The Meatball & Wine Bar - Flinders Lane — Restaurant in Melbourne

Meatballs and Wine

What is a non-drinking vegequarian doing at a restaurant called Meatballs and Wine you ask. Good question! I have to admit that in recent searches for new dining options before a show I have overlooked this place purely because of its name.

I guess it is a bit like a book and its cover, don’t judge a restaurant by its name. When a friend recommended this place I looked at him bizarrely and he said, wait a minute, hear me out. Not all the balls are meat and the other bits are good too I was told. Well, he was right.

Before taking in Tim Minchin we dined at Meatballs and Wine in Flinders Lane and were very pleasantly surprised. This eatery also doubles as a wine bar and has a very nice setting. Before I talk food let’s talk service. The team was just brilliant. The service was high class with lots of smiles, good knowledge of the menu, and just excellent at making you feel welcome.

We began with the special sliders featuring lobster and prawn with watercress and mustard. Yum! Wonderful flavours.

To the meatballs, or not quite meatballs. The idea is simple, choose your “meatball”, choose a sauce and choose something for it to sit on. You can add some entrees, sides or salads as well.

We decided to combine the fish ball (Barramundi with dill and lemon) with the Italian tomato Sauce and pappardelle pasta. The second choice was the vegie ball (quinoa, zucchini and carrot) with a creamy mushroom sauce served with rustic potato mash. Our side was Primavera salad of leaves, peas, mint dressing and goat’s cheese.

The barramundi was full of flavour and work really well with the tomato and pasta combine. The tomato sauce was very yummy and I could even have had the dish without the fish ball. It was better with it. The mushroom sauce was my favourite part of the meal and really highlighted the vegie balls and delicious good old-fashioned mash. The salad was fresh and kept your palette alive.

This is a relaxed dining experience and probably really suits a night of comedy or even a concert. There is no fuss to Meatballs and Wine but do not underestimate it because of that being said. The food is very good, the service super-friendly and the venue comfortable and welcoming.

I suggest you give it a try at 135 Flinders Lane,...

As a vegetarian unsure about a meatball place but they have veg balls (quinoa etc) so looked forward to trying them. 5 of us shared garlic bread, parmesean drizzled with honey and warm olives. Balls (beef, lamp pork, fish, veg) are served with your choice of topping (Italian tomato, pesto, creamy mushroom, etc) on base of your choice (mashed potato, pasta, polenta etc). I had veg with tomato sauce and pasta. Others veg with pesto and polenta, beef with tomato and mashed potato, a spaghetti and meatballs and a large meatball on gnocchi. And we shared parmesean and pear salad, Mac 'n' cheese and roasted potato. The vegetarian food was delicious however I wasn't keen on the mac 'n' cheese and we didn't need the salad. Also garlic bread very good with actual garlic. However had to order 2 serves as only 3 pieces per serve. Then 3 of us squeezed in dessert, 1 coconut cookie/vanilla icecream sandwich, 1 sticky date pudding with salted caramel ice cream and butterscotch sauce (decadently delicious) and 1 vanilla ice cream. Also Proseccos, Italian reds, apple juices, cokes, flat whites and soy lattes. Unfortunately they had run out of decaf so risked it and had 2 full strength so let's see what time I fall asleep!! (Normal time thankfully). Venue was really comfortable and nice industrial style fit out however place was very very busy and only 2 guys who were run off their feet!! Took 10 minutes to be served, then 20 mins later told no decaf then 25 mins after that before finally got coffee. So yes nearly 1 hour to get coffee. However waitperson Jake was really good and was doing his best considering just him and one other. I was going to give 5 stars until I went to the bathroom!! OK first navigate stairs down that I'm sure wouldn't meet current building regulations, while the signs on the male and female doors were really really really tacky. And area definitely needs better lighting. So all this effort to make dining area gorgeous then blow it downstairs! Why do some places do this, spend lots of money making dining area gorgeous then neglect the bathrooms? Doesn't make sense and always detracts from the experience. But after 2 waters, 2 coffees and 2 Proseccos, well you get...

Took my mother here on Mothers day after watching a production at the theatre, which is only around the corner. We arrived at around 8.50pm and were met at the door by wait staff. We advised we were there for dinner and were directed to a table and presented with the menu. We pondered the options in the menu and even discussed them with the waiter. We were quietly curious as the menu items looked interesting and sounded tasty. The waiter took our order, walked away and then a few minutes later returned to advise that the kitchen had closed and as such they could only offer us items from the snacks menu. Considering by this time a further 15 odd minutes had passed and owing to the time, we were not going to leave in search of another venue, so frustratingly ordered from their snacks menu, which was hardly appetizing when we were looking for a substantial meal for dinner. All the while we had to endure music with profanities all through it, F#k this a F#k that blah blah blah. Three songs in a row contained such vulgar language. I was at a loss to understand why this establishment needed to choose such music when there are a myriad of artists of the same genre, without the profanities, that they could have chosen. Overall, very disappointing end to what was a delightful day. It would have been nice, even appropriate, if they had told us when we entered and advised we were there for dinner, that the snack menu is all that was available, and not leave it for some 15 odd minutes later to tell us. Clearly the waiter didn't even know the kitchen had closed as they had actually took our dinner order. Communication between front and back of house is certainly questionable. And the poor choice of background music was ensuring our visit was certainly going to be miserable. I have given 1 star for fit-out/decor and 1 star for the polite wait staff,...