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On top of spaghetti, covered with cheese, tucked into a roll, grilled on a skewer—meatballs in all forms abound in Philadelphia, and not just in South Philly, the city’s largely Italian enclave. There are traditional Italian versions with gravy (commonly known as tomato sauce), Vietnamese pork balls in noodle soup, vegetarian tofu-ball sandwiches from street vendors and luxuriant rounds of short-rib hand-rolled by celebrity chefs.
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Polpettini Pizza @ Zavino
112 S 13th St Philadelphia, PA
Tiny veal meatballs mingle happily with Claudio’s mozzarella on the Polpettino pizza at wine bar Zavino, making it one of the most popular choices for diners.
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Fran's Meatballs @ Sovana Bistro
696 Unionville Road
The luscious brick hearth pies at Sovana Bistro can be embellished with Fran’s Meatballs, a tender beef-pork-veal combo, then draped with Italian hots and shaved pecorino.
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Braciolini @ Radice
722 Dekalb Pike Blue Bell, PA
At Blue Bell’s refined new Italian restaurant Radice, they’re called bracciolini—and the pork and pecorino ovals are long simmered in a sage-infused tomato sauce for maximum effect.
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Albondigas @ Amada
217 Chestnut St Philadelphia, PA
The little albondigas or lamb meatballs at Jose Garces’s Spanish eatery Amada are served with shaved manchego cheese, and they’re an essential part of the order at this tapas hotspot.
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Sal’s Old School Meatballs @ Amis Restaurant
412 South 13th Street Philadelphia, PA
Named after Chef Marc Vetri’s father, the “homestyle” meatballs served over mashed potatoes at Amis might have been inspired by family, but they taste exactly like a five-star chef made them.
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Caciocavallo Stuffed Meatballs @ Barbuzzo
110 S 13th St Philadelphia, PA
Chef Marcie Turney wasn’t content to simply serve regular meatballs at her Mediterranean wine bar Barbuzzo—nope, these short rib and pork shoulder babies are stuffed with melting caciocavallo cheese
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IKEA Swedish Meatballs @ IKEA South Philadelphia, PA
2206 S. Columbus Blvd Philadelphia, PA
One of the best values in town, the Ikea Swedish meatball plate (15 meatballs served with mashed potatoes, cream sauce and lingonberries for $3.99) is also reputed to be the best version of the famed dish in America.
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Soutzoukakia Smyrneika @ Kanella
1001 Spruce Street Philadelphia, PA
They’re a tongue-twister to order, but Soutzoukakia Smyrneika, simply known as beef meatballs in tomato and yogurt sauce, are a must-try item at Cypriot bring-your-own-bottle spot Kanella.
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Kofte kebab @ Zahav
237 st. james place Philadelphia, PA
The Bulgarian style cumin-scented lamb and beef meatballs at Society Hill hotspot Zahav represent the brilliant fusion of Israeli and Eastern European cuisine.
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Nem Nuong Cuon @ Vietnam Restaurant
221 North 11th Street Philadelphia, PA
Whether twirled into vermicelli noodles topped with fish sauce or grilled and wrapped in rice paper, the tiny pork meatballs at Vietnam in Chinatown are a fragrant and satisfying treat.
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Moroccan Meatballs @ Argan Moroccan Cuisine
132 South 17th Street Philadelphia, PA
The delectable caraway-studded beef balls in tomato sauce at Moroccan sandwich joint Argan demonstrate that meatballs indeed transcend national borders.
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Meatball Sandwich @ Shank's Original Pier 40
901 South Christopher Columbus Boulevard Philadelphia, PA
Juicy meatball sandwiches on Kaiser rolls come wit’ or without provolone at Shank’s Original, which has been dishing out homemade recipes since 1962.
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Meatball Parm @ Sarcone's Deli
734 South 9th Street Philadelphia, PA
With rolls that are the envy of every hoagie shop for miles, Sarcone’s succeeds in making a memorable meatball parm sandwich—and the generous dollops of marinara and mozzarella are just a bonus.
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Gravy Meatball Sliders @ Village Belle
757 South Front Street Philadelphia, PA
Little gravy meatball sliders are a featured item at Queen Village’s Village Belle, where the veal, pork, beef and pecorino creations—first made popular at owner Joey Campanaro’s New York City restaurant Little Owl—are served on homemade garlic buns.
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Meatball Hoagie @ Tony Luke's
39 E Oregon Ave Philadelphia, PA
Though the spotlight is usually on Tony Luke’s cheesesteaks, roast pork and roast beef sandwiches, the South Philly mainstay also features a mean meatball hoagie with fresh bread and red gravy.
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Foie Gras Meatballs @ London Grill
2301 Fairmount Avenue Philadelphia, PA
Everyone loves meatballs, but Fairmount fixture London Grill has devoted an entire night to them. On Meatball Mondays, a plate of three costs $6, and the changing lineup includes such variations as Moroccan tuna balls with tomato jam, duck meatballs with cherry mostarda and foie gras meatballs.
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Veal Meatballs @ Mamma D's Restaurant and Winery
6637 Easton Road Pipersville, PA
The tennis ball-sized beef, veal and pork numbers (or eggplant for vegetarians) at Mamma D’s in Pipersville have drawn customers from across the region. The restaurant also serves its own house-made wine.
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Pork Meatballs @ Marabella Meatball Co
1211 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA
With a name like Marabella Meatball Company, the concept is fairly obvious—less so are the dozens of options available at this meatball mecca, where beef, pork, chicken and veggie varieties are among the regular offerings. There are sandwiches and platters, plus mix and match sauces, toppings and pastas.
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Magic Meatballs @ Magic Carpet food truck
36th & Spruce Streets Philadelphia, PA
Doused in marinara and cheese, the tofu balls (also known as Magic Meatballs) at the Magic Carpet truck in University City have been feeding happy vegetarians—and everyone—for decades.
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Meatballs @ Talluto's Authentic Italian Fd
944 South 9th Street Philadelphia, PA
The gigantic home-style orbs at Talluto’s are available to-go at all of the Italian specialty store’s locations, alongside pastas of every variety to be enjoyed at home.
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chicken meatballs @ Dad's All Natural Stuffings
1615 West Ritner Street Philadelphia, PA
Just like grandma or grandpa makes: The takeaway chicken meatballs and tomato gravy at the Dad’s Stuffings store in South Philadelphia are the stuff of legend.
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Meatballs @ Villa Di Roma Restaurant
936 South 9th Street Philadelphia, PA
Repeat winner of the Golden Meatball Challenge between South Philadelphia and South Jersey and Food Network Meatball Wars winner, Italian Market staple Villa di Roma has a winning 50-year-old formula with its pan-seared all-beef beauties.
