Hunger pangs were hitting the Cape Town Etc HQ hard one cool day last week, so off we missioned in search of something warming. Upon discovering that our favourite noodle bar is no longer doing a lunch service (sad faces all round), we headed round the corner to Yo Meatball.
They say hunger is the best chef, but we reckon lunch here is pretty satisfying even if you’re not at the point of chewing off your parking official’s arm (as we were).
The idea is simple: meatballs, meatballs and more meatballs, in every shape and form, made from every possible ingredient. Choose your balls (meat or veggie) and sauce then combine them with a side or have them served as a wrap.
A selection of burgers (yes there’s a meatball one) and deep-fried mac and cheese complete the menu.
The white-tiled walls, stacked soft drink crates and bare-bones aesthetic of the interior puts me in mind of a butcher shop crossed with my high school’s cafeteria, but it’s all refreshingly un-self-conscious and without any hipster accoutrements.
OF NOTE
Where 77 Roeland Street, Fringe District
Trading hours Monday to Friday 11 am – 5:30 pm, Saturdays noon – 5 pm
Cost R58 for meatballs and a side, R35 for a meatball wrap
Contact +27 71 274 1725, www.yomeatball.co.za
Photography Jade Cooke and Justin Williams