The Q Bar & Grill
If you have ever been to the Q Bar & Grill you know its one of a kind. Its the perfect place for the outdoor enthusiast to come grab a beer, a burger and share some fishing and hunting stories. Located just north of the 101 on 19th Ave, on the Southwest corner of 19th Ave and Rosegarden. It’s in a great location to head strait to the Q after a day of fishing on Lake Pleasant. Known for their cold beers, amazing burgers, and world famous fish fry, the Q Bar is sure to turn you into a regular once you go. The Q Bar used to have two locations but due to the pandemic they unfortunately had to close their doors at one location. But things are looking up, with the pandemic over the 19th ave location is booming once again.
You don’t want to miss out on their Fish Fry Friday’s, Karaoke nights and of course football. Julie Rohlfing, the owner of the bar, took over after her Father ran the business for many years. The staff at the Q Bar not only promotes anglers and hunters coming to their bar, but they are heavily involved in the Arizona fishing community as well. At each Fishin48, Cactus Cup Team Trail tournament the Q Bar sets up at the weigh in, to cook for all the anglers after a long day on the water. If you haven’t been to an event come fishing or come and watch the weigh ins and enjoy a burger from the Q. Make sure not to miss out on the FishIn48 or the Wickedbass Burger.
The Q Story
The Q Bar and Grill was opened in September of 1986 by Chuck and Lynne Rohlfing. Chuck already had a long career in the bar business before starting the Q Bar. He and his wife Lynne, were both from Lake of the Woods, Minnesota. Chuck’s family had a family owned fishing resort, from 1950 – 1975 where they would catch endless Walleye and Northern Pike. The resort catered to fishermen all year round as well as hunters. When Chuck was old enough, he drove the chartered boats and ran guided fishing trips. After graduating high school he continued on to get his bachelor’s degree in education. He married his wife Lynne at 22 years old and they took teaching jobs in Ketchikan Alaska.
Living in Ketchikan during the 60’s and 70’s was a great time for them. Logging and fishing was still a big industry in Ketchikan. Chuck chose to quit teaching after three years to make some “real money”. He purchased a bar with a liquor store and then shortly after purchased another. The bars at that time catered to loggers and fisherman, which would carry over to the Q Bar & Grill.
Chuck was fishing or hunting almost everyday during his 10 year stay in Alaska. He owned a small island called “Camp Island” where he and his friends would go duck hunting, fishing, fly fishing. Chuck and Lynn ran the fishing boat every summer and would stay out to sea for 2 weeks at a time. Chuck loved to fish more than anything in this world. The environmentalists took over in the mid 1970’s restricting the logging, fishing, etc, so he packed up, sold his businesses and moved the family to Phoenix.
Chuck owned bars in Phoenix , but it wasn’t like Minnesota and Alaska. No taxidermy on the walls and no businesses catered to the outdoorsmen. With that void in his life he finally decided to build the Q Bar. It was his first bar that also served food. He built the stools, booths and even the bar with the help of a couple friends and opened up in 1986. All sorts of taxidermy mounts from North American animals and fish covered the walls. It was a hit, and he finally felt at home. In 1996 Q2 opened. Q2 was a larger version of the original with more taxidermy and a lot more customers.
While in Arizona he continued fishing and hunting all while running two bars. For him hunting and fishing was standard operating procedure. Living off the land was no problem for him. His children grew up on salmon, deer, elk, moose, crappie, walleye and the occasional chicken or beef dish Lynne made.
The name comes from 2 places. Prior to opening the original Q Bar, he owned a bar called the Miss Que, always referred to as the Q, he chose to stick with that one letter. The main road the Q was located on, Olive Avenue, was formerly called Q Avenue by the farmers, so it stuck.
In 2000 Chuck’s daughter Julie, started managing the Q and became an owner in 2008 after Lynne passed away. Just says, “My favorite part of the business is the people. I’ve known the community since I was 12 years old. I grew up with our Friday night “all you can eat“ fish eaters and regulars. They are my family”
The Q Bar’s fish fry is what they are known for. The last 30 years the majority of the fish comes from Portland, Maine. All of it from the same fishery. They supply the Q with hundreds of pounds of Atlantic Cod and scallops yearly. They also sell Walleye that comes out of Canada and the Catfish from Mississippi .
Something most people don’t know is that Chuck spent every last penny to get the original Q Bar open. He had lost a lot of his money on a real estate venture that went sour. In fact, on opening night he had to borrow $500 from his friend to just make change for the bartenders. That money was paid back that night and the place went gangbusters from there.
As for the rest of the menu the popular items are the gourmet burgers, french dip, Julie’s chicken sandwich and the nightly specials. The Q serves fried pork chops on Thursdays, chicken fried steak on Mondays and they have a cheeseburger/ margarita special every Wednesday. If you haven’t been to the Q and you’re an outdoorsman, now is the time. They are big supporters with the fishing industry, so make sure to support the folks that support our industry. You won’t be disappointed!
