Usually, the hardest-to-score restaurant tables are found inside buzzy new restaurants or those that recently earned rave reviews from a critic, an award from the James Beard Foundation, or a star (or several) from the Michelin Guide.

But what’s old-ish is new in New York, thanks to one very popular patron who has her own ~love story~ with a particular restaurant.

Via Carota, a chic yet chill 75-seat Italian restaurant in the West Village, was originally opened by chef-owners Jody Williams and Rita Sodi in November 2014. (The duo had each founded their own restaurants, Buvette for Williams and I Sodi for Sodi, before debuting Via Carota.) 

When you walk in you're immediately greeted with rustic decor, complete with stone walls, reclaimed wood floors, and an antique dresser to store heirloom dishware. These are all nods to the 17th-century villa in Florence that Sodi once called home. Nothing is too fussy about the menu, either: The recipes are simple and elegant, what the website deems “Old-World Italian.” Via Carota dishes celebrate seasonal vegetables as well as classic Italian comfort food creations like meatballs, risotto, and pasta.

Although Via Carota is perfectly situated to be a cozy neighborhood spot, over its nine-plus years of business the restaurant has evolved to become a food writer favorite (earning accolades from publications like The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Eater). PEOPLE shared that Via Carota is also a go-to dinner reservation for celebrities like Andy Cohen, Jennifer Lawrence, Sarah Jessica Parker…and perhaps most notably, Taylor Swift.

Amid her record-breaking Eras tour, it seems like every step Swift makes—and every bite she eats (have you tried her favorite French Blonde cocktail yet?)—is an automatic headline. So of course when the Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter/NFL darling was spotted at Via Carota several times, including an iconic outing in September 2023 with Sophie Turner, it became even more difficult to snag a table.

Most of the seats at Via Carota are walk-in only, so lines often extend for blocks during prime hours. If you’re in the area and don’t want to wait, you can order delivery or pickup through the restaurant’s website. However, if you live elsewhere or simply don't want to fight the crowds, you don't need to travel to literally say "Welcome to New York" (although it never hurts to play it).

In October 2022, Williams and Sodi teamed up with co-author (and BHG pal!) Anna Kovel to release a cookbook that includes many of their favorite recipes from the restaurant menu. You can score copies of Via Carota: A Celebration of Seasonal Cooking from the Beloved Greenwich Village Restaurant at most major bookstores and online.

Authentic Via Carota Dinner Recipes You Can Recreate

The Via Carota team hand-picked three recipes to share with BHG—ideal for a gorgeous date night or family dinner—that don’t require culinary school chops to execute. 

So pour yourself a glass of a light Italian red wine like Sciava, Chianti, or Lambrusco, turn on your favorite Taylor album, and you’re just a few steps away from transporting yourself to the trendy trattoria.

Pollo alla Griglia (Grilled Chicken in Salmoriglio)

Williams and Sodi recommend using chicken halves rather than a whole chicken since they’re easier to manage on the grill. That said, a small whole chicken also works just fine, spatchcocked if desired.

No time to brine? Skip step 2 and simply “give the chicken a turn in the marinade before putting it on the grill,” the chefs suggest. 

“If you don't have an outdoor grill, you can roast the chicken,” they add. “Preheat the oven to 425°F and roast the chicken on a sheet pan without turning, for about 45 minutes.”

Yield: Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients 

• 2 half chickens or 1 whole chicken, 2¾-3 pounds total
• 1 recipe brine (10 cups)
• ½ recipe salmoriglio (1 ½ cups; you’ll use more in the Carote recipe)
• 1 lemon, cut in ¼ inch slices
• Flaky sea salt

Directions

1. If beginning with a whole chicken, cut the chicken in half using kitchen shears or a strong, sharp knife. Remove the backbone and reserve it for making chicken stock.
2. Submerge the chicken in brine in a deep container. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days. Remove the chicken from brine, pat dry, and transfer to a dish large enough to hold it flat. 
3. Pour about ½ cup salmoriglio onto each chicken half; turn the chicken to coat. Marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, and up to 2 hours.
4. Preheat a grill to medium, with a lower heat zone for indirect cooking. If using charcoal, bank the coals, with a lower pile of coals to one side; if cooking on a gas grill, turn two sections of the grill to medium heat and one section to low. (It's always useful to have an indirect zone, an area of the grill where you can place anything that needs to cook slowly or is already cooked.)
5. Wipe the marinade off the chicken and place the chicken on the grill skin side up.
6. Discard the used marinade. Grill chicken for 10 minutes on each side, flipping as the skin and underside brown, and moving it around as needed to avoid flare-ups. Reduce the heat to low (or move the chicken to indirect heat), flip the chicken so it's skin side up, and cover the grill. Cook until the juices of the thigh run clear with no trace of pink when pierced, about 20 minutes, or more for a larger chicken. A thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh should read 165°F. Flip again, if needed, to crisp and brown the skin.
7. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board to rest for 10 minutes. While the chicken is resting, dip the lemon slices in the remaining salmoriglio and grill them on both sides until lightly charred.
8. Spoon salmoriglio over the chicken, sprinkle it lightly with salt, and serve with the grilled lemon.
9. Roast or broil the lemon slices while the chicken is resting.

Brine 

Plan ahead for the chicken recipe, if possible. A couple days in this no-sweat brine leads to remarkably juicy results.

Yield: Makes 10 cups

Ingredients

• ½ cup salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 cups boiling water
• Whole black peppercorns
• 2 garlic heads, sliced in half 
• Large handful fresh herb sprigs, such as rosemary and thyme
• 6 cups cold water

Directions

1. Choose a container large enough to hold all 2 ½ quarts of brine plus the meat you'll be brining. Combine the salt and sugar in the container and pour boiling water over them; stir to dissolve. Add about 1 teaspoon peppercorns, the garlic, and herbs, and pour the cold water into the container and stir. Cool to lukewarm before adding the meat.

Salmoriglio (Lemon and Garlic Dressing)

This all-purpose summery sauce is used in a handful of recipes throughout the Via Carota book, both as a marinade (like for the chicken) and as a vinaigrette (for the recipe below). We doubled the recipe from the book so you have enough for both.

“Salmorigio is best used the day it's made, but will keep, refrigerated, for up to 3 days,” the chefs say.

Yield: Makes 3 cups

Ingredients

• ¾ cup lemon juice (from 4 lemons)
• 8 garlic cloves, finely grated (about 4 teaspoons)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili flakes
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 ½ cups extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ cup neutral oil such as safflower
• A few sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Directions

1. Combine the lemon juice, garlic, salt, chili flakes, oregano, and water in a small bowl.
2. Slowly pour in the oils, whisking constantly.
3. Stir in the parsley.
4. Stir briskly just before using; the lemon and garlic will have settled to the bottom.

Carote (Roasted Carrots, Spiced Yogurt, and Pistachios)

“This roasted carrot dish has been a favorite since we opened, and we don't dare take it off the menu,” Sodi and Williams say.  

Williams dreamed up the addition of crunchy pistachios and warm cumin seeds, by the way. While these elements aren't traditionally Italian, they are undeniably delicious.

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 pound multicolored carrots (about 8), peeled
• Salt
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• ¾ teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and coarsely ground
• ⅓ cup Salmoriglio
• ¼ cup toasted pistachios, chopped
• ½ cup full-fat Greek yogurt
• Large handful mixed fresh herbs, such as basil, mint, cilantro, parsley, and chives

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Stir water and sugar in a large baking dish to dissolve the sugar and add the carrots, coating them.
2. Tightly cover the dish with foil and place it in the oven to steam the carrots until they're tender when pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes. Drain off any water remaining in the dish, toss the carrots with salt, and lightly coat with olive oil. Spread the carrots out in the dish and return to the oven, uncovered, to roast until browned, about 20 minutes.
3. While the carrots are hot, toss them with about half the cumin, half the salmoriglio, and the pistachios. Season the yogurt with salt and the rest of the cumin and spoon it onto a plate. Arrange the carrots on the yogurt and spoon the remaining salmoriglio over them. Refresh the herb leaves briefly in a bowl of ice water and pat them dry before piling loosely on top.

Carabaccia (Onion and Bread Soup)

Try this “elemental version of onion soup” as a starter for the Via Carota restaurant-style meal. Crack an egg into each bowl just before serving. The hot broth cooks it softly, lending a luxurious final touch to the light vegetable soup.

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 pounds red onions
• 2 medium carrots
• 2 celery stalks 
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 fresh sage leaves 
• Salt 
• Pepper
• 7 cups liters vegetable broth (homemade or store-bought)
• 1 cup hot water, or as needed
• 4 thick slices country bread
• 4 large eggs
• ¾ cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano, for serving 

Directions

1. Halve the onions lengthwise and thinly slice the halves. Finely dice the carrots and celery.
2. Coat the bottom of a large, heavy-bottomed pot with olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) and set over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and the sage leaves; stir in 1½ teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook gently, stirring often, until the vegetables are completely soft and begin to release their sweetness, 30 to 40 minutes. When the onions begin sticking to the bottom of the pot, raise the heat to medium-high, pour in the stock, and bring to a simmer.
3. Stir the soup, partly cover the pot, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the soup is a deep, tawny color and the olive oil has risen to the top, about 45 minutes; season with salt and pepper as needed. The soup should be brothy—add hot water to thin it if necessary.
4. Toast the bread and place a slice in each soup bowl. Ladle soup on top and carefully crack 1 egg into each bowl and stir to break it; the egg will cook softly in the hot soup.
5. Drizzle each bowl with olive oil and sprinkle with an abundant amount of parmigiano.

Recipes reprinted with permission from Via Carota: A Celebration of Seasonal Cooking from the Beloved Greenwich Village Restaurant by Jody Williams and Rita Sodi with Anna Koval. Photos by Gentl & Hyers.