McGilvra's is an Irish Pub in the Madison Park neighborhood of Seattle. On an otherwise quiet Wednesday night on E Madison Street, McGilvra's bustles with people participating in their weekly trivia challenges.
The pub is large with plenty of comfortable seating and very low lighting. Jerseys from different countries and teams hang from the ceiling and give the bar a mixed Irish pub/sports bar feel. One of the neater and more unique features is a wall of mugs on the far wall. Each mug has a small plaque below it with a patron's name. Patron's can join the so-called "mug club" and reuse their mug each time they visit the pub. The mugs of those patron's who have stopped frequenting the pub are removed from the wall and their plaques are moved to the "alumni" board.
The pub has a good, clean atmosphere, but the food is very expensive and the drinks aren't any cheaper. This is definitely not a place where you come to get a lot of bang for your buck. Also, it's not a good place to meet girls (at least on trivia night). Everyone comes with a group and remains with that group for the rest of the night. This cliquish mentality works well for teams on trivia night, but not for those who want to meet new people.
Trivia was by far the best part. The trivia takes place over one hour. There are 10 sections. The questions are very challenging and are presented by Rose Paik, an old classmate of mine. This is not your standard pop-culture trivia. These questions are tough, so come prepared with a cadre of teammates who have a wide spectrum of knowledge if you hope to win.
All in all, McGilvra's is an ok place to go on Wednesday nights (which are usually very uneventful in Seattle). Don't expect to meet a lot of new people, but look forward to a very challenging trivia competition. Just don't buy too many drinks or appetizers. You're wallet will thank you.
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