The Ace

The Ace, originally opened in 1955, is a Roncesvalles institution, brought back to it’s original glory by owners Greg Boggs and Maggie Ruhl in 2011. When they first opened up the doors, the diner had been closed for more than 35 years.

Once the new owners had cleared out the colossal mounds of dust from the interior, “we pretty much took everything apart and put it all back together,” Greg explains. They scrubbed the nicotine stains off the walls, recovered the benches and bought modern kitchen equipment. Then they set about cleaning off the gum that had been under the tables for about 35 years. The vintage soda fountain, which had sunk through the floor beneath it, was rescued and is now back in use today.

Greg developed his desire to run a restaurant during his tenure as a talent scout in the music business. “I spent so much time in restaurants and bars, eating on an expense account, I really got to know what I like.” Yet he knew next to nothing about the day-to-day operations of a restaurant, so he teamed up with Maggie, who knows a thing or two about the business after years running the Dakota Tavern.