500 Restaurant

We went to 500 for lunch last Sunday. There was only one couple there when we arrived at 1pm and, as another reviewer noted, the pop radio was blaring out a bit. It wasn't quite at a level where I'd ask them to turn it down so I left it. But 500 and all restaurants should think about whether customers out for a cosy Sunday lunch really want the music to be that loud. If they turned it down, no one would ask them to turn it up.

Apart from that we thought 500 was great. The service was welcoming and friendly and the food was terrific and good value. We both had a generous borlotti bean soup with a parmesan crust to start and pasta for mains (I had red mullet and clams and my wife had some kind of meat). It was all excellent. The wine list was reasonably priced (starting at about £14 for a house bottle). We both have good appetites but we didn't bother with dessert.

The bill came to £56 before service. For that we got a bread selection, soup x2, pasta mains x2, a large mixed salad, fizzy water x2, a beer, a large glass of wine and a double espresso.

We thought 500 was a great local Italian restaurant and it's a shame we're not in Archway much these days. It seems to be booked up far in advance in the evening but there was no problem getting a table for lunch on Sunday.

(I've given 500 a 6 for ambience because of the music - easily fixed.)
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Sean Farrell
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 9
Thursday, November 08, 2012

I went there with three friends. It was a busy Thursday night. Food was really good and attentive service. My friends were so happy for that evening. Thank you very much 500.
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James M.
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Monday, June 25, 2012

arrived to find an empty restaurant (fair enough for sunday at 5.30pm) with radio 1 (or something) blaring out into the restaurant... think it was playing super troopers by abba (perfect ambience for an italian restaurant on a sunday afternoon - NOT). Now I may sound like I'm a moany ol' cow, but really I'm not (I'm 33!, and only sometimes a moany cow). I asked the waiter politely (and slightly embarrassingly) if he'd mind putting on a different soundtrack, to which he responded "why". I didnt' really know how to respond ("because your choice of music/radio station is crap??!"). He told me that I might like the next song. Great start. Now onto the food. Previously I rated this as my favourite, well priced local Italian. This time I found the bread to be stale, the pasta a little sloppy with a strange courgette sauce that didnt' really work. My Husbands food was not so much stewed rabbit, but rather rabbit smothered in some kind of sauce. Again I had previously loved the rustic cooking here and really enjoyed their meat mains, but this time it was not up to par. The wine was ok (nothing special). Two courses plus wine and water came to over £80. I was disappointed and have vowed not to go back. So sad when a previously great local restaurant lets itself down like this... :-(
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1 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 1
Thursday, June 14, 2012

We visited on a Tuesday evening with an early table for 7pm. The smell that welcomed us was a little offputting - fish and bleach! The staff were welcoming however although the surroundings were a bit canteen-like and clinical, we felt it would be better for lunch than dinner.

We were shown the menu and the specials and chose to share the 500 starter of mixed bruschetta and cold meats. It was large and the meats were good quality, the tuna carpaccio was disappointing [as was the crab - which had shell in] but the others were fresh and tasty.

Our mains of roasted rabbit and monkfish tagliatelle were classic rustic Italian, with clean and simple flavours. Dessert of lemon sorbet and apple sorbet with rhubarb were very good too.

In all, we liked the restaurant and thought the food was competent and tasty but we weren't blown away by the overall experience.
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cut2qwik - View all reviews by this user
7 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 7
Friday, July 01, 2011

I went to 500 with four other friends on a Wednesday. Its conveniently situated close to Archway tube on the main road.

Its a small restaurant seating perhaps about 26 people and at 8 pm was virtually full with prebookings. Its mostly 30s to 60s with several parent and grown up children and their partners and mostly smart and rather up market couples. The prices are rather above average too hence the clientelle are rather older than in many restaurants.

Whilst its described as Italian, most of the dishes are more French/European, no pizzas here! The dishes are very cleverly selected and put together and look attractive when served. I had swordfish starter, fillet of sea bream main followed by "caramelised rhubarb" with sorbet!

The house wine is about £14 a bottle and a 175cc glass £5.55. It was a nice house wine.

The service is by two waiters dressed in jeans and black shirts. I ordered my starter, main and a glass of wine. The starter came quickly but no wine. I finished the starter and when the plate was collected I asked for some wine and had to explain that I had already ordered some which had not arrived.

As I had been served my starter and indeed ate it with four empty glasses in front of me I was rather surprised that it was not noticed that I was not drinking anything. We were not asked if we were enjoying our meal or if everything was alright. I would therefore rate the service as adequate but not attentive.

The food is obviously very good, very well chosen and the restaurant virtually full with pre booked diners. So I suppose they dont need to be so good with the service but had it been half empty every night I think they would have been trying harder.

The bill for the three of us who were eating and drinking was £33-£36 each but the two ladies on a budget were about £20 each.
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Tony Glazier
7 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 5
Saturday, April 30, 2011

Initially put off because of the location but decided to try it for lunch on a Monday, really pleased we did.

It's only couple of minutes from the underground station and from the outside nothing special, however once inside and the location is forgotten. For a Monday I was surprised at the number of people dining

The menu is limited to 6 starters, 5 pastas and 4 mains but this reflects the fact that everything is fresh and there is enough choice to please most people. We started with the chicken liver pate, very smooth but a little too rich for my taste. For the pasta course I choose the Gnocchi with Italian sausage ragu, delicious. my friend had the risotto, which I tasted, equally delicious and will certainly have when we come again. For the main I had the slow cooked rabbit with dried tomatoes and black olives tender and wonderful flavour. My friend had the veal chop which he said was perfect. Good selection of wines to suit all pockets. Great service, can't wait to come back.
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Friday, March 11, 2011

Went to 500 last week for my birthday in a large group of hard-to-please foodie types.It was with some trepidation that we picked our way through the pound shops and kebab stalls of Archway, but, after 4 courses, 4 bottles of wine and digestifs, we all left struggling to fault a superb restaurant which rightly boasts extremely high standards in all departments: food, service, ambience, VFM.

All dishes were cooked and presented with beautiful attention to detail and deliciously fresh ingredients. The menu was small but perfectly formed, with an emphasis on quality and imagination rather than quantity. The duck ravioli was particularly worthy of high praise.

The wine list was comprehensive, offering up a choice of authentic Italian bottles, categorised by region. I can highly recommend all three of the wines we sampled: Gutturnio Superiore 2006 (£22), DOCG Barolo 2005(£35) and a sublime Taurasi Piano di Montevergine 2001 (£60 - allowing myself a little birthday treat there!)

The fact that it was jam-packed on a damp Tuesday evening is testament to the quality of the place. I am so glad to have discovered such a gem of a local restaurant.

Cannot recommend this place highly enough. If there is a better mid-price Italian restaurant in London, then I have yet to see it.
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quentinhapsburg - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Yes, I reviewed this little gem in May, but after a recent visit I'm duty bound to heap more praise on it. 500 is to Archway what Trullo is to Highbury and Zucca is to SE1 - a 'proper' Italian serving up generous platefuls of excellent food. On a Friday evening, the restaurant was packed and a little loud - I think our table was the only one not celebrating a birthday - so maybe eat mid-week if you fancy a quiet dinner.

The food highlights included tender, pink lamb cutlets with roasted aubergine; a special of veal with asparagus sauce; a sinfully creamy saffron and crab risotto; and a scoop of intense pistachio ice-cream. The pasta is always good - this time, the winner was tagliatelle with a rich, slow-cooked sausage and fennel ragu. These are dishes you could probably cook at home but why would you, when you can enjoy them with friends and a good bottle of wine, without any of the washing up.

Easily in my Top 10 favourite restaurants right now. If you live 'up North' and haven't been, you're missing out.
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-K- - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, July 20, 2010