Who doesn’t love a good pub quiz? Whether you are a mister know-it-all telling us all the capital of Venezuela (it’s Caracas) or the person who lives for the music round. We all have our part to play in a Pub Quiz team, including the team member who knows nothing but gets the rounds in.

Belfast is a city full of great pubs and bars where you can find entertainment from live traditional music to ukulele jams. It also hosts a great number of pub quizzes for you to enjoy. Some with themes, some with super specific rounds. But where do you find a good Belfast Pub quiz? And when did this whole pub quiz tradition start? Read on to find out!

When did pub quizzes start?

Pub quizzes started in the 1970s, a fairly recent addition to our mid-week pint. A company called Burns and Porter. They wanted to find an activity to encourage customers to go to the pub during the week as weeknights were a quiet time for pub business. Burns and Porter sent out quizzes to pubs and compiled the results into the world’s first pub quiz league.

Pub quizzes are more grass-routes now and are run by anyone who has an empty pub of a Wednesday night but it all started with Burns and Porter’s pub quizzes through the post. 

What are the most popular pub quiz rounds?

Want to win at the pub quiz? Its best to know what the most asked questions are. My university pub quiz asked the flower of a different country every week. We studied them and I’ll never forget that the Lotus is the official flower of India or the pints the winning money bought us. Here’s a few of the most popular pub quiz rounds:

• General Knowledge
• History
• Sports
• Music Round
• Picture Round
• Food and Drink
• Film & TV

What is Speedquizzing?

Lots of the Belfast pub quizzes on our list are hosted by a company called Speedquizzing. They do quizzes on your smart phone. Answer just like a game show in a modern twist on the classic pub quiz.

Belfast Pub Quiz Timetable

Where and When can you find a Belfast Pub Quiz?

• Cuckoo
• Errigle Inn
• Fountain Lane
• Haymarket
• Parlour Bar
• Pug Uglys
• Ryan’s Bar
• The Botanic Inn
• The Bowery
• The Four Winds
• The Jeggy Nettle
• The Pavilion
• The Reporter Bar

Cuckoo

A Belfast pub quiz on Monday 9pm. Cuckoo is a lively and interesting venue offering arcade games, table tennis, jam jar cocktails and of course an interesting quiz!

Location: 149 Lisburn Rd, Belfast BT9 7AJ

Opening Hours:

Errigle Inn

A Belfast pub quiz on at 9:45pm every Monday. If you fancy a craft beer pint while you test your general knowledge, The Errigle Inn is a great shout. They even can local craft beers they have on tap so you can take a favourite home with you. If you show up early they also have a fantastic food menu and if the weather’s good you can enjoy it in their outdoor seating or on the roof terrace.

Location: 312-320 Ormeau Rd, Ormeau, Belfast BT7 2GE

Opening hours:

Fountain Lane

A Belfast pub quiz held on Tuesday at 8:30pm in a super central location. A perfect end to your day if you are out in Belfast City Centre. Enjoy a pint or a cocktail at this lively bar and then test your knowlege after 8.

Location: 16 Fountain St, Belfast BT1 5ED

Opening Hours:

Haymarket

A Belfast Pub Quiz on Wednesday 8pm. One of Belfast’s bustling street market bars and host to a great quiz as well as live music on the weekend. Win money for first place or booze for second and third in their ‘Win or Booze’ quiz. You may even win a bottomless brunch!

Location: 84 Royal Ave, Belfast BT1 1DJ

Opening Hours:

The Parlour Bar

A Belfast Pub Quiz on Thursday at 8:30pm. A quirky bar with stonebaked pizzas and a fun atmostphere, check out the beer garden if the weathers nice or enjoy the cozy entire if its not.

Location: 2-4 Elmwood Ave, Belfast BT9 6AY

Opening Hours:

Pug Uglys

A Belfast pub quiz on wednesday at 8pm in a modern industrial style bar. A perfect mid-week treat and you can even stay for dinner before you put your wits to the test. Their amazing food menu will provide the perfect brain fuel and if you don’t have too many pints you may even win.

Location: 21 Bedford St, Belfast BT2 7EJ

Opening Hours:

Ryan’s Bar

A Belfast pub quiz on Wednesday at 10pm in a friendly pub with exposed brick and wooden floors as well as a friendly staff. A great place to try your hand at some quiz questions on a Wednesday. Great craic to be hand all ’round. If you like quizzes keep your eye out as Ryan’s also host charity themed quizzes where you can flex your topical knowledge. Previous quiz topics include: Simpsons, Disney, and Friends. Your specialist subject might just be next.

Location: 116-118 Lisburn Rd, Belfast BT9 6AH

Opening Hours:

The Botanic Inn

The Botanic Inn host a monthly pub quiz with the possibility of a weekly general quiz in the future. Check out their socials for news of a quiz coming soon! The Botanic Inn is a vibrant bar full of banter and three different bars to choose from, just make sure you can still hear the questions.

Location: 23-27 Malone Rd, Belfast BT9 6RU

Opening Hours:

The Bowery

A Belfast pub quiz on Tuesday at 8pm. The Bowery is a stylish and sheek bar on the busy Lisburn Road and a great place for a cocktail, a gin serve, or even a local craft beer. Enjoy lovely food and atmostphere before putting your mind to the test. They even offer free admission to the quiz.

Location: 701 Lisburn Rd, Belfast BT9 7GU

Opening Hours:

The Four Winds

A Belfast pub quiz on Thursday starting at 9pm with free admission. The Four Winds has several bars and dining spaces and their pub takes place in the modern and chic Two Magpies bar. Enjoy their smart phone quiz with a pint or even some nice food.

Location: 111 Newton Park, Belfast BT8 6LX

Opening Hours:

The Jeggy Nettle

This Belfast pub quiz on Tuesday at 8pm has an interesting way of choosing their rounds. Each week has the standard rounds as well as a theme. You can also vote for the celebrity knowledge round each week with the loser rolling over to the next. As of writing this the Tom Cruise round has been rolling for weeks, will you finally see the Tom Cruise round surface? Check our their socials for clues on the theme of the week.

Location: 12 Stranmillis Rd, Belfast BT9 5AA

Opening Hours:

The Pavilion

This Belfast pub quiz on Thursday at 9:30pm is held in a super friendly pub filled colloquially called ‘The Big House’ by its regulars. Upon arrival you’ll see why. This four story pub is home to the best live music on the Ormeau Road as well as its weekly quiz and pool bar upstairs.

Location: 296-298 Ormeau Rd, Ormeau, Belfast BT7 2GB

Opening Hours:

The Reporter Bar

Host to a Belfast pub quiz on Tuesday at 8:30pm is the Reporter Bar, themed after the newspaper industry in the history of Belfast. This bar is located inside The Maverick and holds lots of memorabilia within its walls giving it a comforting and warm atmostphere. A great spot for craft beer and also worth coming back to check out their traditional music live every Thursday at 9:30pm.

Location: Union St, Belfast BT1 2JF, inside The Maverick.

Opening Hours:

Conclusion

The perfect mid-week night out and a perfect excuse to know too many things about random topics. Pub quizzes have been keeping minds and pubs busy since the 70’s and they continue to be a great way to spend an evening. Why not form a team and try all the venues on the list or pick a favourite and join a pub quiz league. You could even try one versus one if you are feeling extra competitive. This guide is accurate to October 2022, please let us know if you spot an error and we will try and keep it up to date!

For now enjoy your quizzing!