Proof George North’s biker cafe is one of coolest roadside stops in Wales
Word has got out about the rugby star’s Baffle Haus venture. Jillian Macmath took a timely look and came away impressed
ON A weekend morning, you’ll be lucky if you find a parking spot outside Baffle Haus. That is, if you arrive on four wheels, like I did. Cars are welcome, of course, but they are far outnumbered by the motorbikes pulling off the winding A4042 between Pontypool and Abergavenny.
At around 10am, on the first day of spring, they were arriving in droves. The lot around the back of the building could have easily been confused for a motorbike dealership, with dozens parked up in neat rows.
Not far away, their riders were piled into the cafe’s picnic tables, talking and laughing and biting into big fried egg sandwiches. A dog who arrived wearing goggles on the back of a massive BMW tourer was happily sunning himself on one of the benches.
Inside it was just as busy, but there were plenty of free tables to pull a chair up to, and a few big oxblood Chesterfields begging me to have coffee in the sun that streamed in from the cafe’s glass front.
Run by rugby legend George North, who played his last international for Wales last Saturday, and four friends, Baffle Haus is the epitome of motorcycle culture and it’s undeniably cool. Its founders say it was born from “the love of two wheels and great coffee” and here, among the rolling fields and winding roads of Monmouthshire, you can tell word has got out.
I weaved my way up to the counter through a collection of motorcycles – a bright red Harley Davidson, a few Royal Enfields, a classic Honda Africa Twin – and ordered some brekkies: two lattes (£3 each), a halloumi sandwich (£8) and a vegetarian brekky box (£8).
Within 10 minutes, I was biting into a fluffy challah bun from Nos Da Bakery, piled high with grilled halloumi, a free-range fried egg and tomato chutney. My husband, along for the free meal, tucked into a fried egg, a pot of baked beans, halloumi, hash browns and a fried mushroom and tomato. Coming in at just over £20, both meals were quick and cheap, served in recyclable cardboard boxes.
It resembled something you would get from a farm shop in rural Wales – nothing fancy but made with local ingredients and hearty enough to see you off to your next destination. The breakfast hit the spot – and a £3 latte is about as cheap as it gets these days – but the menu is a perk of Baffle Haus rather than the heart of it.
Beyond the food and the cool interiors, Baffle Haus has something most cafes are missing: a genuine community, people who visit for the
Within 10 minutes, I was biting into a fluffy challah bun from Nos Da Bakery, piled high with grilled halloumi, a free-range fried egg and tomato chutney
camaraderie more so than the coffee. There are men and women who stop here during their long weekend rides, regulars who meet up for Baffle Haus “burger nights”, their families, their dogs, and even non-riders who come to peak at the
vintage and high-end bikes on show.
It’s friendly and chatty, and well worth a visit whether you’re a rider, an enthusiast or just after a bite to eat.