves. It is an impressive collection of newish looking books. But the exceptions are important: old copies of the Illio. I spent two beers’ time looking at the 1911 and 1912 versions. Super cool. I’ve played video games and listened to music in a bar before; I’d never done that.
Also, the selection was good and the prices reasonable.
virgil g
Having a completely different beer selection than anyone/everyone else in town is an impossible task. Due to the Three Tier System, bars can pretty much only buy beer from distributors. In CU, those distributors are Skeff (budweiser products, goose island), Orange and Blue (Miller/Coors, bells, sierra nevada), Marketplace (founders, southern tier, stone), Specialty (flossmoor station, most of the imports), and a couple of other distributors for pbr, merchant du vin, big sky…
But a bar isn’t really going to be able to get beer that isn’t available at any other bar. Sometimes that happens when a distributor gets only a single keg of something, or has something especially picked out for a bar (like during the CU Craft Beer Pub Crawl), but often times, you’ll see the same beer on at several bars throughout CU.About the only way a bar has something that no one else has (routinely) is if it’s a very expensive keg. That is usually a risk for the bar, as it seems most patrons don’t want to pay more than $5 for a beer, regardless of how great it is. (Radio Maria currently has a Struisse/Stillwater collaborative beer called Outblack for $10, that beer is delicious, but it isn’t being purchased enough). Because the more expensive beers don’t move as well, bars are less likely to gamble on a beer that will be on draft for more than a month.
As to Quality, they have a good selection at good prices, the prices and selection aren’t that much different than the rest of downtown; but they aren’t going to be able to do that due to the above reasons.
I like the place.
I bet this is TL/DR.
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represent, Matt.
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hey, if hair ain’t gon’ be over your head, my jokes may as well be.
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funny, as your summer begins, another Summer ends.
@Dan - Wow. Unfortunately, I have to refrain from further comment due to a previous employment relationship. But with that brief context you might be able to imagine possible comments or responses I could have.
Oh, by the way, the “Champaign County YMCA” no longer exists. The official name is now the “Stephens Family YMCA” (the website has not been updated, but check out the latest program guide). And no, it’s not just the name of the building. It’s the name of the organization.
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