Franklin820 – Crown Heights – Mondays @ 8 pm

The Trivia: Six themed rounds of five questions each. Traditional pub trivia style. In between two of the rounds the bartender poses a lightning round question for a free beer. The categories are fun and unique, and the questions range from typical pub trivia fare to very difficult and highly niche. Host Gerard (who is instantly recognizable as a trivia host) has a Category Suggestion bin behind him where he takes recommendations for future nights. Tonight’s player suggested category was “Reality Shows”. Now, most hosts would just write some more general trivia with a reality shows slant, but Gerard went IN and asked some very difficult questions catered to actual Reality Show aficionados (“What American reality star confused David Gest with David Bowie on Celebrity Big Brother UK?” Actually that one may just be impossible). Other categories included “Underdogs”, “Fast Food Promotions”, “Indigenous Peoples of the Americas”, and a picture round of famous groups with a single member being blanked out (name the missing person). The variety of the questions kept it fresh and exciting throughout, culminating in one of the funniest and strongest written rounds of trivia I’ve experienced in a while (“1 Star Yelp Reviews of Famous American Landmarks”). The host moved quickly through the questions and the night was over by 10 pm. To keep it quick, the host neglected to read the answers to the questions after each round, opting instead to read them every three rounds.

$40 off bar tab to the first place team. $20 off to the second place team.

The Venue: Franklin820 has a nice open layout, with a variety of seating options, including some couches in the corner that will likely be occupied by some regular trivia-goers. TVs behind the bar had NFL football (it is Monday night after all). About a dozen different beers on tap, a better-than-average trivia bar wine selection, and a variety of cocktails means there’s alcohol options for most everyone. There’s also standard pub food fare (a smash burger with fries, wings, fish tacos, tater tots, etc.) so if you come hungry, you won’t leave hungry.