HAGS is an intimate East Village restaurant built around the idea of hospitality as care. Founded by chef Telly Justice and front-of-house and beverage director Camille Lindsley, the restaurant describes itself as “by queer people for all people,” a philosophy reflected not only in its atmosphere but in how it operates. A pay-what-you-can brunch on Sundays allows guests of all means to experience the restaurant, while dinner centers on thoughtful, high-quality cooking rooted in generosity.
Originally launched as a pandemic-era pop-up, HAGS evolved into a permanent 18-seat restaurant that retains the warmth and flexibility of its origins. At dinner, guests choose between two seven-course tasting menus, one omnivore and one vegan, each shaped by seasonality and frequent menu changes. Despite its small size, the dining room feels relaxed rather than cramped, with well-spaced tables, a few bar seats, and a design that is playful and pink while still appropriate for a special night out.
Hospitality at HAGS is deliberate and personal. The room is designed to feel welcoming and safe, down to small but meaningful details. The famously well-stocked bathroom includes essentials ranging from tampons to fentanyl test strips, underscoring the restaurant’s commitment to care and inclusion beyond the table.
While the mood is light, the cooking is serious. The menu draws on Southern hospitality and Southern foodways, with close attention paid to sourcing, sustainability, and historical context. As Justice explains, “I think that you have to balance that severity and that introspection with fun and whimsy, because it can get really serious, and so we find a lot of time to be playful. We also have to tell the story in a way that sees joy and sees us in the future, having a good time with each other, so we built that into the food.”
Menus are written conversationally, inviting diners into the experience rather than presenting it formally. By the time dessert arrives, the meal often feels less like a performance and more like an evening spent among friends—one that guests are rarely in a hurry to end.
