The grass has turned brown at Parliament Hill Fields but the new Parliament Hill Café by Daisy Green is far from dormant. Since opening a few months ago, it’s been teeming with life.
It’s been hard not to miss the pre-opening controversy. For a while, there was strong public opinion that the park’s café (and the café in Golders Hill Park) should not be taken from independent management and given to a chain. The Daisy Green Collection has over 20 Australian-inspired cafes, bars and restaurants in London. Personally, it was heart warming to witness locals motivated to stand up for independent businesses, which nearly always bring character and joy to our communities.
However, this summer, the Daisy Green Parliament Hill Café is being embraced by a wide mix of customers enjoying the venue every day and especially at weekends.
I see, from several visits, that everyone feels included – groups of friends, families, one-on-oners, and also those on their own having a £2.50 cup of tea or another hot drink, similar to Belsize prices. I imagine many are unable to resist the tempting range of pastries, cookies and cakes – such as an original Rocky Road slice, gluten free lemon polenta and Double Choc & Tim Tam!
There are seven varieties of spongy Lamingtons – the traditional Australian cake – made by the Radio Lamington Bakery, which was set up by The Daisy Green Collection in 2020 to support frontline workers.
A Place for Families
The renovated Parliament Hill Café offers a good variety of seating areas. On either side of the building, there’s gated gardens with comfy contemporary picnic tables.
On the side facing the Parliament Hill bandstand, there’s a kids’ home corner with a couple of play kitchens, managed by a staff member at the weekends. Children can be guided to create with pens and stickers or take some bits and pieces to their family tables, which, out front, are nicely spaced to allow for resting dogs. This play area, the many highchairs, and the reasonably priced kids’ menus (breakfast and lunch) suggests owners Prue Freeman and Tom Onions (husband and wife) know their audience.
Step Inside
The café’s interior is buzzy with customers in a line at the service counter, tables closer together, chefs in the background and uniformed waiters milling around. I spontaneously asked one waiter what’s it like to work there. He told me that the pay is good.
My impression is that the Daisy Green owners are people who ‘sweats the details’. It took me time to clock all the design features from door handles to vintage memorabilia and stylish artwork on the walls. Even the stylish pinboard has been thought about so that it reflects credible events and businesses in or around the park.
Photo courtesy of The Daisy Green Collection 2026
Brekkie ‘n’ Brunch
The fresh and generous-sized wraps and sandwiches (£7.50-£10.00) are filled with familiar foods such as bacon, ham, roast chicken, cheese, avocado and spinach and made special with different homemade pestos.
The until-11am adult breakfast menu includes some under £6 simple fare such as toast and banana bread and there’s also plump ham and cheese croissants!
On one occasion I met two women (with postures suggesting they’d just done a yoga class!) enjoying the house maple granola dish and chia pudding. They said that they’d been noticing waiters with all day brunch dishes – mostly, eggs royally plated with all our favourite ingredients. And some unusual ones too, such as a house labneh, chilli and fennel sausages, paratha roti.
When I eventually eat at the café, I’ll likely order the Sweetcorn Fritters which come with poached eggs, avocado, red pepper, feta, corn rib and habanero sauce or panettone fresh toast with strawberries and vanilla mascarpone.
Lunchtime
The lunch menu from 11am blends healthy ingredients with fulsome flavours and less-likely-to-do-at-home cooking styles. Panko fried halloumi, tempura cauliflower and a spring garden pea hummus (weirdly or not weirdly with wasabi) are my kind of vegetarian manna, and spaghetti vongole my pescatarian paradise!
There are six other pasta dishes and a nice choice of pizzas. The Italian cuisine links with the venue’s previous owners. Apparently the D’Auria brothers, Alfonso and Albert have shared their pasta recipes. And their general manager of 34 years, Maria continues to help lead operations at the café. One time I met her helping Stefano at the popular drinks takeaway cabin where I sat with a cortado; pondering whether to also have an organic ice lolly – had one before somewhere else, they’re delicious.
In Conclusion
I feel like the new Parliament Hill Café resonates with our appetites and provides the kind of inclusive and pleasant environment we need. I’ll predict, that if The Daisy Green intention and attention are long-lasting, it will continue to please park people and be a destination for those seeking an ace going out experience.
Photo courtesy of The Daisy Green Collection 2026
Address: Parliament Hill Fields, Highgate Road, NW5 1QR
