On November 5, 2008, we went to trivia night at F. O’Mahony’s (formerly Finley Mahony’s).
Trivia is advertised as starting at 8:00pm. A 7:20pm arrival ensured us our choice of tables, even though the room is pretty small compared to other trivia night venues. Parking in the neighborhood, however, can be difficult to find. Trivia didn’t actually start until around 8:30pm.
F. O’Mahony’s Wednesday night specials are $3.50 pints of Stella Artois and $4.00 Stoli cocktails. They also serve bottled PBR, which none of us had ever seen before, for $3.50. The food (veggie burger, fish & chips, grilled cheese, and pizza) was not good.
Trivia night consisted of six rounds, each with 10 questions: Cartoon Characters, Politics, Music (song & artist), Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?, Movies, and Filthy Riddles. We had heard that trivia was hosted by a man with an Irish accent (who supposedly also hosts trivia night at sister bar Drum & Monkey–more on that later). None of that turned out to be true, although our F. O’Mahony’s host was likeable and kept trivia moving at a good pace. The trivia questions are not only read by the host, but also displayed on a plasma screen behind the host. The display was quite small, but we agreed that it is a good feature that (1) saves trees and (2) limits the number of times the host is asked to repeat questions.
First place wins a $50 gift certificate to F. O’Mahony’s, second place gets a $25 gift certificate, and second-to-last place wins a prize–this time, a bottle of wine. Best team name also wins a prize. We ended the night in a three-way tie for first place. The tie-breaker was a drinking contest, in which we placed third…we don’t think we have ever seen anyone drink as fast as the first place winner. At least we got a free beer.
Good trivia night. Just eat somewhere else beforehand.
2.5 paws (out of 4)
Here Comes Treble is a group of Chicagoans who want to share our love of trivia nights with the rest of the city. Follow us as we search for the best pub quiz in town!
