London's ten best pub quizzes

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Discover London's most entertaining, challenging and downright silly pub quizzes

© Paula Glassman

There's nothing more British than a pub quiz, and London has plenty of fine showcases for tavern-based trivia. Here are ten of Time Out's favourites, including options for those whose specialist subjects are worthy of 'Mastermind', and some that are just fun excuses to spend a weekday evening in the pub. Although these are regular nights, it's worth calling ahead to confirm the quiz is on before you and your team head out. Know a great quiz we've missed? Tell us about it in the comments below. Compiled by Ashleigh Arnott


  • Antelope

    Antelope

    Mondays, 8pm, 76 Mitcham Road, London, SW17 9NG

    Free entry A varied but well-crafted set of questions make up this general knowledge quiz, lead by a chap in an armchair who looks about 25 but has the wisdom of a wizard. The food menu has special offers on quiz nights to help keep energy levels up.

  • Lexington

    Mondays, 8pm, 96-98 Pentonville Road, London, N1 9JB

    Entry fee: £1 per player Organised by Rough Trade shops, the Lexington's pub quiz is one for the music geeks. It's far from serious stuff though, as the potty-mouthed quizmaster guides you through some pretty silly rounds, including one based on Bob Holness's 'Blockbusters'. A multipack of crisps goes to the team with the best name, as judged by a 'clapometer'.

  • Pembury Tavern

    Mondays, 7.30pm, 90 Amhurst Road, London, E8 1JH

    Entry fee: £1 per player A quiz for the sort of people who shout out the correct answers while watching 'University Challenge', thanks to its obscure rounds. Even a team packed with boffins will find questions on the subject of, say, martial arts a challenge. The quizmaster's excellent waistcoats should help keep up morale.

  • Pineapple

    Mondays, 8.30pm, 51 Leverton Street, London, NW5 2NX

    Entry fee: £1 per player The more unusual variety of subjects and some very challenging questions keep this popular north London quiz appealing, so the prize – all the evening's entry fees – is usually worth striving for. Jackpot and raffle rounds mean that every team gets its moment, even if your score is more likely to lurk around the bottom of the league.

  • Tufnell Park Tavern

    Mondays, 8pm, 162 Tufnell Park Road, London, N7 0EE

    Entry fee: £2 per player Five rounds on a variety of subjects are delivered by a deadpan quizmaster at this laid-back quiz, where the majority of teams are looking for a nice evening out, rather than the opportunity to crush the opposition.

  • Island Queen

    Tuesdays, 8pm, 87 Noel Road, London, N1 8HD

    Entry fee: £2 per player A solid four rounds of general knowledge questions make the Island Queen's quiz a great choice for a team with varied interests, while the competitive atmosphere manages to stay just the fun side of tense.

  • Old Queen's Head

    Tuesdays, 7pm, 44 Essex Road, London, N1 8LN

    Entry fee: £2 per player With rounds that involve paper planes, rude drawings and kazoos, this isn't the quiz for straight-laced fact fans, but it is a blast. The quizmaster is billed as 'truly outrageous', and teams are playing for a cash prize, though you'll have a job finding personnel to provide the full range of specialist skills required to win.

  • Sir Richard Steele

    Tuesdays, 7.30pm, 97 Haverstock Hill, London, NW3 4RL

    Entry fee: £1 per player Absolutely no cheats allowed here – mobile phones must be put away for the duration – but this quiz is actually a lot of fun. A broad selection of questions ends in teams getting a chance to gamble their points in the final round to get to the cash prize, and if that doesn't work, there's a raffle with a separate prize afterwards.

  • Sounds Familiar at Jerusalem

    Selected Wednesdays, 7.40pm, Jerusalem, 33-34 Rathbone Place, W1T 1JN

    Entry fee: up to £30 per team of six This excellent music quiz has a monthly slot at Jerusalem on Rathbone Place, but also makes appearances at other venues and festivals. It's more likely you'll end up dancing inappropriately to a song you'd forgotten existed than naming every track of a Bob Dylan album, so come braced for fun. Rounds have included 'Does Liking This Record Make Me Uncool?' and 'Down Wid Da Kidz'.

  • You're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat

    First Wednesdays, 8pm, 312 Archway Road, London, N6 5AT

    Entry fee: £3 per player You'll get an interactive experience at this famously difficult film quiz where the questions are asked using projections, sound clips and posters. It runs monthly at the Boogaloo, but now also makes appearances at the Ritzy in Brixton. There's no maximum team size, which is lucky, as you'll likely need all the movie-buff help you can get.

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Comments & ratings

Rated as: 0/5 (0 ratings)

  • The quiz at the Jam Tree in West Kensington is by far the best quiz I've been to in a while. Due to the excellent quiz master Will, great food and delicious wine list. Just don't try to go up against the infamous team 207 Veterans. I hear they're brutal.

    Mitch Mon Nov 19 2012
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