What do meatballs share in common with bowling? Other than the obvious spherical reference, the only logical consideration would be Morgan Hill’s newest restaurant, House of Meatball (HOM), which just so happens to be right next door to the beloved Morgan Hill Bowl.

As the name suggests, HOM’s specialty is seasoned balls of carnivorous delight—these tasty treats actually get their origins from the Middle East, despite what most Italians will claim. HOM prides itself on serving up free-range chicken, pasture-raised beef and organic veggies, as well as making most of their dishes and ingredients in-house.

The menu is straightforward and features either a Build-Your-Own Meatball option ($6.99), or the “Fixed Ballers” preset combos ($9.99). HOM falls into the fast-casual dining genre, so the first stop will be the counter. I decided to forgo any thinking on my visit and just went with their Traditional Italian Tomato with Creamy Polenta and a side of housemade bread ($3.99).

The bread is served up warm and steamy, with a side of rich cheese sauce. It was so dense yet pillowy that you could’ve made a meal from the bread alone. The polenta was soft, creamy and had a nice hint of aged parmesan to boost the flavor. It also comes with three ample pork meatballs that were tender, juicy and had a hint of spicy pepper. The red sauce really helped raise the dish with a clean tomato flavor that wasn’t overly seasoned with herbs. HOM’s dishes appear to be small in stature, but what they lack in size they more than make up for in substance and quality.

I was pretty full at this point, so I decided to end the meal with a walnut brownie sundae ($4.99)—and I’m glad I did. The brownie comes out piping hot, topped with a giant scoop of velvety vanilla ice cream and drizzled with some caramel. The brownie had a deep chocolate flavor that wasn’t overly sweet, and the molten gooey center mixed with the ice cream was heavenly. It was a decadent finish to a great meal.

HOM has two more locations in the works (San Jose and Campbell) that are set to open up sometime later this year. In the meantime, I’d suggest heading south a piece to go bowling and then (meat)balling. Yes, I went there.

House of Meatball
632 Tennant Station Way, Morgan Hill.
408.769.8189