Where to Find Pub Trivia in Chicago

Those who’ve checked out eATLAS’ homepage recently may have noticed that we have a Chicago Pizza Quiz, with 10 questions devoted to the many varieties of pizza found in the city. If your appetite is sufficiently whetted for a battle of wits, pub trivia can be found all over town.

By Dave Lifton (@daveeatschicago)

For bar owners, trivia has become a favorite way to increase business (usually) on a traditionally slow weeknight. The idea is simple: Get friends to team up, pool their collective knowledge, and have them compete against others for a few hours, often with food and drink specials. Quizzes usually consist of six or seven rounds, each on a different subject, although sometimes the night will be devoted to an entire theme. To switch things around, the quizmaster will often include a couple of multimedia rounds. Points are tallied up at the end of each round, with prizes given out to the winners.

Creating a comprehensive guide of all the neighborhood bars in Chicago that have trivia nights is virtually impossible due to the sheer number of places. Instead, we’ve compiled a list of the companies brought in to host them. Visit their websites to see the locations, dates, and times of their events, and remember to double-check with the bars to see if reservations are needed. 

Whaddayaknow? hosts pub trivia in 112 locations throughout the Chicago area, although the majority are on the North Side, with music bingo and karaoke in a few other places. Theme nights include such wide-ranging topics as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ‘90s music, and Love Island. Regular teams can compete to represent their bar in the annual Tournament of Champions, and you can become a member to have access to the virtual events every Tuesday and Thursday. 

Billing its trivia nights as “shows,” Stewpendous Productions can be found at more than a dozen bars Mondays through Thursdays. The “Sparkle Squad,” as its team of hosts is called, make sure that everybody has a great time, regardless of whether they win or lose, thanks to their fun, high-energy approach to hosting. Stewpendous is also available for private events, such as corporate outings, fundraisers, and even weddings. 

Pub Trivia USA focuses most of its attention on the Chicago suburbs, particularly to the north and northwest of the city. The nights are broken down into two halves of three rounds, with each team given the opportunity to award a different number of points to each question. Its leagues run from November to April, followed by tournaments that can result in cash prizes being awarded.

Based in New Mexico, Geeks Who Drink hosts trivia nights in 840 locations in 48 states, including 24 bars in the Chicago metropolitan area. The Quizmasters are known for innovative, multi-layered questions, and there are several options for games. In addition to the GWD Classic—a fast-moving, two-hour, seven-round contest – you can also play the Small Batch Trivia, a more casual format. And in 2024, Geeks Who Drink partnered with Sony Pictures Television to create the Jeopardy! Bar League, a pub quiz version of the long-running game show, including Daily Doubles. To keep your brain sharp between trivia nights, check out the daily Thrice quiz online. 

Another national company, Sporcle, has more than just contests in bars and online every night. Its website contains thousands of quizzes on seemingly every topic imaginable for you to practice, and members can even create their own and upload them. 

From Aug. 15^th-17^th, Chicago will become the center of the pub trivia world thanks to Sporclecon. The weekend, held at McCormick Place, will feature dozens of games, social events, and panel discussions featuring industry leaders. Sporclecon is expected to draw visitors from more than 40 states and six countries.  

Although most Chicago bars use one of the above-mentioned companies for their trivia nights, a few bars have their own. In Wrigleyville, Murphy’s Bleachers has trivia on Thursday nights when the Cubs don’t have a home game. A few blocks away, the historic Music Box Theatre’s movie-themed pub quiz takes place in its lounge every Sunday afternoon at 4:00 p.m.

In the mid-2000s, the author got into a heated argument with the host of a pub trivia night over the reason for Stu Sutcliffe’s departure from The Beatles. The host’s wrong answer prevented his team from taking third place. His friends never invited him back.