This week we hit the Old Town/Gold Coast hang out Butch McGuires for trivia, bringing along an old high school friend as a guest (thanks for playing, buddy!).
If you are a single trivia player, this may be the place for you. As the website states “through cocktails and conversation, it is believed that over 5,000 marriages have resulted from encounters at Butch’s.” Indeed, a couple of mid-aged gents with cocktails were spotted ogling one of our teammembers.
While we may not have had a love encounter, we did encounter a solid trivia night. Specials are 2 for 1 appetizers, $6.95 grilled cheese and tomato soup (nobody tried this), $8 domestic pitchers, $5 Jager bombs, and $4 beer-of-the-month (Blue Moon for June). The appetizers are generally pretty good, but be warned: the nacho portions are pretty small compared to other bars. Notably small enough, in fact, to inspire a team name.
Trivia was a team trivia format, which we have explained in prior posts. As a nice variation, teams were welcome to make requests for the songs played while grading between questions. It seems that anything goes, music-wise, so don’t be shy. Request what you want! Our requests for both The Beach Boys and Def Lepard were honored, and our request for “Mr. Roboto” (an homage to our night at Cinners) was attempted, but thwarted by an unexpected and weird remix.
The trivia host does a nice job keeping it fun and moving it along. Trivia started at 8:10 and was over just after 10. Also, she handled it well when one of the answers was blurted out, with a substitute question at the ready. Prizes are a $25 gift card for first place, shots for second place, and beers for third. We finished in a mildly disappointing fifth place after, once again, taking a big gamble on the final question. When will we learn, Team Trivia?
Overall, domo arigato to Butch McGuires for a good time. Nice specials, fun host, and a great atmosphere. Interestingly, once trivia ended, the guy/girl ratio in the bar stood at about 15/1 making the “over 5000 marriages” claim even more suspect. If you are into trivia, grilled cheese, and jager bombs, and are looking to spend about $12, there is arguably no other place to go. If you are into nachos, skip it.
Butch McGuire’s
20 W. Division St., Chicago
8pm to 10pm
Free admission
2 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!
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