"We visit Lucky Dog every Saturday night for Team Trivia (shoutout to Average Joes!). The venue is quite spacious, resembling two separate areas—there's a bar on the left and a restaurant on the right. It's always packed, even at 8:00 PM when Trivia kicks off. While the Trivia certainly attracts the crowd, the food is a big draw as well. To my surprise, the food is actually quite good—better than I anticipated on our first visit.
The potstickers as an appetizer are delicious, and the burgers are large and juicy with a wide selection to choose from. They specialize in wings and steak sandwiches, and although the wings are on the pricier side, it's easy to see why—they are enormous, almost like they’re from "dinosaur chickens." The only other place I've had wings that compare is Rick's Tavern in Fairfield.
The steak sandwiches were an unexpected highlight. I’m very particular when it comes to steak sandwiches, and I've typically only trusted Penn Station for that. I usually won’t order a steak sandwich elsewhere because many places use the wrong type of bread or the meat lacks flavor. However, after encouragement from our friend Nicole, who's worked there for nearly a decade, I gave it a try. I was pleasantly surprised. They may not be Pat's or Geno's, but they are quite impressive for a Cincinnati bar. I also appreciate that they serve malt vinegar, which is essential for a cheese steak, unlike many other places that don’t.
I can’t comment on late-night visits or other weekdays since we only go on Saturdays, but they have karaoke hosted by our favorite MCs, Jimmy and Lisa, from Village Tavern. There’s also a pool table and plenty of TVs around, though I'm knocking off half a star because the largest TV—a big projector screen right in front of our usual seating area—is rarely on when we’re there. We often have to remind the manager to turn it on, especially during college football season when it would be nice to watch the games.
One positive note is that, unlike many trivia venues, Lucky Dog allows you to use the gift cards you win on drinks. With a $30 prize for the winning team each week, our first few rounds are nearly covered—that's hard to beat! (Just a side note: you’ll have to win to enjoy this perk, so good luck with that!)
Overall, we're very pleased they started hosting Trivia on Saturdays. Before this, our only option was the garden, which wasn't particularly appealing. Not only is Lucky Dog closer, but we can play Trivia, enjoy better food, spend less money, and watch football on Saturday nights—all of which makes for an unbeatable combination."
