London's hardest pub quizzes
C'mon smartypants...
Secretly, you think you lie somewhere in that triangle between Einstein, Paxo and Richard Osmond. Cultured, erudite with more than a passing interest in the footie... a far reaching retention of useless information which has hitherto bagged you a couple of quid on the local quiz machine.
Well let's put that knowledge to the test: we've searched the length, breadth, width and length again, (cos we like to be sure) to find you London's Hardest Pub Quizzes.
You're playing for pride, for the respect of your peers and possibly the chance to be pedestal'd alongside those blokes from Eggheads who have never had a girlfriend.
Go on... go forth and quiz.
The Boogaloo
312 Archway Road N6 5AT
Bars
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Every Tuesday this Archway pub runs a music quiz called Who Killed Bambi, however it’s their film quiz on the second Wednesday of every month that has movie buffs banging their heads together. The Slightly Bigger Picture is perfect for cinema fanatics, plus if you like jukeboxes and rock’n’roll this may well be your heaven.
This old fashioned boozer claims to host not just the hardest quiz in London, but in all of Britain. It’s no flash in the pan statement, the Highgate pub has been trading on this reputation for many years. Turn up on Tuesday evening to see how smart you are.
Ealing’s Drayton Court Hotel once had a cleaner named Ho Chi Minh, who would go on to lead the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. With trivia like this it’s no wonder their quiz is one of the best around. Takes place every Thursday, with booze as the prize.
Their top-notch live music programming has made the Lexington a favourite with music industry peeps, so unsurprisingly they’ve chosen indie record shop Rough Trade to host their pop quiz. It’s famously hard, and only the very knowledgeable succeed. On every Monday, prizes are drinks and vouchers for the record shop.
Eleanor Arms
460 Old Ford Road E3 5JP
Pubs
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This unassuming pub in Bow runs a tough quiz on the first Thursday of every month. Questions always have a theme which is advertised in advance, previous themes have included the month of May and Angela Lansbury. The entry fee is donated to St. Joseph’s Hospice in Hackney.
Although it’s slap bang in the middle of fashionable Notting Hill, this is a real local's pub rather than a trendy hangout. The challenging quiz attracts many regulars and takes place every Tuesday night, hipsters need not apply.
This cosy Richmond pub hosts a quiz every Thursday – rumour has it the compere sometimes helps out with the answers, but you didn’t hear that from us. All entry fees go to charity.
Prizes at the Bow Bells are generous; not only is entry free but teams who come first, second and last are rewarded, usually in the form of booze. It’s on every Wednesday.
At the Old Queens Head they like to mix things up a bit by replacing conventional rounds of questions with activities like ‘dirty doodles’ and ‘kazookeoke’. Takes place every Tuesday.
