The Meatball Stoppe

Reviews 4

RO

Romy Green

Ill start with what was good. The service was incredibly friendly and personable. The owners seem like nice folks. The menu has some really exciting options. I really wish I had chosen a different time to go. That brings me to the bad. My wife and I came here 8 days after it was featured on a popular food television show. This place pretty clearly couldnt handle the extra customers. We had 4 groups ordering ahead of us, and there was a 25 minute wait down a hot hallway to have our order taken. Isabella is a great host, but she wants to visit and chat with each customer as she takes their order. This is an admirable quality, but doesnt scale to a packed house. A third of the menu had run out by the time we finished placing our order at 7:30, so I didnt get to try most of the items I wanted to. After we ordered, we hoped we would get food quickly. We got there right after 7, and assumed we would be able to meet our friends nearby at 8 (spoiler: we were an hour late). After finding a seat, we overheard angry customers who had been waiting for an hour, having been given only the salad portion of their meal. We were given a salad, and then waited. The other customers in the room waited and waited, saw customers who arrived an hour after them get food, then they got irate. They finally got their food shortly before we did. We waited 45 minutes for our food. The folks at the next table waited twice that. The explanation they were given is that they had run out of some of the stuff they had ordered, but there was a communication breakdown between the kitchen and the servers, and it took the customers complaining for anyone to notice. The pasta was rushed, probably about 2-3 minutes underdone for a nice al dente. The meatballs were good. Good enough that Id consider going back, despite the other issues of the visit. Then we had to pay. It was another 15 minute wait to pay. One group decided not to wait and wanted to pay just for their beers before leaving. Other groups were trying to get desserts that they ordered with their meal sorted out. Jeff, the other owner, was clearly exhausted, constantly ringing people up all day. He couldnt find our order slip, tried to assign us the order from the previous table with our number. Then I noticed our order behind the register, out of his view. He was friendly throughout all this, and I felt bad that they seemed to be struggling to keep up. If I didnt see potential, and if they werent friendly, this one hour and forty-five minute ordeal wouldnt be getting the stars I gave it. I know everything wrong is because they were so busy. Hopefully the crowd balances itself out. The Saturday evening I visited, they were victims of their own success.

BR

Brian Rubin

This is a 7 star establishment. 5 stars does not do it justice! What a hidden gem. Service: Family owned, managed and worked. The owner is just awesome. She was there with her husband and mom running the show when we went. Assuming this is always the case, it has a great family feel. She was very nice and hugged my wife when we left as if we were family! She also knows her stuff. We had a general idea what we wanted and she made suggestions which we accepted and we thoroughly enjoyed everything. Food: As mentioned, we thoroughly enjoyed everything. I got the meatball sampler with veggie, chicken parm and traditional meatballs. They were awesome. My wife go the Mac and cheese meatballs, which is not what it sounds like. They were very much Italian inspired and were brilliantly cooked. They are made with beef mixed with a very tiny rice like pasta and cheese melted in the middle. Just typing this makes me want to go back for more!! We have only been once, but I would safely assume the rest of the menu is equally as fantastic. For dessert (we were too full but had to try), the Cannoli was made fresh and was excellent. The portions are perfect. I was full and my wife took home some leftovers. Ambiance: Nothing special. It is kind of like a take out chinese with more tables. You do get seated and served. However, food comes out on disposable plates. Personally, I dont think ambiance defines the quality of a restaurant, this was okay with me. If you do prefer a more "upscale" experience, this might be a star deduction on your review or experience. Overall: Service made me feel at home, was prompt, and left a lasting impression. The food was very good. I will be here again, and again and prob again even considering my 30 min drive. When my family and friends come down from NY, they will be eating here as well.

DE

Delaney Johnson

Pretty good experience over all. The meatballs were definitely homemade, and I found it to be a fun, interesting take on Italian food. I ordered the trio, so I could try three different meatballs. I got a buffalo chicken meatball, a mac and cheese meatball, and a chicken parm meatball. The buffalo was good, a bit spicier than usual, maybe, but this is likely because it doesnt come with ranch (I think it might have had some blue cheese of some sort? Not sure). I probably should have asked for some ranch but Im not sure if they carry that in an Italian place, anyways. Im a huge mac and cheese fan, but was hoping the meatball would be more cheesy than it actually was. I actually hardly tasted any cheese at all, but did notice the macaroni noodles. It was still a tasty meatball. The chicken parm meatball was great. Very interesting how you could taste the flavor of it but have it blended with meatball. On the way out, my mother and I couldnt pass up trying out a dessert item they had displayed. I got the lemon cake, and it was awesome. Its a light lemon flavor, so not too bitter at all. A nice sweet treat that was light. We also tried a peanut butter and chocolate cake slice, and this was nice and rich. This place is a bit pricy in my opinion, but at least the food was good and I realize that its mostly (if not all) homemade food. My verdict on the Meatball Stoppe is that I wouldnt drive too far just to come here, but if I was in the area and needed some homemade Italian, I might stop in again. I like to try a lot of new restaurants and usually only revisit my favorites :)

DA

David DiBartolo

Chef Isabella asked for it in writing so here it is: Best Meatballs I Have EVER Had. After seeing the Stoppe on Diners Drive Ins and Dives, I knew the next time we were in Florida we would be going there We were greeted by the Owner and Chef Isabella at the counter, she was super sweet, very nice, and took us through the vast variety of meatballs and styles they offered almost like a tour guide leading a group through her favorite part of a museum, the passion and kindness we got from her was without compare. I had the Meatball Smash (meatball sandwich)with Nanas traditional meatballs, my wife had the linguini with the same meatballs, They were simply phenomenal, you could taste every herb and ingredient that was added, they truly did taste like they were cooked with love. We also had an appetizer of the baked mozzarella, which, i though would be mozzarella sticks, but instead was a baked sauce and cheese mixture served with a nice crusty bread, this too was absolutely delicious and i ended up dipping my smash in it after the bread was gone. If you are ever in Orlando or Kissimmee, then you must "Stoppe" here!