The Ace Cafe is to close at 6pm on Fridays for the foreseeable future, due to anti-social behaviour on the road in front. Previously the iconic venue has been open until 10.30pm on Fridays, making it a mecca for petrolheads on both two and four wheels.

Café management referred to episodes of “illegal and unacceptable behaviour on the road,” adding that it will not tolerate wheelies, burnouts or excessive revving, and that anyone caught indulging will be permanently barred from the site. It also emphasised that illegal substances such as cannabis are banned at the venue, and that anyone turning up with an illegal numberplate will be turned away. CCTV with numberplate recognition technology is being used to enforce the rules.

The Ace Café has been a huge success since it reopened in 1997, thanks largely to the persistence of Mark Wilsmore, who worked for years to get the 1930s transport café back on its feet. The Ace, originally opened in 1938 on what was then the North Circular, became a legendary venue for café racers in the 1950s and ‘60s before closing in 1969. The current management thanked law abiding customers for continuing to support the venue.

Jim Freeman, chair of the BMF said: “The Ace has had these issues for years, which have threatened it’s existence. Let’s hope that this, combined with the ULEZ effect, doesn’t finish it off. Perhaps it’s time for the brand to relaunch, in a more 2025 appropriate location?”

Written by Peter Henshaw

Top image courtesy of Ace Cafe