Certified Meatball Company Rolls into South Boston

The latest from the restaurant group behind Wink & Nod has a well-rounded meatball menu and draft cocktails.

By Jacqueline Cain· 8/1/2017, 11:27 a.m.

Certified Meatball Company. / Photos by Warren Jagger Photography

With spots like the whiskey-soaked, chicken-fried Southern Kin Cookhouse, and the Freedom Trail’s Tap Trailhouse in its portfolio, you have to give Boston Nightlife Ventures credit for staying true to its themes. Its latest is the most well-rounded so far: Certified Meatball Company opens for dinner on Friday, August 4, with a mix-and-match menu entirely focused on meatballs.

The South Boston spot, located next door to Lincoln Tavern, incorporates global flavors, various proteins, and different meatball cooking methods to top salads, pasta, bao buns, panini, and more. The restaurant group’s chief culinary officer Bill Brodsky starts with a half-dozen balls, like classic beef, Moroccan lamb, spicy Korean pork, and veggie, to pair with accompanying sauces (basil-Parmesan pesto; mushroom Stroganoff gravy; spiced herbed yogurt).

Sides include a ravioli of the day, lime-coconut curry udon noodles, and creamy cheddar polenta with oven cured-tomatoes. Or, choose from house specialty plates, like shrimp balls and grits, a jumbo turducken ball with gravy, or a vegetarian paneer kofta curry. There are also “sweet balls,” like lemon-coconut meringue, a Brazilian-style brigadeiro (a dulce de leche-chocolate truffle), and a patriotic sundae. Check out the full menu online.

BNV beverage director Michael Boughton has a new scratch drinks program at Certified Meatball Co., including house-made sodas and cocktails on draft. There are a couple of frozen cocktails, a house bloody Mary, and large-format drinks to share, like Thai Iced Tea Service with lemongrass vodka and sake; and “Bae”cation, with banana rum, strawberry-ginger beer, and coconut mojito Jello cups—so have a ball.

Boston Nightlife Ventures, which is also behind Griddler’s Burgers & Dogs, and Wink & Nod (where Kaki Lima is currently holding things down), again brought in Pawtucket firm Morris Nathanson Design to do the Southie interior. It’s meant to invoke old-school butcher shops with tiles, wrought iron fixtures, and a red, black, and white color palette, and it features a 23-foot skylight that fully retracts.

Certified Meatball Co. is set up for takeout and dining in, and it has a 16-seat bar. The restaurant opens this weekend for dinner, with lunch picking up next week week. Brunch service will begin on both Saturdays and Sundays in the near future.

Up next for BNV: Akinto, the concept from chef Patrick Enage that had a successful run at Wink & Nod’s culinary incubator, is finally under construction. Also, the coastal Italian concept, Little Owl Tavern, that Brodsky and the restaurant group previewed earlier this year at Wink & Nod is still in development.

Certified Meatball Company, 429 West Broadway, South Boston, 617-765-8070, certifiedmeatball.com.