A casual restaurant sporting old-world recipes will soon be taking up residence at a historic storefront, as the Newark food renaissance continues to hum along.
Meatball Obsession opened their initial Greenwich Village location back in 2012. The eatery uses Mancini family recipes and slow-cooks their meatballs, serving them in what they dub “Sunday Sauce.” The cuisine is catered to people who are on the go, being served in a cup with dipping bread or stuffed in a custom-made Italian pocket bread.
Since their beginnings, the restaurant has expanded to four locations in New York City and Massachusetts, including one at Fenway Park. Two shops in Ohio are in the works as well, but their Garden State outpost will be opening soon at 41 Halsey Street in Newark’s Downtown, almost directly across from the newly-opened Marcus B&P.
The star of Meatball Obsession is obvious, and the restaurant features beef, turkey, and pork versions of the Italian staple. Toppings for their meatballs include various pastas, veggies, and cheeses, and cannolis for dessert round out the menu.
In addition, the restaurant’s newest spot will feature some local flare, as they held a contest on their Facebook page asking the public to come up with a Newark-centered topping. The winning selection was The Shaq Ataq, named after Brick City native Shaquille O’Neal who played basketball as a youth at the Boys & Girls Club in Newark. The Shaq Ataq will consist of a meatball with pasta rings, symbolizing both basketball hoops and the NBA Championship rings he won.
Signage is already up at the future Meatball Obsession, and a Grand Opening celebration will be held this week on January 4th.
