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The next time you are in London, you will do well to head over to Stonebridge and check out the Ace Cafe.  This one-of-a-kind landmark is sure to take you back to the rock and roll generation of the 1950's, when the cafe racer culture was in full swing.

You haven't heard of cafe racing?  Well, it all started with this modest roadside diner, which was established back in 1938 to cater to the growing trucking industry.  The Ace Cafe was the place to stop off for a tea or coffee and maybe an order of bangers and mash or an egg and chips.

With its 24-hour open policy, the Ace Cafe soon begain to attract the new biker clubs who were getting started in the area or inclusive motor sports.

This new post-WWII generation was in the process of shrugging off the customs of their parents and trying to find their own mode of self-expression.  With the birth of rock 'n' roll, the youth of the '50's found its voice.  However, rock music was considered to be too crude for decent people, and "nice" kids did not listen to the devil rock.

Because rock music did not get any radio play time, roadside cafes like the Ace Cafe became the place to congregate with your motorcycle, listen to the new music, and hang out.  From this venue, the biker clubs and cafe racing culture were born.

The Ace Cafe is an old transport café in London, England. It originally opened in 1938 and was designed to accommodate the traffic travelling on the then new North Circular Road. Because the cafe was open 24 hours a day it soon started to attract motorcyclists. It became popular with Rockers in the 1950/60s and it was a local hangout for the petrol heads. Today it has been refurbished and Rockers and motorcyclists from all over the world go to the Ace to share stories, fix bikes and see the legend itself.

The Ace cafe was rebuilt in 1949 after being destroyed in a World War II air raid. This happened because the building is very close to the Willesden Railway Marshalling Yard, the actual target of the raid.

A number of events occurred in the Post-war environment to make the Ace Cafe a success, the emergence of the Teenager; increases in road traffic; and the British motorcycle industry being at its peak. Many young people started to meet at the cafe with their motorcycles and listen to Rock'n'Roll music.

The Ace cafe established itself as a cultural hub for rockers, and many bands and motorcycle enthusiast groups formed there.

The original cafe closed in 1969; one usage before it re-opened was as a tyre sales and fitting shop, which did, at least for some time, sell and fit motorcycle tyres. The Ace Cafe was refurbished and reopened in 2001, but no longer as a 24-hour restaurant. The cafe is now also famous for its various classic and sports car gatherings. In the past it has been used as the base for the Channel 5 TV programme Fifth Gear in the seasons 10 to 13 (September 2006 until March 2008), and for ITV's Used Car Roadshow.

The Ace Cafe was a filming location of the 1964 film Leather Boys. It has also recently featured in the BBC television series By Any Means with Charley Boorman, and the 2008 film Freebird.

An attempt was made in the 80s and 90s to re-create the Ace Cafe some miles away on the Western Avenue but this was not in the right place and so was not totally successful.

Located in London’s Ace Corner, North Circular Road Stonebridge, the Ace cafe London is one of the world’s most renowned places when it comes to motorcycles, classic cars and rock and roll.

The Ace cafe has put Stonebridge on the map as it has gathered people ranging from 18 to a 100 for more than six decades. Whether you are a bike enthusiast, a rock and roll fan, or simply enjoy having a beer with your friends at the bar, this is the place to be.

The cafe has also opened a gift shop selling memorabilia that ranges from bandannas, books and jackets, to beer mugs. So if you are a tourist passing by, taking a picture and getting a souvenir is always an option. Among its unique characteristics, the Ace cafe restricts car park access to pre-1984 vehicles, in order to avoid a car park full of everyday modern cars giving the front of the place an 'old school atmosphere'.

The Ace cafe has a really well-tailored website that provides visitors a lot of information, the website can also be seen both in Japanese and German languages; the cafe is really famous in Japan –which is odd as Japan has also been a car-loving country- so it is common to see Japanese tourists shopping at the cafe’s gift shop.

At Ace cafe, food is as legendary as the cafe itself, the menu offers a wide variety of basic meals - every breakfast under the sun, sausage, chips, beans, egg, gammon, steak, beef burger - and then the surprise on the specials board - steamed pudding, curry, stew, - and make no mistake, big portions, cheap, plenty of booze, or soft drinks / tea/ coffee if you're riding have always been the cafe’s trademark. Do not skip the chance to try their Nachos, which are said to be the best in town!

You can find more info at: http://www.acecafela.net/