The pandemic halted some of our favorite indulgences—and many, like good late-night eats, are finally making a comeback. Add to that list: party brunches.
What’s a party brunch? Think beyond bottomless mimosas. Sure, free-flowing drinks are key—but tack on a DJ, drag show, table dancing, and/or shirtless performances (professional and not) and you have the makings of a proper party brunch. There’s food, too, but that’s not really the point.
So where are you making foggy memories this weekend?
Sir at Sax
734 11th St., NW
If a dozen shirtless, shiny men twirling on poles is your Sunday motivation, downtown DC club Sax is the perfect, gilded destination. The buffet is premium, and we’re not just talking food—dancers, aerialists, pole performers, go-go boys, and table studs are all-in for the male burlesque show. Mimosas are bottomless, clothing is limited, and you’re guaranteed to never look at breakfast sausage the same way again. Tickets ($60 to $125) are available online.
La Boum
1730 M St., NW
The queen of DC’s party brunch scene has resumed her throne after a long pandemic absence. What started as a shutters-down, turn-up affair at long-gone L’Enfant in Adams Morgan has relocated to Abigail near Dupont Circle. This place will put some oonce-oonce in your oeufs—we’re talking four hours of burlesque performances, drunken games, dance-offs, and Champagne stickiness (a no-phone policy says it all). Saturday-only tickets ($35 per person, excluding drinks) book out online a month in advance.
Drag brunch at Perry’s
1811 Columbia Rd., NW
You’re not a DC brunch person until you’ve danced your way into Perry’s on a Sunday afternoon along with the queens. The city’s longest-running drag brunch—a fixture in Adams Morgan since 1991—is an all-out sequin-fest (and unlike some party brunches, it’s fun for all ages). Order up a Dude Looks Like a Lady cocktail, hit the buffet, and get ready to roar. Online tickets are suggested (starting at $40 per person) but walk-ins are also allowed.
Elevate drag brunch at Officina
1120 Maine Ave., SW
The only thing more fierce and fun than a drag brunch? A rooftop drag brunch with elaborate costumes and Potomac River views. That’s all on tap on select Sundays at Italian emporium Officina Wharf. Guests can pick seats at the bar, a table, or a rooftop fire pit, and get ready for performances by Logan Stone, Mama Naytch, Desiree Kik, and Crimsyn. Reservations ($25) include space and a welcome cocktail; fun additional packages include a bottle of Whispering Angel and a tote bag with “queen swag” ($125). Chef Nicholas Stefanelli’s full brunch menu is available.
Drag and games at H Street Country Club
1335 H St., NE
Some people like to Netflix and chill on Sundays. Others prefer to cap off a raucous drag brunch with a round of mini-golf. If you’re in the latter camp, Shi-Queeta-Lee’s Illusion Drag Brunch is the place to be. Patrons can play the bar’s full roster of games (golf, skee-ball, darts etc.) after the noon show. Tickets ($55) are available online.
Brunch and dance party at Cafe Saint-Ex
1847 14th St., NW
If you sweated it out in Saint-Ex’s dance basement the night before, why not go for an encore? Every other Sunday, the Logan Circle bar/restaurant hosts its Good Vibrations Brunch and Dance Party. Guests can fill up on plates of jerk wings and mac n’ cheese to the tune of a DJ from noon to 4 PM, then hit a day party with dance and hip-hop at Gate 54 until 8 PM.
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Daylit at Darna
946 N Jackson St., Arlington
When bottles are $25 and hookahs are ready to blow—you know it’s a day party at Darna. The Arlington club where NBA star Tristan Thompson famously cheated on Khloe Kardashian may not be a “what happens at X stays at X” kind of place, but if you’re not a Cavalier or a Kardashian, chances are no one will care. This soiree is for late-risers: brunch ($27 for three courses) starts at 2 PM, and the party goes until 10.
Rooftop fun at Ciel Social Club
601 K St., NW
This Sunday funday rooftop brunch starts at 2 PM and wraps at midnight—so go ahead and call out of work now. The 3,200-square-foot lounge and restaurant perched atop the new AC Hotel in Mount Vernon Triangle is a classy affair. But not too classy for happy hour specials, boozy punches, and dance-ready playlists.
DJ brunch at Lyle
1731 New Hampshire Ave., NW
Those looking to dip their toes in the party brunch pool can check out the weekend DJ brunch at Dupont Circle’s Lyle hotel. Music and bottomless bevvies ($28) make it upbeat, while the swanky surroundings—and a massive white dining room sofa that’s rife for stains—keep things relatively tame (though diners are known to dance on the couch). The food is good, too—think honey-ham Benedicts on homemade cornbread or short rib hash over grits.
Party brunch at Salazar
1819 14th St., NW
The Mission Group is known for raucous brunches at all of their locations (bottomless Mission margaritas spell fun…and trouble). Newly opened Tex-Mex spot Salazar may top them all. Groups can start with a 90-minute bottomless brunch ($27) that includes all-you-can-drink beers, margaritas, tequila-sodas, mimosas, and bloodies (don’t forget some water, too). Chase that with a tequila shot-throwing game on the restaurant’s rooftop, or some dancing in the neon-lit basement bar.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
