Café Rider has a lot of reasons to celebrate.

This unique space, tucked away in the middle of the Al Quoz industrial area, is not your regular coffee shop.

The brainchild of investment banker Murtaza Moulvi, Café Rider combines his two loves; coffee culture and custom-made motorbikes.

Café Rider celebrated its first birthday this month, and in its short lifespan, the café has made headlines for a number of reasons.

Barely a year old, and this café has a rating of 4.8 out of 5 on Zomato, as well as a prestigious barista award under its belt.

Café Rider went head to head with many of the region’s biggest names in the 2014 UAE Barista Championship, and head barista Dmitriy Griekhov took home the grand prize. Dmitriy is now heading off to Seattle to represent the UAE on the world stage.

We always did want to be the best Specialty Coffee Bar in the GCC and Unique Custom Motorcycle store , but did not expect the turn around time to be this quick. – Murtaza Moulvi, Café Rider Creator & Owner.

It takes a true coffee connoisseur to appreciate a great cup, and at Café Rider you will never be disappointed. In less than a year, Café Rider has built a reputation as a specialty coffee bar in the UAE, and their extensive menu has a cup to suit any palette.

If you are the experimental type, you have to try Café Rider’s Cocktail Blend. This icy ‘cocktail’ is an unlikely pairing of dark coffee and fresh orange juice. Bitter, fruity sweet, with a kick of caffeine, this drink is a serious ‘pick-me-up’.

Café Rider sticks to brewing coffee and does not have a kitchen catering to food. However, they have recently signed up with Boutique Kitchen, and customers can choose from an array of foodie menus including Famous Fried Chicken, Handmade Boutique Burgers and Classic American Sandwiches.

Café Rider is a haven for motorbike enthusiasts. Designer bikes take dominance on the café floor. You don’t have to be a motorhead to appreciate the sensual beauty of all that metal, chrome and leather. This is a grown man’s candy shop.

Apart from the custom designed bikes, Café Rider stocks hardcore rider gear from designer helmets featuring funky new-age art to leather gloves, messenger bags and biker saddles. You can also pick up Café Rider branded t-shirts.

Café Rider has an exclusive partnership with Brass Balls Motorcycles, and are soon to sign up exclusive deals with Ugly Bros – Moto wear, TORC Helmets, DMD Helmets, Goats don’t Shave and Moscot.

At Café Rider, there is a feeling of ‘community’, and this has managed to turn visitors into regulars. The bare industrial-style exteriors are a stark contrast to the brightly lit open-spaced interiors.

The coffee bar is always busy with mixologists working their magic on new brews and blends.

The furnishings are stylishly minimum and bare, and this makes the space flexible enough for making space for special events.

My very first visit at Café Rider was during one of their Warehouse Jam nights. The café was overflowing with crowds of chilled out weekenders, some on the makeshift benches and bar stools, others comfortably perched on the carpet sipping coffee and breathing in the community vibe that is Café Rider.

Apart from the Warehouse Jam nights, Café Rider has held community-centered events such as the ‘One Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride’ to raise awareness of men’s health issues.

They also have regular ‘Caffeine and Machine Events’ to encompass the love for machines and the bean. Here, ‘machine’ extends to include the four-wheel variety and these events provide a meeting ground for likeminded individuals to share their passions.

If you are keen on riding with the pack, sign up for their Caffeine Cruise on Friday mornings and meet up with a group of highly enthusiastic bikers from all walks of life.

At Café Rider, you meet interesting personalities like German born Marco Moller. Marco redesigned the Royal Enfield Bullet bike after taking inspiration from a trip to India. He christened his creation ‘Hind Ki Rani’, a royal tribute to  to India’s legendary warrior queen. Read more about it on Carbon Octane.

Café Rider offers free high-speed Wifi, and this has made the space a second home to the creatively inclined who sit back with a cuppa and delve deep into work. If you happen to visit after 6 on a weekday, you are most likely to bump into Arnab Saha from Carbon Octane who does most of his blogging here.

If you envision a motorbike space to be hardcore Harley Davidson, thinking of James Dean will give you a better picture of Café Rider.

Murtaza Moulvi, creator and owner of Café Rider, can easily be mistaken for this late cult icon in the larger-than-life poster that dominates an entire wall of the café. Clad in leather and in full throttle on his bike, this stunning shot of Murtaza sums up the cafe’s motto; Be Original, Be Free.

The shot was taken by Murtaza’s wife Nicky Moulvi, a photography enthusiast who also happens to be the heart of Café Rider. Despite being a mummy to three little girls, Nicky is at the café every evening, and makes it a point to mingle with her guests. Nicky is as warm and welcoming as the signature coffees, and a chitchat with her makes Café Rider feel like a meeting-place for friends.

At Café Rider, the revival of café culture is back and motorbike fanatics are creeping out of the woodwork, making their way to this community hub located in the middle of nowhere (GPS coordinates: 25.117449, 55.212500). With a truckload of success stories in their first year itself, Café Rider is a space to watch out for.

Be Original, Be Free.