‘Furious’ Highgate locals slam Gen Z for posting about charming neighborhood cafe – as it’s swarmed by vacationers and influencers
Highgate locals have complained about long queues for a table at their beloved neighbourhood cafe after Gen Z influencecrs shared it on TikTok.
The Queen’s Wood Cafe, a community cafe nestled in north London was once a quiet eatery for the neighbourhood.
But over the past weeks, people have flooded social media with snaps of the venue, dubbed ‘London’s most magical cafe’.
Hundreds of posts on TikTok, social media users have praised Queen’s Wood as the perfect escape from the city’s hustle and bustle.
However, the quiet of Queen’s Wood Cafe is now somewhat disturbed by the long lines of people waiting for a table, with locals bemoaning the loss of what was once considered a hidden gem.
TikTok user Laura Colciago filmed the queue extending way past Queen’s Wood garden enclosure and captioned her clip: ‘Once a hidden gem, now just another Instagram-fuelled queue.
‘This charming Highgate cafe is now just another social hotspot – such a shame.’
Her video went viral, racking up more than 650,000 views and 400 comments, with several locals sharing their own memories of visiting Queen’s Wood cafe before it was overrun with tourists and GenZ influencers.
One person wrote: ‘I’m furious. This was my happy place, like my most scared little corner of the earth for years.
TikTok user Laura Colciago filmed the queue extending way past the Queen’s Wood cafe in north London that has recently found fame on TikTok
The cafe is tucked away in Highgate Woods in Muswell Hill, London
However, the quiet of Queen’s Wood Cafe is now somewhat disturbed by the long lines of people waiting for a table, with locals bemoaning the loss of what was once considered a hidden gem
‘Also, this level of sudden success isn’t always good for small businesses.’
Another user added: ‘Crying [because] this is down the street from me and was always dead.’
A third person said: ‘Nooo I wanted to start running again cos it’s secluded but am I gonna be confronted with all these people now.’
A similar comment read: ‘Thank you so much for highlighting this. This is my local cafe where I walk the dog and now I can’t use it because it is always full.
‘It never used to be like this.’
Another TikTok user said: ‘I refuse to put any of my favourite places anywhere online-lmao if you’re coming to London any time soon, ask a local [for recommendations] rather than TikTok.’
‘There’s no point in queuing,’ one person advised. ‘The whole charm of this place was that it was a cosy spot. Even if you get a seat, it won’t be relaxing having queued all that time and now being watched by other people.’
‘Why influencers gotta ruin a hidden gem and make it mainstream,’ another user posted. ‘This was for the locals.’
Highgate locals have criticised tourists and influencers for posting about their beloved community cafe, leading to long queues for tables
Others, however, suggested the social media exposure was ‘good for business’, with one person writing: ‘I hate when hidden places become popular but I always think about the good it will do the business getting more income!’
Another user said: ‘Just be happy for them as this may mean they can afford to stay open.’
MailOnline has contacted Queen’s Wood Cafe for comment.
A third comment read: ‘It’s a beautiful place to visit, I’m pleased others have found this little piece of happiness in amongst the stress of life.’
However, a majority of the TikTok users said they were going to start ‘gatekeeping’ their favourite places in the city and ‘hyping mid places like Angus Steakhouse’ to keep influencers away from truly unique or special London attractions.
‘I’m joining the movement where Londoners are hyping mid places like Angus Steakhouse so algorithms pick those instead to show tourists.’
Over the past few weeks, a new trend has emerged of ‘love bombing’ restaurants with positive reviews – but they’re not always accurate.
According to diners, unwitting tourists are being catfished by a series of positive restaurant reviews that are over inflated and essentially made up in order to attract thrill seekers in a bid to keep them miles away from the real hot spots.
Other users suggested the social media exposure was ‘good for the business’
One focal point of the fake reviews is Angus Steakhouse, a chain of steak eateries sprinkled across London – a staple well known by locals – and unlikely to feature a new Taylor Swift-inspired ‘Swiftloin steak sandwich’ as some have claimed.
Loyalists and influencers have infiltrated the web, taking to X, Reddit and even Trip Advisor to write what appear to be grossly exaggerated reviews.
‘They have THE BEST steak sandwiches!’ said one person on Reddit.
Responding to this comment, someone else added: ‘And Taylor Swift… New menu item just dropped! The Swiftloin steak sandwich’.
Also seemingly in jest, one user said: ‘I’ve been a vegetarian for over 15 years, but not even I can resist Angus Steakhouse’s steak sandwiches’.
‘I was on hunger strike once. Survived for 56 days, it was the steak sandwich that broke my resistance. I am now a nutritionist and I always recommend the Carnivore diet, centred around this hallowed Stakehouse,’ wrote another.
‘Angus Steakhouse is on my wish list for the last meal I ever have. Absolutely phenomenal place. I just hope the tourists don’t find out about it,’ said one more.
A look at some of the 5000 odd Angus Steakhouse reviews on Trip Advisor paints a similar picture.
Alleged tasters of the chargrilled menu took to the website to boast of the ‘very good’ menu.
‘It was very good and the staff is very friendly, I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good steak.’ said one.
Of course these reviews could be true, but some people don’t think so.
Over on X, one user went a step further and offered directions to a branch of the famous Steakhouse: ‘The one by Victoria station go to that one,’ they wrote.
And while others were quick to catch on to the ploy, others stated they had noticed something amiss but couldn’t quite put their figure on it.
‘I was wondering what was going on,’ said one woman, who seemingly came across the many 5 star reviews of the Steakhouse.
Someone else wrote: ‘Stop snitching’, while one added: ‘This seems cruel to be honest’.
However Eater correspondent Jaya Saxena told Thrillist that the strategy is not fool proof and isn’t guaranteed to work.
‘I think the biggest obstacle would be that sites like Yelp and Google have moderators that look out for review bombs, both positive and negative. So if suddenly a restaurant were getting hundreds of good reviews at once, that might trigger suspicion’ said Jaya.
