How R House, the target of DeSantis’ complaint, got one of Miami’s hottest drag shows

The story goes a little something like this: a chef, a DJ, a lawyer and a drag queen walk into a bar.

That might sound like the set up to a funny joke, but according to its website, this is the origins of R House, an iconic Wynwood restaurant known for hosting drag shows while serving Latin-inspired food.

But on Tuesday, the restaurant found itself in the headlines when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration filed a state complaint against R House that says that the restaurant’s drag show brunches expose minors to “sexually explicit drag shows.”

READ MORE: Here are photos of Wynwood’s popular drag restaurant that Florida is complaining about

R House’s drag brunches have been a highlight for tourists and locals in the Wynwood area for years.

“It’s all about self-expression,” said drag queen Athena Dion, who helped create R House’s drag programming, in an April interview with the Herald. “The fact that we get to do this and share my experience with so many people that have never been exposed to drag before, I think is really meaningful.”

Athena, who is highly respected and well-known in Miami’s drag scene, helped R House become the drag venue it is today. She often hosts, produces and performs in the restaurant’s shows.

But back in 2014, when chef Rocco Carulli and his husband Owen Bale opened R House, drag wasn’t at the forefront of the restaurant’s appeal. In fact, early news articles about R House don’t mention drag at all. The space was originally billed as a restaurant that doubles as an art gallery.

Before moving to Miami full-time, Carulli owned a restaurant in Provincetown, a Massachusetts summer resort town, and spent winters working as a chef in Miami Beach. He chose Wynwood as the home of his new restaurant because the neighborhood’s burgeoning art scene reminded him of Provincetown’s artistic community.

“I feel like it has the most soul of any of the communities in Miami,” Carulli told the Herald in a 2014 interview.

While R House served Latin American, Middle Eastern and Asian inspired dishes, the restaurant also functioned as an art gallery, a unique feature at the time. R House displays artwork on its walls to this day.

Eventually, Carulli and Bale met Athena and DJ Jody McDonald. “The chemistry was obvious,” the restaurant’s website says. “Our nationally acclaimed drag brunch was born.”

In the meantime, Wynwood became another LGBTQ hub in South Florida. The neighborhood is often seen as a focal point for Miami’s bustling drag scene and is home to its own Pride festival every June.

Since R House began hosting its weekend drag brunches and consistent weekday drag shows, the restaurant’s popularity only skyrocketed. Reservations go fast, and customers often have to book weeks in advance.

So who goes to R House drag shows? Hundreds of people.

Every weekend, a line of people with reservations forms down the sidewalk in front R House to check in. Once seated, customers order plates of food, pour carafes of mimosas and take out some cash to tip the performers. R House is popular among tourists and locals alike, especially for birthdays and bachelorette parties.

The likes of Gloria Estefan and Ana Navarro can be seen conga dancing at brunch.

“I think we’re really doing an amazing thing,” Athena told the Miami Herald. “We’re opening up people’s minds, we’re introducing concepts that they’ve never experienced before, and we’re showing them that it’s not a scary world out there after all. There’s so much love to be had and to be shared.”

This story was produced with financial support from The Pérez Family Foundation, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.

This story was originally published July 28, 2022 at 11:43 AM.