As many of you know, The Meatball Shop opened its third location in Greenwich Village last week. If you're not familiar with The Meatball Shop, it's, well, a meatball shop with a cult following. We got there at around 5:45pm (for some reason they didn't open until 6pm last night) and waited for the doors to open as a line formed behind us. Luckily, we were second in line and we guarded/stalked the door in a way one can only do when one is really, really hungry. At 6pm (and not a minute before) the door swung open and we got one of the best tables in the house near the back, along the wall. Within 10 minutes the restaurant was near capacity.

Before we could even start thinking about all the delectable balls, a waiter scurried over and started explaining the specials. Basically how it works is, you get three options: naked balls, hero balls or sloppy joe balls. You can choose from chicken, pork, beef and vegetarian. I went with chicken (because I don't eat beef), with the classic tomato sauce, and mozzarella on a hero. We also ordered mashed potatoes and their grilled pumpkin special with goat cheese and pumpkin seeds. First, the chicken meatball hero was delicious. Piled high with large balls, a thick slice of mozzarella and plenty of sauce. Be prepared -- these balls are messy! Ask for extra napkins from the get-go or bear sauce dripping from your face.

The sliced pumpkin was not overly sweet and the goat cheese added a layer of flavor while the pumpkin seeds added a nice crunch. The mashed potatoes were basic but paired well. Both sides were decent, which was actually fairly unimportant as everyone goes to The Meatball Shop for the balls anyway. The icing on the cake was the snickerdoodle with vanilla ice cream sandwich. Homemade vanilla bean ice cream wedged between two soft baked snickerdoodles put us both over the top. It was so good, I force fed myself until almost the last bite and rolled out of there with a smile and a bellyache. The place is cheap too; for under $50 with tip, we both left satisfied, relishing in our conquest.

Bottom line: all you really need to order are the balls and the ice cream sandwich, and you're set!

The Meatball Shop

64 Greenwich Avenue

(212) 982-7815 

Sunday through Wednesday 12pm - 2am

Thursday through Saturday 12pm - 4am