La Baita - Wandsworth

Freshly cooked food, with the best ingredients, eaten al fresco with the family! We have been eating here for years and we now compare all other Italian food with La Baita. The inside location is no frills. More of a cafe than a restaurant, but on a good day, it’s hard to beat eating outside in the centre of the common, surrounded by acres of grass and trees. Lots of place for kids to play around the bandstand and perfect to walk and water the dog. All the food is made to order and they have a great range of desserts and gelato ice cream too. Prices are reasonable and offer good value for freshly cooked authentic Italian food. Can’t wait to go back!

After a long walk through the parks of Battersea and Wandsworth on a rainy March day, a group of us arrived at Clapham Common. Our leader had made reservations for our lunch, which arrived promptly. My antipasto was fresh, delicious, and had a good variety, and my friends had similar experiences with their meals. It seems that the restaurant does not have internet, so we pre-ordered from a photo of the paper menus that our leader had taken. Despite this, it was not a problem. It is more like a classic Italian lunchtime cafe than a coffee shop, reminiscent of the ones that used to exist in Holborn before redevelopment. If I lived nearby, I would definitely return, especially in the summertime.

The prices at this restaurant are absurd considering the mediocre quality of the food. A £10 lasagne was tiny and more suited for a child than an adult portion. Even more shocking was the £12 tiny salad. I would recommend bringing a picnic instead of dining here.

I cannot believe that I am a local and have never been here. Three of us had the seafood linguine, 1 had the chicken salad and it was all excellent. Very reasonably priced wine, excellent service. Just go and have a lovely lazy lunch

I love La Baita. It's in a great spot and the staff are lovely. And up til recently the food was great unexpectedly so for a café next to a bandstand in a park. But in the last few months the food seems to have taken a sharp turn for the worse. I'm not sure why. New kitchen staff maybe? It's still a great place for a drink or a coffee but sadly no longer a little gem for food.