One of Raleigh’s most specific restaurants has closed after a decade in business

The ball has stopped rolling at a popular downtown Raleigh restaurant.

The Oak City Meatball Shoppe announced that it has ended operations after 11 years in business. The meatball spot’s last day was May 1.

Oak City Meatball was a cheeky kind of specialty restaurant, popular with the Raleigh lunch and after-work crowd. The restaurant opened in late 2013, serving specialty meatballs, pastas and sandwiches, plus a popular version of mac and cheese.

Raleigh’s Meatball Shoppe was owned by restaurateur Ken Yowell, whose other projects over the years have included longtime hotspot Calavera Empanadas and the ramen bar Kaiju, both of which are now closed.

The closing of Oak City Meatball Shoppe was announced on the restaurant’s social media accounts.

“Today is a sad day in meatball land,” read the post, signed by Yowell and co-owner Hans Huang. “We always have a lot of ideas, hopes, and goals when opening any business, especially a restaurant. You hope people enjoy what you’ve built and you’re over the moon when someone loves the meal you’ve prepared. A restaurant can be a background player in so many moments and celebrations. Over the last 11 years we strived to make our guests’ nights special and we welcomed the opportunity. As of May 1st we’ve balled our last ball and served our last drink.”