Hi friends! I'm super stoked to be reviewing this restaurant as it's literally been on my friend Ileia and I's "To Try" list for about a zillion years...well maybe not that long but you get the idea...I was real excited. Also, please enjoy this gif of Brittany from "Glee" pulling a "Lady and the Tramp" move. Can I just say, if I guy ever did this to me on a date, I would probably die from laughter. After all, they say the way to win a girl's heart is through her stomach (cause food is life...duh) but I'm thinking her funny bone would be a close second.
The Meatball Stoppe
Located off Lake Underhill Road, this hole in the wall restaurant is definitely one worth visiting. The atmosphere is very casual and we were pleased to be seated right away. Within minutes, our waitress was at our table with an iPad displaying pictures of each menu item, ready to answer any questions.
I'll admit, the menu was a bit overwhelming since there were so many ways to "design" your meal but the pictures helped so much! Bonus: the co-owner, Chef Isabella, also stopped by for a chat to make sure we were all taken care of. Everyone was just so kind to us and let me just say, nothing beats quality service. 👏
For future references, here's a quick run-down of the menu:
1st) Choose Your Style - You could have your meatballs served by themselves (trio or 3+ in a bucket), on top of one of The Meatball Stoppe's many sides (salad, polenta, or white bean ragu), or "smashed" aka on a sandwich.
2nd) Choose Your Meatball - They literally have over 10 different "flavors" of meatballs to choose from. I'm talking Chicken Parmigiana, Mac and Cheese, Jeffy's Crab Ball, you name it! Although I highly recommend Nonna's Traditional meatball...just keep reading to see why. 😉
3rd) Choose Your Sauce - Again, tons of options here ranging from Roasted Tomato to Creamy Provolone to Buffalo Bleu. The combinations are honestly endless.
But, if you want to be that person and skip out on the meatballs--AT A MEATBALL PLACE, I might add (*cough cough my little brother LOL)--The Meatball Stoppe has a ton of traditional Italian favorites to choose from as well. 👍 Not to mention, check out these awesome deals:
-Happy Hour (Daily from 3 to 6pm): $1 Meatballs (5 minimum, 1 style). *Dine-in only.
-Traditional Tuesday: Pasta, 1 Meatball, Stoppe Salad, Focaccia AND a fountain drink all for $6.95! Whaaa?! #score. *Dine-in only.
First up was this bomb Stoppe Salad. It doesn't look like much but it was just enough to quench my (rare) salad craving. All it had was mixed greens, roasted corn, tomatoes, red onion, and feta cheese topped with a tasty vinaigrette of sorts. Peep that toasted focaccia in the corner cause who doesn't love focaccia. Side Note: if you actually know how to pronounce the word "focaccia" properly, lemme know cause I'm still clueless LOL.
Oh man oh man was this delicious. I went with a trio of meatballs atop The Meatball Stoppe's white bean ragu. In case you are like me and unsure of what a "ragu" is, you can equate it to a meatless chili or to Olive Garden's Pasta Fagioli Soup (minus the meat and noodles). All in all, it's legit heaven in soup form.
As for my trio of meatballs, starting on the far left and moving clockwise, I went with a Nonna's Traditional, a Chicken Buffalo Bleu, and a Chicken Parmigiana. Now, I'll be honest, this was my first time trying chicken meatballs and I can't say I was a fan. I think I'm just too used to the regular beef kind which is why Nonna's Traditional was SO SO yummy to me. I also don't recommend getting any of the "unique" flavors like Buffalo Bleu on the ragu because there were just too many conflicting flavors going on. Overall though, I could definitely see myself ordering three of the traditional meatballs on top of the ragu again!
As mentioned above, my brother was being a lame-butt and decided to go the non-meatball route and ordered Baked Ziti. Surprise surprise, he loved it LOL. But really, this ziti was very tasty and I would totally recommend. After all, it's hard to go wrong with smothering your penne pasta in a vodka-like sauce and melted cheese. 👌
My dad, of course, had to be different from my mom and I who both ordered the trio + ragu. He decided to go with a spicy pork meatball smash with the spicy sauce and served on toasted focaccia bread. He said it was good but needed more sauce. He then tried my mom and I's and totally wished he got the ragu instead LOL.
By the time the dessert menu rolled around, we were too stuffed to indulge however it is now our motivation to return real soon...well that, and to eat more meatballs and ragu. Oh that wonderful ragu--I think I'm in love, it's fine. 😂
Foodie Fast Facts:
Service: Sit-down
Type of Food: Italian
Price Range: $
Location: 7325 Lake Underhill Road, Orlando, FL 32822
Menu: click here!
Overall Foodie Girl Rating: 🍝🍝🍝🍝🍝 out of 5
~FoodieGirl💕
Food for Thought:
