Dive In!

Blue-collar beer, neighborhood dive vibes and a priceless moose head come together at the brand-new Vic Village Tavern

By Jill Craig / Photos by Leonardo Carrizo / Story Design by Atlas Biro

One of Quinn Allen’s middle school pictures shows him wearing a Jägermeister t-shirt. He says he didn’t own a lot of Tommy Hilfiger or Ralph Lauren apparel back then, but was never at a loss for branded Absolut, Jameson, or Jägermeister clothing.

That’s because he had connections. Allen’s family has owned multiple bars and restaurants in Columbus over the years, including Zeno’s, Dick’s Dive, Allen O’Meara’s, Aristotles, Chameleons, The Pewter Mug, and Travel Agency, to name but a few.

Bruce the Moose

“A lot of child labor laws were being broken back in the day,” Allen laughed. “I was six years old, standing on dish racks to get up to the sink with the spray arm, and my brothers would be right next to me. We were just working the dish line for lunch.”

Allen, along with co-owners Matthew Herron and Lonnie Kubankin, have worked in the industry – including beer distribution – for much of their lives. In 2020, they bought The Library Bar in the Ohio State University District.

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When they had the opportunity last summer to take over The Shrunken Head bar and music venue in Victorian Village, the trio did not hesitate.

“One of the first things we agreed on before we even bought this bar was the name, the Vic Village Tavern. We’re naming it after the community that we’re embedded in,” said Allen. “There’s people of all ages, all walks of life, but we’re all living in the same spot, so why not get to know each other? There’s no better place to do that than a bar.”

As for the type of bar, Herron explained.

“We like dive bars so we’re trying to say we are one, but I don’t think we are. I think we’re an old school bar – a nostalgic, vintage, neighborhood bar,” he said.

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Allen clarified, “We could be a full-fledged dive bar; we’d just have to call off our cleaning crew for about two months.”

Patrons seem to appreciate the pro-hygiene approach.

“I love a dive bar, but I want a nice, clean bar,” said Molly Devaney, a 32-year-old Victorian Village resident. “When I learned that they were from the same ownership as Zeno’s, I had to go because I love Zeno’s. It’s always fun.”

Matthew Herron, Lonnie Kubankin, and Quinn Allen, co-owners of Vic Village Tavern

The Vic Village Tavern offers beers you may not have seen in a while, or ever, like Stroh’s, Old Style, Coors Banquet, and Blatz. As for the furniture and décor, the owners bought it at auction, including neon light beer signs, beer-branded mirrors and light sconces, and their pièce de résistance, a taxidermied moose head.

“We got into a bidding war for the moose. We agreed that we’re not losing this moose, I don’t care how much it costs,” said Kubankin.

“We went to the max of our budget,” Herron said. “We could have walked away and saved a lot of money, but we paid more for the moose than we did for every piece of furniture in here.”

When asked for an exact figure, he deflected, citing embarrassment.

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Bruce the Moose, so-named because it rhymes, sports a Vic Village Tavern ball cap and has a cigarette hanging out of the side of his mouth. He is quickly gaining his own fanbase, like with Victorian Village resident Alex Kirby.

“I like the moose, it was the first thing I saw when I walked in,” said Kirby. “It’s intriguing, I want to know what the deal with it is. It’s kind of mysterious, most other bars don’t have that.”

Other patrons agree.

“I don’t mind the moose. I think the moose is fine. More bars should have moose,” said Grandview resident Kevin Voltz, 34.

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“It’s always nice to see new places open in Columbus, especially places that are a little bit different, which is weird to call this place different, because it’s your quintessential bar,” Voltz said. “But it’s just not trying to put on any airs and that’s where I would prefer to be.”

Allen, Herron, and Kubankin are pleased that their clientele is responding to the vibe they’re trying to put out.

“It’s hard to find a bar that checks all the boxes,” said Allen. “But we figured, what would check all the boxes for us? Old Style [beer], a moose smoking a cigarette, and some really nice bathrooms.”

Behind the counter inside the neighborhood bar

Drinking a Stroh’s, twenty-eight-year-old Kirby commented that he’d never heard of the beer before this visit. But, he said, “I like it, it’s good. I got it because it was blue and I saw another person over there had it.”

We're naming it after the community that we're embedded in."

Old school beer – and Bruce – may be the hook, but the bar also offers a selection of other beers, wine, hard seltzers and ciders, and spirits, including cocktails. It does not serve food, but regularly hosts food trucks from Tuesday to Saturday.

The Vic Village Tavern plans to host weekly trivia and karaoke nights and feature live acoustic music.

And, the patio is being readied for the warm summer months, just around the corner.

For more information, check out the Vic Village Tavern on Instagram or visit thevvtavern.com

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