Went in to celebrate graduation and wanting to try out a new dive bar of Champaign. One of the part owners was drinking and groped a member of my group to the point where she started crying. (Bartenders were nice tho and ambiance was great) read more

The best little dive bar around. It's been open for almost a hundred years and its a local landmark watering hole. Inexpensive, clean, and unique in the fact that both the bartenders and customers are broad spectrum of characters with decades of expertise drinking Hamm's and PBR. read more

The best dive bar around! Love that they kept the old school look and feel but upgraded the draft beers and liquor. And they take credit cards for the first time ever! read more

This is the absolute worst place in Downtown Champaign (other than Phoenix), and I mean that in the best way possible. On a Friday night, the place was near deserted after about 10:30pm, with a regular or two, a couple of drunks and a group of quiet students. Seating is in cramped booths unsuitable for people taller than 6', or at the bar. The interior is hideous: bugly, dated paneling, linoleum and illumination by neon promo signs. My kind of place. They have 2 beers on tap as I recall, PBR and High Life. The special that night was Hamm's cans, which were had for (surprisingly, to me) more than a dollar each. The good news is that either Hamm's is a lot better than I remember, or I was drunker than I thought. I had been drinking 'good' beer at other downtown establishments known for the same, but the Hamm's were somehow better. Thinking about how well those Hamm's hit the spot makes me want one right now. The Brass Rail has an internet juke box to kill the otherwise oppressive silence, and is a total ripoff if you put less than $5 in, but has an impressive selection. They have a soft-tip dartboard, a couple of tvs and a broken pinball machine. They also have frozen pizza that they can make for you for less than $5, but it is pretty crappy pizza. Huber's' pizza is way better. Ours got burnt black in places and was too salty but was still promptly devoured. For two days I wondered how I burned my mouth. Service is great, and friendly. The bartender has an excellent rapport with her patrons, a quick wit and a kindness that comes across right away. I can definitely see this as a place to go back to. read more

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The first time here was definitely 5 stars. I loved it so much I decided to bring my boyfriend to check it out and it was the worst experience. The older male bartender with shaggy gray hair was a complete jerk. My boyfriend who hadn't ever been there asked for a drink and the bartender just told him no. No explanation as to why just cut him off and said no. He then had an attitude when I tried to pay for both drinks, telling me one of them was for my boyfriend. I told him I know and I was paying and he got huffy and just grabbed the money. Then, after sitting down at a booth, the bartender comes up and is looking underneath of our table at our feet without saying anything. So I decided to look under the table with him and asked him, "do you see something under there that's not supposed to be there?" He ignores my question, turns to a homeless man who just walked into the bar, and said "oh, there is an outlet underneath of this table that you can use." Acting as if my boyfriend and I were not already sitting there. We didn't even finish our drinks, I just sat them on the counter and walked out after paying for them. Never again will I waste my money or time in such a shitty little bar. read more

why am I writing a review about my favorite bar? I mean, I was there last friday night and there were all these hipbros (Jack Threads dressed kinda fratty dudes) and they were all loud and dumb. Did they read reviews and decide to show up? Was one of my friends responsible for this, possibly telling one of their work mates about a fun downtown bar? Oh shit... I"m becoming part of the problem. Well.. the deal is the Rail is the shit. and the owner isn't trying to become some tycoon. He's a pretty sweet older dude. The bartenders are great, the juke box can be a bit fun, the dart are plastic and shitty. This is what rocks. The beers pour nicely. The booze is mighty fine. No redbull or credit card jerkasses. this is to keep things real. Are you kinda chill, a bit outside the box? stop in. Are you a douche? eh, you still deserve a shot of fireball... then leave. read more

We didn't even make it in the bar and were told we needed a mask- ok no biggie. As we were trying to get a mask on, the bartender told us all to just get out like a total asshole. His loss, though..we dropped about a grand at another bar who didn't have an asshole bartender read more

Five stars because, if you walk in with wide-open eyes, you'll get exactly what you expect and deserve. Dark, small, almost claustrophobic if you're over 6' tall like me, it's almost like drinking in the alley your parents told you never to enter after dark. Yes, there's little room for long legs at the bar. Yes, there are pints of liquor for sale. (Also, I rarely smoked and only did so sometimes when I drank, but I remember buying packs of cigarettes here. More convenient than walking down to that corner store by Westside Park.) Friends and I actually ordered a frozen pizza once and didn't regret it. If you're really feeling your alcohol, you feel a little anxious about getting lost on your way to and from the bathroom. So, why go? Why the five star review? You go for the cheap Hamm's, as so many have mentioned. You also go for the SQUINTS, gin and Squirt soda majestic beverages that will close out your evening nicely. (I'm shocked that no one has mentioned them before. Seriously, ask for a squint.). And that's it: the Brass Rail is a perfect place to close out the night. Grab a last call Hamm's or Squint as you and your friends debate heading out to Merry Ann's before heading home. Chat up the eccentric and friendly bartender and locals. Get away from the hipster and overcrowded spots for a minute. read more

The Brass Rail is what a dive bar should be. Slightly uncomfortable with bad furnishings, decent beer, and a great place to hang. Every time I've come I've enjoyed it. There's even an electronic darts game for when you're tired of squeezing into a tiny booth, watching bad TV or wondering why they sell so many portable bottles of alcohol from the counter. I love you Brass Rail, you are divetastic, and you make me happy. read more

Old school dive bar here. Long bar, with wood booths. Several bar games and an internet jukebox. Typical beer selection for such a place. Cheap Hamn's (really, that is awesome) and Pabst. Along with a full bar. They can make cheep frozen pizzas if you are really desperate for some food. The place has been here forever, and it has not been updated either. Still an interesting and fun place for a visit every once in a while, but a dive in every respect. No pretension here, and just bare bones. If that is your thing, this is right up your ally. read more

Brass Rail is a nice little dive bar I had the pleasure of wandering in earlier this month. The place is cash-only, which kind of stinks, but it's small and quiet. Quiet is a rare commodity on Friday nights in Downtown Champaign, and so it's a great stop for when you actually want to have conversations with the people you're out with. The selection of alcohol is pretty good. The beers are pretty much all American domestics (it's a dive bar, come on) but I was really stoked that they had Old Grand Dad 100 on the bar- it's one of my favorite low-price bourbons, and the liquor selection is pretty decent. Plus the bartender was friendly and the specials were pretty good. Brass Rail isn't as nice as Bentley's, but it's a great little stop on impromptu pub crawls, and I'd like to go back. read more

The Brass Rail is eternal. I used to frequent it in the 1979-1982 timeframe with friends from the CU music scene in days of The Vertebrats. In those days, It offered a quiet refuge from "the scene." The Brass Rail was the "anti-scene." Not many people went there and we wondered how it stayed in business. During a visit back to CU from my new hometown in 2010, I went there with some friends for what amounted to a wake for a dear friend of ours. Believe it or not, the same guy was tending bar as was always there in the early '80s. The. Same. Guy. How is that possible 30 years later? Keep the Brass Rail in mind as an eternal alternative to every other bar in town... because it is. read more

I always end up being dragged here and I don't know why! The beer selection & seating are virtually non existent. Oh yeah, cash only and don't expect much help from the bartender. read more

And I quote "we buy the most damn rail gin in Champaign". Get a squint Don't go here if you are a little bitch. This is a bar.

A great local dive bar. The place is interesting and has a comfortable low key feel. I'll never forget going into the place on Halloween a few years back and seeing the bartender dressed as the bee girl from the Blind Melon video, we still refer to her as the bee girl. I've met some strange folks in this place late at night which I find to be a plus. Can't say it's as cheap as Esquire but it has a way different feel that goes in it's favor. read more

Great dive bar in downtown, near the Amtrak station. Bartender Aaron was pleasant and friendly. Drinks were super reasonably priced. Just what id expect out of a local dive, but considerably cleaner. read more

Old school Chicago looking bar here unfortunately the place had terrible service and scrappy Tv sets. The bartender was like sixty years young and straight from a fifties monster movie. The place hasn't changed much from the fifties evidently as they boast of that with pictures to attest. The Dorito bags have like four chips and the beer tastes flat form the tap like it was from the sixties. bad dump. read more

My favorite place in Champaign. They have Cops on the tv Saturday nights, just like I used to watch with my dad. Cheap beer and lots of locals. Love it. read more

My grandpa went there every day back in the day. He died in the 1950's. Now I go every time I'm back in town. (I live in Colorado). The only thing that keeps me from giving it 5 stars is the grump behind the bar who refuses to cook the Butch's Pizza, unless you argue with him that that is what the little pizza oven is for. read more

It's a watering hole. It's a pub. It's rough. It doesn't have a brass rail. That got donated to the war effort... yeah, it's that kinda place. It's our place, it can be your place too. Famous people stop by to be regular joes, and in this place, everybody is. Stop by, pull up a stool, and have a beer or some liquor. This is where the folks who work at the schmancy places hang out after their shifts. Real folks, good beer, and no schmancy nonsense. read more

I like a dive bar as much as anyone else, but I expect the beer to be good. The Brass Rail is a diaper. I ordered a PBR draft and it was easily the skunkiest beer I have ever tasted: creamy at first, smelling of ash, and absolutely toxic afterwards. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume they never flush their tap lines. If you wind up here late at night, spare yourself the pain and order a bottle or can. read more