The Ace Cafe

The legend of the Ace Cafe lives on in the minds of those who went there, those who wish they went there and those too young to have been there.The Ace Cafe was built in 1938 as a roadside cafe to cater for traffic, particularly haulers, using the new North Circular Road. With its proximity to Britain’s then new and fast arterial road network and being open 24 hours, the Ace Cafe soon attracted motorcyclists. Once the cafe was established, the owner's thoughts turned to the motor trade. In 1939 he opened a service station with a battery of 10 pumps on adjoining land, with a spacious washing bay, showroom and repair shop. In world war two, the building was badly damaged during an air raid on the adjacent railway marshaling yards. The Ace Cafe was reopened in temporary accommodation and subsequently rebuilt in 1949. Long before its' 'greasy spoon' tag, the following set of pictures capture just what a state-of-the-art cafe/restaurant it was, with home-made food being prepared and cooked on the premises. The post-war increase in road traffic and advent of the "teenage" phenomena saw the Ace booming, and with it, the arrival of the "Ton-Up-Boys". The British motorcycle industry was at its peak, and along came Rock ´n´ Roll. Not played on radio stations, initially the only place it could be heard was at fairgrounds or on jukeboxes at transport cafes. It became the place to meet, have a meal or cup of tea, arrange runs (often to other cafes or the coast) or simply to mend your bike. People came to listen to the jukebox, many subsequently starting bands or clubs. Some gaining success and considerable reputation. From this powerful fusion of motorbikes and Rock ´n´ Roll came the legends of record-racing, "drop the coin right into the slot", and race to a given point and back before the record finished. The Ace Cafe, with its combination of motorbikes, speed and Rock ´n´ Roll was the launch pad for many famous racers and the birthplace for many bands. The tabloid press carried many articles portraying cafes as the places where decent people didn't go

The legend of the Ace Cafe lives on in the minds of those who went there, those who wish they went there and those too young to have been there. 

Following the success of the Rocker Reunion movement, started by an original 59 Club member Len Paterson the first Ace Cafe Reunion,organised by Mark Wilsmore and held in 1994 attracted as many as 12,000 revivalists, the cafe was reopened in 1997, and completely refurbished in 2001. Rockers and motorcyclists from all over the world go to the Ace to share stories, fix bikes and see the legend. No longer open 24-hours, the cafe now has an extensive calendar of meets for both bikes and cars to cater for everyone. It also puts on live music and DJ's, and is approved for weddings and civil partnerships