Moving in on the former Shorty Goldstein's digs at 126 Sutter Street, as we first learned about in March, is The Meatball Bar, and that name should say it all. Not surprisingly, there was already a line for tables according to one early Yelper who hit up the soft opening over the weekend, and who raved about all the meatball varieties on offer.

As we heard when the project was first announced, The Meatball Bar is a spinoff of Peninsula-based Neapolitan pizzeria mini-chain Doppio Zero, and a partnership between owners Gianni Chiloiro and Angelo Sannino, who had apparently been looking for space in SF for a while.

It's a counter-service operation with about 25 seats, offering not just your standard Italian meatballs and marinara, but also lamb meatballs, pork meatballs, chicken balls, turkey balls, shrimp balls, and vegetarian options like eggplant-parmesan balls, all with a variety of sauce choices including pineapple BBQ, Korean, truffle fondue, mint pesto, and mushroom demi-glaze. There are also sides on the menu (mostly visible here and not yet on their website) like mashed potatoes, spaghetti, and braised greens in garlic. Pricing looks to be $13 to $14 for four meatballs with a side, or $8 to $9 for just the meatballs. There are also several salad options available for $12 with optional balls added for $3 apiece.

Hoodline reports that the soft opening is complete and the place is now open every weekday starting at 10:30 a.m.

The Meatball Bar - 126 Sutter Street between Montgomery and Kearny - Open Monday to Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.