I always wondered why the Meatball Shop located in the West Village literally had a LINE of eager meatball eaters hoping to be the first seated RIGHT when the restaurant opens at 12 noon. Meatballs were one of my favorite foods growing up, but because breadcrumbs are the key ingredient to any delicious meatball; I stopped eating them after I went gluten-free. Furthermore, Italian restaurants can be incredibly difficult to order at, so needless to say I was in no rush to go here. HA! Little did I know the Meatball Shop would become one of my favorite NYC spots…
The Meatball Shop is fun –you are given a dry-erase marker to make your selections on your menu – and the service is very friendly. You choose 1 kind of meatball, one sauce, and then a side (pasta or greens) that is served either under the balls or on the side. Last year, when a friend told me about the Meatball Shop’s gluten free chicken meatballs, I was ecstatic and quickly rushed here to give them a try. Their chicken balls are gluten free when paired with pesto or the classic tomato sauce; pesto is another favorite of mine and I couldn’t resist. I ordered the chicken meatball with pesto on top of the daily roast veggies which happened to be delicious roasted butternut squash. HEAVEN.
All around amazing food experience- I love that there is a gluten free option amongst the meatballs, and that entrées can be ordered with nobread. Also, the Meatball Shop serves my favorite veggie options (sauté broccoli, brussels sprouts, butternut squash, etc) and there’s nothing better than being able to make your not-so-healthy meal a bit more healthy. Now we just need to work on making their famous ice cream sandwich gluten free and adding hard alcohol to the bar (beer/wine only).