Paradise Palms

About

Paradise Palms sits on Lothian Street, a few minutes from the National Museum, and calls itself a bar, diner, record label and music stage. The room is tropical in a deliberately overdone way, all palm print and coloured light, and it fills with students, musicians and the queer crowd who come for the cabaret.

The kitchen is entirely vegetarian and vegan, built around Mexican plates: tacos, fajitas, quesadillas, enchiladas, loaded nachos. Drinks go from tropical cocktails to craft beer, cider, wine and mocktails.

The late programme is what puts it on the queer map. Drag cabaret runs regularly, including nights built around queer and trans performers of colour, and there is live music, comedy and spoken word before the DJs take over. The bar runs its own record label, which has put out around sixty releases.

This is a mixed venue rather than a men's one. It says it supports the LGBTQ+ community and works to inclusive hiring and anti-discrimination policies.