Santia G.
Yelp
If you are looking for a kick ass drag experience, look no further than Lips! They are located in Manhattan and are easy to spot, given their Lips signs all around the outside.
We booked a Friday 7 pm show for 2 via OpenTable. We drove in from Queens, arriving around 630 PM and found a spot directly across from Lips, as there is free parking after 7 PM. We noticed a line starting to form around 640, and it continued growing until 650, when they opened the door and started letting patrons in.
We walked in right at 7 PM and were greeted by one of their queens. She was pleasant and brought us to our table. There is a bar off to the side. The stage is right in front with two long tables where their runway is and additional tables and seating to the side. We sat to the side with a decent view of the stage and runway, where each queen walked/danced down during their respective performance. They play music and music videos on the screen at the stage while patrons are arriving and food orders are being made and brought out.
They have a standard $59 per person for the Friday night shows, which includes the performance and 3 course meal. Drinks and appetizers are an additional fee. There is an automatic 20% tip added to each bill, which you have the option to adjust once you get the bill. They also come around and swap bills for singles, so you are prepared to tip your performers as they do their Thang.
Their menu is creative, with the drinks and food options named after their queens. Drinks were $13.50 each, and we got the Mai Tai and Cosmo. Both were good. Their 3 course starts with a Ceasar salad, which was yummy. They are open and willing to adjust the food based on your preference, which we had asked for no dressing and the cheese on the side. They gave us balsamic dressing on the side, which, in my opinion, was a delicious add to the salad.
For our entrees, we selected the pan seared salmon with roasted potatoes and veggies and linguini with alfredo sauce, peas, and large shrimp. The salmon dish was a melt in your mouth experience, and pasta was excellent; shrimp cooked perfect and delicious flavor. We also ordered coconut shrimp, which was fried and came with a spicy sweet sauce for dipping. Unfortunately, the coconut shrimp was fried with the shells still on the shrimp, and we were spitting shells as we tried to eat the shrimp. So sad because the flavor was amazing! But our queen Clarice apologized and took the $14 additional charge for this appetizer off the bill.
The show itself was kick ass. Ms. O was the show host for the night, and she kept the momentum high, and she was absolutely hilarious. Each queen gave a killer performance, and they each earned every dollar thrown in the air. They reserved time towards the end for people celebrating a birthday, Bachelorette party, or anything similar to come up to the stage with a cupcake, sit in a throne, and take a picture with 2 queens. They also give a plastic crown for you to wear and take home. When you get the bill, they give you the picture they take in a card. This experience is an added $15 but definitely worth it, as I went up for my birthday and enjoyed every minute.
Their bathrooms are upstairs, and well maintained. Our bill came to $206 with everything included. Would absolutely come back again, maybe for a Saturday brunch!