Best Bars: Three top Toronto trivia nights

The Drake Hotel
1150 Queen St. W., 416-531-5042

Quizmaster Terrance Balazo has turned trivia into a bona fide profession. He hosts games at Clinton’s and the Fox and Fiddle, but The Drake’s Wednesday night tradition is the standard-bearer, filling the lounge with 150 irony-loving players. Balazo, an actor and stand-up comedian, cracks wise while tossing out questions on sports, music, history and pop culture. It only costs a toonie to play, so there’s money left over for grog.

Duke of York
39 Prince Arthur Ave., 416-964-2441

Every Tuesday, trivia buffs file up to the third floor of this cozy U of T pub for a spirited tourney of extreme minutiae like, “Which listed statesman never occupied the position of UN Secretary-General?” Even if you haven’t a clue, quizmaster Luke Pettigrew entertains with his witty banter. Special prizes—a vinyl copy of Bonnie Tyler’s “Faster Than the Speed of Night,” for example—are reserved for that rare unicorn: a perfect round.

The Wilson 96
615 College St., 416-516-3237

A new entrant on the city’s trivia scene, Wilson 96 models its monthly game after the Platonic ideal of trivia: Jeopardy! On the second Tuesday of every month, teams of up to four sprint through two rounds of questions posed by host and Trebek wannabe James Windsor. At the end of the night, each team sends its best player to compete in the tension-filled Final Jeopardy round. Daily Doubles are often celebrated with shots.

By Denise Balkissoon, Ariel Brewster, Andrew D’Cruz, Matthew Hague, Malcolm Johnston, Emily Landau, Jason McBride, Alexandra Molotkow, Mark Pupo, Peter Saltsman, Courtney Shea and Eric Vellend. Photographs by Jess Baumung, Emma McIntyre, Liam Mogan, Sean J. Sprague, Christopher Stevenson, Ryan Szulc and Jamie Hogge