Let’s get quizzical! 12 of the best pub quizzes in Manchester

Quiz nights are great for sorting a night out with friends, getting competitive with colleagues and maybe meeting new people too.

So whether you want to try somewhere new, exercise your brain cells or even a bar tab or more, try some of these great venues for a pub quiz.  They’re a great excuse for a drink too. And remember: strictly no cheating.

Free chips at The Crafty Pig

This Oldham Street bar and kitchen hosts a belting pub quiz with free chips! Wonderfully northern, you can enjoy a relaxed night out with the quiz hosted by Gareth Bird. Check out their social media and website for news of the next one. It usually starts at 7.30pm, but be sure to be there a little earlier as it’s popular.
thecraftypig.co.uk

Pencils Down at The Pen and Pencil

Test out the trivia at this trendy Manhattan-style bar in the Northern Quarter. ‘Pencils Down’ is a weekly quiz brought to you by John Stansfield from Quizimodo on Tuesdays at 7.30pm. It’s £1 entry per person, the winning team takes all and there’s a prize for the best team name. Expect a range of rounds, plus a wildcard round each week, chosen either by poll on Twitter or by the losing team.
thepenandpencilnq.co.uk

Common Knowledge

Even better if you know about Alan Partridge. Common Knowledge (@commonquiz) is a quiz night which happens on the first and third Wednesday of every month at this relaxed and friendly bar on Edge Street. Enjoy this free-to-enter quiz with bar tab prizes. There are themed editions too  with past quizzes including Flight of the Conchords, Wes Anderson, Alan Partridge and even a RuPaul’s Drag Race quiz!
www.aplacecalledcommon.co.uk

Stranger Things at Kosmonaut

Try this bar quiz with a difference for a wacky quiz night you won’t forget in a hurry. Kosmonaut quizmasters Mike and Will are ready to test your knowledge on the weird and the wonderful, the obscure and odd. There is a £100 bar tab up for grabs for the winners and some strange spot prizes. Pencils at the ready at 7pm, same night every month. It’s free to enter and followed by a free synth disco – so whether you are a winner or not, you can dance til you feel like one.
kosmonaut.co

World Famous Music Quiz at Band on the Wall

Think you know your stuff about music? Test yourself with the ultimate World Famous Music Quiz at this iconic gig venue. This quiz has some of the best prizes in the city. Think tickets, t-shirts and drinks – and no one leaves empty handed! Join self-styled world famous quizmaster Elliot Eastwick on a genre jumping journey with questions varying from the popular to the seriously strange. Expect rounds on all musical oddities imaginable plus questions on film, politics, general knowledge and whatever else they are in the mood for!
bandonthewall.org

Quizimodo at Odd Bar

If you thought quiz nights are boring, think again! This is a multimedia extravaganza is like a cross between game show and creative comedy. Jenny and Johnny are your hosts for four fun-packed rounds, with pictionary, funny clips, cracking gags and even musical instruments thrown into the mix. And there’s free crisps and biscuits!
www.oddbar.co.uk

The Pub Quiz at Sam’s Chop House

A proper pub quiz at a historic city centre boozer. It’s a short, speedy after-work event which costs just £1 with all money raised going into the prize pot along with a £25 bar tab voucher. This means there is always a fantastic first prize, second prize and sometimes a booby prize too! It’s a weekly event hosted by Fi Abernethy and starts at 6.30pm with the next one scheduled the 6 September. Try and get there early if you can as it’s pretty popular, packed with a good sense of humour and a good excuse for a beer – if one is needed.
samschophouse.com

Themed quizzes at Abel Heywood

This friendly Northern Quarter pub puts on some great themed quizzes. Last month it was a Pokemon edition and on 7 September they are hosting a Pixar and Disney themed quiz starting at 8pm. Reservations are required, so get your team booked in now. Teams can enjoy free popcorn along with food and drinks deals and the winners can expect some awesome prizes.
www.abelheywood.co.uk

Sunday Quiz Night at The Knott

Enjoy a quiz in a real ale pub and bar tucked away under the railway arches in characterful Castlefield. The Knott have three rules for a super Sunday – eat one of their roast dinners, win a quiz night bar tab and enjoy their craft beer! These are rules we are only too happy to follow and a Sunday quiz allows for a more relaxed affair. It starts around 8.30pm with a bar tab up for grabs. Definitely a prize worth playing for at this CAMRA Good Beer Guide listed venue.
knottbar.co.uk

Pick Your Poison at Apotheca

Win liquid prizes for games and surprises at this drinking den on Thomas Street. Pick Your Poison is a chance to test your knowledge – and your drinking skills – every Sunday from 7pm. In-house Quiz Wizards will cast the questions as well as turning out some of your favourite tunes and lots of different drinks promotions.  The chance to win some brilliant beer means you can soon forget it’s Monday too.
www.apothecabar.co.uk

The Big Fat Stupid Quiz at The Lass O’Gowrie

A proper quiz served with a sense of humour in this much-loved boozer off Oxford Road. Be prepared for weird and wacky questions, with some general knowledge and fiendish multimedia rounds hosted by Giles Daniel Bastow. The quiz certainly has a history. It’s been taken to a number of venues in the city in the last 20 years. There’s a small entry fee and some fantastic nibbles plus the chance to win the jackpot and a range of other prizes. Every Thursday from 8.30pm.
www.thelass.co.uk

Quiz at Pub/Zoo

Every Sunday from 7.30pm at The Pub/Zoo, just off Oxford Road, you can enjoy a stand-out pub quiz, which claims to contain some ungoogleable answers so get your thinking caps on. It’s also one of the most interactive quiz experiences in the city, with  a projector for visual questions and observation rounds. And an old SEGA with Mortal Kombat makes an appearance to settle any tiebreak disputes. Specialist quizzes like May The Fourth be with Zoo (Star Wars) and Survivor Queries (Pro Wrestling) have proven been a hit as well as charity events for the likes of After Adoption, Help for Heroes and Child’s Play. It’s brought to you by the characterful Quizmaster Flash for just £1 with some great prizes are up for grabs
www.pubzoomanchester.co.uk