Darcelle XV

Portland, United States

3.6

Closed now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 503-222-5338
Website:
www.darcellexv.com
Address:
208 NW 3rd Ave, Portland, OR, 97209
Old Town - Chinatown
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
280 ftNorthwest Everett & 2nd
530 ftOld Town/Chinatown
570 ftNorthwest 5th & Davis
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Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
No
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Loud
Music
Live
Good For Dancing
No
Alcohol
Full Bar
Happy Hour
No
Best Nights
Thu, Fri, Sat
Coat Check
No
Smoking
No
Outdoor Seating
No
Has TV
No
Dogs Allowed
No
Has Pool Table
Yes

Today

Today 6:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Portland) 10:01 Thursday, 26 June 2025

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday –
Wednesday 6:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Thursday 6:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Friday 6:00 pm – 2:30 am
Saturday 6:00 pm – 2:30 am
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

Darcelle XV is the oldest Female Impersonating Caberet club in the nation. we have a cast of upto 10 people who will entertain you with a varity of older and new music. We have Portland’s only Liza Minnelli, Whitney Houston, Prince, Elton John, and many many more. Darcelle herself is 84 and still does 6 shows a week. Now celabrating our 48th. year of entertaining people from all over the world.

History

Established in 1967.

That’s No Lady That’s Darcelle XV An absolute legend of Portland’s entertainment landscape, Darcelle XV is owner and headliner of the Darcelle XV Showplace, recognized as the oldest continuously running cabaret in the United States. For more than 47 years, Darcelle has performed six shows a week, hosted countless fundraisers, performed dozens of wedding ceremonies, fed the homeless and mingled with the rich and famous. In 2008, Darcelle became the subject of the documentary film Queens of Heart: Community Therapists in Drag, which is available on Netflix. In 2009, with the help of author and director Sharon Knorr, Darcelle co-​wrote and starred in the 90-​minute, one-​man show Just Call Me Darcelle chronicling life from dirt poor beginnings in Linnton, Oregon to sequined celebrity. Born Walter Cole in 1930, the 83 year old Darcelle shows no signs of slowing. In September, she was featured with the Oregon Symphony, Thomas Lauderdale and Storm Large at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. An

Meet the Business Owner

Walter C.

Business Owner

That’s No Lady That’s Darcelle XV An absolute legend of Portland’s entertainment landscape, Darcelle XV is owner and headliner of the Darcelle XV Showplace, recognized as the oldest continuously running cabaret in the United States. For more than 47 years, Darcelle has performed six shows a week, hosted countless fundraisers, performed dozens of wedding ceremonies, fed the homeless and mingled with the rich and famous. In 2008, Darcelle became the subject of the documentary film Queens of Heart: Community Therapists in Drag, which is available on Netflix. In 2009, with the help of author and director Sharon Knorr, Darcelle co-​wrote and starred in the 90-​minute, one-​man show Just Call Me Darcelle chronicling life from dirt poor beginnings in Linnton, Oregon to sequined celebrity. Born Walter Cole in 1930, the 84 year old Darcelle shows no signs of slowing.

Darcelle XV also recommends

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Walter C. says,

«Close by and great pizza, salads, spaghetti and they brew thier own beer.»

Hobo’s

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Lounges

,

American (New)

Walter C. says,

«A good place to get a pre-​show cocktail or have a nice dinner befor the show.»

C C Slaughters

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Gay Bars

Walter C. says,

«Right next door to Darcelle XV and a great place to go after the show for dancing or just drink.»

Red Robe Tea House & Café

105

reviews

Coffee & Tea

,

Chinese

,

Tea Rooms

Walter C. says,

«If you like Chinese food and good tea. Run by 2 of the sweetest people you ever want to meet and everything cooked fresh per order.»

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20 reviews of Darcelle XV

No registration required
Place rating: 4
Vancouver, WA
Came here for the first time with a couple of coworkers and had a great time!
I honestly didn’t know what to expect but I was NOT disappointed. We showed up around 7:45 with prior reservations. Despite our reservations, we ended up getting seats against the wall literally right in front of the path to the bathroom, which sucked. Once we started the show, it seems like every 5 – 10 minutes, we had to scoot back to let somebody in. We didn’t let it ruin our fun though.
Our bartender, Leo was incredibly attentive and even better, he was fast. I was worried that I’d finish my drink and be sitting for a while, but I never had the chance to do that. Drinks came ridiculously fast. They were marked up of course, but at $ 7.75 each for top-​shelf vodka, I think it’s pretty good!
The show… the show was so much fun! These ladies poured their heart & soul into it and do an amazing job. I’m hoping to go back sometime in the summer. If you have a birthday or any special event here, they definitely put the attention on you, so be prepared! :)
Place rating: 3
La Grande, OR
This was OK. Nothing to brag about in my opinion. My friends and I had never been to a drag show before so we decided to go. Some of the girls are very talented at what they do and others don’t put forth any effort. I’m not overly impressed. The chairs were uncomfortable. No leg room. It was subpar. Lol wtf was up with the bathroom though? I won’t be going back but I’m glad I went for the experience.
I seriously couldn’t understand what Darcelle was saying MOST OF the time because she was obviously intoxicated. Our waiter was pretty… inexperienced acting and kept messing up orders.
Overall… not that great. Just being honest.
Place rating: 1
Spokane, WA
Horrible! Do not waste your time. I thought bungee jumping ruined my life but this may have topped it. Do not be fooled. Not worth any time.
Place rating: 1
Portland, OR
I honestly I have never been so disrespected by staff in my life. They were rude and unpleasant. We sat outside for an hour, got yelled at by some dude who worked here almost hit us by a door. Absolutely NO leg room between the chairs and waited 15 minutes before anyone even asked if we (or the bachelorette!!) wanted a drink. Waste of time and money, skip this one ladies.
Place rating: 5
Battle Ground, WA
Had an absolute fantastic time, Went with a bunch of gals from work, celebrating Birthday, 1st time ever, loved every minute of it. Good times had by all.. Only problem I have is my cheeks, and sides hurt from all the laughter and fun, Definitely a show everyone should experience.. Thanks for the best time I’ve had in a long time
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
Darcelle and all the Girls are amazing at DarcelleXV. My Boyfriend and I had an awesome night. The show is so much fun and the drinks are strong and the mozzarella sticks were delicious, well we were drunk so of course they were :) I would recommend this to anyone who loves a great drag show.
Place rating: 4
Tacoma, WA
Went for my girlfriends bachelorette party and had an absolute blast! Never been to a drag show before and was very excited. The ladies have been doing this a long time, obviously love what they are doing and enjoy getting the crowd involved. Fun dance numbers. Lots of 80s and 90s with a few newer songs mixed in. Attentive servers, cheap drinks. Show itself lasted about 1.5 hours with a special surprise after midnight that I recommend sticking around for. Really enjoyed seeing people do what they love and being proud of it!
The only reason I give it 4 stars is the bathroom situation. One stall for all the females in the place. It’s small, very dirty and extremely warm in there. I understand this place is an icon but they’ve got to do something about the ladies room. Other than that, I really think this is a must see while in Portland.
Place rating: 4
Beaverton, OR
This is a fun, non threatening place to go dance! If you just want to dance then try this place!!! Very fun! Full variety show!
Place rating: 4
Troutdale, OR
If you’re visiting the gay scene in Portland, you need to stop in here. One of the best shows in the Portland area
Place rating: 3
Portland, OR
The drag show was pretty good but the male review after is not good. There were a few good performers but generally they were boring… no flow to the show.
Place rating: 5
Dallas, OR
Several of us went there for my BFF birthday Dec. 2014. Had such a great time, fun and laughs. A little jealous at these performers talent and beauty (Ha)! Can’t wait to go back. Darcelle is amazing, by the way.
Place rating: 3
Seattle, WA
Walked in and we were grabbed by Darcelle for a picture. They sell them for $ 15. I think it’s a fun idea but we barely had time to look at the camera and a better background would be really great. The show was great. Darcelle had to go home or something and so someone else hosted — poison? I don’t know what Darcelle is like but I thought this other host was great! Very funny. The weird thing was with tips. I didn’t know that was such a big part of the show and if you don’t tip you can be sure someone will tell you to tip during the show or they will make sure to mention it to you after the show. That pissed me off and fuck them. Tips are voluntary and if tips are so necessary or if you feel the need to have to mention it in ways that ruin the audience experience then you better put it on the website or make it clear from the beginning. Several audience members were quite upset after and frankly speaking I’m not sure they can afford to piss off the audience, especially when only 8 people are in attendance. Still the show was good and very funny. If you are going for the male strippers which apparently come with the 10pm show don’t get too excited because there aren’t any. It turns out that 75% of the 8 people in attendance only came for the strippers. It wasn’t until after the show that management announced that there were no strippers. Wow there were some angry people!
Place rating: 5
Portland, OR
This is a portland historical site or it will be once Darcelle stops performing. Not sure how that works but I mean he’s an antique.
Really I enjoy this place for what it is, the oldest running drag show. There is even a documentary on Netflix. So I know some of the performers are let’s say mature so the music ranges from rhinestone cowboy to Adele. You have the usual Liza, Tina, and Whitney but that’s the music that is timeless. I have been twice and enjoyed both times. The show changes slightly I believe every 3 – 4 weeks. So you can always count on a good laugh and plenty of entertainment.
Some facts… its a little pricey but no more than going to the movies is nowadays. There is a 2 item minimum purchase, this is displayed everywhere so no surprises. The girls lip-​sync and that’s ok with me. If you have been to a comedy show then you better to sit in sight, same goes here. Smile, it’s a good time and meant to be so.
Place rating: 5
Portland, OR
I will always give this place 5 stars! I have been to drag shows here, there, and everywhere. Its a good cause for a good laugh. I been here twice and each time was a different experience. One time is was packed and the other, not so much. Its good to make reservations so that you have a saved spot. You can request where you want to sit and if you dont want to get stuck in the middle of a cramped row, ask for the wall area. **Please note that if you are anywhere near the front or seated at the seats on the stage, you will get ragged on. no joke! It may not be fun for you, but it will be hilarious for everyone else.
It is what it is really… You are seeing a drag show primarily run by 84 y/​o Darcelle. She is just divine and to die for. 84! Are you kidding me… what will YOU be doing at that age. The other performers range in age, so you may get a Liza song or a Beyonce song depending on who is lip syncing. For those that mention anything about lip syncing, seriously? Did you think you were going to be getting the real singers?
Let’s keep it real… its a drag show with lip syncing, dirty/​trashy jokes, and strong drinks. Yes you will spend a little $, but again its for a good cause and worth it.
Place rating: 3
Collingwood, Canada
Three stars because of Poison Waters. She is hilarious and really knows how to work the crowd.
Darcelle doesn’t seem to know what’s going on, she asked all of the birthday people and brides to stand up, asked their names and who they were and repeated this at the end. Not sure if she forgot or chose to do this twice. She also became very rude with a birthday girl told the staff to take her microphone away then called her stupid for something insignificant. It made the whole audience uncomfortable and nearly ruined the experience. It’s obvious she feels this is her show and all eyes need to be on her.
Also, be aware that they lip sync, no live singing. The rocky horror tribute was fun!
Place rating: 2
Portland, OR
I went to Darcelle’s as part of a bachelorette party group, and so did most everyone else in the crowd. In the past I’ve seen some good drag shows other places that were actually entertaining. Here, the drag queens are geriatric, and the songs they lip-​synced to were Broadway musicals and hits from the 80s and early 90s, like Celine Dion. Most of the queens didn’t dance, just strutted on the stage, which I found boring. It was like this show has been in a time warp, and not in a good way.
Also not good: They have *one* bathroom stall for the whole building and the place has a weird odor to it, like a stank of previous cigarette smoke and sweat has been lingering for decades.
But some things I can say for the place is that Poison Waters and Darcelle did make me laugh with their standup comedy, improvised based on the audience for a few minutes here and there between sets, the drinks were good and reasonably priced, and the service was friendly and attentive.
However, I would not go back and would discourage others… unless you want to go for historic value.
Place rating: 1
Portland, OR
I can’t review the show, as we were not able to get in, however, I can ABSOLUTELY vouch for their horrendous «reservation» policy…
Last weekend was my bachelorette party. It’s only gonna happen once, and my incredible friends had been planning for MONTHS. My friend made us a RESERVATION for the 10:30pm show. We went down around 9pm, and at 9:45pm she checked in with the host who said we’d be fine to get in line in like 20 minutes, which we then did. Mind you, we rented a party bus, so waiting in line for 20−30minutes was a waste of precious party bus time, but whatever.
We get to the door and let the SAME person know about our reservation. We were then told there were only 2 spots to sit, and standing room is not allowed. We cannot go in. Bummer for my bestie who planned this and pointed out over and over that we had made reservations, this was a surprise, we were all eager and excited, etc.
BE VERY AWARE, in the dictionary, a reservation is defined as:
a. An arrangement by which accommodations are secured in advance, as in a hotel or on an airplane.
b. The accommodations so secured.
c. The record or promise of such an arrangement.
AT NO TIME during my friends’ communication with this business DID ANYONE EVER tell her, or even imply, that a «reservation» is not a guarantee for entry. These ladies need to let people know that their «policy» is a load of crap.
Anyways, we had a blast for the rest of our night, left that hole, and spent our money at all the other places that ACTUALLY ABIDE BY THE DEFINITION OF «RESERVATION»!
Place rating: 5
Salem, OR
It’s as good as it gets… for a show that’s been running for a hundred years and is comprised of drag queens almost as old.
The bathroom situation sucks, the lighting sucks, the seating sucks, the music is way too loud and the smoke machine will kill your throat. With so many sucks you might wonder why they get five stars. Well, I’ll tell you: Darcelle is the oldest drag queen around and, even though her age really shows, puts on a good show for a good cause. This is no Vegas show, sure – but it’s worth $ 20 and an hour of your evening.
Place rating: 4
Portland, OR
We went here last Friday night. The group we were with made reservations, so there was minimal waiting, etc.
The only thing I didn’t know is our group contained two birthday girls in it. So, where do the birthday girls want to sit you might ask, right on the edge of the stage.
Well, as you might have guessed from my last review, loud noise, etc., not for me. I forgot my ear plugs and you are right up front so it’s not good on your ears and since I have to hear for a living, a great deal of the time was spent putting napkins (not from the aforementioned dinner place) in my ears to avoid long term damage.
The show was great and entertaining. A small amount of being picked on because you were in the front row, but they eased up on me when they could see it was becoming irritating.
They will sell you pictures that you take as you enter for $ 5 a piece. It might be worth it to commemorate the event.
They will also let you take all the still pics you want but no video. Because as Darcelle says, show your friends because they won’t believe you were here.
All in all a fun time. Avoid the front row if you can’t take a joke, however.
I would do this one again.
Evening score 1 out of 3. Not terrible.
Place rating: 4
Los Angeles, CA
My friend wanted to go here for her birthday so we did– we had never been but it’s one of those legendary Portland places you grew up hearing about and should experience once. While I’m not big on drag shows or drag queens, my friend loved it and our group was entertained. It’s $ 20 cover plus a two drink minimum, plus $ 5 if you want a printed picture with Darcelle, the 83 year old presiding drag queen. For $ 11.25 you get a souvenir glass with the drink of your choice, then they wrap it up for you to take home.
The show is a mixture of interacting with the audience, lip synching and performing to hit songs, and comedy. It can get a bit raunchy of course. One of the guys in our group was sitting up front and center so he was chosen to go on stage a few times and he was a good sport about it. So bring cash and sit back and enjoy the show!