Detour Pit Stop #114: Gilks’ Garage Café, Warwickshire, UK
Photo Roadster! Magazine
Gilks is a garage-themed café with a unique heritage. Detour sent Sam and Carl from Roadster! magazine along for a taste.
Gilks’ Garage Café is not just another ‘themed café’, but the latest chapter in a family business going back over 100 years and five generations. It is fast becoming a destination eatery for car fans, as classic car owners love to take their precious cars along to put them on display and enjoy some fine food.
Gilks can actually trace its roots right back to 1904 when blacksmith George Gilks set up a shop in the village of Kineton. The business developed into agricultural engineers, then it started to sell fuel and oil - by 1958 it was selling cars and petrol.
Gilks continued to evolve right through to the 1990s, when old age and increasing costs led to the garage’s closure in 1996. In 2019 the family business was brought back and the café was born!
“The pumps are from the original garage - my grandparents never threw anything away,” says co-founder Katherine. “There was no need for a village garage anymore and we wanted to keep the family business going.”
Gilks is not just for car fans, bikers, walkers, cyclists and everyone else are all welcome. They even have electric car chargers.
Gilks offers brilliant breakfasts, beautiful burgers, and perfect pizzas. It has recently launched new theme nights, with Saturday evenings from September to November offering American, French, Italian & British food.
“I’ve been to Gilks three times now,” says Sam, editor of Roadster! – the magazine for kids who love the road. “The food is lovely and home cooked, they do amazing milkshakes, the staff are friendly and there’s always a cool car in the car park!”
Words & Photography Sam & Carl, Roadster! Magazine