I've only been here once. And that was because I went with someone who knew the bartender and he got us in for free. That specific bartender was cool. He gave us really good deals and let us try new concoctions. But I won't pay to get in (unless it's C-Street because, let's face it, by the end of the night I just don't care if you know what I mean) and I know the drinks are expensive. All in all, it was a nice experience since it was free, but I can't say I would go back unless someone else paid for me to get in.
Review Source:I just had a incident at Soma where the bouncer harassed me and tried to touch me. I am a 20 something year old woman. The bouncer raised his voice at me twice for laying over my husband's lap and the second time he tried to touch me for no reason. Then he threw us out after we spent over $70.00 in drinks...
After dancing with my husband for a while, I was a bit tired. The two of us went back to the seats at the entrance of Soma, and sat. I relaxed on his lap as he stroked my back. Suddenly I hear a loud confrontational voice saying "You can't sleep here". I raise my head to see this large brute leaning in close to our table. After he walked away, I felt like this was uncalled for since I was not sleeping. And I was not passed out, nor alone. I had only drank SPARKLING WATER with LEMON and our friend Earl who was with us, as well as the bartenders were witnesses to this.
I said to my husband, "I wasn't sleeping!".
He told me not to worry about it and to just relax.
So I just let it go and relaxed over my husband's lap again and he continued comforting me.
Shortly after, the same large brute comes back really aggressively with an even louder voice saying "you can't sleep here" and this time he tried to touch shoulder in front of my husband!
My husband had to protect me and had to BLOCK THE BOUNCER'S HAND by pushing it away. My husband told him "She isn't sleeping." He repeated "no sleeping" like a mindless parrot. I sat up straight, looked him in the eyes and said "I WASN'T SLEEPING!" The offensive bouncer then said "you're out."
My husband and I asked him what his name was. He refused to tell us. We persisted, asking him for his name simultaneously over 10 times, when he finally spit a name out, claiming his name was "Pete".
I felt harassed. Me, my husband and our big friend Earl were the only ones in the sitting area. We were not harassing or bothering anyone. I was not asleep, and was with my husband.
I believe we were unfairly singled out. Furthermore, our friend Earl who sat next to my husband was the same size as this large bouncer, and the bouncer didn't bother him at all! Total coward! Coming after the woman, huh?
Between all of us, we spent over $70.00 in drinks at Soma.
Obviously these people don't recognize or honor customers.
In contrast, a girl at the bar was absolutely intoxicated and rubbing up against strangers and forgetting her drinks on the table. No bouncer approached her in concern. While I, who had simply laid to rest briefly on my husband's lap, and only drank sparkling water, was yelled at, almost touched by a large brute bouncer, and thrown out.
On what basis? I am contacting the manager. Don't waste your time here. They are expensive and evidently have a problem in how they train or pick bouncers. I am extremely offended and will never return. I will tell everyone I know how this bouncer tried to put his hand on me and yelled at me for nothing.
For an area like Urbana-Champaign, Soma provides a slightly more urban nightlife option. The dance space inside is small and has too many tables, but I have found the bouncers/management to be courteous enough.
The drinks are pricey and the cover can vary from 5-10 bucks but this is consistent with other options in the area. Enough people inside, even if some of the girls are the same-old-same-old. The crowd is generally 30s-40s and the club isn't really meant for undergrads.
Of course, it does not even begin to compare to the SFO/CHI night clubs that it so desperately tries to emulate (why do you need the velvet rope setup, for instance?).
Overall, I give it a 4/5 relative to other places in Chambana
Soma? Â do they think they are in SOMA? Â As in San Francisco? Â Newslash! Â You are in Champaign, Illinois! Â And even if you were in San Francisco they wouldn't have been so stuck up, rude and strict on rules. Â A group of friends and I stopped in here the other night for some drinks. Â First the bouncer wanted to charge, and then changed his mind and said we could come in - I guess my jeans weren't nice enough even if they probably cost more than his pay that night. Â He then says we can come in but there are no hats allowed. Â My friend has to take off her very cute beret - Are we serious people? Â And he tells us we need to check our coats. Â Fine. Â We go to check our coats and as we are standing there - he comes over and says we don't have to check them. Â Are you just messing with us now? Â The place is practically empty and you can't find anything better to do. Â
So we sit down and one of my friends buys a round of shots. Â Not even a second after we take our shot the guy comes back over and tells us we need to leave. Â After they just took our money.
I now see why the place was practically empty. Â The whole experience was horrible and the people were rude and obviously need a wake up call. Â I would expect to see this place out of business when I am back in town.
I have been in here once, and I am trying to keep a personal vow to never go back. Some people like how the place is set up for seating, but I personally cannot stand the arrangement. I never ordered any drinks because I could not/would not stay long enough to endure the bar.
To be fair, the last time I really enjoyed myself at a night club was when I was underage. The cool factor wore off by the time I was old enough to drink legally so no night club is going to get a lot of points with me. However, I would take watching people get dry humped at the High Dive on a Saturday night any day over going into Soma for five minutes just to check out a bunch of boring suburban students on modern vinyl furniture.
As close to clubbing in downtown Champaign as you're going to get. Â Decent music, good drinks, and a nice set-up inside (lounge area in the front, seats/tables around a dance floor in the back). Â On the other hand, the greedy bastards charged us $5 last Friday...and the place was literally completely empty! Â Dude, they should've paid US money, 'cause my friends and I WERE the party for the next two hours (read: the only people in the building). Â At least the DJ was nice and gave us VIP cards, so from now on, my Fridays and Saturdays are cover-free ;)
Review Source:I paid $2.50 to get in. For reals? It was a huge group of girls for my friend's bachelorette party and the guy decides it'll be nice of him to do a 2 for $5 deal. And then it was nearly EMPTY inside. Please remember this is Champaign, IL okay?
Anyways. It was very nice inside. The bartender and DJ were super nice. Delicious shots. Almost killed myself walking up the spiral staircase to see the DJ but he was awesome and played a good mix.
An older-ish crowd (late 20s, 30s) but it was all fun until some extremely drunken mother made out with this beyond drunk girl. As they stumbled across the dance floor, lip-locked, my friends and I hightailed to Merry Ann's.
I kinda like Soma because of how it is set up. Â Nice place to relax and chat in the front, decent place for dancing in the back. Â It's a good destination if you're in the mood for a little of both and don't want to bar hop. Â The "VIP Room" is a waste. Â Just a crappy balcony with almost no seating back in the dance room so it's impossible to talk to anyone.
The place is definitely trying too hard though, which gives it sort of a pathetic vibe. Â Champaign is not Chicago, and no matter how much you like to think otherwise, it's never going to be. Â They really need to drop the neckless bouncers and velvet ropes because they make the place kind of a joke.
Maybe I just have bad luck when it comes to Soma, but it seems as if everytime I've been (a whopping two times), I was surrounded by men aged 30/40+. Â
The dance floor's fairly small and the sound system (though quite nice) was cranked up a bit too much for my liking. Â I much prefer the lounge; with its modern/metro setup, you almost forget you're in the middle of cornfields... almost.
It could just be the fact that I've been spoiled by the nightclubs in Chicago, but personally, I feel that they're trying too hard to be more than they really are, what with the (useless) velvet ropes, cover, and big ol' bouncers. Â
All in all, Soma probably wouldn't be my first choice the next time I feel like a night out with the girls, and there're definitely many bars around Champaign with a wide variety of drinks for a cheaper price, and no cover.
If I want to go dancing.. and don't feel like going on campus with the kiddies, I'll venture out to Soma. Â It's A LOT better than Highdive. Â I think Highdive is a little too ghetto for me personally. Â I like the swank lounge. Â
The bartender in the back is pretty good.. makes strong drinks and puts on a show. Â The drinks are a little more expensive than other places though.
It's not like going out to a real nightclub.. but it is decent. Â In my opinion, they shouldn't charge cover because I think that'll make the place look more packed. Â Otherwise, it's a hit or miss. Â It could be really empty or really packed.
I find the lounge very classy and modern but the dance area is very small. Private/party areas are available for birthdays and events and it overlooks the dance floor. The crowds are more mature that the average campus bars so this would be the perfect place to avoid annoying underage kids. Drinks are expensive and the people there can be snobby at times.
Review Source:I have only stepped foot inside once. Immediately I knew it was not my scene.
Great sound system, but it was WAY too loud. Everyone was yelling across the table. If you wanna get lost in the music --this is probably your place. A full dance floor usually starts later in the evening, tho.
an attempt at the classic metro club feel. Â front of the house is tables w/curved booths which allow you to see and be seen. Â back of the house is a dance floor. Â it's a respectable place to bring your friends who pop in from out of town and are use to clubs in san francisco or new york but the whole velvet rope thing with the pack of security guys at the door is a bit comical. Â please, have we really come to this in champaign? minus one star for the rope and the guys who wish they had a list to see if your name was on it.
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