At 4:00 a.m., you are either dreaming or crying. On a Thursday morning when I was 16, I accomplished a little of both. My father was always a morning person, so when he shook me awake it didn’t take the glow of my alarm clock to shed my unconscious veil. What I didn’t expect to hear was: “Hey, I really want a meatball sandwich for lunch, can I borrow $5?” Ten minutes later amidst my mid-sleep haze, two sober realizations hit me:

1. The sacrifices my father made to raise me; always finding a way to provide me with most anything I desired. Yet he did not have five dollars to his name.

2. This guy REALLY wanted a meatball sandwich. Apparently his Long Island, New York, roots and cravings for marina soaked spheres finally overpowered his ego. That’s why I loved him. This one is for you, Pops.

Benniditos $7.99

Often voted “best pizza,” Benniditos also offers hot sandwiches. It was legitimately twice the size of anything else I ate. Inside were over-sized meatballs and a grilled mix of fresh mushrooms, olives and red onion. The bread, baked with asiago and rosemary, became a bit soggy under the dense sauce. Overall a great bite and easily the most bang for your buck on this list.

Gaslamp $2

Size doesn’t always matter. Happy hour meatball sliders are at the forefront of Gaslamp Social Provisions located on the third floor of downtown’s Riverpark Square. Although very simple and not much to look at, both the thicker paste marinara and beef meatball had fantastic flavor. A great late night snack for your money. Only disappointment was that my order was missing the listed mozzarella cheese.

Caruso’s $10.95

At Caruso’s the pleasure is in the process. After splitting and hollowing out a fresh loaf of sourdough bread, they stuff the inside with large rounds of provolone cheese and a plethora of smaller sauce drenched meatballs. What ends up on your plate is a hybrid meatball sandwich calzone tube. Make sure to beat the lunch rush and grab extra napkins.

Italian Kitchen $10 (winner)

An 8-inch open-face sammie filled with flavorful all-beef meatballs. The bread had a fresh light crispiness and was smothered in a rich mozzarella blanket. The sauce, though delicious and tart, was a bit skimpy, leaving some bites lacking its ruby warmth. A sandwich is only as good as its side-dish. I was pleased to see an even mix of spinach, zucchini, mushrooms and bell pepper with a light in-house balsamic dressing.

5. Flying Goat $9.50

Flying Goat does everything well. Pizza, beer, atmosphere . . . and meatball subs. Okay, so this was maybe more of a wood oven pita. House made spicy sausage, roasted red pepper, caramelized onion and provolone cheese. The menu listed a red sauce, but if it was there, I missed it. The real champion here was its crusty bread, fresh from the fire to my plate.