Reviews of Via Carota (Restaurant)

K S

Truly amazing how they can make a simple green salad so incredibly delicious. I wondered how a green salad could be worth $18. Now I know.

Ilona Rizzo

Very good Italian cuisine. Authentic just a bit on the heavier side when it comes to butter/oil added. I’m used to the food in Italy which is not over seasoned or drowned in oils/butter. The mushroom appetizer was heaven as was the tuna with Tuscan beans. I was full after sharing the two appetizers. The pastas we each got were fantastic but I had to take mine to go because I was just so full after the appetizers. A good place to go if you’re ravenous and craving some luscious and savory Italian fare. Would give it another chance and order less.

Reuel Nash

Fun. Enjoyed having the salad we had seen in the NY Times.

Nicholas Aguirre

Outstanding spot for delicious Italian food. i give this spot a thumbs up. looking forward to coming back with my relatives. this place has a nice atmosphere. this place has positive reviews for a reason.

Tevis Rose Trower

I don't get the hype. There are many truly astoundingly great Italian restaurants in NYC. This was a decent experience, authentic food with fresh ingredients, but worthy of a line around the storefront? It's a headscratcher... solid but whoever does their PR is magical.

Ari Nagar

One of my favorite restaurants in NYC. Cacio Pepe, the buratta, the funghi, and the olives!

Carolina García-Calderón

Delicious food! The carrots are a must. The pasta and meatballs are great. The ambiance is very nice and the service excellent. It is also a great spot to have cocktails. I have tried to go many times but it is always crowded, I decided to go a day (after thanksgiving) when NY is more quiet.

Edward Rosario

Great food, ambient, service, price

Singa bless

Amazing food great staff

Annie Le

It was very busy when I arrived which made me excited. The wait time during lunch was over an hour but luckily, I got seated within a few mins. Pomodoro mozzarella salad - fresh and light. Can’t go wrong with tomatoes and mozzarella Cacio e Pepe - it was okay. One of my favorite pastas because it’s so simple yet delicious, however, I was a bit disappointed in this dish. It was quite oily and I was missing the black pepper flavor. Spaghetti alle vongole - same issue. It was a little too oily for my liking and the white sauce was more watery than what I’m used to. It’s a cute restaurant. Urban, hipster plant decor and they have outdoor seating. Probably won’t come back unless someone else wanted to go.

Bruno Bonvini

Very good food hopefully I gonna see u soon

Amanda Rivkin

Amaaaaazing restaurant if you can get in. It’s walk ins only, first come first serve and your whole party needs to be there in order to be seated. Ideal for solo diners because chances are you’ll snag the last remaining seat at the bar area. Get the burrata+cherry tomatoes (even though it’s quite tiny but tastes excellent), the tonnarelli cacio e pepe which they are known for, and the roasted peaches+mascarpone dessert (only available during summer but is the best dessert you’ll ever have).

Soumeya Benghanem

Hearty tasty satisfying and unpretentious. Every neighborhood in America deserves a Via Carota, seasonal ingredients, plenty of veggies, clean flavors, filling and home cooked in the best way imaginable. Everything from the chairs to the plates and the menu design makes feel all warm and fuzzy... like I want to be friends with whomever designed it so more of that goodness can rub off on me. So how was the food? Order everything on the special menu and you won’t regret it.

Giora Baran

Great food, amazing service and atmosphere

Leo Mejia

Considering this is an Italian restaurant, they lack of some traditional pasta dishes, or at least the flexibility of just mixing some ingredients they have, in order to offer the customer an alternative. I decided to go for the caccio e Pepe pasta because there wasn't anything else I felt interested in. Random person sitting next to me asked for a simple spaghetti and meatballs, and the server's answer was basically: "everything what is on the menu is what we have". I felt bad for that guy, even though that might not be a traditional Italian dish, it's certainly a dish that lots of people enjoy in NYC, and not much of a science to make it happen. Well, I got a bit surprised when my pasta landed in front of me, and it was just a weird mix of a thick, greasy, and overcooked pasta with a little shredded cheese on top, a whole bunch of black pepper and tons of cream and oil. I'd say..way too much pepper even considering that it was a caccio e peppe which is meant to have a decent amount of it. I needed some bread in order to swallow all that oil and grease, but it was never served, so I decided to ask the server for it, who in a very gentle and polite way explained me they do bread service for $2, to what I said of course, just make it happen! When bread arrived, I was also surprised that it was pretty cold. I would've expected at least getting it a little warm or even better, lightly toasted. They served it with oil on the side and "more" black pepper already mixed on it. I really needed some type of balsamic vinegar to bring a little sweetness to my mouth and sorta kill all that salt, spicy, and oil I got on my pasta. Then, of course I decided to ask for some balsamic vinegar for my bread, to which the server answer was this: "Actually we don't have balsamic vinegar in the house. What we have is balsamic reduction, which is thicker and sweeter, but there's a $6 or $7 service charge for it" I was very disappointed after this answer, and not for the service itself, but for the way this restaurant does business. I was afraid to ask for a water refill for my glass which was going empty, fearing I would've heard something like "there's a service charge for that too" fortunately they refilled my glass on time, though they decided to pour sparking water this time which I never asked for, and didn't do any good with all that spicy black pepper hanging on my mouth. Once again, service was amazing, very attentive (besides the water part), and polite. Food is just not what you would expect from a decent Italian restaurant, so certainly not coming back.

Soojung Kim

Too salty for my taste but lovely restaurent

Thomas LaFera

Love this place. Long wait some times...

Gianna Nazzaro

I think that it is ludicrous that one should stay on line to get to the host or hostess to put your name on the list, since the person has a tablet it would be more efficient and less chaotic if he or she would go down the line to get the names....it is bad enough that you need to wait to be seated, but to give the name???. Not that special to go through all the caos...

Grace Hung

This restaurant is usually very packed and expect a one to two hours wait. My friend and I went at 4:30pm on Sunday and get a table at around 5pm. The food are great, especially like the mix seafood starter and the pasta. Service is good too.

Robin A

Food is amazing! Service is really uneven. We mostly felt ignored...even when we tried to flag someone, there was very much a “not my table” attitude, yet servers were circling left and right. The one unflagging part of service was the constant taking away of plates that appeared “empty” without asking if we were through. Wine pours were pitiful.

Elliott Fisher

I hear there’s always a line, but they’re open all day and we got a table for two right away at 4:15 on a Wednesday. The line seemed to start around 5:15/5:30. Great food and atmosphere!!

Grant

Great little Greenwich Village Bar, one of my favourites. Always an interesting crowd in here, it’s great for people watching. Cosy in winter and chilled in summer. There are also some outside seating which is nice. Great wine list and food is great, even though the menu is quite limited. Friendly staff cannot do enough to help, they even provided recommendations of other places to try. Highly recommend.

Dana Borrero

With so many restaurants in NYC, it’s really difficult to find someplace that’s delicious, has great service, an incredible vibe, and is consistent. Via Carota is that place. You’ll have a bit of a wait, but there are plenty of places to get a drink. Perfect place for a date, birthday, or a special occasion.

Tracy Wolfe

Overpriced and pretentious. They charged me for bread. It’s great to wait FOREVER and then pay for bread...never again!

John Warren

Excellent Italian! Great service, location, and most of all the pasta.

Irving Patten

Love this place. The pasta is always fresh, filling, and even the simpler dishes have tremendous flavor. I enjoy the cocktails once in a while, a go-to for comfort italian.

Danielle Dauber

Best Italian lunch we ever had!

dino capriano

Wow I love this place. Low-key delicious italian food. The spaghetti and meatballs and drinks are so good!

Alan Sacks

Gracious Front of the House, talented kitchen, artful mixology. Simultaneously laid-back and ardent. Highly recommended for this genre. Rating reflects this rather than entire constellation of establishments.

Alvaro Navarro

Overhyped. A bit of a wait on a public holliday at 9pm. Not sure the wait was worth it as I'm sure there will be other places nearby with equal or better food.

Kevin O'Donnell

This place makes me feel like I am in a small village in Italy. An amazing Italian restaurant. I would have to honestly say this place is in my top 20 favorite Italian places to eat of all time. Upscale and superb food. Be prepared to wait for a table though but it is well worth the wait once you get seated!

Yue Guo

I like the restaurant and the dishes.Finished ate here the food,I am sick.never come here again.dirty restaurant.

Eugene Montoya

Got there at 645, told arrogantly 2 people would take until 930. Nowhere to wait or offer to text. Attitude breaming. A place of such popularity might want to consider reservations to allow people to try it. No one can wait in a fire hazard hallway.

Felix Cadieu

Fantastic, cozy place, not cheap but well worth your money - All the food is amazing (at this point I've had almost the entire menu!) Would def recommend for a coupe night out or small group gathering - no obnoxiously loud music, great dishes to share ... What could we ask for more?

Jim Robbins

Love this place. Keep going back and the food keeps impressing us. Service is always very friendly and helpful. Long waits but just plan ahead and get a drink somewhere while you wait.

Linda Stern

I guess the NYT REVIEW WAS Too! Much for this restaurant. The host was rude and proceeded to tell us that it was a 4 hour wait! What? who says that! Really he had no idea how long the wait was? Isn’t that the job of the Host checking in folks? Anyway decided to walk down the street order take out from Caviar and had our salad delivered within 35 minutes to our door! Had a great dinner without the snooty Host!

Maggie Crisalli

Superb Italian restaurant! Food, service & ambience are outstanding! Pasta cooked perfectly and very authentic recipes!! Try the pappardelle al Cinghiale

Jessika Heinzenroeder

Hearty tasty satisfying and unpretentious. Every neighborhood in America deserves a Via Carota, seasonal ingredients, plenty of veggies, clean flavors, filling and home cooked in the best way imaginable. Everything from the chairs to the plates and the menu design makes feel all warm and fuzzy... like I want to be friends with whomever designed it so more of that goodness can rub off on me. So how was the food? Order everything on the special menu and you won’t regret it.

Ash

The staff was friendly beyond description. My wife and I loved the food. We ate here before seeing some Jazz. The wait was rather long but the food and wine made up for it. Will come here again on my next visit to NYC.

Rich Allan

Great service, good food and wine list. Can get crowded.

Paola Parrales

Loved it! A bit pricey but it’s worth it.

Leroy Cullen

Delicious food and a great service. The chicken liver plate is fantastic so as the whole of vegetable dishes. Actually, I could just eat vegetables here and still have amazing dish. You have to try the charred leeks.

Rhonda Lee

Yummy! My other nabe fave other than Buvette and Piselinno (sp). Great small plates.and yummy large plates to.share. Ribeye, seafood grill and whole fish baked in salt. Roasted peaches and an amazing olive oil cake to take home for breakfast. Super starters,so order a bunch of apps to share,a bottle of wine and take it easy. Share a large size entree and order some pasta to go with it. Used to be under the wire but since the James Beard award it is busier. But now you can go across the street to Pisellino for a drink while you wait. Can't say enough about the lovely places that Jodi and Rita have brought to out neighborhood. Thank you chefs!

Joseph Cardillo

Really wonderful time for a family dinner. Staff was great, food was amazing, and drinks/wine were excellent!

Brian Carlsen

Wonderful casual Italian dining! Great options for vegetarians, friendly and efficient staff. Delicious food and a beautiful space. I can't say enough good things about this spot.

Daniel Johnson

The best salad in the world. Great food to in a lovely West Village atmosphere.

Jonathan Haas

We had an exceptional meal at Via Carote. I saw it recommended via a google search and decided to give it a try even though we had reservations elsewhere. When we saw the line out the front door at 6:15 we figured we were out of luck but they seated us at the bar immediately (I have no clue why people don’t want to sit at the bar but we skipped an hour and a half wait because of it). The food and drinks were exceptional. We split two appetizers, two pastas, and two deserts and were completely full. The cacio e pepe was my wife’s favorite, and I loved the wild boar ragu. It was the best meal of our recent NYC trip and would go back without question.

Michel Khoury

Understated and outstanding - one of the best restaurants in the city.

Jonathan Guez

We ordered two pastas and the burrata. Absolutely delicious, and one of the best pastas I've ever had. Looking forward to coming back and trying more things.

Gary Kreissman

Superb Italian - both innovative and classic in a welcoming setting. The vitello tonnato was best in NYC.

Elizabeth Lizotte-Brown

No reservations. They don’t take them and I recommend this place wholeheartedly! We sat outside and watched NY pass by while we had some lovely Sicilian wine and ate delectable treats. While I came for the salad (thanks, Samin!), it was the carrots, pesto and fried olive that blew me away. Can’t wait to return.

Mindy Wong

Good food, but small plates for the price

Kirill K

Great restaurant! Awesome pasta

Kivanc Onan

Delicious food and a great service. The chicken liver plate is fantastic so as the whole of vegetable dishes. Actually, I could just eat vegetables here and still have amazing dish. You have to try the charred leeks.

Charles Kemp

Incredible food, is nearly always busy so putting your name down hours in advance is often required.

Caroline Lewis

Had drinks Thurs afternoon and then lunch on Friday. The staff & bartenders are wonderful. The pasta was really and even got a meatball that I thought was excellent. This is a great lunch spot and recommend it.

Nicki Dobkin

everything was amazing!!! very fresh ingredients and wonderful service.

Brayden Mora

A recent NY Times article declared their Insalata Verde the best salad in the world and generously gave the recipe. I tried making the dressing at home and found it good but oily and underwhelming. So, I went to try the original from the creators. The article is right--it's not just the dressing but the lettuce mix and how it is put together. And then what followed really knocked my socks off. Sheets of pasta layered with a buttery garlic sauce and tomatoes and crab meat. It was plenty, and yet I wanted to order another just to keep eating it.

Lucinda Breinla

Absolutely loved Via Carota! We were seated right away on a Friday lunchtime. Portions are huge. We ordered a green leafy salad which was absolutely delicious, grilled sardines (who knew sardines go so well with hot olives!) and pasta vongole. The fried zucchini were bland and perhaps not crispy enough, but i am comparing this to the ones I had in Greece last week. Sweet grilled peaches and a mascarpone cream explosion to finish the meal. Service was excellent, really down to earth. And we sat next to a celebrity too! Cant recommend this spot enough for a yummy NYC lunch.

Abigail Rogado

Amazing food, wine, service and clientele

Bryan Nguyen

Everything we ordered was amazing, but we were really blown away by the mushrooms.

Jacqueline Butler

My preferred place for quality italian food. Service is always awesome even when they have a full house. The place has a great feel to it. Food is similar to a place in San Francisco I loved.

Henrique Castro

Excellent food. Horrible wait. No reservations. Expect 2 to 3 hours wait for a table (sometimes shared) on a weekend evening. The tripe (photo) is excellent.

Aina Aus

Great place - went there for a late lunch today. Food quality and attention to detail was amazing as usual. Problem was the waitress: she was not attentive and has an attitude. She clearly sees diners trying to get her attention out of the corner of her eye, but decides to ignore. This is unacceptable - management should watch closely as small things like this can turn off diners to what is otherwise a great place.

Elisabeth Clifton

Absolutely stunning cuisine, great atmosphere, very professional staff. A must go to if you love Italian food.

E

My new favorite Italian restaurant in the village! Great service and amazing food.

iskender DOE

Ya when i order delivery everytime my plate is leaking oil. Buy some better containers please

Bridget Fabi

Fabulous, cosy place for a boisterous meal with friends. Amazing authentic Italian comfort food perfect for sharing with others. A Soho classic. Reservations highly recommended. Booked up well in advance.

Rutilius70

We went there for lunch, no reservation possible...the place is well lit and it was crowded... extremely noisy... we waited over 30 min for a table then we decided to leave since the menu prices were too high and did not match the ambiance or management.

Richard Sales

Fantastic restaurant and top notch service! We came right here for lunch, they were quite busy, however we controlled to get a desk. We ordered cacio e pepe, seafood salad and their daily unique, egg and artichoke, plus zabaione for dessert. Everything changed into great! Would love to come back right here.

Paris Birkner

Nothing disappoints. If you expect over bearing Italian portions go somewhere else. This place is about the details and flavor.

Stephen Choi

Waited 2hrs to be seated and everything was going pretty smoothly; the wine was great, the crab pasta was pretty good, the white bean & spinach was fine BUT the "porkchop" special which was cut into pieces of medallions was so fatty it ruined our meal. I mean want to give the place 5 stars for the ambience but the main entree was such a dud! I will go back give it another try and hopefully the main will be atleast good.

Eunice Lee

A real authentic atmosphere...this place makes me feel like I’m in a small Italian village. Great food. My new favorite Italian place in NYC. Can’t wait to be back.

Victoria Munoz

After reading about Via Carota in multiple NYC restaurant guides, we decided to give it a try. I suggest you to very early and put your name down (we arrived at 6 pm on a Friday and it took two hours). Excellent Italian food – come hungry! I suggest getting 1 or 2 small plates, a vegetable dish, and 2 pastas (plates are meant to be shared). We got the Nduja arancini (a must), Olive all’ascolana, Tonnarelli (one of the best cacio e pepes I’ve ever had), Pappardelle, and grilled artichokes. We also got the maple walnut chocolate semi Freddo for dessert and it was excellent. We will be making this a staple in our rotation.

Evan Yang

love the food. And very lucky to get a sut walking in

Sydneriana

Amazing experience! I loved everything about the venue. The food, the wine, the service and the atmosphere!!!!!

Anne Fernandena

Absolutely loved Via Carota! We were seated right away on a Friday lunchtime. Portions are huge. We ordered a green leafy salad which was absolutely delicious, grilled sardines (who knew sardines go so well with hot olives!) and pasta vongole. The fried zucchini were bland and perhaps not crispy enough, but i am comparing this to the ones I had in Greece last week. Sweet grilled peaches and a mascarpone cream explosion to finish the meal. Service was excellent, really down to earth. And we sat next to a celebrity too! Cant recommend this spot enough for a yummy NYC lunch.

H *

Well executed dishes, modern touches in a familiar settings. In my mind's eye, I'm a superstar. So when J-Law walks in and the manager all of the sudden wants to become a waiter, I was none too pleased. In the words of Derek Zoolander, LA-MAY

Arthur Shikhman

Wait is always worth it, don’t miss the cacio e pepe

Robert Patton

Best pasta I've had in NYC. It's got the chew, y'know? That says it all.

Julie Dugas

Consistent, as always! Great wine selection.

Avi Moskovitz

Lovely but not worth 3.5 hour wait starting at 4 pm

Elliott Im

Felt we were in Italy. Pastas were amazing! Interior was cozy and nice. Service top notch. Now one of our favorites in the City.

Paola Hernandez

Just fantastic! The stracci pesto Genóvese was outstanding! Same about the affogato. The only con was the table... we had to share with a very noisy party of four, who kept spreading themselves without consideration.

Jasper-Owen

The food was great and service was amazing! Oh, Hillary Clinton and Sofia Coppola were there as well (not together).

Eric Outcalt

Small plates of exquisite variety, attentive service, rustic Italian motif, hip and very downtown. Highly recomend!

Andrew Lovedee-Turner

My occasional search for Italian restaurants in New York continues. A rather busy and very noisy lunch time stop, but couldn’t fault the food and friendliness of the staff. Certainly worth a revisit. Oh and quite an extensive wine list.

Vincent Alkema

This is my favorite place to eat in New York. The Cacio e Pepe never lets down. The staff is very friendly and considerate. I recommend this place to anyone. One downside though is that I am not the only one who likes this restaurant, therefore the wait to get seated can usually is very long. A two hour wait is not uncommon, especially in the weekend. So, make sure you write down your name on time and go and have drinks in the neighborhood, because this is a must go!

L Klein

Worth the wait! And there will be a wait. Date night/couples night/night out with friends. Upscale. Delicious. Plates to share. Would recommend. Will return.

Thomas

Incredible Italian food, friendly staff, and great selection of Italian wine and cocktails. I'd highly recommend the truffle pasta if it's on the menu. Keep in mind that there are no reservations and the wait can get up to 4 hours. Plan to go early to put your name in and go enjoy cocktails at a nearby establishment.

Edna Banks

We have been trying to get into fully booked out I Sodi for past few weeks, so decided to try its sibling nearby. There was one table for two available on a hot summer’s day, around 5pm. Our negroni sbagliate were good but not stirred and the atmosphere was buzzy and fun. Firstly, the fried carciofi/ artichokes in oil and sweet onion were delicious, while the cannelloni beans with spinach, tasty. We had to ask for bread to mop up the melting flavours.

Antoine

Okay.... Well it's prettyyy pretty good. Very very flavorful food and I can see why it's so popular. The place itself looks great. Obviously there is the wait. But really the food is terrific. The items that I found truly remarkable: -Pappardelle with wild boar ragu: this is just ridiculous. Get it. Don't even think about it. -Mushrooms: delicious. It soaks in fat with cheese, and believe me it is very very flavorful. -Fried rabbit: perfectly fried. The rabbit is moist and delicious. The green salad is very good with a really nice seasoning however it's not amazing like certain people are saying (and I love salads). The cacio e pepe is very good but it's nowhere nearly as good as the pappardelle.

Maria Elkhoury

Best Italian food I had in NYC.. tough to find a table though so better to come early or late

Thomas Boscher

Good negroni, but very deceptive spaghetti alla vongole. Undercooked (not al dente) and with little perfume / flavor. Not worth the price for sure.

Yoav Glidai

Amazing Italian restaurant. Everything we had was delicious. Cacio a pepe is a must.

Lisette Miller

NYC has so many amazing restaurant options it's hard to choose. I'm so glad I stumbled upon this wonderful place. Very authentic Italian with interesting dishes. I highly recommend getting one of their specials. Thank you for the hospitality! (Pictured: almond tart with rhubarb, macchiato)

Brad Andrews

Go. Just go. It's great. It's on Eater 38, and for good reason. Excellent Italian. Great wine and drinks. Cozy space.

Dennis Pinkney

Inventive menu. Had a few average meals lately but overall everything has been so amazing and tasty.