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Join the Party at These Fabulous Drag Brunches From Sacramento to San Jose

The drag brunch tradition is thriving at these San Francisco Bay Area bars and restaurants

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Drag brunches aren’t new, but thanks in part to the success of RuPaul’s Drag Race, they’ve exploded in popularity. Today, many bars and restaurants throughout the Bay Area serve waffles, mimosas, and other traditional brunch fare, with a side of laughs, ferocity, and drag performances.

Drag plays a rich part in San Francisco’s history, beginning with Finocchio’s, the North Beach club that featured cabaret-style drag shows from 1936 until the club’s closure in 1999. The tradition continues with drag brunches attracting diverse and enthusiastic audiences at venues including bars, restaurants, breweries, and comedy clubs.

Here are 12 Bay Area venues where you can enjoy a decadent weekend brunch and watch local drag queens deliver singing, dancing, and comedy realness.

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Sunset Reservoir Brewing Company

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If you’re craving queens and comfort food, this airy two-story brewpub in the outer Sunset delivers. Choose from traditional brunch favorites including pancakes, French toast, and eggs benedicts, along with beers, Irish coffees, and mimosas. The shows are held once a month on Sundays from noon to 2 p.m and feature themed performances by a rotating cast of seasoned drag queens. $10 cover, online reservations recommended.

HOT JOHNNIE’S

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Owner Jonathan Young opened Hot Johnnie’s in 2021 in the heart of the Castro, serving delicious pastrami sandwiches that he brines, cures, and smokes onsite. His Johnnie’s Hotties drag shows, held the third Sunday of each month from noon to 2 p.m., rival the entrees when it comes to spiciness. Enjoy a diverse cast of performers and a range of entrees including pastrami hash and egg, and a fried chicken benedict. There’s a $5 cover, plus the cost of brunch. Reservations recommended.

Hot Johnnie’s

Glam and glitter are on the menu, along with food from Taco Boys, at Beaux’s weekend drag brunches held every Saturday and Sunday at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. The brunch menu boasts creative “cocktales” and a wide variety of Mexican favorites including tacos, burritos, nachos, and many vegan options. $8 cover. Make reservations online.

Lookout

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One of the Castro’s most popular gay bars, the Lookout is also home to the weekly Lips and Lashes Drag Brunch. Carnie Asada, a popular drag artist and comedienne, serves as host for the two shows held every Saturday at noon and 2 p.m. featuring drag illusionists, burlesque, live vocal performances, and more. Saucy breakfast totchos (scrambled eggs, chorizo, and tots), share the menu with freshly baked cinnamon rolls, chicken and waffles, and the famous Lookout Burger. Quench your thirst with a mimosa, bloody mary, or the signature Resting Spritz Face. $5 cover.

Lookout

620 Jones

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The expansive outdoor patio at 620 Jones is the backdrop for weekend brunches starring some of the Bay Area’s most popular drag queens. The brunch menu features breakfast entrees including huevos rancheros, fried chicken and waffles, and French toast with sweet berries, as well as lunch favorites including pizza, burgers, and sandwiches. Treat yourself to a $20 mimosa pitcher or a breakfast martini every Saturday and Sunday from 1:30 to 3 p.m. No cover.

Sunday’s a Drag at Club Fugazi

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Legendary San Francisco drag queen Donna Sachet is bringing her iconic Sunday’s a Drag show to Club Fugazi from August 6-27. According to Sachet, the August shows are a prelude to a possible year-round drag brunch that would launch in January. After 15 years at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel’s Starlight Room, the new Sunday’s a Drag celebrates the history of drag in San Francisco. Doors open at 10:45 a.m. with performances starting at noon. Tickets cost $75 and include an Italian brunch featuring Applewood smoked bacon, watermelon caprese salad, breakfast pizza, and more, catered by award-winning chef Tony Gemignani of the famed Tony’s Pizza Napoletena. Alcohol sold separately. Purchase tickets online.

Legendary San Francisco drag queen Donna Sachet.
Andy Berry

Almanac Beer Co.

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Treat yourself to a divalicious drag show hosted by Dextra DeNova at this brewery’s Drag on Tap brunch held the third Sunday of every month at 12:30 p.m. Housed inside a Naval hanger at the site of the historic Alameda Naval Air Base, the taproom also features an expansive outdoor patio. Enjoy a draft beer, beermosa, or michelada, and choose from brunch entrees offered by local food trucks. Free general admission, $25 VIP tickets.

The Port Bar

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Located in the heart of Oakland, the Port holds outdoor drag brunches every Sunday at noon and 2 p.m. The inviting bar features a permanent art collection of six LGBTQ+ social justice leaders, created by six Bay Area artists of color. Brunch items can be purchased from food truck vendors including Shiloh Cuisine, Rancho Nuevo, and more. Prepaid reservations need to be made online for parties of 2-6. There’s a $30 fee for one table reservation with a $30 bar tab credit. 

Alameda Comedy Club

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Drag queen and comedienne Ava LaShay hosts the Drag Yourself to Brunch show every Sunday at noon, serving up looks, lip-synching, and comedy. The sumptuous brunch includes a robust prix fix menu featuring a deluxe waffle platter with bacon, sausage, salmon, fresh fruit, and your choice of a mimosa, Bloody Mary, or non-alcoholic drink. $48. Purchase tickets online.

Drag queen and comedienne Ava LaShay.
Alameda Comedy Club

SoFA Market

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Held the first Sunday of each month from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., this popular South Bay drag brunch features free admission and seating on a first-come, first-served basis. San Jose drag queen Alpha Andromeda serves as hostess brunch, which features some of Silicon Valley’s finest drag divas. Enjoy a bottomless mimosa from Fountainhead and purchase brunch items from any of the independent restaurants in the market’s food hall. 

Solomon's Vinyl Diner

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This American diner, housed in a former Tower Records store featuring retro decor, offers two Brunch the House Down drag shows, hosted by popular queen, Mercury Rising, on the first Saturday of the month at 11 a.m and 1:30 p.m. Order a Bloody Mary or mimosa and slay with their Tres Leches French Toast or Khachapuri, featuring handmade pizza dough baked in a stone oven and topped with an egg, mozzarella, and feta cheese. Admission is free, but reserve a space online

Roscoe’s Bar & Burgers

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In June, Roscoe’s opened in midtown Sacramento’s Lavender Heights neighborhood, hosting two drag shows every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Enjoy hilarious camp and sass while kicking back with one of the $18 bottomless mimosas and choosing from a large selection of waffles, breakfast scrambles, biscuits and gravy, burgers, and more. Reservations are recommended. $7 entry, plus cost of brunch.

Sunset Reservoir Brewing Company

If you’re craving queens and comfort food, this airy two-story brewpub in the outer Sunset delivers. Choose from traditional brunch favorites including pancakes, French toast, and eggs benedicts, along with beers, Irish coffees, and mimosas. The shows are held once a month on Sundays from noon to 2 p.m and feature themed performances by a rotating cast of seasoned drag queens. $10 cover, online reservations recommended.

HOT JOHNNIE’S

Owner Jonathan Young opened Hot Johnnie’s in 2021 in the heart of the Castro, serving delicious pastrami sandwiches that he brines, cures, and smokes onsite. His Johnnie’s Hotties drag shows, held the third Sunday of each month from noon to 2 p.m., rival the entrees when it comes to spiciness. Enjoy a diverse cast of performers and a range of entrees including pastrami hash and egg, and a fried chicken benedict. There’s a $5 cover, plus the cost of brunch. Reservations recommended.

Hot Johnnie’s

Beaux

Glam and glitter are on the menu, along with food from Taco Boys, at Beaux’s weekend drag brunches held every Saturday and Sunday at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. The brunch menu boasts creative “cocktales” and a wide variety of Mexican favorites including tacos, burritos, nachos, and many vegan options. $8 cover. Make reservations online.

Lookout

One of the Castro’s most popular gay bars, the Lookout is also home to the weekly Lips and Lashes Drag Brunch. Carnie Asada, a popular drag artist and comedienne, serves as host for the two shows held every Saturday at noon and 2 p.m. featuring drag illusionists, burlesque, live vocal performances, and more. Saucy breakfast totchos (scrambled eggs, chorizo, and tots), share the menu with freshly baked cinnamon rolls, chicken and waffles, and the famous Lookout Burger. Quench your thirst with a mimosa, bloody mary, or the signature Resting Spritz Face. $5 cover.

Lookout

620 Jones

The expansive outdoor patio at 620 Jones is the backdrop for weekend brunches starring some of the Bay Area’s most popular drag queens. The brunch menu features breakfast entrees including huevos rancheros, fried chicken and waffles, and French toast with sweet berries, as well as lunch favorites including pizza, burgers, and sandwiches. Treat yourself to a $20 mimosa pitcher or a breakfast martini every Saturday and Sunday from 1:30 to 3 p.m. No cover.

Sunday’s a Drag at Club Fugazi

Legendary San Francisco drag queen Donna Sachet is bringing her iconic Sunday’s a Drag show to Club Fugazi from August 6-27. According to Sachet, the August shows are a prelude to a possible year-round drag brunch that would launch in January. After 15 years at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel’s Starlight Room, the new Sunday’s a Drag celebrates the history of drag in San Francisco. Doors open at 10:45 a.m. with performances starting at noon. Tickets cost $75 and include an Italian brunch featuring Applewood smoked bacon, watermelon caprese salad, breakfast pizza, and more, catered by award-winning chef Tony Gemignani of the famed Tony’s Pizza Napoletena. Alcohol sold separately. Purchase tickets online.

Legendary San Francisco drag queen Donna Sachet.
Andy Berry

Almanac Beer Co.

Treat yourself to a divalicious drag show hosted by Dextra DeNova at this brewery’s Drag on Tap brunch held the third Sunday of every month at 12:30 p.m. Housed inside a Naval hanger at the site of the historic Alameda Naval Air Base, the taproom also features an expansive outdoor patio. Enjoy a draft beer, beermosa, or michelada, and choose from brunch entrees offered by local food trucks. Free general admission, $25 VIP tickets.

The Port Bar

Located in the heart of Oakland, the Port holds outdoor drag brunches every Sunday at noon and 2 p.m. The inviting bar features a permanent art collection of six LGBTQ+ social justice leaders, created by six Bay Area artists of color. Brunch items can be purchased from food truck vendors including Shiloh Cuisine, Rancho Nuevo, and more. Prepaid reservations need to be made online for parties of 2-6. There’s a $30 fee for one table reservation with a $30 bar tab credit. 

Alameda Comedy Club

Drag queen and comedienne Ava LaShay hosts the Drag Yourself to Brunch show every Sunday at noon, serving up looks, lip-synching, and comedy. The sumptuous brunch includes a robust prix fix menu featuring a deluxe waffle platter with bacon, sausage, salmon, fresh fruit, and your choice of a mimosa, Bloody Mary, or non-alcoholic drink. $48. Purchase tickets online.

Drag queen and comedienne Ava LaShay.
Alameda Comedy Club

SoFA Market

Held the first Sunday of each month from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., this popular South Bay drag brunch features free admission and seating on a first-come, first-served basis. San Jose drag queen Alpha Andromeda serves as hostess brunch, which features some of Silicon Valley’s finest drag divas. Enjoy a bottomless mimosa from Fountainhead and purchase brunch items from any of the independent restaurants in the market’s food hall. 

Solomon's Vinyl Diner

This American diner, housed in a former Tower Records store featuring retro decor, offers two Brunch the House Down drag shows, hosted by popular queen, Mercury Rising, on the first Saturday of the month at 11 a.m and 1:30 p.m. Order a Bloody Mary or mimosa and slay with their Tres Leches French Toast or Khachapuri, featuring handmade pizza dough baked in a stone oven and topped with an egg, mozzarella, and feta cheese. Admission is free, but reserve a space online

Roscoe’s Bar & Burgers

In June, Roscoe’s opened in midtown Sacramento’s Lavender Heights neighborhood, hosting two drag shows every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Enjoy hilarious camp and sass while kicking back with one of the $18 bottomless mimosas and choosing from a large selection of waffles, breakfast scrambles, biscuits and gravy, burgers, and more. Reservations are recommended. $7 entry, plus cost of brunch.

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