500 Restaurant in Islington

Unfortunately this must be one of the worst italian restaurants I’ve ever tried. The bread was cold and didn’t come with olive oil or butter, gnocchi wasn’t good and in general the vegetarian options weren’t my favorite. My partner got the lamb dish and didn’t enjoy it either. Definitely would not recommend.

This was the real deal. Great bread and wonderful olive oil. Lovely fritto misto (could have been a slightly larger portion) to start and then hake and borlotti main course well executed. Gusippe (chef) and Mario are attentive hosts and we’ll definitely return. I’d say booking ahead is necessary which probably tells you all you need to know. We did return for a birthday meal. Fritto misto was packed with prawns and calamari and my main of guinea fowl was half a bird with spinach in a delicious prune sauce.

We love this place! Proper Italian like nonne make

Delicious food and friendly service. Can’t wait to go back!

It had been well over 10 years since our last visit having left London. The food was superb, especially the fried ravioli and we would recommend it without hesitation.

Comida increíble, era muy fresca y el sabor de cada plato era espectacular, tanto chef como camarero eran extremadamente educados. El ambiente es perfecto para una cita o con un amigo

Llevamos años viniendo a Cinquecento y estamos muy contentos de que siga aquí. Creo que lo pasaron muy mal en Covid pero han sobrevivido. La comida es sencilla y muy buena, las porciones son generosas. La presentación es sencilla, si usted está buscando platos para instagram este no es el lugar para ir. Tienen un buen sistema de poder pedir un entrante a mitad de precio por media porción. Perfecto si no tienes mucha hambre o te gustaría probar dos o más. La carta de vinos a un precio muy razonable también. Uno de nuestros favoritos.

You have to eat here! It's. That. Good. My husband eats here whenever he visits London on business, and I finally was able to join him last Friday. What an incredible dinner! From the homemade puffed ravioli and carpaccio starters to the homemade ravioli stuffed with ricotta, butter and black truffle sauce, to the pan fried fillets of branzino with a pistachio/basil sauce (see pic below), every bite was a pleasure! The wine paired perfectly, Giorgio was the perfect host and Mario was the exceptional chef. We savored each course and topped it off with their delicious gelato for dessert and weere the last guests to leave that night. It was an exceptional experience from start to finish and I highly, highly recommend eating here!

I visited 500 for first time after 10 years. Food remains amazing, portions are very good and it is still very well priced. The atmosphere was very nice and friendly. The people that run the place love their job.

Worth going out of your way to try. Amazing food and very well priced. Would highly reccomend!

Nos encanta este restaurante y vamos regularmente. La comida está todo recién cocinado y delicioso y siempre disfrutamos de la experiencia. Es acogedor y cómodo para sentarse y el personal simplemente no podría ser más amable y servicial y son muy divertidos también, siempre tenemos una buena noche. Se toman la comida en serio aquí y siempre han cumplido con mis requisitos dietéticos incluso cuando están llenos. Es un toque agradable que traigan pan al comienzo de la comida (y no cobren por ello!). Noté que el último crítico se quejaba de que no traían mantequilla. Nunca he estado en un restaurante italiano donde se proporciona mantequilla con el pan. Creemos que es uno de los mejores restaurantes de toda la zona.

Lovely home cooked Italian. Fancy yet homely. And good value . Fried ravioli - like eating a crispy cloud! Truffle pasta, oooo yum! And delicious bold wine, even by the glass.

I had an exceptional dining experience at 500 in Archway, as every time I visi. From the moment we walked in, the warm and inviting atmosphere set the stage for a memorable meal. The staff were attentive and knowledgeable, providing excellent recommendations from the extensive menu. Every dish we ordered was a masterpiece. The pasta was cooked to perfection, with rich, authentic sauces that transported us straight to Italy. The fish was fresh and very tasty. For dessert, the tiramisu was a delightful end to a flawless meal. 500 truly stands out for its commitment to quality and authentic Italian flavours. This is a must-visit restaurant for anyone in the Archway area and not only.. Highly recommended!

Firstly this review is 100 % genuine. I have been to this quaint little restaurant which is nicely decorated and comfortable. Unfortunately ....I asked for orange juice as my drink....and told they don't have this.Quite unbelievable really. Got some bread to start .....asked for some butter ....told they didn't have any.But they said I could have some oil.But what they didnt tell me until I got the bill was that it was 2.50 for a very small dish of olive oil.Totally unacceptable really. Main dish was Hake ....it was OK but nothing special ....but the price was quite expensive. I personally believe there are better restaurants.

Just don't bother wasting your money

Delicious food, incredible value, and lovely friendly staff - 100% will be back!

The food here is amazing - I had carpaccio of beef to start with balsamic glazed strawberries - divine! The pasta mains are super tasty and large . Special Gave de Gavi for £35 - all unbelievable value . Lovely atmosphere - friendly and buzzy. Great for dinner - casual or a special event

The whole family loves 500! This is my favourite Italian restaurant in London. The service is impeccable, the pasta is exquisite and the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. I especially love the ragu, you can tell it takes hours to prepare and many years of experience from a world class chef. See you this weekend!

Little Italian gem tucked away on Holloway Rd, off Archway. Always seen this place but never tried until a friend booked it. Authentic Italian, delicious pasta and will def be going back to try more dishes. Wine was excellent and well priced

Delicious Italian food in a cozy, romantic setting. A little on the pricier side but the quality matches the price

I have enjoyed going to this restaurant every time I have been. The menu is lovely - I particularly love the burrata starter, but everything on the menu is nice. The wine list is very decent. The service is excellent. Really great to have this place in the local area.

Possibly the best Italian place in London, and I've been to a few

Absolutely delicious with an exciting menu - the ricotta pumpkin and amaretti ravioli in sage butter was to die for and my baked rabbit was also very tasty in a delicious sauce. We got a selection of great antipasti and starters and the bread for the table was amazing. We can’t wait to return! It looks unassuming from the outside, but don’t be fooled it’s fantastic!

I am generally so tired of every Italian restaurant in London serving the same dishes... The food here is not only far more delicious, but also far more original and unique than any Italian I have ever had in the city. The lamb stew and sage butter ravioli in particular were outstanding! I will be returning many times and cannot recommend it enough

Nice place with Italian food near Archway.

Great "real" Italian restaurant doing Italian food. (No Pizza, though I am sure if it did Pizza it would do it well). Sardinian slant to the menu.

Four of us went for dinner Saturday evening. We had an excellent tasty 3 courses dinner. Service was friendly and efficient. We would definitely recommend this restaurant.

This really was an amazing place to eat. The food was absolutely top level. Very tasty with the best of ingredients. Decent wines as well. Loved the homemade tiramisu for dessert too. Loved it all really! Certainly somewhere to come back to again.

Wonderful experience from start to end. Great service and delicious delicious food. Great wine and tasty desserts. Loved it

500 is the most wonderful Italian restaurant. The food is better than the big central London restaurants. We first visited when we were still living in Holloway, and we’ll happily travel across London to enjoy their gorgeous food. The ravioli fritti are a must, as is their spectacular ragu. This visit I had the seafood & pistachio tagliatelle, which was absolutely to die for. I’m still dreaming of it a week later.

I promised to the waiter of 500 I will leave the best review I've ever given so far to any Italian restaurant in London. We just fell in love with this restaurant and I regret not having tried it before. From the start we were amazed by the kindness of the staff, the dedication put in every dish and the quality of the ingredients, treated with respect and attention. They offered courtesy still water, focaccia and hand made bread (that bread by itself was outstanding). For starters we had bruchetta and some fried ravioli, which were completely new to me, and I definitely recommend this if you guys want to leave room for the main thing. There's a decent selection of wine so no problems pairing with whatever you choose for the main course. Now when the pasta came we couldn't believe this restaurant has been no more than 15 minutes from our flat all this time and we've been ignoring it. Personally, I get very emotional when someone cooks like this, you can tell the passion and interest these people put on their business. It was just beautiful, I completely recommend it. We would've loved to try desserts but we could barely move after the main! As I realised there, the 500 has been more than ten years around and you can see a wall at the entrance filled with awards and recognitions to its contribution to the neighborhood and its culinary scene. If you ever find yourself around Archway / Upper Holloway, please don't miss this extraordinary piece of Italy in London. A real hidden gem.

Beautiful history, two (three) beautiful men running such a unique, simple yet deliverable menu during such tough times shone through. Simple menu (I wish all pastas were home made) but great regardless! Keep going boys, your customer service and food made me come back - especially with Pecorino on the menu!

Hidden gem on Holloway road. Amazing and delicious home cooked Italian food.

Totally delicious from start to finish. We love 500 and have been many times over the years and have never been disappointed . Really friendly staff and such delicious food. Cannot fault anything that we had this evening and, in my opinion, very good value for money. Very highly recommended.

Always brilliant food, affordable and good atmosphere

Lovely Sicilian restaurant. Food is super good quality fresh and authentic and prices reasonable for the quality you get. Very nice service by owner who cares. Been a couple of times already and will definitely go back. Quite popular so better book.

One of those delightful places you can wonder into where the food is great, there is laughter and enjoyment and the service is quicker than a Ferrari

One of the best restaurants in London in my opinion, a real hidden gem with fantastic food at great value. The giant green olives alone are worth coming for, but each dish shows a real attention to detail and love for food. I have been coming ever since it ooened and always look forward to a visit.

The passion for what they do is clear to see and it’s truly authentic experience. The food is absolutely amazing and the service is perfect. Thank you for a lovely meal and we will certainly see you again very soon. The deserts are amazing.

Locale accogliente. Ottimo cuoco e staff gentilissimo. Si mangia benissimo. Prezzo adeguato alla qualità . Consigliato soprattutto per i buongustai. Cibo italiano ma anche prelibatezze sarde come il pane carasau e salsiccia secca. Buonissimo

Fabulous food great selection of wine beautiful restaurant

Good restaurant with good prices and excelent wine. Different dishes you wouldn't find on any place. Loved the gnocchi and the burratta. Service was the best, very attentive, including the chef. Great for groups (went with my wife, my brother and his couple).

We happened to be staying around Archway and were looking for somewhere to eat early evening. What a find……superb food at a reasonable price too ….and lovely staff and atmosphere!

Just had the best plate of lamb loin I’ve ever eaten - truly stunning cooking. Such a wonderful restaurant, lovely people. Never disappoints!

Excellent food, reasonably priced and lovely attentive service by the owners. A local gem!

Special place, special staff and special FOOD! I advise!

Great little restaurant. A hidden gem. Our waiter was very friendly and welcoming even though we hadn’t booked. The bread alone was incredible. Each course we had was delicious. The gnocchi reminded me of my mothers. And the panna cotta was the best i have ever had - flavoured with basil and strawberry, sounds like it shouldn’t work but was incredible. I would very happily go back if i am in the area.

Extremely authentic no compromise Italian food place.

Very good Italian restaurant, better than average. Small, but well thought menu. Fantastic ragù! I've tried a few pasta dishes band all were excellent. My Italian in-laws approved too.

Brilliant little Italian restaurant. I was accompanied by a few Italian friends that knew of the place and could not stop talking about it and I could see why, the food was superb and service was immaculate so I would definitely be visiting this place again. Hats of to the chef

Delicious risotto, ravioli & Burrata. Also the wine and panna cotta dessert. Would definitely return. Thank you

Always a wonderful experience with friends the pastas simply amazing ❤️

I always love this place. It never disapoints. I love the starters (esp Beef carpaccio) and sometimes just have 3 of them.

Wow amazing! The BEST ravioli I have ever had!!!! Lemon ricotta with asparagus sauce. The table also ordered the risotto and the beef ragu. They were both just as amazing. I enjoyed all three of the dishes. I can't wait to go back!

I have been visiting ever since it opened. It is as lovely as ever

If you are Italian and miss your country come here! If you are from everywhere else and you want to get a taste of real Italian food come here ! The bread was homemade! The olive oil brought me to the south italian fields ! The ravioli with lemon … Everything was perfect! The wine list is stunning! A real Italian restaurant !

Big disappointment! I don’t like the attitude the owner gave to our honest feedback. Seafood fritters were sogga and bad and the pasta was overcooked and seemed defrosted and not seasoned. I may be wrong but very lackluster

Went here for my birthday and was amazing. Food tasted amazing and was very fresh. Service was also very good

Food was excellent, real italian, as the waiter and the chef. Service was great, clean and cosy atmosphere. And the food was SOOOOO good!!!!!

Stunning little gem! We have recently discovered this gorgeous Italian family run restaurant! If you are looking for an authentic Italian restaurant this is the place! The owner is Italian, well from Sardinia (Best part of the country) so the food is 100% Italian with a hint of Sardinia cuisine, from the bread, to the cheese and the worldwide famous beer Ichnusa! It's a must! The food is very tasty, well presented and packed with flavours! Service is not rushed and they are chatty and friendly. Definitely a local spot to keep in mind!

A perfect evening. Lovely, friendly staff, scrumptious food - and overall, a relaxing, welcoming oasis amidst the madness. Red wine was lovely also (Nero d'Avola), and we were not rushed or hurried at any point. Modest but tasty & well-presented cheeseboard, too. Highly recommended if you find yourself in the area.

Good to be back!! Food and service fantastic as always. Get yourself there, you won't be disappointed.

Beautiful food, warm welcome and great atmosphere. Giorgio and Mario are excellent hosts.

Cosy Italian family restaurant. The service is good & the food is tasty. Decent price as well. Not the cleanest and the toilets weren’t the best, but we were hungry so… I ordered the tagliatelle, which was delicious. And the other two ordered rabbit, which they said tasted…interesting lol

Food disappointing. Service good.

Unfortunately have no idea how this place has such good reviews. The fritti starter was clearly frozen, tasteless and chewy, and not even served with any sauce. Likewise with the ravioli, dry and mealy. The pasta mains were more akin to what they serve people who have had jaw surgery or to newly born babies. The average age of customer seemed to be about the age of their shellfish, close to a hundred years old. The only saving grace is relatively cheap booze. DO NOT RECOMMEND. (Originally we gave it 2 stars but the aggressive and rude response of the owners made us change it to one. This attitude to the customers gives you a taste of what to expect when you go their depressing little restaurant)

Fantastic italian food with no airs about it

Excellent food in a pleasant setting, with friendly staff. 500 has a small menu, which I think means that every dish is very well done. Everything we had was exceptionally good. A starter of burrato caponata was gorgeous. My main course of sea bass in a herb crust was in a green sauce with courgettes and spring onions. My pannacotta was flavoured with basil and grappa - which sounded odd, but was subtle and gorgeous. I highly recommend this place.

Try the rabbit, ice cream, coffee, pesto, gniocci, etc etc wow

Amazing little restaurant with delicious, authentic Italian cooking for really reasonable prices. My Italian friend comes here whenever she wants a taste of home, which is the best recommendation I can give.

Great food and ambience. Quality dishes. Mario the Headchef puts so much thought and passion in his dishes. Thoroughly enjoyed my visit.

We have ordered takeout from here a few times: it is always superb quality. The fresh bread and rosemary panna cotta are particularly stand out amazing. You can tell there is a lot of love in the cooking.

500 is one of my favourite restaurants in London and I have missed it terribly during lockdown. We ordered their Valentines Day takeaway which they kindly delivered to us on Saturday and it was so nicely done - it came with a bottle of prosecco, a rose and chocolates! Thank you so much 500 - we cannot wait to return when you reopen!

A follow-up review to confirm that 500's heat at home meals match their restaurant quality. They are easy to heat in the oven/a pan, delicious and incredibly good value. In particular, can recommend the melanzane and panacotta. Their store cupboard items are well priced too. Recommended if you're tired of your own cooking and want something tasty to eat! Need to pre-order the day before though.

Recently ordered as a takeaway and blown away by the quality of food and service. Everything we ordered tasted absolutely amazing. We will definitely be ordering from this restaurant again. The food was outstanding and really made our lockdown Saturday date night.

We had a wonderful takeaway from here this evening! I had the delicious Ravioli di cervo and my husband the Strozzapreti al ragù di manzo. We can’t recommend this restaurant enough and have no hesitation in giving 5 stars. Thank you

Went for dinner tonight at short notice in these uncertain tier 2 times. Had a great silky red from Puglia, lovely starter with pheasant mousse and black truffle, nice lamb with black kale and for afters a simple yet delicious small portion of Sardinian pecorino cheese with honey. And not the least of the pleasant surprises was music from the mid to late 70s, including the mighty Quo, melodious ABBA and the ever magical and soaring Wuthering Heights just before I left. One of my favourite, go-to Italian places in North London. Grazie a tutti!

Good services, good food , good price.

Mi hija vive localmente después de mudarse a Londres para asistir a la universidad. Visitamos 500 cuando la llevamos y nuevamente en una visita familiar reciente. La comida la primera vez fue excelente, de ahí la segunda visita. El menú había cambiado, la comida de nuevo era muy buena, al igual que el servicio. Auténticos ingredientes y sabores italianos. Este restaurante será un habitual en nuestras visitas a la zona.

Nice place. Food was good and staff were helpful.

I’m Italian and I can tell you that the quality of the food is quite bad and it’s expensive. The entrance looks really cheap so if you want to bring a girl for dinner she will feel you are entering a kebab shop. Also the music is weird, just a bunch of random songs so expect from queen to Spice Girls. There is much better around.

Nice and cosy restaurant. Great service, the two owners have been so nice giving us different suggestions. Like the mix starters board, absolutely lovely! Home made pasta, Italian products and Italian tipical drinks like Mirto.

Ambiente fantástico, siéntete como en casa.Comida italiana increíble, grandes hombres de temporada con platos y vinos de toda Italia.Realmente disfruté cada plato desde los entrantes hasta el postre.El servicio fue excelente, amable y muy amable.Las sugerencias de Mario y Giorgio fueron geniales.Una de las mejores cocinas italianas de Londres.¡Definitivamente regresaré! ! !

También disfrutamos de una excelente cena posterior al cierre a las 500. Es tan bueno como siempre. Excelente comida, buen vino y un servicio encantador. Es una verdadera joya local, ¡así que visítala y continúa!También hemos probado sus opciones de cocinar en casa, que también son deliciosas y tienen una muy buena relación calidad-precio.Somos muy afortunados de tener un restaurante tan bueno en el área de Archway.¡Gracias a todo el equipo en 500!

Llevamos diez años llegando al 500 y sigue siendo nuestro restaurante italiano favorito en la zona. Ofrece una increíble relación calidad-precio por la excelente calidad de sus alimentos.A menudo pido el conejo con espinacas, que es tierno y delicioso. Su oferta web es una ganga fantástica: nos dimos el capricho de una comida de 3 platos y llegamos a casa lo suficientemente temprano para ver una película. ¡Una excelente manera de relajarse un sábado por la noche!También utilizamos el servicio de charcutería y nos dimos el capricho de la salsa de trufa de ñoquis y mascarpone recientemente. Sedoso y bien condimentado. Este es un restaurante local al que realmente queremos apoyar durante el cierre. Lo amamos.

La última vez que fuimos a 500 fue en febrero para una comida de cumpleaños familiar, pero he estado muchas veces antes y nunca me ha decepcionado. El personal te hace sentir como amigos, sin que sean dominantes en absoluto, y la comida siempre ha sido excelente. Esta no es su pizza y pasta italiana estándar; esta es la comida italiana tradicional adecuada hecha al estándar del restaurante. La comida es de temporada y el menú cambia adecuadamente. Puede que no haya una gran variedad de platos diferentes, pero esto no es necesario cuando son tan buenos. Mi suegro y mi suegra tenían los langostinos como entrante (enormes y jugosos) y el plato principal de pintadas, que les encantó. Mi pareja y yo elegimos un par de "mini entrantes" para compartir; burrata combinada con fruta (que no pensé que funcionaría, pero funciona) y verduras mixtas fritas (crujientes y nada grasosas). Mi compañero tenía un plato de lubina increíble, muy bien cocinado. Comí besugo que era espléndido (pero creo que estaba un poco celoso del bajo). Los platos de pescado siempre se combinan perfectamente con verduras que no necesariamente pensaría en usar. Me encanta este restaurante. Es pequeño, amigable, ideal para parejas y familiares o grupos de amigos. Solo estoy buscando una excusa para regresar post-covid.

Esta noche fue la primera vez que venimos aquí después de COVID, es bueno ver las mesas extendidas y desinfectante al llegar. También están haciendo "salir a comer para ayudar", lo cual es genial: ahorramos 20 en nuestra comida. El personal fue muy atento, el chef salió a recibirnos después y preguntó cómo estaba la comida. La comida era fabulosa, increíble pasta ragú y bistec como siempre. También recomiendo encarecidamente la botella de ~ 30 de passo - tinto con cuerpo, también sedoso y dulce. 500 es un pequeño gran lugar para salir a comer. La única queja es que me gustaría que tocaran música italiana más auténtica, o al menos más relajante o tranquila. No soporto el pop en el mejor de los casos, y menos cuando salgo a disfrutar de una buena comida.

Soy italiano y este es uno de los pocos restaurantes italianos en Londres que me esfuerzo por visitar con regularidad. El menú varía según la temporada con platos de gran sabor. Las pastas son deliciosas, con excelentes ragus, tanto a base de carne como de pescado. Los platos de carne y pescado también son excelentes. Por lo general, nos encanta el fritto misto cuando está en el menú. Me encanta el hecho de que no sirvan pizza. Recientemente hicimos un pedido de su Deli en línea lanzado después de Covid y estamos extremadamente satisfechos con la Lasaña y la Berenjena Parmigiana; excelente calidad a un excelente precio!

The food far surpassed the area it's located in. The slow cooked beef shin pasta and chocolate mousse dessert were real winners. The price was very reasonable and the service friendly. We will definitely be returning soon.

Very bad it was raining wanted to have a coffee and seat they would accept. Seating just for a coffee. Talk about hospitality

We decided to bring the family for our second visit to this restaurant. We had someone cancel last minute but it wasn't a problem for the waiter and we received great service all evening. The wild boar ragout was phenomenal! And the light bites to begin with are great value too. We shared a couple of different Italian reds to accompany the meal and there were no complaints on food or drink at all. Not easy for a group of 6 adults having starters and mains.Everyone had a great evening with us at 500 – we look forward to next time.

מסעדה איטלקית נהדרת, אוכל מעולה ושירות מצויין. תודה רבה על האירוח!

A very nice restaurant with friendly staff

Very enjoyable neighbourhood Italian, with interesting, unique takes on the classics!

A real hidden gem. Consistently excellent food in a simple, relaxed and friendly environment.

Had such a great evening , the food was beautifully presented and delicious and the service was attentive and charming

Lived in Archway for almost a year and only just discovered this place. The food and wine is amazing here! Relaxed atmosphere, good service and dim lights for date night. Can’t wait to come back.

Very tasty food and pleasant staff

Amazing little Italian restaurant that serves beautiful food. Perfect evening. Thanks guys x

This is an excellent local Italian restaurant. Well worth a visit!