Jennifer Gould

Jennifer Gould

Food & Drink

The Meatball Shop eyes Upper West Side location

Move over Brooklyn, the Upper West Side is getting quite the foodie cred itself.

The six-outlet Meatball Shop is the latest eatery with a cult-like following to liven up the ’hood’s staid cuisine culture, tagging on to the success of Red Farm UWS, on Broadway at 77th Street.

The chain, which opened in the Lower East Side four years ago, is in talks to sign a lease, Side Dish has learned, and is said to be eyeing a site in the 80s. It has already applied for a liquor license.

Beef Meatballs with Classica Tomato Sauce and the Market SaladDavid Rosenzweig

“We are really excited to be [going] on the Upper West Side,” said co-owner Michael Chernow.

Farther uptown, Arco Café will bring a taste of Sardinia to 886 Amsterdam Ave., near West 103rd Street, this week.

The casual spot is the creation of restaurateur Sebastiano Cappitta, who owns Acqua, Bettola, Bettolona, Buca, Coccola and Isola on Columbus.

Sardinian chef Roberto Ruiu will manage a menu from a warm croissant filled with Nutella for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, an aperitivo with Italian snacks to nibble on in the afternoon or a Sardinian homemade pasta for dinner. No dish is more than $16.

There are 42 seats in the dining room plus eight at the bar and 20 outdoors.

About 10 blocks north, the seven-outlet Dig Inn Seasonal Market — a popular and reasonably priced healthy farm-to-table food option that has long lines during Midtown lunch hours — is opening at 2884 Broadway.


Meanwhile, in Hell’s Kitchen, brothers John and Tommy Greco are opening a South American steakhouse grill on Ninth Avenue between 51st and 52nd streets.

Tentatively named Que Rico, the restaurant will include more than 2,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor cafe space. It is slated to open in May.