“Every Queen Needs a Palace” – Drag Brunch in Miami

Once upon a time, Jasmine’s passport was being renewed. This left her stuck in the non-international travel trenches for a few months. Despite being passport-less, Jasmine refused to stay put! Eager to satisfy her travel itch, she decided to take a domestic trip to Miami with her best buddy Mikey. While they went to enjoy the beautiful beaches, they had no idea that an epic drag brunch would become the highlight of their trip.

As a long time super fan of Ru Paul’s Drag Race, a drag brunch has always been on my bucket list. Apart from Las Vegas or Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, there is no better place to experience a drag brunch than at Miami Beach’s Palace bar and club. Several Drag Race stars have gotten their start at the Palace, making it such a treat to be having brunch with these baddies!

Mikey and I made a reservation at Palace a few days before our trip to ensure that we wouldn’t miss this activity. Palace offers drag brunch Friday – Sunday at 11am and 2pm. Brunch is ~65.00 USD and it includes bottomless mimosas, an entree, and unforgettable entertainment. We arrived early, because I was determined to get a good seat for the show!

The main entrance of Palace is, in fact, the stage. An outdoor patio area with tables and chairs are on both sides of the entrance, making the pathway up to the entrance a walkway/runway. The queens come out from the entrance and strut down this walkway as they entertain the crowd, so the best seats in the house are those nearest to the entrance with the neon “PALACE” sign above it. After checking in with the bar, we were able to snag some great seats – after a little negotiation with the staff.

The show began and out came a team of sexy waiters dancing and slapping their fans to the beat of the music.

They danced and twerked as the crowd screamed and giggled. The MC queen appeared next from the entrance and danced her way through the waiters, playful grabbing at them while twirling her fan. She finally made her way to the center of the patio, introduced herself, and then broke out in song. Throughout her song, she would snatch her wig off to reveal another colorful ensemble of hair underneath – I swear she must have snatched off at least eight wigs! As she performed, the waiters served us mimosas and took our food orders.

We sipped our mimosas and slapped our fans, as we sang along, screamed, and cheered for the queens as they performed. These ladies can put on a show! They climbed the patio banisters, stood on tables, death dropped, and even landed splits. A few times in the show they would interact with the crowd and flirt with some of the guys. It was always hilarious to see the guys get shy or play along when the queens would approach them.

The show was fierce, funny, and flirty. Everyone was having a blast! In drag culture, it is customary to give tips throughout the performance. Always come equipped with some dollars to slide into the queen’s waistband or bra. As, the show began to wind down, the waiters came back out and did a final number – shirtless! The queens also returned to the stage to say farewell and the crowd gave a big round of applause. Now time for a photo with our favorite queen!

If you find yourself in Miami and are looking for a fun time, definitely check out the drag brunch at Palace. Apart from brunch, Palace is also a club/bar by night. If you have never had a drag experience this is the perfect place for your first one. Go ahead! Try something new!