Michael Chernow and Daniel Holzman Bring Their Balls to the Upper East Side

The Meatball Shop
1462 Second Ave, Upper East Side
Phone: 212-257-6121
Web: themeatballshop.com
Status: Opening tonight

Tonight, Michael Chernow and Daniel Holzman will open the fifth location of their runaway hit, The Meatball Shop. This is the biggest outpost in the chain, with 115 seats including a 15-seat bar, and it is the first Meatball Shop to offer brunch. The weekend midday menu includes things like balls topped with fried eggs, balls Benedict, balls with biscuits and gravy, and "smash bun French toast." With this new location, the boys are also introducing 40 ounce cocktail pitchers. Other than that, the menu has the same mix-and-match formula that's offered at the other branches.

The Meatball Shop Upper East Side has a back room which accepts reservations for parties of eight or more, and, like all the other locations, the dining room feature old antiques that Chernow plucked from flea markets and antique stores. The Meatballers have not announced plans to open any other locations yet, but by the end of the decade, there will probably be one of these restaurants in every neighborhood of Manhattan except for maybe Midtown and the Financial District.

This week, the shop is open from 6 p.m. till midnight, but lunch and brunch should start next week.
Previous Coverage: NIMBYS, 03/07/13; Coming Attractions, 01/16/13; Expansions, 07/18/2012
Further Reading: Grub Street, The Daily Meal, FitR, DNAinfo.
[Michael Chernow and Daniel Holzman by Krieger]