Los Angeles Meatballs Worth Seeking

Meatballs Los Angeles

Sometimes, life calls for a cast iron cauldron filled with meatballs submerged in bubbling Sunday gravy.

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Meatballs are no longer limited to Italian restaurants. Forget the classic beef, pork and veal trinity. Anything that walks, flies or swims is now fair game. Find my favorite Los Angeles meatballs, some recognizable classics, others highly original.

La Vecchia Cucina Spaghetti Vecchio Mondo


Meatballs Los Angeles

This Santa Monica classic has been around for 25 years, with Mark Mollica as chef for nine years, and co-owner for the past seven years. Still, he goes even deeper for his Spaghetti Vecchio Mondo ($16), relying on an old family recipe for hand-rolled beef and veal meatballs, which contain egg, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and milk-soaked bread, which he wrings out before adding to the mixture. Moisture’s good for meatballs, but too much is detrimental. Pomodoro sauce and al dente spaghetti complete the bowl.

Little Sister Balinese Meatballs

Meatballs Los Angeles

Tin Vuong generally cooks full-throttle. I’m pretty sure he’s never been in first or second gear. Sometimes, that can lead to overly big flavors, but his deep-fried meatballs, inspired by the Indonesian island of Bali, work well. Balinese Style Meat Balls ($11) combine brisket and pork belly trimmings with “secret spices,” shrimp paste and onion bits. Vuong coats his meatballs with panko and sesame baguette crumbs. They’re deep-fried in lard, served with tangy Filipino-inspired banana ketchup, and plated with pickled daikon and crushed peanuts.

Michael’s Pizzeria Meatballs

Meatballs Los Angeles

This branch of a growing mini-chain from Michael Dene features a Promenade patio with orange umbrellas, marble tables and counter, and an oven that burns olive and orange wood at 800 degrees. The pizza’s good, but I might prefer their Polpette al Forno ($12), braised beef, veal and pork meatballs that arrive in a cast iron skillet (naturally), with sharp Parmesan slices, parsley, and rich tomato sauce that begs to be dipped.

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Joshua Lurie

Joshua Lurie founded FoodGPS in 2005. Read about him here.

Blog Comments

Not sure if Rao’s was open when this article was posted but it definitely deserves a mention. They have the perfect New York Italian style meatballs.

Sarah, Good to know. I think Rao’s opened right as this story was going live. I’ve had their meatballs in Vegas. Good, for sure.

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