Rustic Italian Restaurant in the West Village
Dining at Via Carota is a transformative experience. As you enter, you leave the city world behind and enter into an Italian escape filled with the food, drink, and decor to match the feeling. It is no wonder it was on The New York Times “The 100 Best Restaurants in New York City 2023” and it is no surprise it was ranked #4.
Via Carota is located in the West Village on Grove between 7th and Bleeker. It is easily accessible by the 1 train to Christopher Street, the A/C/E and B/D/F to Washing Square, and by NJ PATH to Christopher Street. It is a 6 minute walk from Washington Square Park, a 15 minute walk to The High Line, and 20 minute walk to Little Island on the Hudson.
The restaurant is meant to make you feel like you are in an Italian village. The menu may seem intimidating at first since the static menu is in Italian…but don’t worry, the descriptions are in English. As you browse through the menu you will see spuntini (light snacks), bruschetta (toasted bread), antipasti (first course), vedure (fresh greens), pasta, pesce (fish), carne (meat), and oggi (daily specials). The dessert menu may also overwhelm you at first so here is a breakdown of some offerings: crostata (baked tart/pie), biscotti (almond biscuit), zabaione (Italian custard), semifreddo (frozen/airy dessert), panna cotta (thickened cream dessert), tiramisu (coffee flavored dessert), affogato (hot espresso over cold cream), and cannoli (ricotta filled pastry).
The menu is served daily for both lunch and dinner. Monday through Friday they open at 11am. Saturday and Sunday they open at 10am. Although there are oggi (daily) specials, the core meal menu does not change and it does not appear they have a separate brunch menu. The dessert menu may have specials but be aware that they are limited in quantity so make sure to order them early on in your meal so that they are still available for when you are ready for them.
Via Carota has 4.4 stars on Google and just under 2,000 reviews. It is priced as moderately expensive to expensive but we find that the meals are reasonably priced with starters averaging $20 and pasta averaging $27. All fish dishes are $28 and meat dishes $29. The house specialities are the Via Carota Svizzerina (hand-chopped grassfed steak) for $30 and the Branzino Al Sale (whole branzino baked in salt) for $67. The wine is also moderately priced with a few options to order by the glass (15 cl=150 mL or 25 cl=250 mL) but many more options to order by the bottle (75 cl=750 mL).
In terms of wine, you can choose from spumanti (sparkling white), bianchi (white), rosati (rose), rossi (red), and apertivi (pre-meal). There is also a long list of amari (Italian bitters) and grappa (Italians spirits) in addition to some vini dolci (sweet wine) and vermouths (fortified wines). The liquor menu is quite impressive with much of it being imported internationally. There are also cocktails and a few beer options available. If you are looking to compliment your meal with wine…or with a self-proclaimed wine concierge, Via Carota is where you need to be.
photo credit: Sven Totte via Google
Some of the most popular menu items are the tonnarelli (served cacio pepe style) and the pappardelle (topped with a wild boar ragu) from the pasta menu, the carciofi alla griglia (grilled artichokes and aioli) from the verdure menu, the insalata verde (leafy greens served with a sherry vinaigrette), and the pollo alla griglia (chicken with an Italian marinate). See more of the menu here.
Be advised that although you can make reservations via Resy, Via Carota has a limited capacity for reservations…which means the best way to get a seat is to walk-in. Via Carota is known to fill up fast, with lines wrapping out into the street, so we recommend going when they open or be prepared to wait a little. If you are going to try to get a reservation through Resy, spots open 30 days in advance at 10am. You can also order for pick up or delivery but we recommend going in and having the whole Via Carota experience for yourself.
Via Carota 51 Grove Street 100014
Via Carota is a NYC staple for New Yorkers…and for celebrities. It is frequently referenced in @deuxmoi Sunday Spotted and by restaurant reviewers in The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Eater. During the week of June 25-July 2nd, submissions were sent into DeuxMoi with Cynthia Nixon, Julienne Moore, Stella McCartney, and Emily Mariko all having been spotted at Via Carota.
During the week of September 18, 2023, Taylor Swift and Sophie Turner were spotted at Via Carota enjoying dinner. This was a busy week for both Swift and Turner. Going into the week, it was already confirmed Turner’s husband Joe Jonas filed for divorce and she had been setting back into New York City since the filing. She would later be seen throughout the City over the weekend with husband Joe Jonas and two young daughters. On Sunday, rumors of Swift dating Kansas City Chief’s tight end Travis Kelce were put to rest as Swift was spotted at Arrowhead Stardium…sitting with his mom!