J Pizzeria and Cucina

I was hoping to bliss out on gnocchi here, but what was somewhat lacking in the flavor department was balanced by the gargantuan portion size. I ordered the plain gnocchi with tomato sauce and mozzarella, with some extra mushrooms for diversion. The gnocchi was alright, but my palate got over-​saturated with the same rich cheese/​tomato/​starch combination, bite after bite. I would’ve been happy with a portion that was half the original size, but maybe with a bit more diversity of flavors and textures. Maybe a little pepper, heat, or fresh herbs thrown in? The dish just needed something extra.
Perhaps it’s permissible because of the bourgeois neighborhood, but one party had dogs at their table (sitting under the table), and they kept barking at other animals that passed by on the sidewalk. I’m definitely pro-​dog, but not when the shrill barks interrupt the ability to hear one’s fellow diners. It added a weird aspect to the meal.

I’m never one to get really excited about Italian restaurants, so I was pleasantly surprised, if not blown away, by J Pizzeria.
Ended up here a bit by accident (another restaurant was full). I had the 4 cheese gnocchi, which was very well flavoured — I worried it would be a little bland, but there was a blue cheese in there that along with the parmesan made it very disinctive. And of course gnocchi is very warming and lovely. Super filling, so I took half away with me as leftovers!
My boyfriend had seafood linguine, which was generous — a whole heap of tiger prawns, which are often skimped on.
We also ordered garlic mozzarella pizza bread to share, which was ginormous — I mean, I suppose it makes sense that it’s the size of a pizza but I was thinking of it was a starter for one person. Very garlicky.
The woman serving was friendly. The surroundings were pleasant enough if nothing too special.

Staff was great, food was very good, huge portions. Nice, friendly atmosphere. Will come back soon.

My family and I ended up in primrose hill after a long wander around the canals near regents park. We were starving and ready to consume anything put in front of us. The service was a bit slow and our waiter took a while to refill our waters but the arrival of our appetizer helped to tide us over until our entrees arrived. We had the burratta appetizer which was delicious and creamy, we managed to scarf the whole thing down without a bite left. For entrees I went with the seafood salad which was an extremely generous portion, piled HIGH with mixed seafood. There were also loads of crisp veggies and the house salad dressing was phenomenal. My sister had the chorizo, smoked mozzarella pasta which was rich and decadent and also packed with lots of chorizo. My Mom went with the carbonara which was also delicious. None of us could finish our meals as the portions were all very hearty. Would come back again to try the pizzas which also looked great. Plus– they serve mini eggs with the bill, so what’s not to love!

Came here for dinner a couple of nights ago and was not disappointed!
We ordered mushroom ravioli which cost about 10 pounds and was soooo yummy! I highly recommend it.
We also ordered the Hot American pizza. I am from the US and I didn’t really care for their style of pepperoni, but I am finding that I don’t really care for any British pepperoni — so it’s not unique to this restaurant. The rest of the pizza was quite good, neapolitan style, and I would come back for a pizza without meat — the four cheese and margarita look good! The pizza was about 9.50 pounds.
They also have a set menu where you can order an appetizer and an entrée for a set price of 14 pounds (I believe it’s even cheaper at lunch — 12 pounds). If you want a three course meal it’s just a couple pounds more, about 16.50 pounds.
These two items ended up being more than enough food for two people. We honestly could have probably split the pasta and been full.
The service was fast and the ambiance was nice. I would recommend this place to Unilocalers!

Excellent value, delicious food, large portions and very friendly service. Neighborhood gem. Pizza, pasta and veal all quite nicely prepared! And what a lovely location near the big hill. Doesn’t feel like the big London city in this small trattoria

Living round the corner I have popped here a number of times both for breakfast and dinner.
As mentioned before the breakfast is very good and extremely well priced… Especially for primrose hill.
I am yet to have a bad meal in this place, I’ve tried a variety of the pasta dishes, meat dishes and pizzas all excellent. Unless you turn up on a Friday /​Saturday evening you should easily get seated.
It would appear a few people have had some bad service experiences here, personally I have never had a problem. I have noticed they have a base of regulars who get a bit more attention but other than displaying a «very Italian attitude» there is little wrong with the service.

Excellent take away, speedy delivery, excellent pizza and pasta. This has quickly become my favourite Italian delivery service.
Awesome.
If you live around Hampstead, Regents Park. Put this wonderful business into your speed dial.

Great family Italian restaurant in the heart of Primrose Hill «Village». Really wholesome classic Italian food, and excellent service. Pizza’s are wonderful. Thin and crispy, like they should be! Sergio (the manager) is a real star. One of the best. He used to run Bella Napoli in Dean Street. Although whether he will forgive me for Arsenal beating his home team (Napoli) is yet to be seen! :)
ps — dogs are welcome, which is not a rarity in Primrose Hill — but seems to be increasingly rare in the English countryside, which is most odd!

Excellent food, terrible service
I ate at J on Saturday night with 3 friends and had a very mixed evening.
It was evidently busy, but we were seated very quickly, which was good, right by the service area not so good. We dined to the tune of loudly clattering crockery and cutlery and an irritatingly pingy dumb waiter. Now I know that one has to expect a degree of banging and crashing around but our incredibly surly and disinterested waitress did seem, at times, to be hurling plates to the bar in a fit of rage.
Now, the food was just excellent, I have to give them that.
Two of us started with some sweet, succulent prawns cooked in garlic and chilli (enough to add some spice but not so much as to mar the other flavours. A common mistake, no?) My mouth is watering profusely at the recollection. The other two shared a delicious looking aubergine baked in tomato sauce.
For my main course I had a sirloin steak. Don’t pull that face. They do have beef in Italy as well you know! And it was the most exquisite sirloin steak I have ever tasted. Tender, juicy, a real depth of flavour from the crisp, char grilled welts on top to the rare, almost creamy centre. Just amazing. It was served on a modest rocket salad with a sticky sweet balsamic dressing. A beautifully constructed and balanced dish.
One of my fellow diners also had steak, this one drowned in Gorgonzola sauce. I have to say, I would have thought that it would have been a bit over powering, but I was assured that it was spot on. The Gorgonzola sauce was certainly very nice. A little bit tart, salty, and very creamy.
The girls both had pizzas which were very nice. I find it hard to enthuse about pizza too much. Pizza is either good or bad in my book. These were good. The base was crispy and tasted of pizza rather than flour, the tomato sauce tasted fresh and well balanced not too sweet nor drowned in salt or herbs, and they were dressed modestly and well. (An overloaded pizza is, frankly, as bad as a scantily clad one. Quality and balance are the key, not quantity and variety.)
I’m not really a dessert eater to be honest with you but I do like a good tiramisu. On the basis of the meal thus far, I figured that I was more than likely to get a good tiramisu here. (I also half expected it to be hurled into my lap by the waitress as she screamed at me for having the audacity to order food. In a restaurant. From a waitress. I must be a terrible bastard.) And I was half right. The tiramisu was excellent. I could bang on about how the perfect tiramisu should be moist, but not too damp, the coffee should be to the fore, and the booze a pleasant undertone, but I shan’t or you’ll get thoroughly bored of me. But this was the kind of tiramisu on which I could base such a monologue.
We have, therefore, established that the food was outstanding. I would like to make it quite clear though that the service was utterly, utterly atrocious. I appreciate that restaurants get busy on a Saturday, I know all too well that being a waiter/​waitress can be very stressful especially towards the end of a busy shift, but a man who leaves the City to farm pigs cannot complain about the smell. By which I mean WIND YOUR NECK IN YOU MISERABLE HARRIDAN. IT’S YOUR JOB!!! It’s not even as if we’re rude customers. In fact I would go so far as to say that I am one of the most polite diners I have ever eaten with. I’m not especially demanding. I don’t expect to end the evening by inviting the staff to my next birthday party (though, I believe following one rather drunken night at Le Que I did just that).
And I cannot express how much it offends me to have my plate taken away while I’m still eating. Not while sitting at the table with a plate in front of me, but I mean actually cutlery in hand, delivering a delicious morsel of steak to my mouth, in the very act of transferring food from salver to maw. Now those who know me will appreciate that if that plate had not been put back down immediately I’d probably be writing this while detained at Her Majesty’s pleasure as my new roomie, Big Mollie, bench-​presses our bunk beds wondering what my after-​game play is like, and there would be a surly Italian waitress stomping around Camden turning anyone who looks at the fork sticking out of her forehead into stone with a single glance. Dear Christopher, it was the only time she moved quickly that whole evening! Her single nod in the direction of efficiency back fired massively. By which I mean, I was not happy.
This, coupled with the noise, frankly spoiled the evening. I am led to believe that this kind of shabby treatment is not uncommon in J. I can’t remember the last time I left a restaurant with out leaving a tip. Still, the food really was wonderful and I do feel sorry for the chef. I think I’ll invite him to my next birthday party to make up for it. He’ll be in good company at least.

Went here for dinner and was initially horrified to find I was in an italian that was too posh to serve spag bog or carbonara. But then I found the diavola pizza (jalapeño, peperoni etc) which also has bolognese on top. It was huge, crisp and delicious. One of my fave pizzas of all time now yay! The pastas and gnocci were really flavoursome and also decent sized portions. Everyone loved their food. Ok it’s not the cheapest but it is in primrose hill and the staff are lovely and it is very tasty! Recommend.

Well if you live in Primrose Hill this is probably your best bet for breakfast. It’s not exactly detectible what kind of restaurant it is from the outside but once you are in and met with a full force of Italian service who don’t know the difference between decaffeinated and regular coffee you know you are in an Italian restaurant. I probably would have been more successful ordering if I had taken my pocket Italian dictionary with me. But its London and this is the case in almost every restaurant so I didn’t hold that against them. When I think of an Italian restaurant I think of it as something I would only have for lunch or dinner, but J’s has a really great breakfast. I usually get smoked salmon with scrambled eggs, hold the crème. They also have the traditional English, and other typical breakfast things. I don’t know how authentic it is because I have never had breakfast in Italy, but when I do I’ll update my review.

So many brilliant restaurants nearby make it worth passing by the average food and attitude of some of the staff here.

Can’t comment on the Italian food in J, as I went here by chance for breakfast, which was top notch! If you get in before 1200 (not too much to ask eh?!) then you get a whole pound off, so a full English with:
2 eggs of your choosing
2 bacon
2 sausages
2 toast
plus beans, tomatoes and mushrooms will set you back a barginous 4.50 — in Primrose Hill!
OK — the freshly squeezed orange juice is 2.70, so they’re making it up on the extras, but if you skip that it’s great value.
Attentive service, and pleasant window seating for people watching/​celeb spotting.
Recommended.