A few years back when Ace Café London’s marketing team was considering a Stateside loca.tion, they ended up baffled. “Your country’s so bloody big there’s no one central location to build an Ace U.S.A.,” observed the Ace’s Mark Wilsmore. Though the first American outlet of the fabled petrolhead eatery will be open.ing in Orlando, Florida this spring, there actually is a set of map coordinates in this country that’s home to an amazing selection of motorcycle-themed cafes, bars and restaurants. Best of all, this un.paralled constellation of speed-friendly establishments all reside in Southern California and are linked together by some of the planet’s most exhilarating canyon roads, snaking twists of asphalt that make getting there all part of the fun. Like their British counterpart trans.port cafes, many of California’s oldest biker haunts began life hundreds of years back as stagecoach stops, evolv.ing over the years from Conestogas to motorbikes. Over the past few winters, Team CRM has journeyed West to sam.ple the backroads of sunny So Cal, stopping at as many of the region’s mo.torcycle cafes as possible. Each is unique in its own inimitable way with different menu items, music and amusements, and it’s impossible to pre.dict whether the lots will be occupied by weekend gangsters aboard identical bobbers, sportbike enthusiasts in day glow racing leathers or hoards of retro café racers. Style of bike doesn’t matter when a weekend spent traversing these byways will prove that motorcy.cle culture is truly a global phenom. Ride on.
The Café: Neptune’s Net
Location: U.S. Highway 1, Malibu
The Vibe: Surfer/biker haunt along breathtaking beachfront
