Pizzeria Pappagone

What a treat! Very good food, very good portions (be careful with ordering, we hot an extra dish for the middle, definitely too much). The calzone was very tasty, cheezy and full of goodness. Gnocchi was also very good, simple tomato/basil sause that coated everything nicely. Good value for money as well. Only downside was the very busy space (too many tables, was far too noisy), but happy to go back for the food!

I’ve been coming here for years. In my eyes, being Italian myself, this is the best Italian restaurant, no other restaurant comes close. I’ve moved to Surrey from London, and I still come down to Pappagone, that’s how good it is. Great value for money, generous portions, and most importantly, delicious food. Great service, and friendly staff.

My husband doesn't like my cooking, (but my friends do) however he deserved a reward for doing several hours of household chores. He wanted an Italian meal, he often asks for an Italian meal but only ever orders chicken Milanese. I wanted somewhere buzzy, exciting and delicious so we set off via Crouch End to Stroud Green Road N4 3PX, an area that we often explore. One of the Italian restaurants is called Pizzeria Pappagone. It looked full inside at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon, and the overflow tables outside were all full as well. Clearly a very popular and successful venue. We went in and asked for a table, explaining that we hadn't booked. Apparently you can only book by phone or by going in and asking. The lovely man allowed us in but we had to leave by a certain time. It smelled good, and there was great music in the background. We ordered 2 virgin coladas and they were very creamy and heavenly. My husband happily ordered the Vitello Milanese. When it arrived it was huge and on the bone, the spaghetti was full of lovely sweet cherry tomatoes, the crunchy covering was perfect and not puffy. Every mouthful was a delight. I know because I kept raiding his plate. Although I really wanted pasta, hubby persuaded me to order the lamb chops. They were cooked to perfection, I gave him some scraps, and, as it came with big happy chips, I gave him half of those, as well as a reluctantly allowing him to taste my wonderful spicy tomato chutney which was possibly the best that I have ever tasted. The clientele were varied, but there were several young groups and many Italians which is always encouraging. Unfortunately we were greedy and wanted desserts; they reached the same high standard. He had a very rich Tiramisu, while I stuffed myself on a ginormous bowl of ice creams and after eights. I struggled to drive home and slept for 2 hours. We will return soon, and I really want to share Pizza and pasta with hubby next time. It all looked so good.