Highgate Wood Café set for fresh improvements as new operator announced
January 21, 2026
An experienced café operator who is rooted in the local community is set to take on the café at one of north London’s most cherished open spaces.
Cosmin Stuparu, who has run the café at Golders Hill Park for the past 15 years, has been awarded the lease for Highgate Wood café, bringing continuity, local knowledge, and new investment for visitors.
This also means that for the first time, all staff across all cafés at Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park will be paid at least the London Living Wage, demonstrating a shared commitment to supporting those who live and work locally.
Under the new lease agreement, Cosmin plans to invest in the café building and patio area, including the creation of a more welcoming outdoor seating space. The improvements will enhance the visitor experience while respecting the woodland setting and reinforcing the café’s role as a valued community hub.
The decision follows the conclusion of an open, competitive and independently supported café remarketing exercise, undertaken to replace short-term arrangements that limited long-term investment and improvement in these important community facilities.
Chair of the City of London Corporation’s Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park Committee, Alderman Gregory Jones KC, said:
“Cosmin has been part of Golders Hill Park for 15 years – we’re pleased that his experience, local connection and plans to upgrade the facilities as well as his commitment to paying café workers the London Living Wage will benefit visitors to Highgate Wood.
“This decision followed an open, competitive process and was taken to enable long-term investment in the Highgate Wood charity, fair pay for staff, and cafés that remain affordable, welcoming and sustainable for the future.
“Our role as sole charity trustee is to act in the best interests of that charity and the people who use this open space and work in its facilities – and that is exactly what we are doing.”
Cosmin Stuparu, the new operator of the Highgate Wood café, said:
“After 15 years running Golders Hill Park café and working closely with the local community, I’m really looking forward to bringing that experience to Highgate Wood.
“As a family-run business, our focus is on freshly prepared food, a welcoming atmosphere and paying our staff fairly, while creating a café that feels part of the Wood and the local community. We’re excited to invest in the café and outdoor space so it can be enjoyed by visitors for many years to come.”
Highgate Wood is a 70-acre Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation and has been managed by the City of London Corporation since 1886. The site has received a Green Flag Award every year since the scheme began in 1996.
Davis Coffer Lyons has been working with City of London Corporation on a comprehensive remarketing exercise of five café / restaurants in the parks and open spaces it manages in North West London, to identify operators that can provide modern, community-focused and environmentally responsible cafes that reflect the unique character and needs of each location.
