A Huge List of Bar Trivia Nights in San Francisco (And Oakland and Berkeley Too!)
Image Courtesy of Brainstormer
Trivia is exactly what its name tells you: the trivial gunk knowledge that clogs up the important, higher functioning regions of your brain. And unless you’re the one percent of brain gunk retainers, you can’t put any of that to use on a game show. (Unless that show is Family Feud, but to do well on that show your brainscape just has to be a boring place.) The good news is, you can still put all that useless knowledge to some good use. Lots of bars have trivia nights, offering prizes that usually take the form of FREE beer or food. Hang out with your friends, your coworkers, your significant other’s weird friends that he/she is trying to get you to like, your enemies, whatever, and test your knowledge of useless things. There will be invariably be a disproportionate amount of 80’s pop culture knowledge required and a team that thinks it’s so clever to make their name “Just the Tip.” Here are some drinking establishments that offer trivia nights in SF, Oakland, and Berkeley.
This list is (probably) not comprehensive. Do you have a trivia night you like that’s not on the list? Want to say something about one of these trivia nights? Let us know in the comments.
Sunday Night:
Albatross Pub
8:15 PM
1822 San Pablo Avenue
Berkeley
Team limit of 5, make sure to try the rotating Belgian tap.
Commonwealth
6 PM
441 26th Street,
Oakland
Monday Night:
Shotwell’s
8 PM
2249 20th Street
[The Mission]
Blackthorn Tavern
8 PM
824 Irving Street
[Inner Sunset]
You are welcome to bring your own snacks, if you so desire.
Fishbowl
8:30 PM
1854 Pacific Avenue
[Lower Pacific Heights]
Asiento
8:30 PM
2730 21st Street
[The Mission]
They have tacos, but not the authentic kind that draws white people to the Mission.
Henry’s Pub
7:30
2600 Durant Avenue
Berkeley
Be prepared to step into the ring with some wise-ass Cal students.
The Alley
8 PM
3325 Grand Avenue
Oakland
Cato’s Ale House
7:30 PM
8931 Piedmont Avenue
Oakland
There’s a good selection of beer on tap here, and they’ll give you crayons and paper if you ask.
Tuesday Night:
Edinburgh Castle Pub
8 PM
950 Geary Street
[Tenderloin]
Once you get past the façade and the fact there’s no lighting inside, it’s not a bad bar.
Mad Dog in the Fog
8 PM
530 Haight Street
[Lower Haight]
The Bitter End
9 PM
441 Clement Street
[Inner Richmond]
There’s a prize for the best team name, and there tends to be lots of drunk people who think they’re reaaal funny shouting out incorrect answers.
Elixir
9 PM
3200 16th Street
[Mission]
The game tends to run pretty long (sometimes past midnight) and there is limited space in the bar.
Valley Tavern
8 PM
4054 20th Street
[Castro]
Monaghan’s
8 PM
3242 Pierce Street
[The Marina]
The Chieftain
7:30
198 5th Street,
[SOMA]
Bacchus Kirk
9 PM
925 Bush Street
[Tenderloin]
Trivia night coincides with ladies night, when you can get five dollar peach mojitos.
Maggie McGarry’s
8:30 PM
1353 Grant Street
[Telegraph Hill]
Martin Mack’s
8:30
1568 Haight Street
[Haight-Ashbury]
Quiz includes the Chef’s Challenge Round, where one team wins a free pizza.
The Boardroom
8 PM
1609 Powell Street
[North Beach]
Stray Bar
8:30 PM
309 Cortland Avenue
[Bernal Heights]
Quiz is pop-culture heavy. Not the place for people who pay attention to the important facts.
Pyramid Alehouse
7:15 PM
901 Gilman Street
Berkeley
The value of the gift card for the winning team is enough to buy two 64 oz. growlers.
Pacific Coast Brewing Company
7:30 PM
906 Washington Street
Oakland
Ben & Nick’s
8:30 College Avenue
Oakland
Wednesday Night:
Danny Coyle’s
8 PM
668 Haight Street
[Lower Haight]
Knuckles
6:30 PM
555 North Point Street
[North Beach]
A good quiz for sports fans.
Napper Tandy
8:30 PM
3200 24th Street
[The Mission]
Rather slow moving, prepare to be here for a while.
Bus Stop
8 PM
1901 Union Street
[Cow Hollow]
Bobby G’s Pizzeria
8:30 PM
2072 University Avenue
Berkeley
Rosamunde
8 PM
911 Washington Street
Oakland
Racer 5’s for three dollars!
Room 389
7 PM
389 Grand Avenue
Oakland
You can bring your dog. Drunk people love dogs. It varies how much dogs love drunk people.
Thursday Night
Elephant & Castle
6:30 PM
424 Clay Street
[Financial District]
Trivia for the post-work crowd.
Rogue Ale House
8 PM
673 Union Street
[North Beach]
Polo Grounds
7 PM
747 3rd Street
[SOMA]
Red Tomato Pizza House
7:30
2017 University Avenue
Pitchers are a dollar off during trivia. Also they have gluten-free pizza, if you’re into that sort of thing.
Do you have a trivia night you like that’s not on the list? Want to say something about one of these trivia nights? Let us know in the comments.
