Pub quizzes – how do they score?

At BitterSweet Partnership, we’ve been visiting pubs all over the UK in order to look at how female-friendly they are (it’s a hard life, I know!). The question we’ve been asking recently is: Are pub quizzes a good way to spend a quiet weeknight, or should we stay at home?

We visited two North London pubs to find out.

If you’ve ever had a secret hankering to be a contestant on a cheesy quiz show, The Landseer has the pub quiz for you. While you’re not put up on a stage, the quiz features extroverted host ‘Harry Ainsworth’, who is besuited and be-spectacled. He even has his own theme tune. It’s this which makes the quiz far more fun than your norm – and the questions are fun too, focusing mainly on entertainment. The pub isn't bad either, with interesting bar snacks and a good range of beers on tap.

If you like your pub quizzes more traditional, you’ll like The Island Queen’s quiz on a Tuesday. This quiz is longer, with a picture round, and was a more rigorous test of general knowledge, asking questions as diverse as “How tall is an Association football goal post” to “How did Superted get his powers?”. This quiz also has an opportunity to win a free drink on the spot by being the first to answer a question. The quiz master is no-nonsense, which is great for helping the quiz run smoothly but makes the evening less relaxing than other pub quizzes. This one’s for you if you’re very knowledgeable and like to test yourself – it’s also worth visiting the Island Queen if you’re into real ale, as it’s a CAMRA pub.

The Landseer, 37 Landseer Road, Holloway, London N19 4JU

The Island Queen, 87 Noel Road, London N1 8HD