When You Want Meatballs

Rebecca Varidel
16th Feb 2015

We've just given you the clues on comedy in Sydney but if you're after the other kind of meatballs (the ones you can eat) here's our run-down of five.

1. Carmel's

You might be familiar with the famous meatballs of Carmel Ruggeri. Her meatball reputation was established back at her first restaurant La Casa. Now she's at it again. Carmel has confirmed her new namesake Abbotsford café, Carmel's is serving her beauties. "Yes I'm doing meatballs again. The best meatballs in da world." "Big juicy tasty meatballs!" Open for breakfast and lunch seven days, Carmel's will be opening at night from tomorrow.

1/284 Great North Road, Wareemba +61 2 9712 7006

2. Lipari Hunters Hill

The Lipari meatballs - Polpette Napoletana - are made by the family on the premises. At $15.50 for an entrée serving of six meatballs, they have to be the best value in town. Upstairs in the Italian restaurant (above Lipari take away pizza) the meatballs are also on the menu as a main with spaghetti for only nineteen bucks. And the tasty meatballs are also a pizza topping option.

55 Gladesville Road, Hunters Hill +61 2 9816 5925

3. Casoni

After rocking out as a popular Spanish tapas bar, owners Julian Marchetto and Nathan Moses decided it was time to move east and take on the Italians, so turned their Foley Lane venue into an Italian style eatery in late August last year. Serving up some seriously delicious Italian fare, Casoni features a daily changing menu, under the hands of Head Chef, Lachlan Robinson, who has some serious Italian cred. Cavatelli, Tomato Sugo & Spiced Meatballs ($25) is a dish in itself worth a pit stop at their intimate corner 45 seater.

371 - 373 Bourke Street (corner of Foley and Bourke Streets), Darlinghurst

4. Bootleg Meatballs

Kings Cross eatery Bootleg Italian has transformed into a meatball specialist. It's a three step program. (1) Choose Your Balls - Beef & Basil, Pork & Fennel, Chicken & Dill, Fish & Coriander, Eggplant & Chickpea (2) Choose Your Sauce - Napoli (Italian Tomato), White (Classic Creamy), Green (Kale Pesto) (3) Choose - Spaghetti, Penne, White Beans, Market Vegetables, Crispy Polenta, Spuds. These options make Bootleg Meatballs a great place for not only meat eating meatball lovers, but also a great choice for ball loving vegetarians.

175 Victoria Street, Potts Point + 61 2 9361 3884

5. Parsons Bar + Kitchen

Last but by no means least, in the leafy terraced Kellett Street heart of Kings Cross, Parsons dish up sumptious mozzarella filled meatballs as one of their tasty shared plate signatures. Meatballs have always been the food of the working class (the '30s theme of their friendly establishment) after all.

3 Kellett Street, Potts Point + 61 2 8540 6320