Michael Satterfield
The Ace Cafe was established in 1938 on the North Circular Road surrounding London as a simple roadside cafe catering to travelers. While like any roadside cafe attracted motorists and truckers, the cafe soon became a hangout for motorcyclists, who would be commonly referred to as Cafe Racers.
The Cafe Racers from the 1960s helped forge the small roadside restaurant into a globally recognized brand with six locations around the world, London, Barcelona, Luzern, Lahti, Beijing, Yokohama, and Orlando.
On my last trip to Florida, I stopped in at the Ace Cafe Orlando for lunch, like the original the Ace Orlando is a real restaurant, but obviously, purpose-built for motorcycle enthusiasts. The location has an amazing gallery of motorcycles and art, a coffee bar, a bar, a retail shop with motorcycle gear and Ace memoriablia. There are also several areas for private events and even a BMW Motorcycle dealership showroom that will open later this year.
If you are going to be in the area for a race at Daytona or to take the family to a theme park, the Ace is a great place to grab some lunch or a drink and soak in the history of both the Ace brand and the historic building that it is housed in. They even have one of Don Garlits’ drag cars on display in the hallway.
Ace Cafe Orlando
100 W. Livingston Street
Orlando, Fl 32801
Phone: 407-996-6686
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