Rachael's Cafe, Bloomington, Indiana

Although neither a bar nor nightclub (check out Uncle Elizabeth's for that), cheerful Rachael's Cafe (300 E. 3rd St., 812-330-1882) has become one of downtown Bloomington's favorite evening hangouts among local GLBT folks (including students from the highly progressive and gay-friendly Indiana University). The airy restaurant and coffeehouse a few blocks from campus as well as downtown's Courthouse Square is open til 9 pm nightly (except for Sundays, when it closes at 7 pm), and there are open-mike events on Fridays. In addition to serving as something of an informal gay gathering space, the kitchen serves tasty fare from breakfast into the evening, including sandwiches, soups, and pastries.