The Meatball Shop

82 Stanton Street | also 180 Allen Street | Lower East Side | built 1920

Open on the map5 entries

The lot about 1940
About 1940. Via 1940s.nyc
The lot about 1985
About 1985. Via 80s.nyc

The city photographed every building for its tax records around 1940 and again in the 1980s. NYC Municipal Archives.

Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.

  1. 2010

    The Meatball Shop opens on Stanton Street and is a hit from the first day

    On April 19, 2010, the Lo-Down reported that the restaurant on Stanton Street had been a hit since the day it opened three months earlier, with huge crowds and great reviews. Its owners, Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow, were not swept up in the hype.

    Source: thelodownny.com

  2. 2010

    Village Voice critic Robert Sietsema calls the meatball hero unmatched

    Robert Sietsema of the Village Voice raved in 2010 that the world had never known a more perfect meatball hero. Offers were beginning to pour in from would-be investors eager to take the Meatball Shop global, and Holzman waved them away. The Lo-Down's reporter found him at the bar on his laptop, and he explained that he had been fixing the kitchen refrigerator, adding that the owners had put in the floor themselves.

    Source: thelodownny.com

  3. 2010

    April 19

    The owners ask Community Board 3 for a sidewalk cafe license

    On April 19, 2010, Holzman and Chernow were due before Community Board 3 to seek support for a sidewalk cafe license. They had planned to add outdoor seating but delayed the application until the new restaurant was running smoothly. The shop had become a destination for people leaving the neighborhood's bars and clubs at around 2 a.m. on Saturday nights.

    Source: thelodownny.com

  4. 2011

    June

    The shop stays packed until 4 a.m. on Sundays through Wednesdays

    By June 2011 the Lower East Side Meatball Shop was packed until its 4 a.m. closing on Sunday through Wednesday nights, and stayed open until 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. Diners ordered on place cards, choosing a meatball, a sauce and a vehicle such as sliders, a baguette or a brioche sandwich. The Daily Meal recommended it as a late-night alternative to pizza and pub food.

    Source: thedailymeal.com

  5. 2011

    November 1

    Holzman and Chernow publish The Meatball Shop Cookbook

    Ballantine Books released The Meatball Shop Cookbook on November 1, 2011. Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow wrote it with Lauren Deen. The two owners had met as teenagers, when both worked as delivery boys at the vegan restaurant Candle Cafe.

    Source: Wikipedia

Further reading

Nearby

All 78 buildings with stories in Lower East Side