Credit: Hamburger Mary’s WeHo Facebook Page
I have known about Hamburger Mary’s for many, many years. Something that always surprised me about this fun and fabulous chain was that they never opened a New York City location where I’ve resided for several years (they should get on that TBH).
I’ve been in Los Angeles this past weekend covering Pride (more on that to come later this week) and stopped by Hamburger Mary’s WeHo (West Hollywood) location on Saturday, June 8 for their very lively drag brunch.
Here’s the thing: I’ve been to a gazillion drag brunches in my lifetime. This is not a foreign concept to me, although it definitely felt that way with some of the women in the audience on Saturday who had no idea what they were in store for. There was a woman sitting behind our table who was giving us Vicki Gunvalson surprised look vibes the entire time and I was living for it!
Nothing really separates Hamburger Mary’s from the other drag brunches I’ve gone to, however the overall experience was still thrilling, fun and something I would go back to again and again.
This Saturday’s brunch was jam packed with all types of people and all types of ages. There were certain extras inside that really made the trip there that much more exciting like them serving bottomless drinks in something resembling a leg with a high heel on the bottom of it. Campiness goes a long way with me, and this perk was one of the many things that I’ll remember from that day.
Another reason why I enjoyed the Hamburger Mary’s experience was that it highlighted local drag talent that hasn’t competed on RuPaul’s Drag Race just yet. I love RPDR, and kudos to the girls that have gotten on, but it’s nice to see that a place can sell out with performers who aren’t as well-known but are equally as talented as the rest.
Los Angeles queen Allusia played host for the 2-hour extravaganza that came packed with a ton of amazing performances and some yummy food to go along with. Being the bear that I am, I ordered not one but two tasty items from the menu that filled me up while I was living for all the fabulousness that was on stage (get the Chocolate Pancakes please. Thanks).
Allusia was the perfect host for this kind of event. She was quick with her wit, used a ton of foul-mouthed humor and provided some excellent moments on stage like her lip syncing the hell out of Madonna’s classic “Like a Prayer.”
Her supporting cast did not disappoint as well. The audience (myself included) flooded each of the girls with a ton of dollar bills as they electrified us with a variety of lip sync performances. My favorite was one of them doing a medley to a ton of Spice Girls classics that was nothing short of simply amazing.
Overall my first time at Hamburger Mary’s was a blast and a place I hope to visit in the future. These places are a great example of what makes our community so great in that it invites people from all walks of life who come together for one reason: to have a damn good time.
This is the opinion of one contributing writer and not that of Instinct Magazine or other Contributing Writers.
