12 best drag shows in San Francisco to visit now

What’s a weekend without brunch? And, more to the point, what’s a San Francisco brunch without drag queens? 

While drag queens across the country are battling anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, the queens of San Francisco remain deeply celebrated. And thanks to drag shows and brunches popping up throughout the Bay Area, they stay #bookedbusyandblessed.

We reached out to some of the city’s most beloved queens for recommendations for the best drag shows in San Francisco, pulling together a list of 12 spots where royalty themselves party and brunch. So stuff your pockets with tens and twenties, because these girls are good and drag isn’t cheap. We’re embarking on a whirlwind tour of the popping world of San Francisco drag — with a few East Bay favorites added in, too (we see you, Oakland, and we’re here for it.)

What to know: Hosted by Carnie Asada, with two seatings every Saturday, this cavalcade of drag queens, burlesque performers and live vocalists turn it out with high-kicks, handsprings and death drops. Have stacks on deck; these girls will earn every dollar as you feast on.

Why it’s great: Believe the hype, drag queens say: Lips and Lashes Drag Brunch at The Lookout is “the best drag brunch in the Castro,” according to queen Afrika America. Loma Prietta adds that Lips and Lashes Drag Brunch is “the best place to see queens doing kicks, cartwheels, singing — you name it.” And Lonnie Haley calls it “a must-experience when visiting the Castro.” 

Find it: The Lookout, 3600 16th St., San Francisco, CA 94114; 415-431-0306

What to know: Show director Afrika America has assembled a rocking cast that includes, as she puts it, “ferocious local, domestic and international drag talent,” like Militia Scunt from “Queen of the Universe,” Corazon from “Drag Race Philippines,” and TikTok and Instagram star Tila Pia.

Why it’s great: 620 Jones may very well be the best brunch space in San Francisco (it also has a killer happy hour). This cocktail bar and rooftop restaurant floats among high-rises just blocks from Union Square. Every Saturday and Sunday, rain or shine, drag and brunch go together like fried chicken, waffles and Crystal hot sauce. Performer Lonnie Haley swears the food is by far the best brunch in San Francisco; crowds here go as wild for chef Erik Hopfinger’s menu as they do the open-air drag artistry. 

Find it: 620 Jones, 620 Jones St., San Francisco, CA 94102; 415-845-2257

What to know: Sgt. Die Wies is the sarge-in-charge of Womanopoly SF, a troupe of queer and trans people of color who shake up everything you know about burlesque at Jolene’s Sunday brunch. Come hungry and ready to throw dollars to performers like Frankie Fictitious, Elyse Elaine and RedBone.

Why it’s great: All-you-can-eat brunch.  Have you ever heard sweeter words? And if never-ending avocado toast, smoked salmon bagels and deviled eggs aren’t enough to get your pulse racing, Sunday brunches at this Mission District queer bar toss in all the burlesque your heart can take. 

What to know: The queens agree the Port Bar is the drag brunch to beat in the East Bay. “Every Sunday, Amoura Teese serves up a scintillating show along with iHeart Radio sensation DJ Magic Matt,” performer Afrika America says. “You’ll find a groove and some of the most diverse performances here.”

Why it’s great: Two words: Amoura Teese. This queen is the host of the Port Bar’s Sunday drag brunch, “a Bay Area icon and one of the best hosts in the Bay,” says drag queen Loma Prietta. “She brings the energy up, makes people laugh and has talented drag performers. Her shows are a must-see.”

Find it: The Port Bar, 2023 Broadway Ave., Oakland, CA 94612; 510-823-2099

What to know: Mia Munro, Natalie Ray and Laundra Tyme share the mic and max out the glamour at this Castro drag brunch, which takes place every Saturday at the Midnight Sun. A rotating cast of queens bring packed-out crowds hungry for the amazing entertainment that only drag can provide. 

Why it’s great: Choices. If you aren’t intimidated by a gigantic menu, the Midnight Sun’s Barrelhouse Brunch is for you. The spot’s wide array of craft cocktails and spritzes, beers on tap, hearty breakfasts and rib-sticking barbecue is not for the indecisive.

Find it: Midnight Sun, 4067 18th St., San Francisco, CA 94114; 415-861-4186

Why it’s great: Brace yourself for an unforgettable afternoon of extraordinary characters and NSFW humor. “This great dance club in San Francisco’s Castro District puts on a mean drag brunch,” performer Afrika America says. A different queen hosts each brunch, bringing her own flavor and flair every Saturday and Sunday, with two seatings each day.

Find it: Beaux, 2344 Market St., San Francisco, CA 94114; 415-658-7712

What to know: “This show is about amplifying Black talent but also about putting some coins in Black wallets too,” Jizz told 48hills, whose readers named Jizz the Bay’s Best Drag Performer and Reparations the Bay’s Best Drag Show in 2022. Since making the leap in 2020 from a Twitch stream to the Oasis stage, Reparations has become a monthly drag staple that highlights performers of color like Rahni NothingMore, Sir Joq, Coco Buttah and Pearl Teese.

Why it’s great: Time to pay up. Reparations is San Francisco’s only drag show with an all-Black cast, in which attendees pay “reparations” to a community of Black performers in the form of tips. Drag queen Nicki Jizz and her lineup salute Black excellence every second Friday of the month at SoMa nightclub Oasis, bringing their Black Girl Magic from across the Bay Area and beyond. 

Find it: Oasis, 298 11th St., San Francisco, CA 94103; 415-795-3180

What to know: Each Princess show often hones in on a particular artist or theme — think Disney or Nintendo, or tributes to Dolly Parton or Taylor Swift — all starring SF’s best queens, with visiting Ru girls guest performing each month. You never know what these queens will come up with, but you know you’ll enjoy it.

Why it’s great: This event also happens at Oasis, which is owned by San Francisco’s very first Drag Laureate D’Arcy Drollinger. The spot’s weekly drag show Princess – like Reparations – is one of the shows you “never have to ever wonder if you’re going to have a good time at,” says performer Lonnie Haley.

Find it: Oasis, 298 11th St., San Francisco, CA 94103; 415-795-3180

What to know: These sunset seaside shows happen each weekend — on Fridays on the nudist-friendly northern stretch of Baker Beach near the Sand Ladder, and on Saturdays and Sundays at Baker Beach’s south end by Lobos Creek. Be sure to check the Instagram link below for the most up-to-date details. And always bring layers  — even if it’s sunny in the rest of the city, Baker Beach can get quite chilly.

Why it’s great: This one’s got natural beauty no other drag show can match. Lip-sync artists feel their oats on the sands of Baker Beach and perform beneath clouds and cotton-candy skies, with wind-whipped waves and the Golden Gate Bridge as backup dancers.

Find it: Golden Hour Drag, Baker Beach at the Sand Ladder on Fridays and Lobos Creek on Saturdays and Sundays. 

What to know: It’s “the only thing worth doing on a Monday night in the Castro,” organizers proclaim on Instagram, and these girls will leave you “gooped and gagged,” as the queens say. To top it off, every night finishes with a bar-wide sing-a-long of “Oh Maria” from the set-in-SF Whoopi Goldberg film “Sister Act.”

Why it’s great: Every Monday, for six years running, La Maison de Munro — a drag house run by house mother Mercedez Munro and her drag protegees Baby Shaques, Princess Chris-Tea and Starya — packs the Midnight Sun full of good vibes, glamorous queens and gorgeous men. 

Find it: Midnight Sun, 4067 18th St., San Francisco, CA 94114; 415-861-4186

What to know: The vibe is bohemian and rough around the edges, “something akin to a queer Coyote Ugly,” Trix at Trax host Cassidy LeBlanc says. “I’ve always had a very deep connection with Haight-Ashbury as a historic hub for the counterculture movement, and we make sure to keep that vibe going at Trax.”

Why it’s great: Trix at Trax is a deliciously divey drag show in Haight-Ashbury, where loyal locals have gathered since 1940 for barrel-aged cocktails and happy hours that last most of the day. It’s also where, on the last Friday of the month, a pool table doubles as a cabaret stage. Here, find deep, delicious grungy glamour.

Find it: Trax Bar, 1437 Haight St., San Francisco, CA 94117; 415-864-4213

What to know: “Wouldn’t it be funny if we did a show with drag queens on skates?” founder Nicki Jizz mused on one socially distanced pandemic outing with fellow drag queen Mama Celeste. Their wild-hair idea has since become one of the Bay Area’s most creative drag shows, Rollin’ With the Homos, which takes place at Oakland’s Township Commons. Anything goes so long as it rolls: you’ll find drag queens and kings freewheeling on in-line skates and hoverboards, in office chairs and Power Wheels Barbie cars and everything in between. It’s the “most dangerous, idiotic and poorly insured drag show you’ve ever been to,” organizers joke on Instagram, and you can roll up on it once a month in Oakland. (Check their Instagram page.)

Why it’s great: Drag queens. On roller skates. On an old pier. What could go wrong? Take a peek for yourself. 

This story was edited by Hearst Newspapers Managing Editor Kristina Moy; you can contact her at [email protected].