Location: 1610 U St. NW
Readers’ pick: Tonic
D.C. locals love networking, drinking and flexing their intelligence. Exiles Bar has all three.
Exiles, on 16th and U streets, hosts weekly Tuesday night trivia games. This U Street Corridor spot is a refreshingly authentic venue — an outlier among its trendier peers due to its divey atmosphere and no-frills approach to service that generates a sense of camaraderie between staff and regulars.
The Exiles Instagram page, while home to many typical bar announcements, also posts staff vacation photos and inside jokes about the patrons who just don’t seem to understand Exiles’ no-reservation policy. Patrons fill up the Irish bar as early as 8:30 a.m. on some weekends to watch live Liverpool matches, despite the time difference.
Exiles’ weekly trivia is routinely hosted by Christian Hunt of the Capital City Showcase — an independent theater company he founded that houses emcees who host trivia and comedy events around the District. Hunt is a solid host, keeping new players engaged while still exercising the rapport he’s developed with returning players by calling out the team names he recognizes.
Trivia is scheduled to start at 7 p.m., but the first of five rounds rarely kicks off until about 7:30 p.m., after Hunt has gathered all team names and handed out game sheets. He usually interrupts Exiles’ standard yacht rock soundtrack and attendees’ eager chatter to start the game within a few minutes of his arrival.
Still, it’s best to show up early at Exiles because regulars quickly fill the second-floor space where trivia is held. If you’re late, head past the bar (and the Golden Girls-themed bathroom, with Betty White and Bea Arthur’s faces in the wallpaper) to the back room. There, you can hear Hunt loud and clear and still participate in the game.
And don’t worry — you won’t be “exiled” in the back room, which receives equitable attention from the host and staff, who swiftly deliver low-priced pub food like fries and wings. Patrons are also never disconnected from the bar, where $6 deals on Exiles Drafts and Goose Island beers reign supreme every Tuesday night.
Typically, about 15 to 20 trivia teams go head to head through the night. The losing team still gets a free round of beers, so there’s always a reason to stick it out until the end. The five rounds are diverse, always including two general trivia rounds, one “digital” round, one “50/50” round and one “music” round.
The only time phones are allowed during gameplay is in the digital round, when players use their phones to view movie stills or other images. During the 50/50 round, there are only two available answer choices. During the music round, players hear a song clip and are asked to identify the artist.
Each night, all five rounds of questions also fall under a theme. One recent theme was cats. In the digital round, players were asked to identify the names of 10 cartoon cats. During the music round, rapper Tyga of the song “Rack City” was the correct response.
Another recent game theme was “Booty Call,” and the 50/50 round presented players with phrases that either described a seductive dance or an ice hockey penalty, i.e., “twerking” or “boarding.”
The range of trivia questions at Exiles can be challenging, but there’s no need to feel daunted upon your first visit to this neighborhood bar. The reliable pub ambiance and enthusiastic host make Exiles trivia easy to dive into for aficionados and newcomers alike.
