Light on the Common in Merton

Light on the Common restaurant is the best!:) Very charming place in a great location. Fantastic atmosphare and excellent service, very professional and helpful. We had a great birthday lunch experience last Sunday at the Light on the Common restaurant. Food was delicious and very well presented. Massive thanks to the Head Chef. Crab tortellini and chicken burger were fabulous, chocolate deessert best I ever tried. We are difinitely coming back

We had a spontaneous late dinner on Good Friday. Really good food, including for our vegan guest. Great attentive service and lovely decor. Nice nibbles with our drinks too. My Stonebass was beautifully cooked; wonderfully light and had great flavour. The mocktails (driving) were excellent but the star award goes to the Chocolate Mousse; super indulgent and thoroughly delicious.

Delicious Ceaser Salad and Pumpine Risotto. Thank you 😊 Seafood stew was delicious yesterday👏🏻

The host was amazing , explaining the menu and offer us drinks before we order any food . The pork chop was tasty and filly. The desert that was recommend to us was fresh and very delicious. Will definitely come back.

Fantastic new refurb - loved the decor and the water feature at the far end. Staff were extremely friendly and the food arrived quickly. Would have preferred real tea to a bag in the pot but otherwise a very nice experience.

The cafe looks lovely, but I have never been as disappointed by food as I have been today. Sad, flavourless, insipid plates. What a shame.

There were builders banging things when I came for breakfast, the coffee cup was dirty, the eggs are bad quality, overall a terrible place to come for breakfast (or dinner).

Staff really don’t have a clue, can’t greet customers and work out a queue, all over the place. inexperienced, poorly trained and kind of rude - best to avoid unless you’re happy with sub par customer service and being ripped off

Service charge added for a coffee in a cafe with no Wi-F? No thanks. First and last time. .

Excellent coffee, somewhat burnt pain au raisin. Staff very pleasant.

Great café/restaurant. Very popular after recent extensive refit. Lovely decor and very friendly efficient service.

The food is really delicious and the waiters couldn’t do enough for you. Really nice evening!

Food is absolutely delicious - compliments to the chef! 100% recommend this place

Nice interior and cocktails were fine. However, we were greeted by a hostile attitude by the staff (especially the manager) which was disappointing and unprofessional. It was our first time visiting since the reopening so understandable there would be some minor issues. I then returned for breakfast the following weekend and again was a similar poor experience.

Felt slightly unwelcome by the host, and in the way as we sat at the bar for a drink. Had a nice wine selection, and the bar tender was friendly and helpful overall quite disappointed, the service didnt match the interior

Cold reception when we arrived which made us feel very uncomfortable. Drinks were fine but would have been better with a more welcoming environment.

Beautiful refurb and long awaited Sadly food and service let’s it down Menu is very small as are the portions Food is tasty but needs improvement

Quite rude receptionist who seemed confused when we asked if we could have a table for lunch and then proceeded to speak to us in quite a rude & unprofessional way. On the plus side: the renovation looks nice and there’s parking right outside.

We had to duck and dive through large shrubs and too many tables to reach our allotted table in the ‘conservatory’. The seating gave us a choice of facing full sun or a blank wall so we asked to be moved to another table. Unfortunately the sun moved with us and caught up with us mid lunch. The falafel burger from the limited menu was cold and mushy so I only ate half. The chips were good though and the Sicilian wine good value. The fire doors were partly obstructed by furniture. Had there been a fire, it would have been difficult to get past the furniture and shrubs to get out of the fire doors. Despite all of that, it was noisy and very busy. I hope it’s just teething problems and wish you success.

Excellent food and friendly staff. Different menu for each part of the day. Near the Common if you need a good walk afterwards.

Amazing staff and one of the best restaurants in Wimbledon Village. The Manager Radek is amazing with a good knowledge of the wines and food.

Refurb has been done to a high standard and looks amazing. Staff were friendly and service was good. However. There is no children's menu which seems crazy for a place that will clearly attract lots of families. Also, they won't swap anything out of meals. We wanted scrambled eggs instead of fried eggs on the full English and they would not accommodate this request even though they serve scrambled eggs! Food otherwise is good but very expensive. Overall ok but considering the local competition this would not be my first choice. A few small changes would make all the difference here!

Food was excellent staff where very professional and friendly the room ad a lovely buzz. Will visit again very soon.

The staff were friendly and doing their best, other than that the coffee was terrible, the smoothy was like paint stripper…I would stay away.

Attractive remodel of the old restaurant . The lack of soft furnishings mean the conservatory end has poor acoustics and the chairs are a little hard. The food was delicious especially the super fresh stone bass and broccoli side and the serving staff delightful.

The coffee here has no rivals in Wimbledon Village. Courteous Polite Staff with a first-class customer service to rival The Ivy Cafe. Small quaint place for your first coffee.

Delicious food, excellent service by Hugo and beautiful surroundings. Went twice with different friends. Starters of croquettes and calamari were hot and tasty. Salmon and chicken schnitzel were also delicious. This restaurant certainly rivals The Ivy with decor and the food surpasses it. Two courses with shared dessert and mocktail £39. What’s not to like!

Lovely place, we are happy that no dogs are allowed as our son is allergic to them. We have been to 3 different restaurants and they had dogs. Amazing food and friendly staff.

Booked for dinner and arrived a little too early but was invited to have drinks at the bar while they were getting the table ready. A cocktail later we were sat down and enjoyed a delicious meal. Service was attentive, friendly and staff seemed to enjoy being there. The fish stew was one of the best we have ever had. Definitely coming back soon - just happy they finally opened.

inside is beautiful, but food below available and coffee is shocking !

Love the place. Amazing food and friendly staff. We started our night at the bar with some champagne and after dinner at the table. Our new favourite restaurant in Wimbledon. Will come back.

So pleased to find it had re-opened at last after the very long refurbishment, which looks lovely. However the experience is decidedly average. Second visit today, the first was lunch. Same experience both times so won't be going back soon. Appreciate only just re-opened and may be teething problems but they need to sort them out fast! The restaurant is cold, the service ok but not very friendly and very slow. The people next to us waited 45 minutes for their breakfast. Ours was about 20 mins, but food was tepid, the poached eggs not cooked very well and the coffee was tepid too. Menu looks promising but the delivery doesn't match up. Such a shame.

The refurb looks lovely, but the service was really slow and the food OK. Preferred, the more extensive old menu, and staff did not know the mains needed some sides. Hope it improves, but for now, not so great.

Really bad service I was shocked at the lack of customer service. Its pretty inside, thats about it.

Great surprise to see it open again and couldn't ask for more. Incredible, fresh food paired with delicious coctails and wine served in a friendly, professional manner. Can't wait for Sunday roast. Is it the best in Wimbledon? Can't say just yet.

Great to have this back. Fresh, smart, tasty, great value menu. A triumphant return.

Heard its being renovated so I look forward to seeing it

Excellent food, brilliant service

Below average food. Burnt burger and kids food not made properly.

Low-quality food. Avocado on toast seemed as if it were premade and paste-like. Terrible quality bread and the flat white I offered tasted like stale milk with coffee stains pouring over the sides. I would not recommend, a very disappointed and complete waste of money, especially based in Wimbledon village

Fantastic atmosphere and attentive staff, good menu too!

It reminds me of when I went to space, and dropped my spoon. The amount of flying spoons in this restaurant might be too much for you, but for me, it's perfect.

Went for brunch in a group of ten on a Sunday. Food was tasty but portions were really small and two of the party didn't initially get their food. When we asked staff where their meals were, they came over and took their orders again, despite having read back the full order initially. When their meals did come they were on regular bread when they both had asked for sour dough but they were too hungry to bother mentioning it by then!

Reserved a table for Sunday morning, for what was meant to be a lovely relaxing Sunday brunch with my partner. We were sat down, and grunted at by what I assume was the manager. We were then ignored for almost 30 minutes, so made the best decision I've made in a while to simply walk out. None of the staff even questioned this as they saw us leave. It was utterly inexcusably bad service. Even if you're busy, just explain this and tell us there'll be a wait, there's really zero excuse for such terrible service. Please don't waste your time coming here if you like to be treated like a normal human being.

The restaurant was a little short-staffed as one of the team was away but the food was excellent and the service courteous. Salmon with coconut curry for me and venison pie for my husband who declared it very good. This is one of the best places in the Village to "drop in" for anything from a cup of coffee to a full meal and we go there quite often.

Nice little place for dinner but was under staffed and was quite busy. My steak was over done and tasted bitter but was polite not to send it back, and no one return to ask if all was ok which was a bit disappointing. Lady Watson 💫

A really nice cosy restaurant with a limited, but varied, menu and wonderfully tasting food. Hostess politely gave my partner and I two glasses of complimentary champaign when the specific table we reserved wasn't available, which was very kind. Only critisism was that the chorizo was slightly too salted, but it's a very minor comment in what was otherwise a lovely meal.

I see similar comments by other reviewers regarding the hospitality standards.Visited on Saturday around 8 am , when it was not very busy. Politely requested the person serving me for a change of table who spoke to the manager. Was spoken to rudely by the manger. The voice was loud enough to get the attention of people seated in the place. Felt humiliated. Not sure this place needs to be in the hotel and hospitality business.

Wonderful food with exceptional Staff...Daisy just went the extra mile to ensure our evening was special. Every chef created excellent dishes and dessert is not to be missed!

We both had haloumi wraps - two tasty wraps for each of us accompanied by a pleasingly generous amount of salad (rather than the two lettuce leaves, a tomato and a few slices of cucumber that is provided too often). For drink, I had an excellent freshly-squeezed orange juice. It's a good place to sit outside in a traffic-free side street with attractive architecture. Service amiable, but rather inexeperienced.

To be honest, I was disappointed. Went for Brunch with my family x five of us as it was my daughter's 17th birthday. The food was really average - weak tasting porridge, burnt fried eggs with hard yolks. All lacking in imagination. I can't say anything positive. Maybe it was a one off, but I won't be going back.

Food ok but coffee tiny and bread even smaller. One slice of toast for a poached eggs and avocado breakfast. Smaller than my palm. For £10 with bacon. Not acceptable.

Enjoyed a tasty lunch with my daughter. Service was ok but they could be a bit quicker delivering drinks. That may be a reflection of staff shortages coupled with a busy period - Saturday lunchtime.

My salad with chicken (pic) was good, but the service could be improved. The staff seemed a little stressed, maybe due to being a busy Saturday

Przepyszne śniadanie. Na pewno tam wrócę.

Sheer disappointment! Ridiculously poor service and food! Food well below average. Took 15 minutes to get water for the table. Out of 3 meals ordered, 2 were made incorrectly. Ingredients in salad where not as shown on the menu… chosen specially to meet my allergies! When mentioned, I was told the ingredients were correct until I asked to see the menu again. No offer to replace meal! Cappuccino whisked from under my nose because it was a different customer… After I had checked that it was correctly ordered for me. Manager only apologised when called when paying. The manager and staff lack basic training. I wonder if the restaurant has changed hands as it was no where near as good as it was pre lock down. Really really disappointing family lunch out. We will not be returning!

Had a nice lunch here with a work colleague. Food was good and not too expensive. Sitting in the window seat was fun but HOT as heat rises up those few steps 😂

Very questionable cleanliness of the toilets. Friendly service, but average food and annoyingly, throughout the entire brunch we had to inhale heavy smells from the kitchen, despite being seated close to the entrance.

Absolutely recommend the Hallumi salad. Plus dessert menu. Had a very relaxing vibe. Great place to catch up with a friend.

Beautifully cooked food with outdoor seating.

Ain't nothing Michelin about it

Best bacon sandwich I've ever had! Slightly off the beaten track in Wimbledon village, so very little traffic noise if you're sitting outside.

The coffee was too bad. Really bad.

We out regularly in Wimbledon Village and our first time for lunch at the Light. For £16 I was expected a very special chicken breast. Instead we waited 45 mins for charred remains. Dry and no flavour. We found the staff were not very attentive either. Customers were having to make a real effort to attract the attention of staff. We won't return. There are so many other first class places to choose from.

Decided off the cuff to try this on a Thursday evening as it was not far . Roadside restaurant with airy spacing and seating with very attentive staff . Fish and burger selected with a light white . Am not a fan of busy restaurants as I like to enjoy the ambience and be able to talk at the same time . Food was provided quickly and very good quality . All staff polite and chatted afterwards to get our views on the dining. The street seating looked good - esp now we are in Summer. Can see this restaurant doing very well for meetups with friends or a proper full party dinner of an evening. Toilets were clean and fitted out well , but downstairs , so the less mobile or wheelchair users may struggle with that . Definately one we will return to ! K

Such a lovely restaurant. Great service and very cool décor inside. The food was utterly delicious! We were all struggling to choose as the menu was so good and everyone thoroughly enjoyed their choices. Will definitely be coming again!!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Superb Pork Chops in a delicious gravy with potato cubes and perfectly cooked beans. Friendly and tentative service. A wonderful evening meal. The extended outdoor seating gave us plenty of room. Clean table, fresh flower and pretty candle to add to the atmosphere. ⭐️Five stars next time (had to wait a bit to long for the bill).

High prices for distinctly average food and small portions. Service is friendly though.

Lovely setting. Friendly staff but we felt rushed . 3 different people came up asking if we were ready to order. Meal was nice but not memorable

Very disappointing, food on menu nothing like that which was advertised online. No veggie option for main, only pasta starter that was entirely unexciting. Not warned in advance of changes till menu until trying to order. Food served missing items listed on menu. Lovely waitress but disinterested manager. Used to be lovely with varied menu with lots of choices.

Very disappointing, food on menu nothing like that which was advertised online. No veggie option for main, only pasta starter that was entirely unexciting. Not warned in advance of changes till menu until trying to order. Food served missing items listed on menu. Lovely waitress but disinterested manager. Used to be lovely with varied menu with lots of choices.

Excellent food and service, and far quieter than restaurants on the main high street.

We have just returned from light on the common, a favourite restaurant when we visit family in Wimbledon. What a dreadful disappointment, the menu was not as expected, service was intense, food was so ordinary, lacking flavour. What has happened to the menu, amazing salads, herbs and spices?? Desert menu didn't match menu given on arrival. So sad, 60 pounds for two main courses and a bottle of wine. Should have had a meal deal at home. Has this restaurant changed hands? Who is the chef, after many years of super meals we will not be returning.

Great little local cafe/restaurant, the food is really nice and the staff were very friendly and helpful

Nice Coffee but be careful.. the price they charge you does not always match with the one in the menù.

Currently a small amount of seating at the front but it was perfect, the road is quiet, nice amount of heaters, fantastic, friendly and attentive staff. Had the halloumi and avocado salad, really good, puddings even better.

So good!! Amazing service and food. We had the sweet potato soup then the marinated chicken, and the rib eye. Cooked to perfection. The halloumi and chickpea salad was the perfect accompaniment. And the dessert... just wow. Thanks!

Delicious cappuccino and great service !

Since lockdown I have visited this place so many times, sometimes to get a lovely espresso, other times, a takeaway bacon sandwich (WOW!) and yesterday to get a takeaway lamb stew. This is easily the best restaurant in Wimbledon Village (and maybe all Wimbledon?). The staff are always lovely. The food is downright exceptional. I genuinely love this place with all my heart. Can't recommend highly enough. Thank you SO MUCH for the truly beautiful food you produce!! See you tomorrow! x

Got a takeaway coffee which was good, short queue and lots of people were buying the wraps, which looked good!

Been here before for food, but during lockdown ordered a take away coffee (oat milk flat white), at a whopping £3.50, it was incredibly disappointing for that price and of this location, basically a watered down, burnt latte is what I received. Poor.

Great place. Also first class food. Lovely atmosphere

Fantastic service and great food!

Nice hot chocolate! But hygiene standard not up to scratch sadly. Hand sanitizer was empty and tables dirty.

I had lunch outside on Sunday, wonderful freshly prepared food, friendly waitress and good covid measures. I am looking forward to going back next week

Lovely food and kind service from waiting staff however we were sat next to a table with seven elderly people who did not know eachother given the repetitive “nice to meet you” conversation overheard (pictured), and were crammed together not social distancing or sticking to the current rule of 6. One of the ladies pulled up an additional chair that meant she was physically touching my partner...I pointed this out to the waiting staff and they said they totally understood but that the owner was sat on the table so that is the one table they can’t say anything to...very very concerning and really letting their own venue and team down. Also extremely inconsiderate. I suggest you review and take your COVID measures seriously - Fox & Grapes up the road have it spot on if you want a good example to learn from.

Nice fresh, healthy options for food. Fresh juice and lovely chatty service.

Small and cosy. Not big menù but quality products. Overall a good experience.

Lovely food. Perfectly cooked fish.Great service.

Beautiful venue, great service sadly let down by poor food. The beetroot & ginger juice was great. The smashed avocado (see pic) was very disappointing. The toast looked like it was from a supermarket brand. The avocado was merely a thin layer. The eggs poached very messily. It’s a simple dish that shows a complete lack of care. Easily improved

Horrible experience, I was put on a waiting list for breakfast but when I got the table at 12:15 I was told they were no longer serving breakfast...even though I’d requested it specifically. I was told if I wanted breakfast I had to order immediately, I wasn’t even given a chance to look at the menu so just had to pluck a random order from the air. Avo on sourdough with poached eggs, they offered me chorizo with it. I got a slice of cheap white bread, with barely a smear of avo and 2 poached eggs...that’s it, no chorizo, no condiments, nothing. When I asked for the chorizo they’d run out so I ordered bacon instead which only arrived when I’d finished the ‘toast’. I asked for the bill and waited 15 minutes for that so I got up to go pay and out they came with my orange juice which I’d ordered at the beginning of the meal. Non existent service and a pretty slap dash, half arsed meal, definitely will not be going back.

Delicious early supper. Service was spot-on, the grilled pork chops were excellent and the feta salad to accompany was perfect. Chips on the side were fresh and fabulous. Not an IPA drinker but the local ale was hoppy and very refreshing.

Great atmosphere, the food was excellent and the service fast and courteous

Beautiful restaurant, good food and reasonable prices. Will definitely return.

Today I booked breakfast for 3 persons. Full english breakfast was good but not excellent, the staff were friendly but no masks or gloves

Quick service, local brewery option and a tasty wrap. Sat outside and staff were conscious of distancing. Very nice. On the pricey side but so is everything in this location.

last week we had dinner at this wonderful cafe Al Village. simple menu but still sufficient to satisfy different needs. impeccable service and really friendly staff. i would give 10 stars if i could

Fui a tomar un brunch a las 11:45 y me apresuré a ordenar mientras la cocina se cerraba antes de cambiar al menú del almuerzo. Sentimos que el personal nos estaba haciendo un favor al dejarnos comer allí, y fue bastante incómodo. La comida era mediocre, el café estaba tibio y la tetera estaba medio llena, ¡y la camarera estaba impaciente por deshacerse de nosotros! Hemos estado comiendo en este lugar durante más de 40 años, patrocinando a muchos propietarios diferentes, originalmente "Tootsies", y lamentablemente este es el más decepcionante y bastante caro para lo que se ofrece. No dejamos propina, por una buena razón. Lamentablemente no fue una experiencia edificante.

Almorcé en Light on the Common ayer, el restaurante estaba lleno pero solo había 2 empleados en el restaurante y, a pesar de una larga espera, otros clientes que vinieron después de nosotros estaban siendo atendidos antes que nosotros.Fue difícil llamar la atención del personal y tuvimos que pedir repetidamente cosas que no aparecían la primera vez que preguntamos y el servicio rara vez fue con una sonrisa.El restaurante estaba extremadamente caliente y no había suficientes ventiladores para todos.El menú era muy limitado.Aunque fue bueno obtener un descuento del gobierno si va a agregar 12. 5 sercice, entonces el servicio debe justificarlo.

Today we went back to light on the common after lockdown, ordered our food. This is what was served to us. Soy latte - served with rotten soy milk Fresh orange juice - is no longer fresh replaced with carton orange juice Crush avocado on Sourdough bread - no longer sourdough bread it is brown bread. When we confronted waitress, no apologies, she just walked away by saying ‘OK’.... Very disappointed with poor food standards and misleading menu.