Via Carota is the West Village gastroteca from chefs Jody Williams and Rita Sodi. Since 2014 it has drawn steady lines to 51 Grove Street for Tuscan-rooted cooking that earned the pair the 2019 James Beard Award for Best Chefs, New York City (Via Carota).
Sodi modeled the room on the 17th-century villa near Florence she once called home (Yelp). Inside you’ll find weathered wood, mismatched antiques, candlelight and a narrow bar pouring negronis and spritzes. The kitchen runs all day. Regulars order the insalata verde, a towering pile of lettuces dressed in mustard vinaigrette, along with cacio e pepe, fried artichokes and the svizzerina, a chopped-steak patty. Plates arrive in modest portions sized for sharing, so tables of friends and couples tend to order broadly.
Visitor Highlights & Practical Info
The posted hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday through Sunday (Via Carota). For years the restaurant seated walk-ins only, and evening waits often stretched past an hour. Check OpenTable or call ahead for the current booking policy. The shortest waits usually come with a weekday lunch or a mid-afternoon arrival. If you do wait, add your name to the list and walk the block to Grove Court or the Stonewall National Monument. Afterward, the same team’s I Sodi, Buvette and Bar Pisellino sit nearby. The 1 train to Christopher Street–Sheridan Square stops a short walk away.
