Atlantans love weekend brunch, and lately, performances ranging from jazz to gospel to drag give people another reason to roll out of bed on a Saturday and Sunday, put on something a little nicer than sweatpants, and visit restaurants around Metro Atlanta for eggs, pancakes, and music and live performances.
For City Winery at Ponce City Market, brunch and music have consistently been part of the regular lineup, according to marketing manager Katy Carmody.
“City Winery’s programming has always included jazz, [R&B, and gospel] brunches – since the venue offers food and drinks at the evening events, a daytime variation seemed like a no-brainer,” she said. “Brunch is super popular in Atlanta, so why not complement ATL’s favorite meal with excellent live music?”
Fans of drag can enjoy multiple performances around Atlanta during brunch, including at City Winery, pairing colorful acts with the midday meal that merges breakfast and lunch.
At the Midtown location of Snooze A.M. Eatery, drag brunches bring the crowds late into Saturday afternoon. On Buford Highway, Dragalicious brunch at Lips ATL happens every Saturday and Sunday. And, over in East Atlanta Village, the recently opened The Pub at EAV does occasional weekend drag brunches and a weekly Friday drag dinner, both hosted by drag performer Cora Nova.
“I’ve been a drag performer for a year and a half, but before that, I always went out to drag shows, and Atlanta has a deep history in drag,” said Cora Nova. “I like to switch the cast every month. Each brunch features different performers and themes selected by me and my partner, who is also a drag queen called Altina.”
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The inaugural drag performance at Snooze in Midtown earlier this year – headlined by Mona Lott, with appearances from Alabama and Destiny Brooks – was packed. It’s the first Snooze location in Georgia to host a drag brunch, according to the breakfast chain’s marketing manager, Caroline King. Proceeds from these brunches benefit a different cause each month. That first performance benefited Atlanta Pride.
Outside the Atlanta city limits, Louisiana Bistreaux’s Perimeter Mall location hosts jazz brunch every Sunday, from noon until 3 p.m., a tradition that started when the restaurant opened in 2023.
“Following thoughtful conversations with our guests during Sunday brunches, incorporating live music emerged as a natural progression to enhance the overall experience,” said Louisiana Bistro manager Robert Jackson.
At Perfect Note, a Windy Hill Road restaurant centered on music, keyboardist Brian Clay headlines the Soulful Sunday series every first Sunday of the month. Other acts fill the rest of the monthly musical brunch schedule, like Rae Evans, Crystal Womack, and Erica Dawson.
For organizers of brunches with music and live performances, finding talent entails a multi-faceted search process.
City Winery relies on relationships with musicians and their managers. “Our booking process relies heavily on relationships formed throughout time with artists and their management. We can catch wind of a certain artist, then work with their team to book them to play our stage,” said Carmody of booking the acts for City Winery.
The performers Cora Nova hires for drag brunches at The Pub at EAV are often the result of career connections. “My day job is casting for film and TV,” Cora Nova said. “I’ve worked in entertainment my whole life. I know how to put a cast together as far as diversity and different kinds of performances. There’s a mix of everything in our shows.”
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But personal relationships also help fill brunch event calendars at Atlanta restaurants.
“I already knew the owner [Tremayne], and our wives turned out to be cousins,” said Clay of his ongoing performances at Perfect Note.
Mona Lott knew King because she attended various drag shows around town. “She’s the main reason we’re here today at Snooze,” Mona Lott explained of how she booked the regular performance gig at the Midtown brunch and breakfast restaurant.
For those who regularly attend restaurant-based performances, these brunches have become a time to connect with the talent on stage and with other diners.
“I saw the drag brunch advertised on Facebook, and I haven’t seen Mona perform since October at Pride,” Khristi Harold told Rough Draft. “I know Alabama and Destiny, too, but I know Mona better.”
“Without our community, who would we entertain?” Lott added.
Antoine Gibson, a regular performer at City Winery, has played in multiple shows at the Ponce City Market live music venue and recently headlined his second event there. He particularly appreciates the weekend jazz brunches at City Winery.
“It has a whole different vibe from playing at night. It’s a day concert when the sun is still out and you can still do other stuff afterward,” he said. “At night, you just go home. But after a jazz brunch, you still have the rest of the day.”