The Meatball & Wine Bar

Food delicious and recommended but three stars for the lack of personality amongst the staff. Until now on our Australian holiday, everyone has been very chatting and engaging in restaurants. This place, not so much.
Maybe it’s a hipster joint and being decidedly non-​hipster we didn’t rate the bother. They weren’t busy. we were the only diners upon arrival and for about 30 minutes. Moreover, the manager spilled a partial glass my mineral water ($ 8 a bottle!) onto my wife while clearing the table. No real harm, but also no apology (that I heard) and no offer to perhaps comp one of the two bottles.
Overall the lack of personality definitely cast a pall over the entire dining experince.
I’d probably dine elsewhere.

Went here with a small group of people. Who knew it was possible to make that many puns about balls (especially the ones in creamy sauce). Overall pretty tasty meal, good glass of wine and good company.

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Flinders lane Melbourne has become a hub of great restaurants and restaurants believing their great. Gone are the days of the laneway full of bars and clubs that opened till the wee hours with the youth dancing on the bar tops, and drinking flaming drinks till they either pass out or thrown out. Ahh the memories.
Meatball and wine are one of many who helped reshape the lane into what it is today. A simple concept of good old fashion meatballs and a decent wine list.
It was a Thursday night and we decided that we needed a fix of meatballs and being just around the corner we headed into Meatball and Wine CBD. As I said before this is a simple concept but done so incredibly well, from the interior of timber floors and exposed brink walls to the well trained staff on the floor and in the kitchen.
We ordered our starters which was the whole chilli salami with warm bread. The waiter delivered our sausage on a wooden board and a sharp knife for slicing. I love a good sausage and this one didn’t disappoint. Full of flavour and just the right amount of chilli. The only negative is there wasn’t enough bread to go with the amount of meat.
We then ordered our mains, which of course was meatballs. Here you can mix and match your balls with your sauce and it’s bed. BUT you cannot mix a selection of balls it has to be the same three. Not sure why restaurants still refuse to be flexible but I’ll leave that for another time. So we ordered the beef meatballs with a white creamy sauce with creamy polenta and pork with fennel sage and orange with a Italian tomato sauce serve on a bed of smashed potato. The beef meatballs: juicy and seasoned well, whilst the balls themselves lacked a little flavour, when combined with the white creamy sauce and polenta they truly shinned. The creamy polenta was to die for, and it was what it said it would be CREAMY, silky creamy, not a lump or grain in sight.
The Pork meatballs: Wow, where the beef lacked in flavour, the pork certainly made up for. The combination of the fennel sage and orange really synergised well. The let down here was the smashed potato. It just lacked seasoning. The Italian tomato sauce was another winner. Full of flavour and really went well with the pork meatballs.
Meatball and wine you have proven that simple doesn’t have to be boring, and a humble meatball can be such a success.

De-​licious, although I think the server could have known the menu better. I had a couple questions, and for each, she had to go to the back to get the answers, even one as simple as «what is this appetizer?» Really other than that, no complaints. We both got the classic beef meatballs with red sauce, although I heard a waitress say the chicken meatballs with green sauce over polenta was her favorite, and the lady next to our table tried that and it looked goooood!

A small joint with, well, great balls! The meat ones of course! I had the ‘giant’ single ball and it was awesome. Great variety of different balls and if you don’t like balls; there’s always chicken to choose as well!
No, if you are a vegetarian, I will kindly recommend to stay out of this one, cause there’s really not much options. My friend she doesn’t like cream or cheese, and even then she can only have the chicken wings and nothing else, so yeah.
The joint it self is a little small, but closey. Not tight. It is very dark so you will never know if the place is dirty or if thigs are under cooked. Lots of rustic feel settings.
Lovely joint. Recommend to try!

We live in Brooklyn. Have had a tough time finding good food for a good price here in Melbourne. Meatball was good for the price. Great pesto and good vibes. Great value for the price! Cheers.

The ambiance is hip with dim lighting and a mix of high tables for 4ppl, outdoor seating, window seats and a long bar. As you can guess, all of the dishes are centered around various types of meatballs (beef, chicken, pork and veal, fish and even vegetarian).
I had the beef balls with house pasta (pappardelle) and Italian tomato sauce. The meatballs were some of the best I’ve had. Even some of the most raved meatballs around are still a bit dry in the middle, but these were not.
The pappardelle was cooked well, but the serving of tomato sauce was so scarce I wonder if they were running out. There was barely enough to cover half of the dish. We were both stunned when it was placed in front of us.
There was also a pool of water at the bottom of both of our dishes. Not sure if the pasta had not been drained enough or they were trying to water down the sauce. It wasn’t a deal breaker, but still surprised it left the kitchen like that.

Great balls. No doubt.
Not so great customer service. Slow also… case (s) in point:
— was not even asked for water or drink order for over 10 minutes while sitting at the bar (we were the only 3 girls at the bar)
— were not asked if we wanted our entrees when they were actually ready! Our apps were close to done but until we asked, they didn’t tell us our food was ready.
The pasta+balls option could have been better with just a little bit more sauce. It was not enough to support 3 big balls sitting on a bed of pasta.
Also one of the staff had little idea if what the menu was (maybe he was new…). He didn’t know what the house pasta was & he didn’t know if it was house made!

First thing’s first: I don’t like meatballs. However, my friends were going and insisted it was good so I said: «Why not? How bad can it be?» Oh boy how I was wrong.
The place was aesthetically beautiful and the service was phenomenal. Our waitress was very knowledgable about the menu and tended to all of our needs. So I applaud her. The place was pricy. I had a really difficult time deciding what I wanted. In the end I shared with a friend and we got the chicken meatballs with white sauce and pasta. Pasta serving could’ve been bigger and more flavorful. The only way I could afford this place was to share.
The next morning I woke up feeling ill, and a few hours later I got the stomach flu. Fever, diarrhea, the whole shabang. There’s no proof that it was this place that caused it, but it was the last thing I ate. So I would just caution you.

Good food for what it is, great atmosphere, great service. Simple and straight forward dishes but good. We will be back here as its all done right.

We enjoyed our time here, but this place could be way better with a few tweaks. It might’ve just been the time we came (8:30pm on a Friday) but that’s all I have to go on.
To sum up, we had spaghetti meatballs, veg ball sliders, and orange fennel salad. Also had 500ml carafe of red wine. The food was all pretty great, I loved it all. Surprisingly, the highlight was the veg balls, which were so yummy.
However, I have a couple of complaints about this place that makes me unsure if I’d hurry back:
Firstly there’s no reservations for groups under 7, so as 2, we were told to roll up and we’d be given a seat. We arrived to find a 5 person queue, just standing by the door. No bar to get a drink at or anything. So we just had to stand there waiting, which took about 20min for a table of two with people rushing past you and dodging you. Bit uncomfortable.
The other thing I noticed that I think killed the vibe of the place, was they were BLASTING, at bar/​nightclub volumes, top 40 hip hop music. At dance volume, in fact one drunk woman got up and started dancing haha. That was a bit of a turnoff. It’d be awesome to see this place go for like old school Italian music or like 50s soul or something, particularly with the way its marketed online as a meatball specialty place. The vibe is much more of a dance club that serves meatballs.
Lastly, we spent 10−15min calling over a waiter to make an order. After we made our order, despite asking for the water, wine and salad first, the spaghetti meatballs and sliders came first, after about 10min. Surprised, we then asked and they were brought, but it was a bit annoying as we wanted to sip some wine first but wound up having to dig straight into the mains. Water never arrived.
Also, the wine list is a tad expensive. $ 32 for 500ml carafe of house wine? That’s usually the price for a low end 750ml bottle at most places.
The food is good, and the staff are generally friendly. But the vibe here feels a bit off, and I feel the service/​other points could do with some tweaking. The whole experience feels very rushed and unattended to and the blasting hip hop only intensifies that feeling.
I might return at another time to try again, but certainly in no rush.

Such a great vibe and atmosphere so why the 2 stars? I really love how small the location is and how everything is set up. It’s intimate and cute so what’s there not to love about that? It seemed like a good idea for a date for lunch or dinner! Or so I thought…
However, I do not love:
–The wait time. We got seated right away as it was not busy at 3 PM but the staff forgot about us more than once while we sat there empty handed.
–The lack of service. Again, they completely forgot about us and then once they took our order, we didn’t get the order until 50 minutes later when we asked what was going on!
–No water refills.
–Dirty utensils and cups.
–Overpriced, crappy (small) charcuterie boards. I can do better for $ 35.
–The meatball concept seems cool but obviously the current staff can not execute well.
Overall, this was a BIG disappointment and I would never think to go back or even recommend dining here.

I was quite impressed by The Meatball and Wine bar. The portions where large, the flavours where delicious and they make out the menu to be easy but having to make your own mind of combining ingredients is tricky for some haha
It’s actually quite straight forward. You get to pick a protein such as chicken, lamb or beef meatballs all of which are amazing and sit it on a carb of your choosing. They offer a creamy polenta, mash or a variety of pastas. I opted for the classic spaghetti meatballs seeing as I hadn’t had one ever and it was everything I expected.
Make sure you to check out their specials, a friend ordered it and it was delightful!

Didn’t really know what to expect when dining here. We came with family, including our 86 year old grandmother.
I love the concept of the menu, quite easy to choose and the night we dined we had a ver special on the special board!
Chicken meatballs with truffle oil and polenta! Amazing. Rich but amazing.
Such a great choice of wines to chose from too.
Only part I didn’t really like was that it was very dimly lit and the music was a tad too loud.
I am a fan, finally!

This restaurant features one of the best compilations of current rap and hip-​hop music I have heard outside of a night club. It really sets the mood for a wine and meatball extravaganza.
The restaurant itself is hip and modern, whether eating indoor or outdoor. I opted for an outdoor seat as it was a very warm, autumn evening. The outdoor seats were a little more lively because of the city sounds and street happenings. The indoor area was also very dark.
As for the food and service, I was very happy with the overall experience of this place. The wait staff were young and talkative which is always a nice thing. They also knew their menu very well. Speaking of the menu, I was very happy with the wine and beer selection for the prices. They also paired very well with the house meatball options. I went with the pork meatballs, with green sauce and white beans. The combinations were perfect as the citrusy pesto sauce mixed well with the spice of the meat and flavor absorbing qualities of the beans. My only concern was with the temperature; the dish was a little cool by the time it made it to my table. This great meal was also available at a great price ($ 21).
Overall, this place was great. I loved the vibe of urban dining with casual/​interesting meatball dishes. The place was packed with a hip, after-​work crowd that seemed to be enjoying their meals as much as me. I would highly recommend this spot for a unique dining experience.

Had been to the Richmond one years ago, and recalled liking it’s simplicity (meat — mash — sauce) but not being blown away. This experience was much better.
After getting the flick from Chin-​Chin (‘no more waiting list’ right as we were at the front of line, doh!) this was a fall-​back, and also had a bit of a wait on a Saturday night which you would expect.
Super dark inside, it can take your eyes a moment to adjust and take in what is a pretty cool space.
We all went the meatballs, as you do at a Meatball and Wine Bar — though the specials looked pretty good too — and they were much better than I recalled. I got the pork on mash with white sauce but we all shared around so got to sample most of the options.
We were dubious that a few meatballs and mash would fill us up, but no one was able to clean their plate completely.
There are plenty of cool restaurants at the top end of Flinders Lane, but this place holds its own among them.

Balls, balls and more balls! I love me some balls, in and around my mouth, dripping with sauce, especially when they big and juicy and served on a plate. But let me start from the beggining to how I got me a handful of these mouth watering balls…
My cousin and I were initially trying to get to Hardware Societe but we noticed that they were going to close soon. I had never been to the Meatball and Wine Bar before, but I was running out of ideas, it was recommended by a friend, and close to Flinders Street Station. When we arrived, there was a bit of a wait, but it wasn’t long before we nestled into our chairs and against the wall. The restaurant has got the ambience and music down pat so perfectly.
After drooling over the delicious menu options, we settled on a meat and cheese board as our entrée, with a summer bellini each, the pork and fennel meatballs with pesto sauce and summer vegetables, and the citrus fennel salad. In hindsight, we ordered A LOT. The meat and cheese board was divine with two types of meat (large rounds of salami and prosciutto), pickled cucumber, two types of cheese and some bread. There is some chili oil on the table which I would strongly recommend using on the bread. They sell them as well, which I now regret not purchasing.
The main attraction were the meatballs. The pork fennel meatballs were absolutely delicious! The brocolli was quite fresh. The citrus fennel salad was a lovely accompaniment to the heaviness of the meatballs.
I’d definitely come back again to try the rest of the menu!

OK I don’t usually do this, but I’m literally writing this review, at the Meatball and Wine, halfway through the meal.
Recommended by fellow Unilocaler in town at the Elite Event not 2 days ago, I was looking forward to coming here already. Arrived early and solo, I was comfortably sitting in front of the bar and greeted by the bartender. He’s nice enough to offer help, just to make sure I know how to order, but I had already made up my mind.
I went with a beef meatball + white sauce + house pasta combo. I also double checked with the staff to make sure the portion is large enough for a skinny Asian. Ordered a glass of pinot grigio, so that it fits the name meatball and wine.
And then, food was served in front of me and after the first bite, my face must have looked so amazed. The bartender asked how was it, and I said I’d never had any meatball taste that good before, and I actually meant it. Particularly because I never liked the usual beef meatball with tomato sauce combo, so the option of having white creamy sauce instead was just gold. The housemade pasta was really good too, and I felt very welcomed even though I was dining alone.
Seats are filling up pretty quickly as we speak (actually now it’s full just before I hit the submit button), so be early or make sure you got a reservation.

Absolutely amaze-​BALLS!
The plan tonight was to check out Cumulus INC, coming from Sydney with limited time I had already bookmarked all my meals but it was Friday night and there was an hour wait, which led to a stroll where I discovered this gem. There was 1 table for 2, as if it had my name scrawled into it’s wooden top I decided to put my plans aside and experience what all the other sassy & cool Melbournians were feasting on… What a perfect surprise!
We ordered the 2 specials; Mini Meatballs in chilli infused tomato sauce with Basil & the Beef Sliders with Zucchini Pickles & BBQ onion chutney & added abit of green with the Fennel & Orange with Candied Walnuts. So simple, wholesome and tastebud friendly!
The menu is a step by step how to order, basically you choose from the sort’ve meatballs you want — beef, pork, chicken, fish, vegan. Then you tell them what staple you fancy — polenta, mash, smashed peas, pasta. And then what sauce you want it Ll drenched in — tomato red sauce, verde pesto or some white sauce I didn’t pay any attention to. Love that you can have it your way… Make your own meal, love the freedom it provides!