Flavour of the Month: Toronto’s 10 best meatballs
Flavour of the Month: Toronto’s 10 best meatballs
Toronto chefs are making meatballs in every variation known to humankind. Here, 10 spectacular, sloppy spheres.
See all ten meatballs »
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- At Modus, grass-fed prime beef balls, seasoned with garlic, parsley, bay leaf and chili flakes, have gooey mozzarella centres. They’re served the old-school Italian way—on a pile of al dente spaghetti. $25. <strong>Modus,</strong> <em>145 King St. W., 416-861-9977.</em>
- (Image: Christopher Stevenson. Styling by Linsey Bell)
- Ooze Fest
- Ooze Fest
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- 174102
- Sorry, spaghetti, but orecchiette is the best pasta to ever accompany a meatball. At Loire, the grass-fed lamb orbs are bound together with ricotta so they’re super tender, then served in a port-infused tomato sauce. $23. <strong>Loire,</strong> <em> 119 Harbord St., 416-850-8330.</em>
- (Image: Christopher Stevenson. Styling by Linsey Bell)
- Alt Noodles
- Alt Noodles
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- Chef Giacomo Pasquini riffs on his grandmother’s Old World lamb ball recipe, adding paprika and serving freshly baked rosemary focaccia alongside—perfect for assembling messy, pillowy sandwiches. $12. <strong>Vertical,</strong> <em> 100 King St. W., 416-214-2252.</em>
- (Image: Christopher Stevenson. Styling by Linsey Bell)
- Nonna Knows Best
- Nonna Knows Best
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- When beef is as flavourful as Cumbrae’s dry-aged rib cap, it only needs a dash of salt for seasoning. A minimalist sauce of olive oil and fresh rosemary is equally restrained and similarly elegant. $13. <strong>Edulis,</strong> <em> 169 Niagara St., 416-703-4222.</em>
- (Image: Christopher Stevenson. Styling by Linsey Bell)
- Restrained Order
- Restrained Order
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- This sumptuous hero works the sweet-sour angle with its hoisin-slicked pork balls and slaw of pickled carrots, daikon and cucumber on a wisp-light baguette. A sprinkling of cilantro refreshes the palate between bites. $5.50. <strong>Banh Mi Boys,</strong> <em>392 Queen St. W., 416-363-0588. </em>
- (Image: Christopher Stevenson. Styling by Linsey Bell)
- Master Sub
- Master Sub
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- Rocco Agostino’s blend of beef chuck, pork shoulder and veal belly makes for a buttery foie gras–like bite. Hot pepper bomba adds just the right amount of heat. $9. <strong>Pizzeria Libretto,</strong> <em> 550 Danforth Ave., 416-466-0400; 221 Ossington Ave., 416-532-8000.</em>
- (Image: Christopher Stevenson. Styling by Linsey Bell)
- Triple Play
- Triple Play
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- Chris Kalisperas’s keftedes taste like home cooking—a tribute to his mother, who made a similar recipe of cinnamon-spiced pork and beef. He serves them on a pool of tzatziki and tops them with mint pesto. $15. <strong>Brassaii,</strong> <em> 461 King St. W., 416-598-4730.</em>
- (Image: Christopher Stevenson. Styling by Linsey Bell)
- From the Greek
- From the Greek
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- Shreds of kale and barley pearls add a nutritious twist to chef Joel MacMillan’s orbs of luscious lamb. House-made cornbread is brilliant for sopping up the meatballs’ rich tomato-caraway sauce. $14. <strong>Zocalo,</strong> <em> 1426 Bloor St. W., 647-342-1567.</em>
- (Image: Christopher Stevenson. Styling by Linsey Bell)
- Little Green
- Little Green
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- Little Anthony’s ground turkey spheres are blended with marjoram, thyme, parsley and a touch of duck fat, then braised in a tangy pomodoro sauce. The resulting bites are chin-dribblingly juicy. $13.25. <strong>LA’s Italian + Bar,</strong> <em>121 Richmond St. W., 416-368-2223.</em>
- (Image: Christopher Stevenson. Styling by Linsey Bell)
- Birdie Num Num
- Birdie Num Num
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- Buca’s unabashedly elaborate balls are made with albacore tuna preserved in olive oil, then mixed with onion sofrito and buffalo ricotta. Raisins, shaved almond and aged pecorino top off the mini masterpieces. $14. <strong>Buca,</strong> <em>604 King St. W., 416-865-1600.</em>
- (Image: Christopher Stevenson. Styling by Linsey Bell)
- Tuna Melt
- Tuna Melt
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![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/food/flavour-of-the-month-meatballs/&title=Flavour of the Month: Toronto’s 10 best meatballs&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/nov12-meatballs-1.jpg&description=By Matthew Hague | Photographs by Christopher Stevenson | Styling by Linsey Bell
Toronto chefs are making meatballs in every variation known to humankind. Here, 10 spectacular, sloppy spheres.
See all ten meatballs »
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I don’t understand the exemption of Hey Meatball!, which probably inspired the article. Was it prepared with the sole intention of excluding Rodney Bowers?
do you know if any of these are made without eggs and flour?
Bar Hop on King has deep fried meatballs on a stick, just saying.
I know the agorophiles at TL won’t venture to less population-dense areas north of Bloor, but Picea 997 has 2 ginormous meatballs as an $8 appetizer that could easily suffice as a main course. Haven’t tried the rest but I’d be willing to wager these are the best.
Wow…three people to put this article together? Nice work.
I agree, I think HEY MEATBALL should definitely be on this list.
Ditto on the Picea meatball.
Yum – i want one now.
Shh, you let the secret out. Now everyone’s going to head to Picea 997.
I too marvel at the exclusion of Hey Meatball–so, so good.
Maybe they wanted to include more innovative meatballs than beef with tomato sauce (Hey)
What is lame about this is Toronto Restaurants never do their own thing. jump on the meatball band-wagon. zzzzzzzzzz
What about the gigantic meatball at Gio Rana’s Really Really Nice Restaurant in Leslieville? AKA the Big Nose
I agree! The Nose has some yummy balls! mmmm Scotty’s meatballzzzz….drooolllll….:)
The Veal Meatballs at 7 Numbers (Eglinton and Chaplain) are out-of-this-world good. My favourite for sure.
how is it possible that “Hey Meatball” was not even mentioned?
Come on, Hey Meatball may have started this meatball craze, however they were underwhelming….and not impressive to the restaurants listed above. They need to rethink their recipe and presentation.
I would argue that if you are so inept in the kitchen that you are willing to go out and pay for meatballs you should probably excuse yourself from the foodie table. What’s next? A list of Toronto’s best restos that serve only pasta with butter and parm? C’mon folks get out there and try stuff you can’t friggin’ make easily at home. I’m not saying Uni cappuccino is the way to go either ( trust me) but there is good honest interesting food out there that people keep forgetting about cause it’s not cool in NYC or on King St; wherever.