Ace Cafe

Go for the cool motorcycle motif, or to watch the racing on Sundays, stay for the great beer and food!!!
Places like this make me want to move to The City.
Cheers!

Bikes, beers, and batter…
Go for the fish and chips.
If you don’t like dives, then don’t go.

I really liked this little bar. It had a nice divey feel to it, but was pleasantly clean! Food was good, and the basket of tater tots was huge! An extra star for nut-​free pesto! (Pine nuts are seeds, BTW.)
Friendly crowd as well. I’ll be back.

Not at all the sort of spot at which I’d ever think to find myself, but I really enjoyed it. It seemed like a quintessential neighborhood spot you’d go to with your buddies, tip back a few, eat some fries, play pool, and pass out. Come to think of it, that’s exactly what I did.
The beer menu (both bottles and tap) is pretty impressive. I helped myself to a blonde, a red and a stout. If only every experience was the same. Seeing that he had a bar full of drunks in front of him, the (very friendly) bartender suggested that we’d get some food so that we wouldn’t have a fail evening. Despite coming from dinner, we acquiesced with some fries. I contemplated getting a pulled pork sandwich but the kitchen was about to close and that’s a major commitment for an already-​full belly. But, check out the sandwich offerings. The menu is crazy impressive and there are many selections that sound as though they’d go well with the variety of beers Ace’s has on tap and in bottles. But, back to the fries. Awesome. Thin. Nicely seasoned. Ketchup a’plenty. Perfect drunk bar food. Good call, barkeep.
We stayed a little while longer and as I sat on my bar stool and ate all the fries (you know this), I observed: a buddy of mine hustling a local at the pool table, buddies of mine spinning on the stripper pole, buddies of mine wondering if any porn was being filmed at the armory across the street, buddies of mine ordering more beer & fries, me taking taking those fries because they didn’t recall ordering them. Folks say this bar attracts bikers. I am firmly convinced that had the usual crowd been there that night, they would have (rightfully) kicked our butts. But, they weren’t. And, we had a fantastic time. Check it out; you probably will, too. Cheers.

No hard liquor at this bar, but the beer selection is ample.
When full, this bar gets warm in a hurry. The $ 10 fish and chips is phenomenal, with a delicious dill dip and spicy chips. There’s only one cook, so expect to wait for your food.
The bartenders are friendly and fantastic, and the restrooms are surprisingly clean.

«People hate us on Unilocal» says a sticker behind the bartender.
I came in to watch the 3pm race on Sunday.
They had it on the Eurosport Channel!!! WAY BETTER THAN SPEED!
Great Beers on Draft

Such a bizarre slice of San Francisco nightlife.
I had never heard of this place, but as we passed it a few weeks ago for what was probably the gajillionth time, it stuck out for some reason. Since we were going to a show a bit later but still had a few hours to kill, we decided to check it out.
Interesting clientele. No one particularly lame, but no one was particularly friendly either. It felt very much like a «regulars» kind of hangout, and we clearly did not fit the mold.
Drinks were cheapish with a pretty good selection. The bartender was nice enough. The bar itself was covered with tartar sauce, which no one bothered to wipe down, and the place reeked of fish sticks. Not my thing, but I suppose we can’t all have discriminate taste in food.
And while I am still somewhat perplexed by bars that are cash only still (hello, not 1997), this place fits the cash only part better than, say, the Hemlock. So I suppose I can let it slide.
All in all, not a bad experience, but not particularly memorable. I’m glad I gave the place a shot, but I can’t say I’ll be frequenting it anytime soon.

This really isn’t the kind of place I’d expect to see a stripper pole housed.
Nor, did I expect that the old man would be such a natural on said stripper pole (I may have to pimp him out, now).
I also expected this place to be overrun with hipsters. But, it was pleasantly hipster-​free on a weekday evening.
We happened to be in the neighborhood, walking the dog… and, guess what? This place is dog friendly too.
I even got a chilled glass with the bottle of water I ordered — classy.
The bartender was really cool, and I’m not sure if it was just my imagination, but I coulda swore that he even had an Irish accent.
I really wish we could have stayed longer, as the food that was being made and snarfed on, looked pretty tasty. But, our normally quiet dog seems to wanna get 86’d outta bars… and likes to bark. I dunno? Maybe he’s trying to order a doggie bowl of beer?
I dig this place, and I really dug the «People HATE us on Unilocal» sticker, that was posted in the joint.

This listing needs to be merged with this one:

If a biker bar can be mellow, this is it. Less attitude than Zeitgeist, less hipster tourists, too. And I always love a bar that has a couple of lazy dogs lying around… you know the folks there have a good heart if they can drink with dogs.
They have Ace Cider on tap, too… that’s a big bonus in my book.

Its been really great to find a true biker bar after a long time. This dive has a lot going for it and will probably turn into one of my favs. This review is based on my first impressions and it was a good one. Abby the bar tender is a charming doll. Great pictures of motorcycles all over the place. Good food options. Large, clean unisex toilets are always a plus. Outdoor seating always helps!
Dog friendly — met 3 yr old Moose — beautiful black lab and retriever mix.
Stripper pole — I didn’t quite get it but then I didn’t catch anyone going crazy on the pole. Maybe thats what it was.
Lastly, you know its a true biker bar when they serve beer and wine. We riders don’t need to be drinking a lot. :-)
Hopefully see you folks on Sunday for the Isle of Mann TT!

My local haunt! Wonderful place, especially since they banned smoking and put a few tables outside! Oh, and they expanded the menu.
The perfect place to watch motorcycle racing too!

Decent dive bar with good local beer on tap. The owner was having a visit from the health inspector while we were there so we kind of kept quiet. I wouldn’t want to order anything from their kitchen though.

I love this bar but it’s just too smokey. The regulars are nice, the staff is friendly, great jukebox, they even have a stripper pole for gods sakes. If it wasn’t so smokey this would be my main hang out, it’s a great bar.
I don’t know how I could stand it back when every bar was full of smoke but I can’t even tolerate a little smoke any more. And what I hate most of all is reeking like smoke after, I had just washed my jacket before I came here but had to wash it again. If you like second hand smoke I recommend this place but unfortunately I will have to pass.

The songs on the jukebox here rock. And so does the bar. And so do the bartenders. And so do the customers. At least… as far as I remember. (which isn’t much)
All I know is I had far too many Pi-​BRRRRRs here and somehow managed to remain alive and not embarrass myself on the stripper pole.
A classic dive bar with beer, pool, smoking, motorcycle parts, and is stumbling distance to the boyfriend’s toilet (in case vomiting shall occur). * HIGH FIVE *

What Zeitgeist used to be, but with a few more food choices, a bit less seating, not quite as many beers on tap, lots of dogs and 4 walls to keep all of the smoke inside.
The newly installed stripper pole cost this place a star, because as much as we all like stripper poles, it just doesn’t work in here.

Ace Café is a fab neighborhood bar, esp. for motorcycle racing fans! I’m always here on Sundays to catch MotoGP — great group of folks (even the screaming lady in the Ducati Corse cap), lovely bartenders (who never complain when I invariably order the one beer they’re tapped out of, making them haul out a new keg), and fantastic motorbike inspired décor (love the chain chandelier!)
if you’re into MotoGP, coming here is basically mandatory — so much better to have like-​minded folks to share knowing glances with when de Puniet throws it away for the nteenth race, or to revel in Rossi’s adorable post-​race broken English.
if MotoGP’s not your scene, I don’t know that it’s worth going out of your way to hang out here if you don’t already live nearby. but if you’re in the hood, into the motorcycles, and Zeitgeist just isn’t cutting it anymore, come on down to the Ace — the beer is cold!

If you appreciate motos, a good jukebox, satisfying bar food and a wide variety of beers, this is the spot. My routine is to park the bike on 14^th, order a Belgian beer, order some perfectly greasy eats, feed myself, then feed the jukebox.
One of the few bars I don’t mind going to alone, since the owner, bar tender, moto people and fellow drinkers make for plenty of interaction.
Now if only they had a shuttle service from the bar back to Oakland so I could have that 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th beer without worrying about getting my Triumph home alive.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Ace Café at 14^th and Mission Street and highly recommend it to anyone who doesn’t mind a little smoke, can appreciate a diverse cast of characters and wants a great selection of beer on tap. I also hear the fish and chips are delicious.
When playing or waiting to play pool never, ever, EVER touch another person’s quarters reserving the table. And you never want to take those quarters and dump them in the corner pocket right after you’ve dropped the game’s balls down the same pocket. That can really make a guy angry which is exactly what happened at The Ace Café– a dark, smoke filled bar on Mission Street– Friday night. The bar, modeling itself after a London motorcycle pub, erupted with angry shouts and tough guy bravado just as the last of the quarters clanked down the hole.
As he held the cue ball– last ball standing– for use as a weapon, the pocket stuffer approached table’s current player, who yelled and stood ready to take a swing with pool cue in hand. The table’s light hung low providing ample glow as the two men danced around the table waiting to see who would strike first.
For more check out:

Crazy Smoke Laden bar.
Good drinks, good times.
Across the street from The SF Armory so I hear there’s some porn bandied about… I also hear some crazy freaks from Rainbow go there to drink, but you didn’t hear that from me.
Bikers++