The Meatball Shop

Have a hankering for meatballs? Get thee to The Meatball Shop in the Lower East Side — just look for the cute red and white striped awning. Also the huge sign on the side of the building.

Each table is equipped with dry-erase markers and laminated menus for ease of ordering. It’s oddly satisfying to write on a menu.

The Meatball Shop offers five kinds of meatballs: classic beef, spicy pork, chicken, vegetable, and a weekly special (the day I went, it was corned beef and cabbage). They can be ordered à la carte or in sandwich form, with your choice of sauce, cheese, and bread.

Sliders ($3 each): chicken with tomato sauce, chicken with basil pesto (daily special), vegetable with mushroom sauce.

The hero ($9) with chicken meatballs, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese on a white baguette; I really love chicken parmigiana sandwiches, so I couldn’t help but gravitate toward this combo. A big thumbs up to the chicken meatballs — they were tender and delicious! The side salad is a perfect counterbalance, light with sweet apple slices on top. This plate was filling and a meal in itself, as opposed to the à la carte or slider options, which may require a side dish depending on hunger level.

Side orders ($4 each) can be served on the “side” or “under” — underneath your meatball entree. The “side” side order of daily roast veggies that day was honey roasted carrots with coriander, lemon, almonds, and watercress.

The mashed potatoes had actual potato lumps, which I prefer over lump-free mash. We also ordered polenta; it was creamy and cheesy, but we both liked the mashed potatoes more.

Customizable ice cream sandwiches for dessert ($4 each)! Please order one, unless you are lactose intolerant. Maybe even then. I went with a classic: chocolate chip cookies with vanilla ice cream filling. The ice cream can also be ordered sans cookies for $2; the special flavor of the day was tangerine and there were actually little bits of tangerine in it.

For night owls and those who suffer from jet lag/insomnia/late-night cravings, The Meatball Shop is open until 4 A.M. Thurs-Sat and 2 A.M. Sun-Wed.

The Meatball Shop
84 Stanton Street (between Allen & Orchard)
New York, NY 10002