Round-up: Philly's tastiest round foods

Everyone touts the virtues of eating a square meal, but some of our favorite components of a meal (square or not) are, in fact, round.

They go ethnic and international: Take the falafel balls stuffed into pita at King of Falafel, the landmark Middle Eastern cart at 16th and JFK. Or Sal's meatballs, from a recipe inspired by Marc Vetri's dad, as served at Amis in Washington Square West. There's the renowned spinach gnocchi at Vetri, off the Avenue of the Arts. The arancini from Pizzeria Stella in Society Hill. Fish-ball soup from Nan Zhou Hand Drawn Noodle House in Chinatown. And matzo balls from Schlesinger's Deli near Rittenhouse Square.

Our favorite balls manage to elevate and fry up comfort food, including the Thanksgiving balls (turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes) from The Blind Pig in Northern Liberties, the Mac-and-Cheese balls from Beck's Cajun at Reading Terminal Market, and Braised Beef Short Rib & Taro Puff, as served at Chifa in Washington Square West.

Some are new-fangled: Brussels sprouts in bacon dressing from the new Saint James in Ardmore and the crispy chicken nuggets with spicy mustard and agrodolce at Fork in Old City.

Dessert? You will love the taro and tapioca that float through drinks at Tea Do in Chinatown and the gulab jamun from Mood Cafe in Northern Liberties.

We like to get around.

Any other great round-food candidates?