At Nosh, our ideal week night consists of arguing with our closest friends and acquaintances over obscure facts that we sort of remember from our high school history classes. If you agree, then you should check out some of these trivia nights strewn across the East Bay. Curate a group that might have a chance at some different categories, or just go in hoping you don’t get dead last, order a beer and/or some dinner, and get that brain working to almost remember the most cringey songs from your workout pump-up playlist — except the answer won’t come to you until right after you turn in your answer sheet.
Below is just a sample of the rambunctious and challenging trivia nights that Nosh loves across the East Bay.
Richmond trivia nights
East Brother Brewing Company: Wednesdays 6:30 p.m.
East Brother Brewing Company has been serving up beer in Richmond for the past eight years, and has been doing trivia nights for the past two. One of the servers creates five rounds of trivia each week, 15 questions each round. The rounds start easier and then get harder as the night goes on. East Brother’s trivia nights are pretty relaxed, with six to 10 teams showing up on average. Prizes are $1 beers for first place, $2 for second place, and $3 for third. But beers are only $6 during trivia for everyone and there’s a food truck every Wednesday — so show up 10-15 minutes early to grab a pint and some food before the questions start rolling!
East Brother Brewing Company: 1001 Canal Blvd., Richmond
Armistice Brewing: Wednesdays 7 p.m.
This sibling-owned brewery has been hosting trivia every Wednesday at their Richmond location for the past three years. Their five rounds are written by the company Geeks Who Drink, but their taproom manager, Josie Nakajima is the host. Nakajima recommends arriving 15 to 30 minutes early to grab a beer and find your seat. Their airy space with hanging plants and nice lighting is the perfect place to feel welcomed to the game, even when you don’t confidently know any of the answers. First and second place teams get a gift card, and third place gets stickers.
Armistice Brewing: 845 Marina Bay Parkway, Suite 1, Richmond
Berkeley trivia nights
Bobby G’s: Wednesdays 7 p.m.
Berkeley’s Bobby G’s Pizzeria has been hosting trivia nights since 2010. Their format is three rounds of questions, a music round, and a picture round. Chris O’Brien is their “trivia guy” who creates all of the questions—sometimes it’s themed around some current event such as Halloween or the Oscars. They do a picture round as well, a recent example was naming different hot sauces by the label. Make sure you start brainstorming your team name now, because the best team name wins a pitcher of beer, voted on by the other teams (you can’t vote for your own team name). If you’re under 21, you can win some sodas instead of the beer. Top three teams win gift certificates to the restaurant.
Bobby G’s: 2072 University Ave., Berkeley
Triple Rock: Wednesdays 8 p.m.
Inoke Houa, Triple Rock’s general manager, said that one of the most memorable trivia nights was during a music round: “The crowd, mainly Cal students, was quite loud, making it hard to hear. Fortunately, the Quiz Master displays the lyrics, so no one misses anything. When ‘Sugar, We’re Goin Down’ by Fall Out Boy started playing, the noise faded, and everyone—guests and staff—sang along. It was a perfect example of the sense of community here.” To join in on those good community trivia vibes, head to Triple Rock at least 30 minutes before 8 p.m. to snag a spot. The winning team gets a gift card to the brewery.
Triple Rock: 1920 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley
Oakland trivia nights
Cato’s: Mondays at 7 p.m.
It’s recommended to send at least one person from your trivia group to Cato’s Ale House early (think 5:30 or 6 p.m.) to get a seat, because this Piedmont Avenue bar is always packed for its trivia night with trivia master Chuck. Chuck has been hosting and creating the questions for Cato’s trivia every week for more than a decade. The night that Nosh stopped in, the music round’s theme was songs with California in the name — and they actually tell you the theme ahead of time instead of giving you an extra point for guessing the theme like some other trivia nights. The winner gets a free pitcher of beer that can be claimed the night of or during a future visit.
Cato’s Ale House: 3891 Piedmont Ave., Oakland
Paulista: Mondays 6-8 p.m.
Paulista Brazilian Cafe, Kitchen and Taproom’s trivia starts at 6 p.m., the earliest option on the list, perfect so you can get in bed by 9 p.m. and stay through the entire trivia night. The company King Trivia creates the questions and then Paulista’s co-owner, Jesse Madway, runs the trivia night. The winning group gets a $30 gift card to partake in Paulista’s delicious food (try the Brazilian cheese bread or the bobó de camarão which is a creamy, spicy shrimp chowder) and extensive beer list, and the runner up gets $20. Madway summed it all up: “We play great music, eat fabulous food, and drink great beer and wine! What more could anyone ask for on a Monday Night?!”
Paulista Brazilian Cafe: 4239 Park Blvd., Oakland
The Alley: Tuesdays 7 p.m.
The Alley, founded in 1934, is known for piano nights, guitar nights, and karaoke nights, but Tuesday nights are reserved for trivia. Gretchen Hellman used to be a participant in The Alley’s trivia nights, but has now stepped into the leading role. One of the most unique parts of the Alley’s trivia is their shout out questions between rounds where Hellman rings a bell, gives a well-oiled humorous speech, and then asks a question that she wrote. The other day, the shout out question was, “In the annual sex survey at the Imperial College London, which major had the greatest number of respondents identify as ‘kinky’?” (We’ll give you some time to guess the answer, scroll to the bottom of the article to find out). Hellman said the Alley’s trivia is great for intimidated beginners. “Trivia shouldn’t be torture, trivia should be fun.”
The Alley: 3325 Grand Ave., Oakland
Mad Oak: Tuesdays 7 p.m.
Current Mad Oak trivia host, Andrew Farrell, used to just attend trivia at Mad Oak. The previous host used to announce that he was single during his trivia nights. Farrell gave him his number and not only are the two still dating, but Farrell also took over as the new Mad Oak trivia host. With indoor and outdoor seating, Mad Oak trivia on Tuesday nights is a great spot to bring a big group (although teams can’t be more than six people). Farrell writes the questions himself each week, and the last Tuesday of every month Farrell does audio from movie clips instead of a music around. Winning teams for the first three rounds get a drink token (one drink up to $14 value) for the team, and the overall winner gets three drink tokens, a gold medal, and their team picture posted on the bar’s Instagram.
Mad Oak: 135 12th St., Oakland
Drake’s: Tuesdays 7 p.m.
Drake’s is a classic of the Bay Area beer scene, and in the past two years also of the Bay Area’s trivia scene. Their trivia night is run by King Trivia, which runs trivia nights across the country. The trivia is held indoors at their Oakland space so they recommend showing up a little bit early to grab some food and a beer before it begins. Drake’s is looking to do more themed nights this year too, instead of just having a range of categories. The prizes are gift cards to Drake’s that can be redeemed at any time.
Drake’s Dealership: 2325 Broadway, Oakland
Answer to the Alley’s shout out question: Geology
