One of my favorite under-the-radar BYOBs in Rittenhouse. Bistro La Baia nails the combination of great food, attentive service, and a fair price point. The grilled octopus salad was outstanding, my veal was excellent, and my wife's pasta was amazing. The staff is warm, accommodating, and genuinely cares about the experience. Loved it and will be back!! read more

Absolutely delicious and homey!!! Thank you for the delicious pescadore - the seafood tasted very fresh

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Small dining area a bit tight.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I had sliced sausage and wide pasta was surprisingly good. The appetizers I tried not so much though. read more

Nestled in a cozy corner space, La Baia is the perfect neighborhood dinner spot. The food is fresh, prepared to order and to perfection. Pastas--I've had the truffle buccatini and the Cappelini Johnny Rocco--are exceptionally delicious, served with pasta al dente and in generous portions. The mussels are plump and well sauced, the eggplant rollatini, an appetizer, almost enough for a meal and bulging with cheese and herbs. Service is friendly, helpful, and efficient. This is a place to return to often, as you will always be delighted. read more

Nice lil spot for some Italian food, that is also a BYOB. Menu has many classic Italian dishes to choose from, and you get a bread basket and oil with dinner as well. [[HIGHLIGHT]]They have some sidewalk tables as well.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Ordered the veal cleopatra and it was tasty. The veal was just a bit too tenderized, but still fine. Fresh veggies and potatoes in the sauce all complemented it well. Good neighborhood spot for some Italian food. Thanks read more

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Absolutely amazing food, very nice service, highly recommended! BYOB also helps, by the way

[[HIGHLIGHT]]This place was AMAZING!! It was so cozy inside and made me feel like I was in Europe.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The service was a bit slow, but that added to the Europe feel I suppose. The food, however, was outstanding. I wanted to lick the sauce lol. Went with my family and really enjoyed t some appetizers and main courses. The arugula salad was delicious and so was the lobster ravioli, branzino, and salmon. Overall, I would definitely recommend this restaurant! read more

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This place and Ilir earned my heart. Amazing homemade pasta. One of the best Italian places I've ever tried. So good, and the portions are really big. The dessert is also a 10/10. 100% recommend. read more

Bistro La Baia - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Cute family owned corner Italian restaurant that deserves 5 stars because of their amazing bread dipping sauce and their amazing chicken marsala. My wife has never liked chicken marsala and I've taken her to a few good spots and she absolutely loved it here. It was one of the best I've had as well. We'll be back often! read more

Bistro La Baia - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

BYOB, food is just okay but with large portions, service is great a place for when you don't really know where to go, haven't made a reservation for anything on a friday night (if your group is small), and don't want to break the bank. $30/pp for dinner after tax and tip, and I brought a bottle of wine to split. read more

The food was delicious, and service was friendly, attentive, and fast! BYOB so grab a bottle of wine to enjoy with dinner! I recommend the eggplant rollatini to start. We went on a Saturday for lunch during Restaurant Week. [[HIGHLIGHT]]A very cozy and family style place.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The food was good and portions were definitely on the bigger side. The service was decent. The Tiramisu and the Panna Cotta were one of the best we have tried. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The downside was that the inside feels very cramped and the tables are too close to each other.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Overall a good experience but really wish they would expand the space and make more room.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]The seating arrangement was not enjoyable.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Bistro La Baia - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Another location for restaurant week. A very nice and intimate location. The staff is kind and checks in with anything you need. The Polpette was delicious, they have an amazing red sauce to go along with it, I think a tad bit more salty would really enhance the flavors in it, however I would definitely order it again as is. The grilled salmon was cooked excellent, it wasn't dry and it held its juices, the potatoes and vegetables were well cooked as well and complimented the meal nicely. For dessert I got the affogatto and this was my first time. I must say they were setting the bar pretty high as I'm not insanely crazy about espresso. My only issue was the small bit of ice cream I received, other than that, it was such a reboost and refresh for a dessert. read more

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1st time dining here and was very impressed. Great service and food. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Charming, but very small![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Highly recommended! read more

I came here as part of Center City's Restaurant Week & here are my takeaways: Ambiance: the place is small and intimate. I got there at 6pm and there were only 6 other people in the restaurant. I was seated right across from the door, which I didn't mind for the most part but I did get a chill anytime the door was opened. The place started getting full around 7 PM. Service: the staff were great. Very attentive and checked in on me periodically to make sure I was doing alright. There were only two people working, which was fine, but did cause a bit of a slowdown when the place began filling up. Food: I started off with the polpette (meatballs) and they were good and a good size for an appetizer for one person. The gnocchi pesto was delicious. The gnocchi are perfectly made and the pesto was great, not too oily. The portion of the gnocchi was also very gracious and I had leftovers to bring home. Now to the star of the show: their homemade tiramisu. Probably the best tiramisu I've had in Philadelphia. Overall, I think I just found my new favorite Italian restaurant in Philly! read more

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A cute corner Italian restaurant that's BYOB! The restaurant fills up fast when you have a large group. It also gets loud because everyone's talking. We ordered the chicken piccata and lobster ravioli. The flavors are nice. The service is good and the servers are attentive. Portions are small so we had some extra room for dessert (or second dinner). *we were part of a large group and had a preset menu to order from. read more

Bistro La Baia - Pollo Piccata - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]Nice surroundings[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Food is great, plus with make anything you can think up [[HIGHLIGHT]]The place is a nice size, small and intimate but not too small.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Server were very friendly so made for a very welcoming feeling read more

Food is incredible! A great neighborhood spot. Add this to your list of must eat places. read more

Bistro La Baia - Wonderful service and a cozy place to be anytime of year! - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Delicious food and good homemade desserts as well! Very friendly too! [[HIGHLIGHT]]Cute little hide away place-we will definitely go back.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

The food was good not great I'd give it a 6/10. The chocolate mousse is incredible 10/10. They place is cozy and cute and the staff are friendly and nice. This place is BYOB, so keep that in mind. read more

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Had an okay experience here. We reserved a table for 7. We arrived on time but waited over 20 minutes to be seated since the space was so small and the previous party had not left. We came to this place as it was BYO. The interior space is quite small. The environment was quite lively, but not overly loud. Fettuccini Ragu - Flavor was alright, noodles seemed a little soggy, serving size was large Gnocchi Pesto - Pesto did not seem that fresh Mussels in Red SAuce - Okay, the flavor of the sauce was not great We had our bread refilled several times as we were dining as a large group and they did charge extra for that. The service was fine, but it did take a while to get the check. Also, this place takes cards instead of only cash, but the receipt is handwritten on paper. Overall, the food was not great, but the ambiance was nice. I wouldn't recommend coming here as there are better options for Italian BYO in Philly. read more

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I can't say enough good things about this cute restaurant nestled in a fairly residential Philly neighborhood. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Amazing food, friendly and attentive service, nice atmosphere, fair prices.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] BYOB too! Will return the next time I visit Philadelphia. read more

I hate to give this restaurant only two stars, but that's all they deserve. Unfortunately, the service was just so poor. When I first walked in, the waiter just stared at me instead of welcoming me into the restaurant, which seems like an obvious, socially intelligent thing to do. Also, there were only two waiters working on a Friday night despite them being very busy. Now, it's understandable if places are busy - that's not why they're getting 2 stars. What really seals the deal is that they were unapologetic about the bad service! It took forever to place our orders and to have the food brought out to us. They offered no explanations or apologies for the poor service. In order to order dessert we really had to flag down someone down! Throughout our meal, they didn't check up on us at all! That's just lower than the bare minimum of poor behavior... The reason I'm not giving this restaurant one star is because their food was good with generous portions and an acceptable price. I won't be for coming back again because they act they don't want business. As for the other characteristics, there's plenty of outdoor seating although it is quite bare looking. Also, the inside is quite cute with a calming painting on the wall. It is BYOB as well. read more

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]Bistro la Baia is a charming neighborhood restaurant just off Rittenhouse Square.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] You are greeted with a warm welcome. [[HIGHLIGHT]]It is a small room with nice spacing between tables and charming ambiance...no objectionable noise level..easy for across the table conversation.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] It is a BYOB. There is a mural across one wall wlong with original prints. We had home made meatballs the size of tennis balls for an appetizer..3 to an order! the chef prepared our requested chicken marsella even though it was not on the menu. Wonderful service, delicious food, great price value. read more

Bistro La Baia - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Service is great, and all the foods tasted really good. The portion sizes were really big and we had a great time here. We were given complimentary bread and started off with some appetizers (Polenta Bruschetta, Eggplant Rollatini, and PEI Mussels). I highly recommend the PEI mussels on white wine sauce and leaving some of the bread to dip with the sauce! My party got the Gnocchi Pesto, Linguine Meatballs, Linguine Clams with White Sauce, and Fettuccine Short Rib Ragu. They were all very good. The meatballs in the Linguine Meatballs were huge had cheese in them! For dessert we ordered the Pistachio Panna Cotta (highly recommend), Semifreddo, and a cup of coffee. The place is very small, but the atmosphere is very cozy and cute. I would recommend calling ahead if you want to eat indoors during this pandemic. Would love to come again! read more

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The appetizers were ok. Gnocchi was good but I found a hair in my food and so did one other person in my party (different dishes). It was a short black/dark brown hair, from someone with short hair or a beard. [[HIGHLIGHT]]They have a serious cleanliness issue I will never eat here again.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]A shame because the service and ambiance were nice.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

My friend and I made reservations here for restaurant week! I arrived first and checked in to get our table. The place was tiny! I was told they were going to wait to clear another table if I wanted to sit in the middle table (small area) and wait. I said that's fine! I was still waiting on my friend. My friend arrived. Then another couple came in and the guy asked us if he can seat them there and we get the next table I'm like okay whatever. Started to get annoyed so we told them we would stay at our table and it was fine. A huge surge of people came in maybe 15 mins after we sat down. The waiters didn't come for awhile and took orders from tables that came in after us. After 20 mins of sitting at our table we finally ordered our food. My friend ran out to get us a bottle of wine (forgot it was BYOB) and the bread for our table came 10 mins later. Now to the menu! For appetizers we got the caprese (which was fresh and delicious) and the aranchini balls (have gotten better and it was luke warm so seems like it was sitting out). For entrees my friend got the chicken Parm which was huge! And came with linguae. I got the veal with mushrooms sauce, mash and veggies. Veal was very thin cut but flavors from the sauce was delicious. We did like the big portions. For dessert we both got the tiramisu. Very very good. Overall food was good. Service wasn't too great and the whole mix up and waiting in the beginning was annoying (which is why it's 3 stars instead of 4). read more

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We came here for lunch on a Saturday right at 12:30pm. It's a little bit small but it was just us for two and a half hours! The food is very tasty and the lunch portions are good. They even made an exception and made a lunch version of the chicken parm for my friend. The desserts were excellent! I highly recommend the tartufo. This place is BYOB and I'm sure it's a hit for dinner time! read more

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Came here for Restaurant Week ($40 3-course dinner) -- seems like a 10% to 20% discount from the normal pricing depending on what you order. Polenta Bruschetta: An interesting take on bruschetta, this dish was not the star of the night. A bit scarce on the diced tomatoes, this dish would have benefited from more tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. The goat cheese provided little distinct flavor, but made the polenta moist and crumbly. I think I'll stick with more traditional bruschetta (fresh bread, diced tomatoes, olive oil/balsamic vinegar). Branzino: The star of the night, this dish was delicious. The bass was seasoned well and cooked to perfection; mashed potatoes were thick, smooth, and buttery; the veggies were fine additions as well though nothing to cry home about. On top of it all, the lemon juice broth/gravy surrounding everything really enhanced the bass and mashed potatoes. Chocolate Mousse Cake: Rich and moist, the cake was tasty. I devoured it in just a few moments. Only wish it were a bigger slice! Value: 3/5 Quality: 4/5 Quantity: 4/5 Service: 3/5 Atmosphere: 3/5 read more

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Incredible. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Wonderful atmosphere, cozy, and I felt like I was in my grandmas kitchen.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]A great evening.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

For a restaurant week date night, I decided it was time to try Bistro La Baia. I have passed this cute little Italian spot plenty of times walking through my neighborhood and checked out the mixed reviews here on Yelp. My boyfriend and I decided we'd see for ourselves what we thought of Bistro La Baia. We were easily able to make our reservation by calling about a week in advance. While on the phone they let us know that they are BYOB. I noticed that past reviews note that it is cash only, but we learned that they do accept cards now. Upon our arrival for our Sunday night dinner, we were seated immediately, and brought water and bread with oil and balsamic. Contrary to other reviews, the service was extremely prompt. We placed our full orders from starters to desserts and within minutes our first dishes were brought out. We were so shocked by the quick service that I checked the time, and learned we had been there 15 minutes when our entrees arrived. The entire experience start to finish took 48 minutes, but we did not feel rushed at all. I was seriously blown away considering what I had read from others regarding slow service being a big issue. To eat, we started with the Eggplant Rollatini and Arancini. The Arancini was not crisp on the outside, but the flavor was good and the sauce was delicious. The Eggplant Rollatini was delicious and similar to the arancini, the sauce was perfection. I'm super picky when it comes to tomato sauce and I would genuinely eat this with a spoon. For entrees, my boyfriend had the Pappardelle con Salsiccia. The pasta was fresh, sausage was flavorful, and the sauce was delicious. The dish was very hot temperature wise as well, which was great because we made our walk over in the snow. For my entree, I had the Chicken Parmesan which was a gamble on my part. I tend to skip ordering chicken parm out, because I'm really picky. However, the picture of the dish on their website intrigued me so I went for it. I'm so glad that I did! The chicken was not crispy, but it was thinly sliced and portioned well. I ordered a side of veggies with it instead of the pasta. The veggies were so well seasoned! For dessert, we tried the Chocolate Cake and Panna Cotta. Both were great, but we both preferred the chocolate cake. From start to finish, the service was attentive, the food was delicious, and the portions for the price were perfect. We're super excited to return with friends and enjoy this neighborhood BYOB gem! read more

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This little Italian cove definitely hit the spot. I came here for a byo was a small group and two service great (not too fast or too slow, we were there for about an hour and a half, but it looked like people were there for a while just eating and chatting). The menu was pretty small but they were very accommodating and even had gluten free options! I got the pesto gnocchi and it was really good, you could tell the gnocchi was hand cut and the pesto was rich but not too oily. Everyone in the group was happy with their meals (the chicken parm looked amazing and it even came with pasta). It's definitely a more casual spot, so no need to get all dressed up. The food was pricey but it was really well done. Overall, this bistro will definitely be on my best byo list! read more

Bistro La Baia - Pesto Gnocchi - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Great BYOB Italian place just south of Rittenhouse Square! I went there for restaurant week. The food was excellent. The waiter was very friendly and attentive. It never felt like we were waiting too long for him to take our order or deliver our food or the check. It is a little pricey, but on par with most other Italian places in the area. [[HIGHLIGHT]]It's also a small place, so be sure to make a reservation to guarantee yourself seating.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I will definitely come back! read more

The food here is fire. It feels like you're in someone's home and they're making you all their favorite dishes. Not sure why the reviews were so mixed. Would recommend anything seafood - all fresh and delicious. read more

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Snagged a restaurant.com deal for Bistro La Baia, and since it's about 1 block away from home, we had to go for it! We easily made reservations for a random weeknight and were promptly seated on our arrival. La Baia is a quaint, small spot but it's so cozy and home that it feels just right. The artwork on the wall is beautiful, and the employees are quite authentic and genuine. There were a few other diners there when we visited, but we still felt safely isolated at our table. Service was pretty prompt for us, and our waiter was so kind in giving us a discount in lieu of our restaurant.com coupon since the restaurant no longer accepted the coupon. Much appreciated! For food, I'm a sucker for homemade gnocchi and after reading some stellar Yelp reviews, I went for the gnocchi with pesto sauce. The bowl was massive - I was pleasantly surprised by the quantity! The gnocchi themselves were delightful - the density was just right yet they were still fluffy and not super heavy. The amount of pesto accompanying the pasta was proportionate; I was happy the gnocchi weren't swimming in sauce! It was definitely one of the better gnocchi I've had, especially with the homemade aspect. My fiancee opted for the pappardelle con salsicccia which he also really enjoyed; we never have pappardelle, so it was a special treat to have it, and the pasta paired nicely with the sausage and light vodka sauce. His also was appropriately dressed in sauce, which he also appreciated. Our meal was accompanied by complimentary bread and oil / vinegar, which is a rarity at restaurants these days and a welcome addition. La Baia is BYOB without a corkage fee, so we enjoyed a glass of red with our pasta dishes. Since we skipped out on an app, we figured we had to go for dessert. Tiramisu is my fave dessert, so I had to get that, and my fiancee went for the pistachio panna cotta. My tiramisu was good - not the best piece I've had, the amaretto flavoring could have been a bit stronger, but still good nonetheless. This was my fiancee's first try of panna cotta, and he enjoyed it, commenting on the nice pairing of the berry and pistachio. We were stuffed by the end of the night, and we were excited to take home a good bit of leftovers to enjoy another day! We had a great weeknight date night at La Baia, and we truly enjoyed our meals. I'm an Italian food critic (my mom is 100% Italian), but La Baia stood up to my standards. Highly recommend for a quaint and cozy date night spot in Grad Hospital, and be sure to bring a bottle of wine! We will definitely be returning again! read more

Bistro La Baia - Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Restaurant Week!!! I love trying new Italian spots for restaurant week. This time La Baia caught my eye and they did not disappoint. I loved the atmosphere reminded me of Italy soon as I walked in. Starting with meatballs and caprese salad were both made fresh. My aunt decided on the Bronzino while I went for the Pappardelle con salsiccia. The food came out out and the sauce on the fish was amazing. BYOB always adds an extra plus. Can't wait to come back and try other dishes. read more

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Bistro La Baia is the real deal! The waiter was attentive and recommended a few dishes. He let us know that his chef could make many dishes not on the menu so one of us ordered chicken Marsala off menu. She said it was perfect. Fresh pasta with short rib ragu was one of the best I've had. Try it out-you'll leave happy! read more

Loved the vibe here, came here with no expectations but left incredibly satisfied!! We ordered mussels for the table which we enjoyed and I had the Fettuccine Ragu which was amazing -- even the leftovers were great when reheated. They also offer cheese on top! We sat outside and the menu is on the tables as a QR code but a server takes the orders, drinks are BYOB. Really enjoyed it here, service was great, and will probably be back when I'm in the area!! read more

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Ahh, Valentine's Day... the hype around it gets so real. I can't imagine how horrible it was this year during the pandemic especially with capacity restrictions! Men, if you're reading this, do yourself a favor and make a reminder to not wait till the week before when making Valentine's Day plans next year. Reservations fill up quick!! Anyway, my boyfriend did just that and waited the week before to make plans... Lucky for him, he was still able to find a place, and this is where he booked our reservations. It did not disappoint. I didn't mind not going somewhere popular for once. Bistro La Baia provided me with just the vibe I was looking for. I admit, we were a bit overdressed because we didn't know what to expect... but that's our own fault. The restaurant is def a hole in the wall, very homey feeling and we could've just dressed a bit more comfortably. I would describe the dress code as casual. But being that it was Valentine's Day it saved us from social embarrassment. LOL The restaurant is very small, with tiny tables. It's a bit outdated inside, but it added a rustic feel. Didn't bother me too much. Service was good, the staff were very attentive. It's BYOB so make sure you bring some wine. Food was just delicious. They had a fixed menu (3 course meal) for Valentine's Day, but we had so many entrees to choose from! Which I loved. Everything was just superb and perfectly seasoned, I devoured everything instantly and left NO crumbs. Would def return. Shh! Please don't tell my boyfriend that the lamb chops and tiramisu stole my heart on Valentine's Day read more

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Bistro La Baia has the best gnocchi in Philly, in my humble opinion! Their outdoor tables for 2-4 guests are 6 ft apart or separated by partitions and covered for comfortable outdoor dining in any weather. There was a beautiful tree blooming next to the tables when I visited. In an effort to call attention to COVID-safe outdoor dining done well and support local businesses, I have started an Instagram account @PhillyCovidDiningGuide showing the outdoor setups at restaurants! Check out my post on Bistro La Baia and others here https://www.instagram.com/phillycoviddiningguide/ read more

Bistro La Baia - the outside of a restaurant - Italian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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It was a cold night at the end of a long and arduous year, and COVID19 precautions had made dining out (literally, in little wooden sidewalk pod enclosures) less than completely appealing. But this lady was determined to still have a nice chef-prepared dinner for her wedding anniversary, and she was going to trek out by bus and trudge through icy air to get it. Italian pasta was the plan, and after much searching on Yelp (whereby I discovered many COVID19-related closures), I finally found Bistro La Baia. With promising reviews, we decided to try this option on the outskirts of Rittenhouse Square. Lobster ravioli for me, and penne arrabiata for the significant other. The food was ready right on time when I arrived, and came with a complimentary bundled of delicious slices of Italian bread that practically crackles when bitten into. The entrees were quite good as well. The ravioli consisted of six pieces, two sauteed shrimp and a rich, creamy tomato sauce. That and half a piece of the Italian bread made for a perfectly portioned and delicious meal for me. The penne arrabiata was a larger portion, and while not the best ever, it still met with the S.O.'s overall approval. The sidewalk seating wooden pods were empty when I arrived, but that was before 6PM, so maybe the restaurant was busier later in the evening. It really gave me the impression of the sort of place that would primarily be frequented by residents of the surrounding neighborhoods. The one person I interacted with there was very polite and helpful (even giving me time to put my mittens back on before handing me the food for my journey home). I probably wouldn't have thought to try Bistro La Baia under most circumstances, so it was a nice discovery. I hope that it'll be able to survive the wave of restaurant closures that Philadelphia has seen as a result of the pandemic. read more