The Bowl

1 Ampthill Rd
Houghton Conquest
Bedford
MK45 3JP
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Kitchen opens until 9:00pm Tuesday to Sunday

Tickets are required at The Bowl on weekends and bank holidays from 9am to 7pm, and on Wednesday evenings from 5pm.
Get your tickets here.

Food is now being served daily.
See our menu and service times.

The sophomore hit. The second-born. Caffeine&Machine 2: Electric Boogaloo. Call it what you want – we call it The Bowl, and it’s located around an hour north of London, just outside an incredibly pretty little Bedfordshire town called Ampthill.

We’ve taken on an old roadside pub on the Ampthill to Bedford Road. It’s been sitting vacant for the past couple of years, and we’re really thrilled to be bringing this local institution back to life with a Caffeine&Machine twist. 

That name is a reference to the Millbrook Proving Ground and its two-mile long, banked High-Speed Bowl, a legendary piece of British automotive folklore. Millbrook is located so close to us that you can practically see the perimeter fence from the car park. Our aim is to bring another little slice of car culture to this area that’s been so important for the British automotive industry over the years.

With loads of indoor and outdoor seating, a vibe that’s all at once unique to the location yet unmistakeably C&M, and a fresh new Yard with its own host of display opportunities, The Bowl is the perfect addition to our growing portfolio, and an ideal companion to The Hill. Timewise, it’s almost bang in the middle between London and Birmingham, and can be reached from both the M1 and A1 in around 20 minutes – in other words, it’s a perfect stop-off if you’re on a long north/south haul. Beats Newport Pagnell Services, anyway.

The Bowl is the culmination of almost five years building up the C&M brand, and a six-month burst of ridiculously hard work to turn a derelict roadside inn into a place we’re proud to call our second home. We’re incredibly excited to be welcoming people to a second Yard, and we can’t wait to welcome you, too.

Unless you’re travelling from the immediately local area, we kindly ask that you follow our directions, available here, to minimise congestion on local roads and avoid narrow streets and speed bumps.