20 Restaurants For The Best Meatballs In NYC

New York City's food scene is bursting with options from just about every culture you can think of. It's then no surprise that this diverse culinary center has some of the best meatballs in America. Of course, Italian food is deeply ingrained in New York City culture, and New York City has some of the best Italian restaurants in the United States. However, the city also has many other types of meatballs to offer beyond traditional Italian meatballs with the classic red sauce we all know and love.

From Turkish Kofte to Swedish meatballs and gravy, New York City has plenty of options, no matter what type of meatballs you crave. Beef, pork, chicken, or veal, the city is full of unique meatballs at every turn. We've gathered 20 of the best spots throughout the city for the next time you're sure that only the perfect meatball will hit the spot.

Another classic family-style New York Italian restaurant you won't want to miss is Carmine's. Claiming to want "every day to feel like Sunday afternoon at Grandma's," Carmine's delivers on homemade taste, generous portions, and a comfortable family atmosphere. For over 30 years, Carmine's has been making its guests feel like part of the family.

With two locations in New York City (one in Times Square and one on the Upper East Side), Carmine's is serving up mouthwatering traditional Italian food every day. While the restaurant is bursting with options for classic Italian-American dishes, you can't go wrong with the delicious beef and veal meatballs smothered in the restaurant's signature marinara sauce. Carmine's is a New York institution for a reason, and its meatballs are the perfect showcase of its strengths.

Greenwich Village Mediterranean restaurant Little Owl has been offering friendly service and delicious meals for over 16 years. Little Owl's chef, Joey Campanaro, brings childhood memories of cooking with his grandmother to life through the restaurant's creative and comforting menu.

One of the restaurant's signature appetizers is its plate of three gravy meatball sliders, which became an instant guest favorite when the restaurant opened back in 2006. Whether for brunch, lunch, or dinner, these meatball sliders keep diners coming back for more. The Italian gravy (aka red sauce) that Campanaro serves up is from his own grandmother's recipe, making it just about as authentic as you can get. So, while Little Owl may not be your typical Italian restaurant, its Italian meatballs just might be your favorite red sauce joint when all is said and done.

It seems these days the name Carbone is synonymous with long lines and exclusive reservations, so if you're lucky enough to get a table, be sure to go all out with your meal. Consistently named as one of the best Italian restaurants in New York City, Carbone is a New York institution. While the spicy rigatoni pasta may be the main headline-maker as of late, the restaurant offers so much more than that.

One such dish to note is Carbone's meatballs. One of the things that makes these meatballs unique, as revealed by the recipe on Major Food Group's website, is that they are made with sweet Italian sausage in addition to the common meats of ground beef and veal. This adds a special touch of herbaceous flavor that makes these meatballs some of the best the city has to offer.

It would be impossible to discuss the best meatballs in New York City without a mention of the Bronx's Little Italy neighborhood, Arthur Avenue. At Enzo's of Arthur Avenue, the eponymous Enzo and his wife Maria have made the restaurant the center of their family life for nearly 20 years. Since Enzo's passing in 2018, Maria has continued to run the restaurant and engage with the community just as her husband always wanted.

A true family affair, the recipes at Enzo's have been created from a combination of Enzo's training at the Culinary Institute of America and his experience working in his father's restaurant. Enzo's menu contains several different dishes with meatballs, including their signature fried meatball appetizer, with consists of beef and veal meatballs topped with sautéed onions and hot peppers; their pasta al forno pasta dish, which contains meatballs, soppressata, sausage, and fresh ricotta and mozzarella cheese; and their simple dish of pasta and meatballs with tomato sauce.

Antonio's Trattoria, located in the Bronx's Little Italy neighborhood along Arthur Avenue, offers authentic Italian dishes that taste just like Nonna made them. Serving traditional pizza, pasta, antipasti, and more, Antonio's knows how to fill their dishes with Italian heritage and love.

Of course, this menu would not be complete without multiple ways to order Italian meatballs. On the antipasti section of the menu, polpettine or mini fried veal meatballs and marinara sauce are offered, as well as regular-sized veal meatballs with plum tomato sauce and a dollop of ricotta. Antonio's also offers spaghetti with meatballs as a main dish on the pasta section of the menu. Whether you're looking for a reliable old-school favorite meal or a small but tasty appetizer, Antonio's has the perfect meatball option for you.

Best known for its delicious Italian sandwiches, paninis, and wraps, Russo's Mozzarella & Pasta is the place to go for a hearty Italian lunch. Located in Park Slope, Brooklyn, Russo's Mozzarella & Pasta is a favorite of locals and visitors alike. The restaurant also offers a variety of foods to take home and create your own Italian feast, including fresh Italian sausages, rotisserie chicken, Italian cold cuts by the pound, homemade sauce, frozen and fresh ravioli, frozen tortelloni, and fresh Italian bread.

Russo's meatball parmesan sandwich is made with fresh Italian bread, classic Italian meatballs, and homemade sauce, topped off with gooey, melty cheese. As one of the restaurant's best-selling items, it's clear that customers can't stop coming back for more of this tasty classic Italian-American hero. We're sure you'll be back again too!

Located near the southwest corner of Central Park, ABA Turkish Restaurant serves up a variety of Turkish and Mediterranean dishes every day for New Yorkers to enjoy. With a comfortable atmosphere and Istanbul-inspired vibes, ABA Turkish Restaurant is the perfect place for authentic Mediterranean food for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

From omelets for breakfast to Greek salads, gyros, and shish kabobs for lunch and dinner ABA Turkish Restaurant truly showcases a wide range of Mediterranean cuisine, with something for everyone to enjoy. One notable dish from the main course section of the menu is the Turkish meatballs, or "kofte." These grilled meatballs are made with ground lamb and beef and seasoned with Turkish spices. The meatballs are then served alongside rice, lettuce, and red cabbage garnish.

Located on Mott Street in Manhattan's Chinatown, Shanghai 21 offers some of the most authentic Chinese food in the city, with a special focus on Shanghainese cuisine. The Shanghai 21 staff is dedicated to using fresh, high-quality ingredients in all of the restaurant's dishes.

The restaurant offers Shanghai-style takes on Chinese food dishes we all know and love like chicken, pork, beef, or shrimp lo mein. Shanghai 21 also offers Shanghai-style fried rice as well as steamed dumplings, fried dumplings, soup dumplings, and more. Perhaps one of the most unique and notable Shanghainese specialties the restaurant offers is the braised Lion's Head Meatballs, made with pork and served in a soy sauce-based sauce. They are available as their own dish with vegetables, as well as in a special casserole. However you try them, you'll definitely be glad that you did.

Named after the crust that forms at the bottom of a paella pan, Socarrat Paella Bar offers a variety of Spanish cuisine, with a special focus on tapas and, of course, paella. With three locations throughout New York City, Socarrat serves up some of the best authentic Spanish cuisine in the city.

One of the many tasty dishes on the tapas menu is albóndigas, which is Spanish for meatballs. These Spanish meatballs are made from a mixture of veal and beef to ensure that they are both tender and hearty when eaten and are then seasoned with a variety of spices. Finally, the albóndigas are covered in a light tomato sauce to round out the dish. The light sauce is made from a mixture of tomatoes, sautéed onions, garlic, olive oil, and parsley.

Thanks to two Danes' desire to bring Nordic-inspired food to New York City, Smør was created in 2019. The restaurant offers brunch, lunch, and dinner, with a ton of fun options to choose from, no matter the time of day. Whether you're looking for smoked salmon, pickled herring, or Danish pancakes, Smør has got it covered. Cocktails, beer, or natural wine are the perfect way to round out your meal.

The dinner menu offers both smaller plates and larger plates, with greens, hotdogs, sides, and desserts also available. One highlight of the larger plates section of the menu is the Swedish meatballs, served with mashed potatoes, sautéed broccoli rabe, homestyle gravy, caramelized onions, and jam. These delicious traditional Swedish meatballs are sure to wow you with the perfect flavor combination when paired with the traditional gravy and sides.