Tootles & French decked out for Pride Month. Photo: Chad Goldsmith.
June 20, 2025 By Shane O’Brien
Astoria‘s Tootles & French will host a variety of events over the next week to celebrate Pride month, including drag brunches, drag bingo and happy hour.
The popular restaurant and wine bar, located at 36-15 Ditmars Blvd., will also host Pride-inspired Musical Theater Open Mic nights hosted by popular drag queens as part of its Pride month celebrations.
Tootles & French, which was voted Best New Restaurant in the US by USA Today back in January, is set to host a Musical Theater Open Mic Night on Friday, June 20, hosted by drag queen and violinist Mercy Be.
Fabio Del Carlo, events and marketing manager at Tootles & French, said the restaurant has been hosting open mic nights for aspiring Broadway singers in its events space for several months, attracting “Broadway-level performers” every week. The restaurant has enlisted a number of drag queens as hosts for June as part of its Pride month celebrations.
Tootles & French co-owners Chad Goldsmith and Vanessa Massas with drag queen Baby Hairs. Photo: Chad Goldsmith.
Del Carlo said the open mic nights have a capacity of 24 people and noted that tickets sell fast. He noted that guests often become looser as the night goes on before singing along to popular musical numbers such as the iconic Les Misérables tune “One Day More.”
“It’s quite intimate,” Del Carlo said. “A lot of people come in just to watch, and they might sing a little bit, but they’re nervous. But by the end of the night, they’re up there singing.”
Tootles will host “Drag Bingo” with drag queen Chaka Khanvict on Wednesday, June 25 in the same event space, featuring prizes such as tickets to wine tastings at the popular restaurant.
Musical Theater Open Mic Night will return on Friday, June 27 – this time hosted by drag queen Baby Hairs.
Tootles & French displaying trans colors. Photo: Chad Goldsmith.
There is no cover for any of the events, but Tootles does include a two-drink minimum for its open mic nights and has a two-drink and one-entree minimum for drag bingo.
Patrons will be able to enjoy Tootles’ full menu for all three events, which Del Carlo describes as “dinner and a show.”
Tootles will round out its Pride month celebrations with its “Toot Toot Disco Pride Brunch” – hosted by JMV.
The event marks the first time that Tootles has hosted a drag brunch.
“I’m very excited,” Del Carlo said. “I’ve been to drag brunches all over the city, so to get to be part of hosting one right here on Ditmars, this is very exciting for me.”
The restaurant is also offering happy hour every Sunday throughout June in honor of the various Pride celebrations taking place across the city. Happy hour, which runs from 4 p.m. until midnight on Sundays, features an almost complete menu, while the June 29 happy hour will also feature a special performance from popular local jazz musician Larry Luger between 5-8 p.m.
According to Tootles co-owner Chad Goldsmith, Mexican rum producer Pa’lante will provide rum-infused cocktails for the June 29 happy hour, providing a unique and high-end experience.
Goldsmith said it is important for businesses to go “all out” for Pride.
“We had no reason not to go all out,” Goldsmith said.
Photo: Chad Goldsmith.
Goldsmith also noted that Tootles has already hosted several Pride events this month, including a Pride-inspired psychic dinner earlier in June that mixed dinner with fortune-telling. The event proved so popular that Tootles has already announced that the event will return on Aug. 2.
Tootles is also a sponsor of Astoria’s Pride in the Park, scheduled for Saturday, June 28, between noon and 6 p.m. in Socrates Sculpture Park.
Goldsmith said the event, organized by the non-profit Astoria has Pride, will be fun for the entire community.
“It’s a big public picnic,” Goldsmith said. “There’s going to be performers there, and there are ways to donate, but this is free to show up to and support.”
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