Jae's Cafe and Grill, in the South End

A longtime gay fave in the South End, Jae's Cafe and Grill (520 Columbus Ave., 617-421-9405) serves relatively affordable and quite creative Pan-Asian fare, including Thai, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese specialties. Top picks include such varied cuisine as kimchi with pork, little neck clams in black bean sauce, tuna tataki, seafood curry in a claypot, lobster miso with clams, shrimp tempura with udon noodles, and a wide range of creative sushi rolls. The highly popular, festive space is an especially good bet for sushi, and it's as much fun for dinner as for lunch. Jae's also has locations in Brookline as well as out in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts. The South End branch of Jae's is near several other very good and gay-friendly restaurants, among them Anchovies, Bob's Southern Bistro, and Columbus Cafe.