The best pub trivia nights in Melbourne

Best for: Collectors of kitsch knick-knacks

Pub trivia isn’t about winning prizes – except when that prize is a cheap plastic Jesus disco lamp. Then, you put your thinking cap on and pray your teammates know more about geography and history than you do. Fun collectables aside, the highlight of this weekly Sydney Road trivia night is its host, Mrs Smith. This fast-talking, joke-cracking quiz master has been slinging questions to punters for years in various pubs across the city, with her fanbase growing year by year. Other prizes include meals, jugs of beer and bottles of wine.

Wed 8pm. Free and can be booked here. 

Best for: General knowledge heads and those with a taste for beer

Pub trivia company Funky Bunch hosts a cracker of a pub trivia night at this Brunswick East live music pub. The beer is cheap, the food specials are many, and you can win a case of beer for first prize, a bottle of wine for second and a jug of beer for second-last (so no throwing the game just to win a wooden spoon). Food and drink specials will also be available, including $10 pints and rotating burger options. 

Tue 8pm. Free, and find more information here.

Best for: All-round trivia fiends

Think you know more about your favourite shows or movies than anyone else? Do you have a strange obsessive knowledge of sports stats or world history? Winners get a $50 bar tab, and there are also often themed cocktails with the trivia nights. 

Mon 7.30pm. Free and can be booked here. 

Best for: People who love craft beer and northside vibes

Step through the backstreets of Abbotsford and into the original Moon Dog brewery bar for delicious beers and cheeky trivia. First place gets a $100 voucher, second place gets a $50 voucher and second last gets a pack of Tim Tams. From 4pm until 6pm you can enjoy schooners at pot prices and $17 jugs, but just remember that almost every beer Moon Dog makes clocks in at around seven per cent – so be sure to try some of the pizzas.

Tue 7.30pm. Free, and you can book here. 

Best for: Adults who are children at heart

The name makes it sound like a theme park of sorts, and that’s not far off. An indoor lagoon takes up one side of the space, overlooked by striped umbrellas and fed by a stream that flows from a five-metre indoor waterfall made of fake rocks. The space recalls childhood memories of summers spent in cheesy water parks; there’s even a merch stand where you can buy packaged beers, T-shirts and fluoro stubby holders. Pop by for a trivia session where first place gets a $100 bar voucher, second place gets a $50 bar voucher, third place gets a $25 bar voucher and second last gets a jug of beer or seltzer.

Wed 7.30pm. Free, and you can book here. 

Best for: Party people

The longevity of Revolver’s much-loved trivia night is a testament to several factors. There are the action-packed rounds, which range from listening to snippets of music to the trickiest pop culture questions imaginable. There are the sweet prizes, which might include film tickets and books. And finally, there are your hosts for the evening, journo and Hawks mascot Mikey Cahill and Joey Lightbulb, who keep energy high in the packed nightclub until late.

Tue 7pm. Free, and you can find more info here. 

Best for: Wine lovers in the north

Here’s a little knowledge nugget for you: northside royalty Courtney Barnett once pulled pints at this hipster pub. But while you won’t find the Avant Gardener herself behind the bar these days, it’s still the friendly, super-chill bar staff that make this Funky Bunch trivia night special. They’re given the answer to one curly question in advance each week, which they’ll reveal if you tip sufficiently when prompted by Ivan, your quiz master. Our advice: arrive hungry and order a burger (you can’t go wrong with the beef, Southern fried chicken or eggplant variety, and they even do gluten-free buns), then tip an extra dollar or two. Trivia kicks off at 8pm sharp, and a $100 bar tab is up for grabs, plus heaps of other great prizes. 

Tue 8pm. Free, and you can book here.

Best for: Beer lovers and general knowledge whizkids

Comedian Janet McLeod hosts this popular trivia night at St Kilda's Local Taphouse – winner of Time Out's People's Choice Award in the 2017 Pub Awards. Trivia includes music puzzlers and general knowledge brainteasers as well as plenty of offbeat humour. The pub itself is one of our absolute faves – it feels like an old fashioned gentlemen's club that just happens to have one of the best craft beer lists in the city. Prizes include drinks vouchers, a 'random select' prize and beer tasting paddles. Last prize gets 'some random crap Janet's dug up' – that could be the highlight of the night.

Sun 7.30pm. Free, and you can book a spot here. 

Best for: Those who like their trivia with a side of spectacular city views

Buckle up for a night of fun when the Original Bingo and Trivia Company take over the Mt View Hotel in Richmond. There is cash up for grabs, plus jugs of beer, bottles of wine and free dinners. You can also score three tacos for $12, $6 tequila shots and Mountain Goat pints for just $10. Name a better way to spend a Tuesday night in Richmond, we'll wait.

Tue 7.30pm. Free, and you can book here.

Best for: Cinephiles

If you know your Bergmans from your Bacalls, this is the trivia night for you. There will be no sport, no politics and no geography – just movies. It's not technically a pub, but CineTrivia takes place at the Nova's bar, where you can get toasties and snacks like popcorn, choc tops, crisps and lollies. Prizes include free movie tickets, DVDs, books and more goodies to warm a movie buff's heart. Plus after trivia is over, you can head into one of the 16 screens to catch a flick. 

Monthly Tue 7pm. $25 per table of four – entry fee includes popcorn. Book here.

Best for: Trivia beginners looking to get their start

Let’s say you’ve just gotten your trivia team together for the first time – where do you start playing? At the National, that’s where. It’s a small-scale trivia night run by the Funky Bunch with a mix of traditional, audio and visual questions as well as the odd physical challenge. The relaxed atmosphere lets you get a feel for pub trivia without the stress of 15 competing teams. Don’t worry, if you’re a seasoned trivia player there are still challenging questions – including a devilishly hard music round that will stump anyone who doesn’t have encyclopaedic knowledge of niche tracks. First prize is a mighty $75 bar voucher and second prize is a $25 voucher. Throughout the night, you can also enjoy food and drink specials including $10 pints and $17 burger meals.

Tue 7pm. Free and can be booked here.