Drag brunch. The mere phrase should evoke images of screaming women, dancing divas, big hair and pop ballads. Drag brunch, to say the least, is an experience.
In Reno, there is more than one venue to experience a drag event, but The Emerson Cocktail Lounge was the first. Now, about once each month, guests can gather for a high-energy good time. Only requirement? You can’t get easily offended.
The shows are always on Sundays and they always start at 1 p.m. Tickets sell out quickly.
While The Emerson doesn’t usually serve food (aside from a charcuterie board for snacking), a food truck comes in on event days to serve brunch foods to the crowd, and you can get it served tableside so you don’t miss the show while waiting in line. The experience feels like regular restaurant service, and if no one tells you, you may not even notice it’s a food truck.
While at brunch, there are no bottomless options, but there are shot discounts for those in the mood to party. And at drag brunch, it’s suggested you always be in the mood to party.
Sip from the menu’s long martini list featuring clever renditions like the Emerson Espresso Martini, Blood Orange Cosmo and El Barrio. Or dive into another option. The spring menu boasted a Strawberry Fields sipper that touts itself as “fresh, fruity and creamy.” We’ll let you decide how appropriate that cocktail is for this particular event.
While the food is good and the drinks are great, let’s be honest: you came to drag brunch for the show. The lip syncing extravaganza features a small troupe of women bouncing between ballads from the queens of pop to booty shaking dance numbers that include moves I wouldn’t dare attempt.
In sky-high heels, performers jump from the floor to the bar top and everywhere in between (so watch your drinks), and every table gets up-close interactions. The venue is intimate but that only accelerates the experience.
Every show is different so there’s no promising what you’re going to get. May’s show, for example, included a moving tribute to Tina Turner, who died the same month, and a heart-wrenching performance about what it’s like to be different that closed the show and featured one queen stripping off her hair and makeup to an everyday version of themself.
If drag brunch isn’t your cup of tea, or if once a month just isn’t enough, The Emerson also hosts drag bingo on the second Thursday of each month at 7 p.m.
