Via Carota serves delicious Italian food in a cozy atmosphere indoors. Celebrated chefs, Jody WIlliams and Rita Sodi, are behind the beloved restaurant. It’s an extremely popular spot so waits can be quite long.
Does Via Carota take reservations?
Yes, they are on Resy with limited reservations offered 30 days in advance; however, it’s debatable which is harder to get: a Via Carota reservation on Resy or a walk-in table. They’ve expanded with outdoor seating but many nights, especially on the weekends, they stop taking names for walk-in’s because of how long the wait can get. At 5PM, you’ll already see a line of people waiting to put their name on the waitlist and even then the wait is usually at least 2 to 2.5 hours so plan accordingly.
Where to go if waits are too long at Via Carota?
If you can’t manage to get a table, here are other Italian restaurants in the West Village that will not disappoint (and maybe even make you forget that you didn’t get into Via Carota).
MORANDI
Right off Hudson Street is Morandi. It’s hard to miss with its red awning and generous outdoor seating. The interior is warm and inviting with wooden accents and a rustic aesthetic. Morandi is a West Village staple – Andy Cohen is a regular. It can get crowded during prime dinner hours; however, getting a reservation is easier to come by and you can walk in with a much more acceptable wait time. Grab a drink at their bar and wait for your table to free up. Their pasta is all made in-house and are very well priced. It’s a versatile spot, perfect for a date night or a dinner out with a group.
ANTON’S
When Anton’s opened in the West Village, it quickly became a neighborhood favorite. It’s located right on the corner of Hudson Street and when the weather is nice, an outdoor table is ideal for the best people (and dog) watching. Their negroni’s or martini’s are the best start to one of my favorite Italian meals in the city. Anton’s is a crowd pleaser – I haven’t heard of anyone who disliked their experience here. Their two most popular pastas are the Bucatini Bzaczinsky, a hearty take on the traditional bucatini a’llamatriciani made with bacon from the Bzaczinsky butcher in the east village, and the Angel Hair pasta, served covered with breadcrumbs. Do not let the simplicity of this dish fool you, it’s worth the order. Do yourself a favor and pay Anton’s a visit. They take reservations and walk-in’s are welcome.
LUPA
Lupa is an older Italian establishment in the Village (technically, this one is in Greenwich Village) but it’s a great option for a hearty Italian meal. If everyone in your party is willing to participate, the multi-course pasta tasting is an experience. You’re served smaller portions or Lupa’s best pastas, which is even better if you can’t decide what to commit to. The tasting includes a cacio e pepe, a bucatini, a gnocchi, among four other pasta dishes. It’s a fun dinner to have with a group and you’ll want to end the meal with an Amaro to help with how full you’ll be after the tasting.
BAR PITTI
Though Bar Pitti doesn’t take reservations either, the wait for walk-in’s does tend to be more approachable. Bar Pitti is a beloved pasta spot – we’re talking celebrities still willing to eat at a table outside next to a giant tractor and dusty construction zone kind of beloved. The pasta specials and changing menu is written on a chalkboard that the waiters bring around to your table once you’ve been seated. There is no wrong pasta to order here but note that it is cash only.
L’ARTUSI
L’Artusi might be somewhat easy to miss from the outside in an unassuming gray townhouse building with a small blue awning but once you’re inside, the space is a modern and bustling scene. The private dining space in their upstairs wine room is one of my favorite intimate private dining spaces in the city. L’Artusi takes reservations and walk-in’s are also welcome – try to snag a seat at the bar or chef’s counter. It’s first come, first served and it’s actually seating I prefer at L’Artusi. Start with a cheese selection, the pairings and suggestions are the perfect start to the meal. The pastas are all made in house and are the perfect portion size. Their mushroom ragu is delicious and you forget it’s a vegetarian dish during your meal. If they have their panna cotta on the menu for dessert, do not leave without ordering it no matter how full you are.
DA TOSCANO
Da Toscano can easily be lost in the commotion and crowded street of MacDougal but right off of Minetta Ln on the corner of a side street of 7th Avenue is probably one of the most underrated pasta places in the city. Walking in, you’ll find yourself in a dimly lit intimate space with a bar area leading to a handful of tables in the back. The orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe is probably my favorite of this iteration. It mixes in pickled peppers and it’s the perfect combination. Eating here feels like you’re in on a New York hidden gem.
FIASCHETTERIA PISCOLO
The location of Fiaschetteria in the West Village is tiny, narrow space. Unlike most restaurants, the kitchen area is right in the front of the restaurant and you can see them make the pastas from the window outside. There aren’t many tables but the wait moves quickly. As soon as you sit down, you’re brought a basket of Italian wines to choose from to accompany your meal. All the pastas on the menu and specials are hand written on a piece of paper clipped to a small clipboard and all the pastas are handmade in house. Italian is being thrown around the restaurant by the team and you feel like you’re in a quaint space right in Italy.
I SODI
I Sodi has limited seating with most of the restaurant being made up by the bar and bar seating. There are a small handful of tables as well but they fill up fast. If you’re willing to eat outside, they have a few tables set up right outside their front door. I don’t normally order lasagna out at dinner but the lasagna at I Sodi is not to be missed. It’s probably the only restaurant, I’ll seek out the lasagna for. It comes in two versions: one with a verde sauce and one in a traditional red sauce (which is my personal favorite).