Today’s Fun – Best Meatball Sandwich

Enough with the personal finance and griping about media bias. Today, let’s just have some fun and a tasty meatball sandwich.

I am a huge meatball sandwich fan. To me, there is nothing better than stumbling across a sub shop that has a meatball sub that will make your knees buckle. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it is something.

So, over the past year or so, I have been (casually) on the hunt for the best meatball sandwich in Worcester County. If you’re reading and you’re fairly local, I’d love to hear recommendations.

The Process

Unfortunately, there is nothing scientific. I basically talk with friends about this and search the web and try them out. And to be honest, sometimes I’m starving when I hit the sub shop, other times, not so much. I’m sure this influences my ratings. It’s like going to the grocery store when you’re hungry. How much do you buy? Everything looks delicious.

So the process starts with “Hey, I’m hungry, time for lunch.” I think about my mental sandwich to-do list and choose a place that sounds fun. Sometimes my dog Rosco joins me and he and I debate the pros and cons. Sometimes I have a side-kick, but mostly, It’s just me and my sandwich.

Ratings

Totally my opinion. But here are some of the things Rosco and I think about:

  1. Meatballs – this is why we came. Flavor and consistency are both important. Some sub shops seem to make the meatballs in the morning or (gasp) buy them and then throw them in a pot with tomato sauce to stew all day. I have no facts to back this up other than mushy meatballs.
  2. Bread – good bread is huge. For those in Boston, Al’s South Street – one on South St. and 1 by South Station, has outstanding bread. When I worked in Boston, I stoped by and paid my respects often. Good bread makes a difference.
  3. Cheese – Not too much, not too little. Some get fancy, but sticking with provolone or perhaps mozzarella seems to be the safe pick.
  4. Extras – I applaud creativity. Some shops have added to the big 3 above. Some with mixed results.

That’s about it. Meatballs, Bread and Cheese. Should be easy. Yes and no.

….And the Favorites Are…

#1

…so far. Vincent in Worcester.

Vincent is more bar than sub shop. Tony and I arranged to meet there on a weekday evening. Vincent is a sketchy looking place in a sketchy neighborhood in a sketchy section of Worcester, which is a somewhat sketchy city. Tony and I debated our safety before deciding to throw caution to the wind in the hunt for our white whale of meatball sandwiches.

Here is the street view

For those who are brave, go back and take a look at the sandwich. It may give you confidence. Tony and I found the bartender quite friendly and after we had a drink and staked the place out for a bit, we ordered sandwiches.

Vincent gets its bread fresh daily from Culpepper’s bakery where they make it special for them. The bread is light and airy and delicious. The meatballs are good sized but not overwhelming and are perfectly cooked. Provolone cheese is perfect.

It’s something special. After we finished, another patron came in and ordered a meatball and sausage sandwich. I had no idea such a thing was available. Next time.

#2

A very close #2. I’m going to have to go back and retest (Yay!).

…drum roll…J’s Deli in Smithfield, RI. I worked in Smithfield and one of my buddies who worked with me was mentioning J’s. I had totally forgotten about them. J’s has dozens of specials posted on the wall. I’ve tried most and they are fantastic, but I’ve never thought to order a plain old meatball.

Huge mistake. On the way home from golf yesterday, I swung by to right this wrong. I stopped in and got a little woozy looking at the chicken cutlet special, the pulled pork, and I got distracted. By the time I reached the register, I had steeled myself to focus on the work at hand and I ordered a meatball sandwich. Rosco was waiting at home, so I took it to go.

I’m not sure what J does to his meatballs, but they were amazing. Perfectly sized so that I got the right mix of bread, meatball and cheese in every bite. Bread, while not quite Vincent quality, was head and shoulders above most.

I will need to return to both Vincent and J’s to refresh my rankings.

Final note on J’s. I noticed a special called the godfather.

I will return soon, but I can’t promise I’ll be able to stick with meatball.

#3

Napoli Deli. Napoli gets special mention. You’ll need to bring a friend to finish the sandwich.

Quality-wise, it is very close to Vincent. Excellent meatball made fresh with very tasty bread and cheese. I have a special place in my heart for Napoli. It is BYOB and all the food is fantastic. Tony and I go once a month and spend hours having a leisurely lunch and a drink or 2.

Be sure to go on Brisket day. It’s life-changing.

Napoli’s meatball is also on the retest list. #1,2,3 on this list are very close.

The Rest

Both J’s and Vincent’s entry in the meatball sandwich game will make your knees weak. Sit down while eating to avoid injury. We’re all about safety first.

So far the rest have not differentiated themselves enough to get into the top 3 but there are some winners and losers. That said, a bad meatball sandwich is like a bad pizza. It’s still pretty good.

Steve’s Pizza

I was a regular at Steve’s back in the mid 80’s. Steve’s is a step above the average sub shop. It’s always busy for a reason.

Rosco and I visited over the summer to retry an old favorite. We sat outside and Rosco sniffed and peed while I tested Steve’s meatball sandwich. Rosco had a bite or 2 as well so that he could share his input.

Rosco & I both felt that Steve’s was pretty good. Steve adds a couple of slices of roasted green pepper which is a nice touch. Bonus points for creativity. Meatballs, bread and cheese were all good. No complaints, it’s just not quite up to the quality of the top 3.

Ziti

Ziti’s Italian Trattoria sits quietly in the Westboro speedway plaza (I actually went to a race at the speedway once long ago). Blink and you’ll pass it. Most of the traffic in the plaza is for Chik-fil-a so Ziti’s is often overlooked. This is a mistake.

I’ve eaten at Ziti’s a handful of times and each time I’ve been impressed. The location and atmosphere are nothing to write home about but the food is always good.

I handled this visit on my own without Rosco or my usual side-kicks. I got the sandwich to go and it smelled nice so I ate in the car – fine dining with a view of the Stop-and-Shop.

I remember thinking the sandwich was not that great and I’d save half. Next thing I knew it was gone.

The tomato sauce is tangy, which I wasn’t expecting – also more orange than I would have expected. Meatballs were excellent. Bread was excellent as well. Sauce grew on me as evidenced by the lack of left-overs.

Overall, I was very impressed with the meatball sandwich at Ziti and I’ll be back to give it a 2nd chance. My feeling is that it’s delightful but not quite as good as the big 3.

Regatta Deli

Regatta is another favorite from the mid-80’s. I was working in Worcester and would often run to Regatta for their “Regatta” which is an Italian sub. While I have fond memories of the regatta, the meatball sandwich was a huge disappointment. Way too much bread which overpowers the meatball and cheese. No bueno.

Bushel & Peck

I was quite excited to try Bushel & Peck. I have fond memories from years ago when it was Elsa’s Bushel and Peck. Not sure what happened to Elsa.

Bushel & Peck offers a meatball sandwich with

How could I pass this up?

I should have. The hot peppers did not go at all, at least for me. It also seemed a bit bready. I’ll be back for the straight-up meatball sandwich to give them another shot.

Neighborhood Kitchen

Neighborhood Kitchen is a small, fairly new spot in Whitinsville. I stopped in and chatted with the owner while my sandwich was being made. Very friendly. I’m a huge American chop suey fan and she recommended this, so I’ll be back. The meatball sandwich was not all that impressive. Very large with huge meatballs. I should have pulled them out, cut them, put a couple aside, and eaten the sandwich with less meat (gasp!).

I also wasn’t a huge fan of their tomato sauce – a bit too tomatoey and it overpowered everything – doesn’t bode well for the American chop suey, but I’m a risk-taker.

Others

There were a handful of others – mostly local pizza joints, none of which outshined any other. Again, even an average meatball sandwich is delicious. Good but not noteworthy.

Wrap-Up

I have more on my list and I’ll update after I’ve tried a few.

Please post a comment if you have suggestions, or if you’d like me (or Rosco) to reconsider any of our reviews. I’m always willing to give someone a second chance especially where meatballs are involved.

Updates 10/5/24

Lot’s of feedback from friends on this. I was strongly encouraged to move Napoli Deli up in the rankings. I’m not one to act without sufficient evidence so Tony & I made a trip to Napoli and split a sausage and meatball sub. While I realize this breaks the meatball-only spirit, I’m willing to compromise in pursuit of deliciousness. The sandwich was as good as any I’ve had – strong performance by Napoli.

I was encouraged to try Belsito’s Deli. Rosco and I paid a visit. A mediocre meatball sandwich is still delicious. While I enjoyed it, as did Rosco, there are too many other great choices.

Some other recommendations that I’ll need to sample:

  • Parkway Diner
  • Tom’s Deli
  • Dino’s

Not a meatball sandwich, but I have to give a shout out to Reunion in Whitinsville for their Pilgrim sandwich. I love Thanksgiving time when the turkey, stuffing, cranberry sandwich makes its annual appearance. Reunion is starting early with a solid contender.

More updates to come.

Update 10/12/24

Yesterday I went to visit my daughter and my new grand-daughter. I typically bring lunch when I visit and wanted to try something new. I checked out Culpepper’s bakery near Holy Cross. As you may remember, Culpepper’s supplies the bread for the life-changing meatball sandwich at Vincent.

I tried Culpepper’s meatball sandwich to see how it compared. Unfortunately, I got take out in a styrofoam container that sat in my car for 15 minutes as I drove, and then sat on the counter for a half hour or so while I visited. 45 minutes later, the sandwich was excellent. Bread was perfect. Meatballs were very good, as well as the sauce.

Hard to compare, given the counter time. But I’ll be planning a trip soon to try the sandwich fresh.

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