Queer Dinner Club fosters community at some of KC’s best restaurants
Queer Dinner Club // Photo by Raymart Dinglas
What happens when you gather a group of LGBTQIA+ individuals to share a meal, drinks, and intimate conversations? You get the Queer Dinner Club.
Organized by Queer Connect, the Queer Dinner Club offers a welcoming space for the LGBTQIA+ community to connect over food and conversation. Meeting monthly at various local restaurants, this month’s gathering took place at the newly opened T’ähä Mexican Kitchen on the Plaza. Tickets for these events must be purchased in advance and include complimentary appetizers. Guests can choose their entrée, which is paid for after dinner.
Upon arrival, guests check-in and receive a name tag with a table number from one of the Queer Dinner Club staff. The evening kicks off with cocktail time, where attendees are encouraged to grab a drink from the bar and mingle. Whether you meet one person, two, or none at all during this portion, it doesn’t matter. The event is designed to ensure that introverts, extroverts, and everyone in between will connect with someone new by the end of the night.
As cocktail hour concludes, dinner begins. Guests find their assigned tables, which seat either four or six people. This is where the magic happens—sitting down with strangers and sharing a meal. Each guest introduces themselves to their tablemates, and the conversation flows as everyone enjoys their food.
Queer Dinner Club at T’ähä Mexican Kitchen // Photo by Raymart Dinglas
July’s host restaurant, T’ähä, specializes in central Mexican cuisine with a Midwest lens, offering dishes from fresh crudos to exquisite moles and more. The space is beautiful, with modern details mixed with traditional decor. Appetizers at T’ähä included tostadas made with maize and three superb salsas and their sopecitos de chorizo, a fried masa dough topped with chorizo, black bean, avocado, lettuce, and cream which were absolutely spectacular.
Each person receives their pre-selected entrée, which comes with an appetizer. The chicken tamale at T’ähä, in particular, is superb with the different layers of flavor all working in harmony. Dinner lasts about an hour and a half, with time flying by as everyone becomes engrossed in conversation.
To facilitate deeper connections, the tables are equipped with prompt cards featuring questions at three different levels. One card, for example, asks participants to look into each other’s eyes for 30 seconds. This type of vulnerability and connection is what Queer Dinner Club aims to foster within the queer community.
After dinner, there is a closing mingle session, allowing guests to interact with others not at their table and to say their goodbyes.
Queer Dinner Club and T’ähä Mexican Kitchen put on a fantastic dinner event. It’s always wonderful to connect with local queers and learn about their diverse backgrounds. So why not give it a try? You’re sure to make new friends like I did. The next event is on August 5 at Westside Local.
