Part of the Gay Columbus Guide — bars, events & things to do.
Columbus, Ohio
Short North gay bar and restaurant with a buzzing patio since 1996.
Union Cafe has anchored the Short North since 1996, and it earns the cornerstone label honestly — it was one of the first Columbus gay bars to put its windows right on High Street, a deliberate statement of visibility back when most queer spaces still faced inward. It remains the longest-running gay bar and restaurant in the city. These days it's equal parts restaurant, bar, and stage: a kitchen and a street-side patio that's a Short North institution in its own right, plus a busy calendar of drag shows, drag brunch, trivia, and karaoke. It sits directly across High Street from Axis nightclub, so the two together form the natural start-and-finish of a Short North night out — Union for the food and the patio, Axis for the late dance floor.
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