Having just read about this restaurant in Quandoo last night, I decided to try it out this evening. It's a great little Italian restaurant serving excellent quality food and wine with quite a different menu to the usual. The seafood stew, on a plate, was a great combination of seafood, cooked perfectly, and other great flavours, although there was just a little too much garlic for my taste. It's the sort of dish that you want another one of straight away. Wines were varied and good value for small glasses and bottles - a nice change. Try the plate of Italian cheeses - lovely quality served at a good temperature. Great all round with very friendly people and I'd go back there tomorrow.

We love this restaurant and go there fairly frequently. The staff are wonderful but the food can vary a bit and this time wasn't the best we've had. For the first time in my life, I sent a starter back. It wasn't that I didn't like it, it was actually inedible (others in the party agreed). The waiter acknowledged it wasn't to everyone's taste and that others had disliked it so I wonder why they keep it - raw scallops marinated in campari and orange. I had expected something vaguely ceviche-like but the the campari and orange gave the scallops a really awful bitter taste. They were incredibly nice about it, produced an alternative (delicious) immediately (didn't charge for the rejected scallops) and the rest of the meal was very pleasant. Not amazing - as it has been on previous occasions but nice enough. I'd still recommend 500 as it's great value and a lovely atmosphere. It would be nice to be 100% sure of the food though.

Lovely food, awesome staff, good wine list. And not crazy expensive and you get a lot for your money in quality! Restaurant is a bit hot only downside.

The best little restaurant in North London. Perfect food, warm friendly and efficient service. The red wine recommended was super. We had a French wine buff with us and he was impressed !

Great food and service only downside was the interior is a bit bland so not especially atmospheric but that aside we had an excellent meal.

Wonderful food, great wine list and cosy atmosphere. Starters were delicious, but the main course was absolutely amazing. We had a mushroom risotto with black truffle. The best I ever had! And at the end, a proper Italian coffee!

Great food, great service, great wine, great ice cream and tiramsu, great prices - it is an undoubted great winner - I have told friends!!!

This was our fourth visit at 500. It's not cheap but we live locally and enjoy a good night out so we think it's worth it now and again. The food is generally of a good standard and service efficient, if not a tad rushed.

Haven't been for a bit - but still a high quality friendly Italian restaurant. Rabbit main was awesome, good lamb cutlets, and my daughter did her Morticia Addams impersonation by having cuttlefish and black ink pasta. Not cheap for Archway but way better value than the restaurants in Central London.

The best pasta dishes in London, especially the ravioli Great wine and service too. We love coming here and keep returning as the menu changes seasonally

I love this place. It is the perfect choice for a relaxed dinner with friends. It's fairly small but not poky, big enough to get a good atmosphere; the food is excellent, fresh and interesting, and the wine list has some firm favourites. I'll definitely be going back.

Excellent as always and v good value. They have introduced a new mini starter , like tapas, which was perfect for those of us who like to try a few different things.

Marvellous food and good wine list. Completely unpretentious. Interesting menu - Good quality ingredients: there were truffle shavings; unusual combinations such as rabbit cooked in balsamic vinegar or panna cotta flavoured with liquorice. Not cheap, but great value.

Excellent - great food and service and reasonably priced - makes a change from so many mediocre and overpriced restaurants in smarter parts of town like Hampstead

The food was terrific..as it is every time we go there. Staff+service is always excellent BUT ....it is so terribly noisy that it makes conversation really difficult.

Our favourite restaurant in the area. Always welcoming, food inventive and tasty (eg home-made gravadlax with grapefruit, lamb chops with roast beetroot and spinach), good selection of interesting wines.

Food was ok but certainly not incredible and the service was very slow. Quite buzzy though and had a nice ambience. Might visit again but not on my list of favourite eateries.

A gem of a restaurant serving authentic imaginative Italian food. One of my favourite places to eat. Great service, great food, great ambience...... Nothing else needed.

Last minute booking for Dad's birthday. We were sat a little too tightly but still, great food and the staff were lovely - even provided a complimentary birthday tiramisu, which was fantastic!

This little neighborhood restaurant is terrific. Food is consistently absolutely delicious...fresh...well presented and wonderful value for money. Service is very friendly and efficient. One of my tops places to eat in London!

Good quality food in an unpretentious restaurant. we tried a few starters of which the crab was my favourite and the fried ravioli was the least. The sea bass special on spinach was delicious às was the chocolate and chili mousse. I will be returning.

Service, ingredients and their preparation, wine, is all perfect. It's always a very good experience to step into such a small place on the Holloway Road and find such a gem hidden in north London.

Splendid food, good wine, easy atmosphere so we had an excellent evening in this small and special restaurant which is an old favourite of ours.

Best Italian food around Great service, friendly staff, good menu choices . Love the tapas type plates to start Definitely would recommend this great restaurant

Excellent starters and mains, desserts not to our taste. Lovely atmosphere however a rather impatient waiter dampened the evening some what. Felt pressured into ordering when we were not ready - unnecessary hovering over our table made the start of the evening uncomfortable. Felt like we were being rushed when there was no need to be.

Food was good and we liked the option of half-size starters for smaller appetites. Service was prompt but unintrusive and the waiter went out of his way to accommodate slightly unusal requests. A bit noisy but a nice relaxed atmosphere.

Excellent authentic Italian food, intimate atmosphere, friendly waiting staff. Extensive wine list, and Orvieto on offer! Easy booking on line, with confirmation email. Parking on side street no difficulty in a Saturday evening.

My wife and I enjoyed a really excellent meal in a relaxed and friendly environment. It's always a particular pleasure to come here regularly during the truffle season

Excellent dinner, friendly reception with proper Italian (speaking) waiters & chef. Unfortunately too noisy for intelligent (or even polite) conversation. What about a few soft furnishings?

Great food and wine! Friendly and efficient service! What more could you ask for a Friday night out? Would thoroughly recommend! We will be visiting again very soon!

Very good as always ! Lovely true Italian in Holloway / Archway. Nice atmosphere. Reasonable prices and lovely staff ! Definitively recommend to anyone who wants a nice evening of great Italian food and good wine.

We thought the restaurant was distinctly average. It's location is not great if you don't live in the Islington area. The venue was ordinary. The staff were pleasant. They had a good house Soave. But the food was nothing special. The best thing we had was the sea bass. We won't hurry back.

Once again a great meal and friendly and helpful service. We will be back. Any restaurant that offers rabbit has to be good - and great to have seasonal veg.

Excellent food - proper hearty Italian food of great quality, the rib eye steak, the rabbit in wild garlic and lasagnetta of crab were particular standouts. The place was full even on a Wednesday evening.

The service was ridiculous. No sooner were we seated than we were given menus. After literally one or two minutes the waiter returned to take our orders and within five minutes our starters were served. The moment we had finished our plates were whisked away and the main courses were served. It was like being on a conveyor belt! There were four of us and with one exception the food was fine - but not great. As he collected our plates, the waiter asked whether everything had been OK. I informed him that the steak had been fatty and grisly and he said he'd tell the manager. Nobody came to apologise or explain. We have been to this restaurant quite a few times in the past - but won't be going again in the future. If we want to be rushed through a not-very-good meal, there's always McDonalds!

Just delicious and a fantastic friendly service from everyone. The wine list is of particular interest - some excellent, reasonably priced wines to choose from.

Good food and good service. Will definitely go back. Decent verity of Veggie options and sea food. Reasonable prices. Nice easy atmosphere. Great to have a good quality Italian so local.

The restaurant has a nice ambience, and the food was delicious- from the cicchetti to the main courses. There is also a very good selection of wines by the glass.

Had a dinner with friends and we enjoyed awesome seafood pasta and squid ink risotto. Tirami su was very nice as it not too sweet. We will definitely go back!

Great traditional Italian food. The pasta is excellent and fresh as is the bread. We also really enjoyed the wine list which is organised by region.

The menu is constantly changing. All mouth watering descriptions. I've been here for the 4th time. This time the Veal, Truffle Oil Ravioli in Sage and butter, wasn't as good as the one I had from Pasta Ramoli at Finsbury Park. I couldn't taste the butter or Truffle oil. Veal was naturally lean so it was quite dry. The Duck breast starter and broccoli soup was very good. Starter and Main no drink, £25 .

Delicious, very nicely presented and prepared food, good wines, unobtrusive and friendly service. Somewhat of an over-emphasis on meat for my taste, but that's partly down to what I chose.

We had a great time at 500. A fantastic local restaurant, with good service and a well source inexpensive wine list. Will definitely be going again soon!

Hidden jewel - only wish I had found it before now. Will definitely be back to try the rest of the menu. Superbly traditional. Family friendly too.

Great food. Varied menu with a good mix of meat, fish and vegetarian. Good wine list maybe an alternative to prosecco for those who don't like it. Good service. Lightning could be a bot more atmospheric.

Excellent menu and service.We were 6 people and all agreed on an excellent meal.Good value and varied choice helped towards a very good experience there

Well prepared, well presented food with good service in a small restaurant with a pleasant atmosphere. Appreciated the personal touch from the chef talking to the diners. Will go back.

There are some Italian restaurants as good. None better. it is not expensive - you feel at home. Why pay more? No reason to do so

Great food And uber efficient service, dishes are inventive but not redicuolsly overpriced or experimental, superb quality ingredients In a comfortable relaxed environment, great list of grapa's well worth trying. Alan

This is the best restaurant in the area . Privately owned by the manager and the chef who care about fresh interesting ingredients and dishes. Cannot recommend highly enough.