diff --git a/cogl/cogl-pango/cogl-pango-display-list.c b/cogl/cogl-pango/cogl-pango-display-list.c
index 72e381761..8615402b9 100644
--- a/cogl/cogl-pango/cogl-pango-display-list.c
+++ b/cogl/cogl-pango/cogl-pango-display-list.c
@@ -276,6 +276,7 @@ emit_vertex_buffer_geometry (CoglFramebuffer *fb,
       gboolean allocated = FALSE;
       CoglAttribute *attributes[2];
       CoglPrimitive *prim;
+      CoglIndices *indices;
       int i;
 
       n_verts = node->d.texture.rectangles->len * 4;
@@ -354,22 +355,11 @@ emit_vertex_buffer_geometry (CoglFramebuffer *fb,
                                                  attributes,
                                                  2 /* n_attributes */);
 
-#ifdef CLUTTER_COGL_HAS_GL
-      if (_cogl_has_private_feature (ctx, COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_QUADS))
-        cogl_primitive_set_mode (prim, GL_QUADS);
-      else
-#endif
-        {
-          /* GLES doesn't support GL_QUADS so instead we use a VBO
-             with indexed vertices to generate GL_TRIANGLES from the
-             quads */
+      indices =
+        cogl_get_rectangle_indices (ctx, node->d.texture.rectangles->len);
 
-          CoglIndices *indices =
-            cogl_get_rectangle_indices (ctx, node->d.texture.rectangles->len);
-
-          cogl_primitive_set_indices (prim, indices,
-                                      node->d.texture.rectangles->len * 6);
-        }
+      cogl_primitive_set_indices (prim, indices,
+                                  node->d.texture.rectangles->len * 6);
 
       node->d.texture.primitive = prim;
 
diff --git a/cogl/cogl/cogl-journal.c b/cogl/cogl/cogl-journal.c
index e09fa2cf2..484696d31 100644
--- a/cogl/cogl/cogl-journal.c
+++ b/cogl/cogl/cogl-journal.c
@@ -304,46 +304,30 @@ _cogl_journal_flush_modelview_and_entries (CoglJournalEntry *batch_start,
   if (!_cogl_pipeline_get_real_blend_enabled (state->pipeline))
     draw_flags |= COGL_DRAW_COLOR_ATTRIBUTE_IS_OPAQUE;
 
-#ifdef HAVE_COGL_GL
-  if (_cogl_has_private_feature (ctx, COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_QUADS))
+  if (batch_len > 1)
+    {
+      CoglVerticesMode mode = COGL_VERTICES_MODE_TRIANGLES;
+      int first_vertex = state->current_vertex * 6 / 4;
+      _cogl_framebuffer_draw_indexed_attributes (framebuffer,
+                                                 state->pipeline,
+                                                 mode,
+                                                 first_vertex,
+                                                 batch_len * 6,
+                                                 state->indices,
+                                                 attributes,
+                                                 state->attributes->len,
+                                                 draw_flags);
+    }
+  else
     {
-      /* XXX: it's rather evil that we sneak in the GL_QUADS enum here... */
       _cogl_framebuffer_draw_attributes (framebuffer,
                                          state->pipeline,
-                                         GL_QUADS,
-                                         state->current_vertex, batch_len * 4,
+                                         COGL_VERTICES_MODE_TRIANGLE_FAN,
+                                         state->current_vertex, 4,
                                          attributes,
                                          state->attributes->len,
                                          draw_flags);
     }
-  else
-#endif /* HAVE_COGL_GL */
-    {
-      if (batch_len > 1)
-        {
-          CoglVerticesMode mode = COGL_VERTICES_MODE_TRIANGLES;
-          int first_vertex = state->current_vertex * 6 / 4;
-          _cogl_framebuffer_draw_indexed_attributes (framebuffer,
-                                                     state->pipeline,
-                                                     mode,
-                                                     first_vertex,
-                                                     batch_len * 6,
-                                                     state->indices,
-                                                     attributes,
-                                                     state->attributes->len,
-                                                     draw_flags);
-        }
-      else
-        {
-          _cogl_framebuffer_draw_attributes (framebuffer,
-                                             state->pipeline,
-                                             COGL_VERTICES_MODE_TRIANGLE_FAN,
-                                             state->current_vertex, 4,
-                                             attributes,
-                                             state->attributes->len,
-                                             draw_flags);
-        }
-    }
 
   /* DEBUGGING CODE XXX: This path will cause all rectangles to be
    * drawn with a coloured outline. Each batch will be rendered with
@@ -636,8 +620,7 @@ _cogl_journal_flush_vbo_offsets_and_entries (CoglJournalEntry *batch_start,
                         4,
                         COGL_ATTRIBUTE_TYPE_UNSIGNED_BYTE);
 
-  if (!_cogl_has_private_feature (ctx, COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_QUADS))
-    state->indices = cogl_get_rectangle_indices (ctx, batch_len);
+  state->indices = cogl_get_rectangle_indices (ctx, batch_len);
 
   /* We only create new Attributes when the stride within the
    * AttributeBuffer changes. (due to a change in the number of pipeline
diff --git a/cogl/cogl/cogl-private.h b/cogl/cogl/cogl-private.h
index c168fdf35..007f311ca 100644
--- a/cogl/cogl/cogl-private.h
+++ b/cogl/cogl/cogl-private.h
@@ -54,7 +54,6 @@ typedef enum
   COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_READ_PIXELS_ANY_FORMAT,
   COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_ALPHA_TEST,
   COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_FORMAT_CONVERSION,
-  COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_QUADS,
   COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_BLEND_CONSTANT,
   COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_QUERY_FRAMEBUFFER_BITS,
   COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_BUILTIN_POINT_SIZE_UNIFORM,
diff --git a/cogl/cogl/driver/gl/gl/cogl-driver-gl.c b/cogl/cogl/driver/gl/gl/cogl-driver-gl.c
index f94b9d5e7..6765b4f90 100644
--- a/cogl/cogl/driver/gl/gl/cogl-driver-gl.c
+++ b/cogl/cogl/driver/gl/gl/cogl-driver-gl.c
@@ -484,7 +484,6 @@ _cogl_driver_update_features (CoglContext *ctx,
       /* Features which are not available in GL 3 */
       COGL_FLAGS_SET (private_features, COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_GL_FIXED, TRUE);
       COGL_FLAGS_SET (private_features, COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_ALPHA_TEST, TRUE);
-      COGL_FLAGS_SET (private_features, COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_QUADS, TRUE);
       COGL_FLAGS_SET (private_features,
                       COGL_PRIVATE_FEATURE_ALPHA_TEXTURES, TRUE);