Nick Hall, aka Anita Wigl'it, is well-known for appearances on RuPaul's Drag Race and Kita and Anita's House of Drag. Photo: supplied
A first-of-its-kind restaurant month celebrates the pairing of two sins: lust and gluttony.
Auckland's Karangahape Road, or 'K' Road', has long been an attraction for people from diverse walks of life.
As well as its history as the city's red-light district, it is a home to street people, dive bars, live music, tattoo parlours, the queer community - and some of Auckland's most interesting food.
Caluzzi Cabaret co-owner Nick Hall, also known as the drag queen Anita Wigl'it, tells Culture 101 the food scene on the strip has improved over the years.
"We found in recent times some amazing restaurants have moved into the area and it’s really created this amazing scene of the grunge of K’ Road, and the character has been mixed in with these really beautiful high-end amazing restaurants. In the last five or 10 years it's become quite a wonderful place for everyone to explore."
The marketing for 'Eat It' combines food with a kink theme. Photo: Supplied
That combination of food and the street's unique character are highlighted in its first restaurant month, 'Eat It'.
Throughout July, 'Eat It' will educate punters about the street's raunchy past and the establishments of yesteryear, as well as the array of fare on offer today.
Caluzzi Cabaret - which Hall owns with fellow drag queen Nick Nash, aka Kita Mean - is part of that gastronomic experience. At its drag shows, audiences break bread with a three-course dinner.
The 29-year-old bar has been a staple of Karangahape Road for many years.
"We like to call it the ‘adult Disneyland’ of New Zealand where they can come and be silly and forget about life for a while, and part of when adults get together, they want to go out for food," Hall says.
Twenty food and drink events will unfold on the street throughout July.
Among them are 'Lily's Special' on 17 July. Contemporary Filipino restaurant Bar Magda has planned a menu featuring stuffed squid in memory of the former tenants of a swinger's club called Lily's.
Meanwhile, eatery Carmen Jones is planning a special Pink PussyCat cocktail on 27 July - an ode to K’ Road’s first strip club, which opened in 1963.
