The Meatball Shop

Nothing to brag about. I’d rather have a traditional Italian meatball from mom and pops. I did like the mini buffalo chicken balls. The veggie meatballs were very chewy with a weird texture. I probably wouldn’t come back.

My best friend and I visited the Meatball Shop before the Super Bowl because we knew doing that level of drinking on an empty stomach was no bueno. We sat at the bar and Chris, the bartender, gave us a run down of the menu, helped us order off the fun menu, and took great care of us with such genuine pleasure. The concept is brilliant and easy, the food great, and the ambience fantastic! We considered going here several more times during our trip, but tried to diversify our experience. Unfortunately, we struggled to find a better experience.

I didn’t realize The Meatball Shop was an actual restaurant! I went there for the first time last night with a friend. I ordered the classic beef meatballs with classic tomato sauce and a fried egg on top. My friend ordered the daily special pizza meatballs (meatballs with pepperoni), classic tomato sauce and a fried egg on top, too. We both enjoyed it, but I didn’t think it was anything to write home about. Although, yesterday’s dessert special was pretty cool, which was an ice cream sandwich made from port wine and caramel ice cream and a chocolate cranberry cookie. Interesting!

Mediocre at best… I just don’t see the appeal. My partner and I stopped in on a whim today for lunch/​brunch, looked cute and has good reviews.
The place: Location is great, the restaurant bar is huge, no real wait for a two top table and the bathrooms are clean. This is why I give them both stars.
The people: Hostess was ok, didn’t even smile when she greeted us, but she did do her job and greet/​seat us. The server, she was bubbly nice but so bubbly she didn’t come by for like ten minutes p, even to say il be right with you. She then instructs us on how to order, because there’s a DIY system where instead of her remembering or God for bid writing something down, I as the customer have to sort through THREE menus, THREE, and using the provided table markers check what I would like. Our server didn’t even bring us the water we received for the table another person did that, she didn’t bus our table at the end a third person did that, so while I tipped 20%(because once upon a time I was a server too) I do hope they split tips because she definitely didn’t do a single thing to deserve it. I should’ve kept some for myself as I did half the job. When the food arrived she did check in with us but failed to notice when delivering the food that my partners side dish was wrong and my salad was without a single drop of dressing anywhere. When I asked for something to add flavor I was delivered a small vat of oil based dressing in a large ramekin that was chipped. The server didn’t even tell me what it was, she just put it down and walked away. Needless to say, it wasn’t very good.
The food: the brunch was practically tasteless, I took off the four rock hard flavorless «sausage meatballs» on my sandwich which improved it tremendously. My partner had a plate with all the sides, and beef meatballs, the best part of either of our dishes was the quinoa and the lentil sides. The beef meatball was tasteless, overlooked and dry. For a place called the meatball shop you would think the best thin would be the meatballs, but I think they just like making ball jokes.
Overall, I ate there but I wouldn’t recommend it and I won’t go back but it’s more than a one star, because the sides were good and the place was large and clean.
Check it out and make your own judgements, maybe you’ll have a tastier dish than we did.

Service is quick, good drinks, menu can be a little confusing, great meatball selections as well as sides. I love that you can mix and match and the pricing is fair for NYC.

This place is SO fun to go with a group of friends to. First of all, they really try to cater to the customer’s preferences so you fill out the menu with a dry erase marker and mark off what meatballs you want with what sauce and what side. I had the spicy pork meatballs with the spicy meat sauce and it was the perfect amount of spiciness. I also got a side of rigatoni with the parmesan cream sauce; if you are a mac and cheese lover, order that. My roommates loved their meatballs with the pesto sauce and said the risotto was amazing. The service was great, and I would definitely recommend coming here with friends/​family/​kids!

I wasn’t expecting this restaurant to be… well, a restaurant. With a name like the meatball shop, I thought they sold meatball based items to go, like a sandwich shop or something. This is actually a very relaxing and comfortable restaurant with a nice bar.
I don’t usually like menus where you have to follow a protocol. You know, step 1 choose this, step 2 choose that. But here, it is one of the few times that type of format actually makes sense. Plus it’s very simple.
Basically…
1. Choose what kind of meat your ball is made of
2. Choose the sauce to accompany it. ($ 9 for 4 balls).
3. Choose the carbs or vegetables to accompany your meatball meal. (+$ 6). You can also choose to have your meatballs on top of your sides, or served separately.
The meatballs are all served with parmesan cheese & delicious focaccia bread.
Of course there are also meatball sandwich options as well.
The first time I came here, I stopped by in the summer to purchase some meatballs to go. While I waited at the bar, the bartender was kind enough to offer me some ice cold water.
The second time we stopped by, we actually ate in the restaurant.
Old-​Fashioned: good cocktail!
Classic Beef with Spicy Meat Sauce:
It is so much more than I expected from a meatball. Each ball has about as much volume as a burger patty. The meatball was seasoned well and the flavor was incredible. The sauce was also great. Despite its innocuous appearance, it does have a kick to it. The more you eat, the spicier it gets.
Spicy Pork with Parmesan Cream Sauce:
I liked the pork meatball too, but I didn’t like the parmesan cream sauce. It was too heavy and thick. It felt like swallowing too much alfredo sauce.
Beef Balls with Parmesan Cheese & Pesto Sauce:
The pesto sauce was delicious. I could taste the crunch of the pine nuts.
Risotto & Zucchini:
The risotto was as good as the meatballs. It was very creamy.
I would definitely return if I were craving big giant meatballs or some type of hearty meal for a reasonable price.

I have nothing but great things to say about this location. I started going to the one on the LES, when it first opened, usually late-​night, post drinking. Went there many times.
When they opened the one on Bedford Ave. that one became the late night post-​drinks/​Art Show destination for me and my pals. I’ve almost always had a great experience at those locations.
Fast forward to today — I happened upon this spot and was stoked to see it. Had no idea they were up here but it was great.
Service was super-​attentive and friendly/​helpful. Food came out promptly and was every bit as good as it’s been at the other spots.
Overall, a great experience especially for a first-​time daylight (read: sober) visit.
Highly recommended!

I had so much hope for this restaurant. It was talked up so much. However, I was incredibly disappointed.
The atmosphere is terrible for a date. The food is terrible at this location and they don’t reveal full details properly. I’m incredibly disappointed with the way the food was rang up, our server had no clue how to explain the menu and when we reviewed the menu, it was not laid out the easiest. Now that’s not the servers fault, but she should know how to clearly explain all the ins and outs. When we left, I felt conned.

BIg disappointment. I was hoping after trying the one in LES and Brooklyn, I would hope one of them would taste good, but nope I was wrong… This chain is not worth it… except for their mint ice cream! I only went here because of our 15 people group consensus, the out of towners wanted to try this place.
Special breakfast sausage
–It was enough to share, but it wasn’t anything special. It was on the dry side.
Meat balls
–This site was probably the worst of the 3 that I went to.
–Little flavor and very dry!!! It was probably dry because it seemed a little over cooked.
Overall:
I am not a fan of this place and I am not impressed. If you absolutely want to try this place out, make a trip to brooklyn because that was the best out of the 3 that I tried. The only plus is probably the fact that it can cater to a large group of people.

Awesome restaurant to take some friends or even a loved one for a dressy/​casual date for some awesomely flavored meatballs in all styles and sizes!
The menu is covered in laminate and you are given a sharpie marker to write down what concoction you come up with! They have options from naked meatballs to sliders and more! They also have weekly specials which you should ALWAYS check out especially if you come frequently!
Service was not only fast, but super friendly giving you the run-​down on how everything is both prepared and organized as well as their personal favorites!
Don’t be afraid of desert either! Amazing ice cream sandwiches that you can mix-​n-​match to get 3 different flavored at once!
They have multiple locations throughout the city so you have no excuses as to why you are not checking it out!

I’ve always been a fan of the meatball shop, but never been to this location. I’d recommend it for affordable, delicious, family-​friendly meals when in this area. It’s very close to Central Park and the AMNH. I recently took a group of 6 family members here on their first trip to New York. The prices really can’t be beat, as our dinner bill was under $ 130 for 6 people, everyone really enjoyed their meal, and this included beer/​wine, and dessert for those who wanted to partake.
I’m leaving off a star because I wish they would do away with marking the menus with the dry-​erase pen. I had to help my grandparents figure out what the heck to do :) I feel like it’s fun for kids, but seeing it from my grandparents perspective, it really felt like a hassle.

I’ve been infatuated with the meatball shop for years now because what is there not to love about meatballs? My absolute go-​to was the spicy pork balls, with spicy meat sauce, with a side of rigatoni underneath followed by the classic chocolate chip cookie w/​vanilla ice cream sandwich.
Above the food they have a great vibe, trendy décor, and down-​to-​earth friendly staff. They have also mastered the art of seating people. More times than not there is a wait, but instead of waiting awkwardly in the entrance or outside, they take your name and cellphone number, give you and accurate wait time, and text you when your table is ready. At this point I typically go to Jake’s Dilemma or Gin Mill to grab a drink as I wait.
Unfortunately, I recently made a personal decision to discontinue my consumption of pork so figured I would alter my order to the chicken meatballs with the creamy Parmesan sauce. I was not aware that every ball contained pork until after I finished my meal and saw a tip on Unilocal.I was taken off guard and asked the waitress, hoping that the tip was not true and she confirmed. I didn’t even know how to feel because it was too late at this point so I just let her know that they should really post a disclaimer on the menu, which apparently they do. However, this disclaimer is on the absolute bottom of the menu in a black blob written in white. I don’t understand why this disclaimer is not in the section of the actual balls with a * or disclosed by the waiters prior to ordering since they dim their lights so much that you really have to use the candle on your table to read the menu. I did appreciate how the situation was handled (that is after I was offered free cookies initially which I turned down because I was offended they would even offer cookies and think it would make everything better). Without asking for anything, it seemed the waitress spoke with management and they ended up removing my meal from the bill and a carafe of sangria that we ordered. In this awkward situation they made it a point to try and remedy it as best as possible.

Es un restaurant de albóndigas y eso ya me parece una genialidad. Me copan los lugares de UNA cosa y más cuando esa cosa no se vende en todos lados.
La carta sencilla propone elegir un tipo de albóndigas, una salsa y un acompañamiento. Hay albóndigas picantes, de carne, de cerdo, salsas varias y distintos acompañamientos: pire, pastas, verdes, etc.
El local es lindo y se puede comer en las mesas, en la barra o en la vereda.
Marcas vos mismo en la carta lo que queres y la entr gas. La atención es amable y eficiente. Son todos sonrientes y atentos.
La comida me pareció muy rica. Las albóndigas vienen en un plato hondo con parmesano y un pedazo de pan de pizza. Podrían traer un poco más de pan la verdad.
Buen sabor y buenas porciones justas para una persona que come bien.
Los precios son acorde con una buena relación con la calidad y el lugar.

Outstanding service, always amazing food. This is probably my 3^rd time dining here (2^nd time at this location) and have never been disappointed.
I love the fact that you place the order on the menu with a dry erase pen! We were a group of 3 and decided to get to all get the Kitchen Sink with a different style meatball so we could all try the different kinds.
We got the:
— Beef meatball with spicy marina sauce
— Special meatball (chicken with basmati rice base) and with special sauce (cucumbers)
— Pork meatball with pesto
All were so different, but if I had to pick a favorite I’d pick the pork with pesto sauce. The beef with spicy marina was a good classic option but the pork with pesto provided a different and tasty combination flavors.
The vegetables that came with Kitchen sink included beets, radishes, lettuce, quinoa with raisins and carrots. I think I would have enjoyed it more if some of the vegetables came out warm.
We also got their chocolate chip cookie, espresso ice cream and coconut ice cream (all separate, not as ice cream sandwich). The cookie was nothing special by itself, but the espresso ice cream was the bomb — and went well with the cookie. The coconut ice cream was refreshing but probably better for summer time.
Our waitress was so so friendly! I asked for a Dr. Pepper which they didn’t have. and then she proceeded to go out of her way to google soda drinks that she could make with what they had that would be close to tasting like Dr. Pepper. Not the kind of service you get everywhere!

I’ve been waiting for YEARS to try this place! Any of these… Unfortunately, they’ve been closed every time I passed by… So sad. Finally, I was able to try it last week!
I think I was too excited that I was expecting more? My friend ordered the beef meatball with spicy sauce and rigatoni… And I ordered the beef meatball with pesto sauce and spaghetti. It was okay. My pesto sauce was a bit too powerful for me and it could use less olive oil…
The root beer floats with vanilla for me and chocolate for my friend was pretty awesome. I loved it!.. Wish I could come back and try the other stuff on the menu though! Please don’t be closed…

Hmmmmm. You can get your balls in buns! You can get your balls gently laid on a daily green! You can even get your balls next to a tossed salad!
We left the AMNH and needed real meat. I thought, «This place should meat that expectation!» And It did! We had a ball! Whenever I’m round here I will make it here.
We sat at the bar and were able to try just about every ball and sauce combination. If you are only going to do just a couple flavors, talk to your server, they know the perfect pairings for the ball and sauce. They also know what cookie combinations to put with ice cream.
Such a great uniquely New York experience.
My only disappointment was that they didn’t have any combo with every flavor of ball and sauce. I did mention this to our waiter. It could easily be a money maker I would think… especially with the amount of tourists they get in.
Also…don’t miss the drink menu. They make some pretty good drinks too. I had something… I forget the name… maybe it was called the A Train? Some sort of a riff on a Manhattan I think.

Admittedly, the meatballs here are very tasty and they also come in different flavors — beef, pork, veggie, etc. However, the portions are really small, so it ends up not being worth it. Just a tiny plate of spaghetti is $ 5-​$ 6. I had the meatball sliders and a plus is you can choose three different flavors if you want. These slider burgers are tiny with a small meatball in a little piece of bread. We also tried one of their sandwiches, which is three meatballs (one flavor allowed only) inside a hero sandwich.
Again, the meatballs do taste good. But they need to be bigger or the prices should be lower.

Love Love Love!
First, the meatballs are amazing, I have tried the chicken and the beef! Both were cooked perfected seasoned to perfection. I had the meat sauce and it was delicious. I am not Italian nor did I grow up with «grandma’s meatball» but I imagine it would be just like this! BUT I found the foccia bread to be stale and dry…
The sides were delicious, my girlfriends and I split the rigatoni, market salad, spinach and roasted veggies. The veggies, salad were tasty and it varies every time you visit; which is nice because then you can always switch it up. Rigatoni was cooked to perfection, where it was still firm but well cooked. The spinach was just okay.
Service was slow that nice, but the food came out quick. The staff wasn’t that attentive to us there weren’t many people in the restaurant either.
Dessert is amazing! We tried a chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream sandwich and so amazing! I probably dreamed about the cookie that night!
Despite being a multi location restaurant it defiantly feels like one of those cool hidden restaurants in New York. Defiantely worth visiting!

Naked Balls?! soooooo good!
I tried the Naked spicy pork with regular tomato sauce and the beef balls in spicy sauce. Both were delicious. The balls were so juicy. We also got a risotto (which we didn’t know it was sweet potato risotto). When we got it, we were worried the risotto was going to be sweet, but surpringly… it was savory, creamy, and delicious!
Must come back to try again.

Been here twice. I’ve had the veggie meatballs over mashed potatoes, which I really enjoyed. The second time I had the special Brat meatball sliders in a beer sauce.
They make some pretty solid meatballs, but nothing amazing. I also tried their ice cream sandwich, and I like that you can custom chose the ice cream flavor and cookie – however, the cookie was hard and kinda stale tasting :/​
Both times, I came in a party of 2. When seated at the big table with other people, it can be hard to hear the other person and I felt so far away. But, I didn’t have this problem when I was seated at a 2 person single table.