Quality Time is one of those neighborhood bars you stumble upon and keep going back to because you know that anyone you bring is going to enjoy it. That’s because of the well-priced cocktails, relaxed vibe and nostalgic decor.
At the corner of West Diversey Avenue and North Richmond Street, four blocks north of the hustle and bustle of Milwaukee Avenue in Logan Square, stands a cocktail bar that shouldn’t be overlooked. The hospitality group behind popular bars Spilt Milk, Sparrow, and Bucktown Pub opened Quality Time in 2022, back when people were finally seeing the other side of the pandemic and looking to reconnect in person with people in a relaxed environment.
When you walk into Quality Time, you’ll be greeted with a sense of 1970s nostalgia a la wood paneling, funky wallpaper and vintage leather booths. The bar might seem small, but past the DJ booth, you’ll wander into a large backroom with plenty of additional seating.
The menu here is short but punchy, featuring a handful of classic cocktails as well as a list of rotating “Quality Classics.” Where tiki bars have frozen piña coladas, Quality Time has the Frozen Vegas Bomb, a drink consisting of whiskey, an aperitif blend, cranberry, citrus and Red Bull — it will make you want to dance the night away.
The bar also offers a small selection of craft beer on draft and house wine by the glass and bottle. For snacks, your options are a bag of popcorn or tamales from The Tamale Guy.
A round of drinks here won’t break the bank, which makes it a great spot for a pre-show drink or a nightcap. This evening, you’re doing the former and won’t stay for too long, but come back and check it out on a weekend night when they host live DJ sets into the wee hours.
Once you exit Quality Time, turn left and walk two blocks to the red brick building that houses the Logan Square Improv theater on the corner of West Diversey Avenue and North Mozart Street.
Inside, take in the wonderfully warm surroundings of this community theater. The black-walled room is broken up by a singular brick wall, in front of which stands a well-lit wooden stage. Rows of folding chairs fill the space and support an audience of about 50 people. Small groups of friends dot the room, and laughter can be heard spilling out onto the sidewalk before the show starts, as people crack open the beers or bottles of wine that they’ve toted along with them (all shows here are BYOB).
LSI is the brainchild of co-owners and improv performers Alex Prichodko and Andrew Lemna. The duo used to run a successful comedy variety show out of a bar in Lakeview called Finley Dunne’s. After deciding to open their own operation in 2018, the friends quickly outgrew the space and moved to their current home on West Diversey. Back in 2018, Andrew and Alex helped to form the improv team Little Heroes, which remains a regular headliner at LSI.
Mila Rao, who teaches the Level 1 class at LSI explains that what makes the theater so special is it was created by the improv community for the improv community.
The venue provides a fun and accessible entry into the world of improv through its $5 weekly shows and class programs. The intimate theater draws a crowd of Logan Square locals and the atmosphere is incredibly warm and friendly.
LSI offers two long-form improv programs with eight weekly classes and student shows at the end of each level. Oftentimes, students go on after graduation to form teams with each other and perform in the weekly shows at LSI or at open stages at different theaters around the city.
In addition to short- and long-form improv, LSI showcases standup comedians, sketch comedy groups, musicians and monologists in their weekly shows.
Things to note:
– It’s advisable to show up about 15 minutes before a show to grab a ticket and seat(s), but you can also purchase mobile tickets in advance.
– Tickets cost $5. LSI is a nonprofit theater, so donations are always welcomed.
After working up an appetite laughing, head west from the theater down Diversey for a six-minute walk to end at Cellar Door Provisions. The restaurant sits on the bottom floor of a brick residential corner building and has a front wall made of windows that slide open during warmer months and contribute to the airy French bistro vibe of the space.
Cellar Door Provisions is hyper-seasonal and the menu changes daily based on what ingredients are available. Entering the restaurant, you’ll be greeted by a host who stands in front of a long wooden bar that showcases a vast collection of wine bottles. Beyond the bar toward the back of the restaurant is the open kitchen where chefs donning white coats are busy at work. It’s a small place, but it’s always bustling as chefs and servers elegantly navigate the room to deliver extremely aesthetic plates of food to the 10 or so tables of diners.
This description might conjure comparisons to the fine-dining restaurant in the popular Chicago-based TV series “The Bear,” except the atmosphere here is exactly the opposite: relaxed. You can tell the staff has expertise and that the establishment is a well-oiled machine, which makes it an exceedingly enjoyable experience as a diner.
Ethan Pikas first opened CDP in February of 2014. After a brief closure during the pandemic, it reopened in 2021 with a more focused and minimalist aesthetic. Pikas has made his mark in the culinary world, earning James Beard Award nominations for Best Chef in the Great Lakes in 2019 and 2020, and Cellar Door Provisions became a Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient in 2023.
It’s no surprise there’s a big focus on natural wines here; after all, the restaurant shares a wall with Diversey Wine, one of the city’s best natural wine shops. Most bottles are sourced from Europe and will not be wines you’ve seen at the supermarket, but front-of-house staffers are well-versed in the selection and can help make a recommendation. A smaller list of rotating beer and cocktails has a place on the menu, too.
Now let’s get to the food. While the menu is always evolving, you can count on there being a variety of meat, seafood and vegetarian options. Previously, the star of the show was a golden chicken breast and leg, brushed with honey and tare — a Japanese glaze consisting of soy sauce, sake, brown sugar and sweet mirin. This dish is not only a showstopper because of the complex flavors but also the visual presentation of the fully attached chicken foot (er… claw) on the plate.
