Meatball Kitchen

Great food at a very decent price, I enjoyed the Diavolo over Mezze Rigatoni with each of the 4 different types of meatball. In spite. Of being a diehard carnivore, I liked the veggie meatball best! Friendly staff, good tunes, great food and not a long wait. Recommend if you’re near University of Cincinnati!

I’ve been here a handful of times and I’ve never had a bad meal. The meatballs are interesting and the sauces are delicious. I’ve been with people who have had the sandwich and they rave about the bread.
The prices are right where they should be for this type of food and I always leave full and satisfied. The service is friendly and the food comes out in a timely manner.
Hopefully they can help the revitalization of the short vine area, could be a cool area.

Stopped by here after touring the college with my Nephew. The food was great! Huge portions that won’t let you go hungry. The guy at the counter was super nice. I wish we had one of these by our house. Next time I go to the Cinci Zoo I will be sure to stop in here again.

I liked the meatball shop. The interior had a nice setting to it and they have specials for food and drink as well. I went with the sub and tried the beef, spicy pork, and tukey meatballs. I liked the turkey the best, the spicy pork had a sweet after taste which wasn’t bad but I’m a fan of savory tasting things. I also tried the Sriracha sweet potatoes which is very misleading because they were very sweet and had brown sugar in them. Not bad was opposite of what I was expecting. I also tried the mushroom and tomato sauce. I liked the tomato because it had some pesto which was a nice touch. They’re not many resturants that specialize in meatballs so it’s worth a visit if you’re in Cincinnati.

Their vegetarian meatballs are to die for. I’ve had the pasta and sandwich options, and even a veggie meatball burrito and I would probably eat every single one again. The sauces are great and it’s a pain to find good veggie meatballs, so I always leave pretty satisfied. Service is normally pretty quick and the food is always delicious, so I’d highly recommend it.

So the only reason this is not a five is because I’m really holding out for the perfect dining experiences to hand those out.
That being said, we found a great new experience in this place. I went there yesterday with my wife and 4 year old son for lunch. I ordered a sub with beef meatballs, provolone and beer braised mushroom sauce. Meatballs were better than average, sauce was delicious and the hoagie roll was perfect! My side of sirracha sweet potatoes was tasty but I’m not a fan of mashed sweet potatoes. I think I would have enjoyed them more if they were a little more chunked and rustic. Now the cauliflower cooked with caramelized onions and a yellow curry were fantastic! I could have eaten a half a dozen of those sides! Also enjoyed the homemade pickles, reminded me of farm family’s pickles.
My wife had the beef meatballs on focaccia with the bechamel sauce and the coleslaw. Again better than average meatballs, great sauce and perfect bread! She loved the slaw but it wasn’t for me. My son had a nice little kids meal, 2 meatballs and focaccia bread he couldn’t stop eating!
The place is smaller but bright. Guy at the counter was super helpful and professional. It’s a little confusing on how the service is laid out because you order at the counter, grab your own sodas and pay right away. Then we found out you get food delivered to table and nice table attentive service. I had no cash on hand so heading back today to tip the man!
The place is a little pricey but we will return!

Yesterday was my first and definitely not my last time at Meatball Kitchen.
I had the beef meatball sandwich and it was so good! I am married to an Italian guy and I am used to homemade meatballs and these were just as good! My friend had the pasta and said that she liked it. I am already craving another sandwich!

My first time here and I ordered a turkey meatball sandwich with tomato sauce, bacon, peppers and onions – holy cow was this sandwich delicious!
Unlike a lot of other restaurants where the food can taste very «general» this tasted like it was made especially and uniquely for me.
Definitely coming back to try other things on the menu!

I absolutly love their pasta with turkey meatballs and bechemel and diavloe sauce! It really is perfect when I have that itch for pasta. I highly recommend stopping in and trying this place. It’s refreshing because it’s different and it has quickly become one of the regular places my boyfriend and I love to go.

We were driving through Cincinnati, and we were looking for a place open on Labor Day. So happy to have found Meatball Kitchen!
I opted for the combo and got the veggie meatball (which was delicious), mash, and cauliflower. They season their food very well, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed my all vegetarian meal!
Perfect servings to leave you feeling full but not disgusting! :)

Flavorful meatballs and sides! Quite a few GF options too. Affordable, homemade food… going back soon!

Exactly as the name implies, this place knows meatballs. I met my sister here around 7pm on a Tuesday and it wasn’t picked, which was nice. We’ve been wanting to try this place for over 6 months so we were both pretty excited.
Essentially you pick how you want your meatballs serves to you (salad, sub, pasta, or just plain), pick your meat (turkey, beef, spicy pork or veggie) and pick your sauce. I love that you can mix and match to get exactly what you want.
My sister picked a salad with 2 turkey and 1 beef meatballs. The dressing on the salad was nice and light, and it was a decent sized salad. I went with the meatball +2 side combo. 2 beef, 1 turkey, with diavolo sauce. My sides were sriracha sweet potato mash and cauliflower (suggested by the gentleman working). The 2 sides made it a perfectly portioned meal, just the right amount of food. The diavolo sauce had some kick to it, which I loved. The sriracha sweet potatoes were quite yummy as well. The first bite we couldn’t taste the sriracha but the second bite you do. It’s not overpowering at all.
My sister and I agreed that the meatballs were a little smaller than we expected, but very flavorful. We both liked the beef over the turkey.
Next time I will try a sub since they use Sixteen bricks local bread! Adorable place, both my sis and I will be back!

I love Meatball Kitchen! They have a very simple menu, and every single item is delicious. I’ve only enjoyed their meatballs in their pasta and their sandwich. I’m sure the other options are delicious, but I can’t seem to part from the pasta.
I also love their meatballs and usually just get one of each — beef, spicy pork, and turkey. The turkey is my favorite! (They also have a vegetarian option that sounds amazing, but I never know which meatball to sacrifice to try it)
I’ve had most of their sauces but my favorites are the meat and the mushroom. I usually add a slice of provolone to my pasta and it makes a huge difference. The sides are a great deal as well — two for $ 4! My favorite is the kale salad. If you’re especially hungry, order a side of focaccia bread. It comes with two big pieces, enough to share!
They also do carry-​out. I was craving it so I called them and asked to see how fast they could make the food. They told me 15 minutes, and when I arrived, it was hot and ready to go!
This restaurant is one of my favorites on short vine — and I’m so thankful they opened up this year because that’s probably the only place within walking distance to me. I probably go here a little too often, but it never disappoints. I just ate here yesterday and I already crave more!

We ducked in this place on a rainy Saturday for lunch (in all honesty because Taste of Belgium Clifton across the street was on a 45 minute wait) and weren’t too sure what to expect.
You order at the counter and the menu is set up Chipotle style – pick one from each column to build your meal. I went with a «combo» which is meatballs (meat and sauce of your choice) and 2 sides. They get all their meat locally from Findley Market, which is very cool and yet the prices are reasonable ($ 8 for my meal plus $ 2 for a drink).
I got beef meatballs in a tomato sauce, smoky coleslaw and hash brown gratin plus a (very, very weak) iced tea. The meatballs were good, but I probably chose the most ordinary combination on the menu – nothing really stood out about the tomato sauce. It had a «cilantro pesto» drizzle on top which sounded promising, but I couldn’t taste it at all.
The smoky coleslaw was very good – it has Siracha in it so a nice kick without being overwhelmingly spicy. The hash brown gratin was a big ball of shredded hash browns – pleasant, but quite bland.
The interior is quirky/​industrial, but was exceedingly dark when we were there. Chairs are rather uncomfortable and the music is a little loud for conversation (but they turned it down upon request). The woman at the counter was very nice and helpful. If I lived in the neighborhood or had a passionate love of meatballs, I would stop by again to try different combinations, but I wasn’t wowed enough to make a special trip.

tl;dr Gourmet Meatballs in a gorgeous, customizable, and affordable package!
Well Hello Meatball Kitchen! Less than 5 minutes from the college, and I could definitely see this turning into a habit!
The food is served on cafeteria trays but tastes nothing like school lunch! The décor was adorable, but the main focus was food. This place is obviously run by someone who loves food, and puts that love first!
The layout is quite simple and like chipotle (except your food is made to order). You pick your type of meatball, the sauce, your vehicle (salad, bun, pasta, or combo – comes with 2 sides) and all your add ons!
If this wasn’t cool enough, they also have 3 – 4 specials daily AND dessert with cupcakes that look AMAZING. Today they had cannolis… so I passed.
I had the combo (only $ 8!!!) and I got 3 turkey meatballs with béchamel, a scoop of sweet potato sriracha mash, and a side salad.
The turkey meatballs were incredibly tender, moist, and flavorful! How did they do that? Most of my turkey meat products are dry as a bone! They are magic workers.
The béchamel; out of this world, and the clerk proclaimed it was his favorite sauce!
The salad was my second favorite, with crisp romaine and quinoa (protein nutrient PUNCH) and the red wine vinaigrette was divine!
Last, but not least THEY SERVE LIQUOR! That’s right! a glass of wine for $ 5 and a carafe for $ 10. This place is where wallets stay fat, and belly’s stay full!

Meatball Kitchen is the kind of restaurant that I wish I had down the street either back home in Chicago or near my apartment in St. Louis. However, lucky for me, I am just a few blocks away from this awesome little spot during my time in Cincinnati!
Meatball Kitchen takes something as potentially simple as a meatball and expands on it offering a variety of meatball types while utilizing fresh local ingredients to get the job done. They offer four different types of meatballs, 4 different sauces, and you can get your meatballs on top of a salad, inside a sandwich, or sans salad/​bread with a few side items.
I’ve come here three times and, in that span, I’ve tried 2 meatball flavors, 3 sauces, and 1 of their sides. Each time I’ve gotten my meatballs served on a salad with their apple parsley dressing which I highly recommend. I’m salivating just thinking about it…
Their turkey meatballs are delicious! Made with spinach and fennel, they are complimented well by the Diavolo sauce (a spicy tomato sauce) and the mushroom sauce. From experience, I can also say that they are just as good the day after for leftovers!
I’ve also tried their veggie meatballs. They have a black bean base and, while I thoroughly enjoyed these little guys, I think that I would recommend the turkey meatballs over these. A friend of mine tried the pork meatballs, per the cashier’s recommendation, and she really enjoyed them!
For the sides, I have tried the sweet potato mash. I have to admit, I am not a member of the sriracha fan club, so I was a little bit skeptical of this dish at first. However, my immense love for anything with sweet potatoes took over and I’m glad it did! This side was sweet with just the right amount of kick… I would come back for this alone!
In my experiences, the customer service has been great. The servers have been happy to provide recommendations and, upon taking their suggestions, my taste buds have been extremely happy.
One perk that this spot offers is meals that can be available for pick up. They offer a variety of packages including meatballs and sides that would be great for a family week night dinner as well as an awesome (and more well-​balanced) alternative to Easy Mac for college and grad students.
For a great non-​chain spot near the UC campus that makes great food with local ingredients, I’d definitely suggest checking out the Meatball Kitchen.

Great pickles! Meatballs are rather unimpressive.
I got the beef meatballs and they were very bland. My gf got the turkey meatballs and i could not tell the difference. Meat sauce and tomato sauce was good but still lacking in flavor. For what it is, the food are somewhat pricy. Up charges for cheese, pickles and onions & peppers? Come on now. On the plus side, portions were adequate otherwise this would definitely be a 2 star.
Not a terrible place but definitely not going to pay $ 10 for bland meatballs and sauce.

The first time I tried Meatball Kitchen was on the Unilocal’s BB Riverboats event back in August. I tried the Turkey Sausage with Bechamel, which has brie & parmesan cream sauce with garlic bread crumbs. Delish! I also tried one of their cupcakes (it had a spicy flavor). After trying the samples, I was sold. Definately wanted to drop by and get more!
Meatball Kitchen is located in Clifton.
You walk in and order. They bring the meal out to you. Love the simplicity of this restaurant. It’s small, yet spacious. Décor and colors are bright.
You pick your meatballs:
–Beef
–Turkey
–Spicy Pork
–Vegetarian (gluten free)
You choose your plate:
Sandwich, Pasta, or Salad.
You choose your Sauce:
Meat, Tomato, or Bechamel.
There are extras you can add for small additional price-​extra meatball, bacon, provolone cheese and pickles.
If you don’t want to get a sandwich or pasta, you can also choose the meatball platter, featured meatball tacos (special for the day), bacon/​cheddar meatball burger, etc.
I got the meatball platter. I requested to try a different variety. So I got the Turkey, Beef, and Vegetarian with Meat and Bechamel sauce on the side. As my two sides, I got the Kale Salad and the Sriracha Sweet Potato Mash. For Dessert, I got the pumpkin cupcake. As for my drink, I got a carafe of house red wine.
Everything was perfect!!! Words cannot describe how awesome my meal was. The meatball was not overcooked, sauce had a delicious flavor. Kale salad was not soggy (my salad was not drowining in dressing), and my sriracha sweet potato mash was spicy, but not overwhelming.
Server was very helpful and patient. My friend and I were indecisive on what to order. He was giving us helpful tips.
I highly recommend coming here. Their food has a unique flavor and very cheap in pricing. Menu is very simple, which I love.
They also have specials on happy hour on weekdays.
I see myself being a regular at this place. LOVE IT!

This place rocks! Another great addition to a newer genre of eating experience… no wait staff, disposable plates/​bowls, minimalist décor, you order at the counter but they do carry it to your table. Kind of the classic pizza joint style, but serving unique tasty and memorable dishes, independently owned and one of a kind! What’s not to love?
Perfect portion sizes leaving you definitely satisfied without overindulging, and great prices. Small menu which nevertheless gives you lots of options. Sufficient wine and beer options, plus a couple daily cocktail specials! Soft drinks, too, of course, and special ones at that. We shared a carafe of the house red wine, a great deal at ten bucks.
I had the meatball trio, one each of the turkey, beef, and pork. I definitely recommend this on your first visit. Amazingly, the turkey took first prize in my book! Loved the seasoning and the added spinach. They were all delicious in their own unique ways. The pork meat ball had a cinnamony spicy vibe, and paired with the Mashed Sriracha sweet potatoes, really got me thinking of some serious alternatives for Thanksgiving dinner this year! I had the tomato sauce, my husband chose the meat sauce, and the other sides were the kale, the salad, and roasted broccoli. This latter was surprisingly served cold, but was absolutely delicious. Everything, in fact, was top notch and we were both very pleased. I’m only sorry I didn’t order a slice of focaccia bread to sop up the remaining sauce. I had to make do with my fork, and it was worth the extra effort, it was that good.
I wanted to mention that the tomato sauce is NOT a marinara sauce; it’s a tomato and Parmesan cheese sauce with butter. So it’s going to be thinner and much lighter in color than what you might expect for a more traditional red sauce over spaghetti. But honestly, if you’re craving spaghetti and meatballs, this is not your place.
After we finished licking the plates, I was really salivating for a taste of either the cupcake or cannoli of the day. To my great distress, they were all sold out! It was only around 3:30 in the afternoon. So I must drop a star, sadly, for that disappointment. After a discussion with the staff, it was decided that next time I’ll call ahead, and have my sweet treat held in reserve! (Especially important as I don’t live at all close by. However, I’m very hopeful that certain circumstances may before long lead to my being able to hit this place fairly often. But that’s another story.)
Highly recommended!

What do you get when you put spicy pork meatballs on focaccia with béchamel sauce to make a sandwich? The answer is pure deliciousness!
You go up to the counter at this short vine establishment and you review the menu, constantly saying «I want that, no that, no that…» On and on…
We have been here twice already and have tried all but the veggie meatball (which I am sure is delicious). We have gotten it on the sandwich and on the salad and all are very well prepared.
The turkey meatball is moist and well seasoned, and goes great in the salad.
I have heard they deliver through Zooted Delivery, but I haven’t tried.
Stop in! I don’t think it’s possible you will regret it!