Officina 1397: Inside Rita Sodi and Jody Williams’ West Village Pantry
By now, most of you know that one of our favorite restaurants in New York City is Via Carota. We’ve written about eating at the restaurant, recreating some items from their menu like insalata verde and roasted carrots. We’ve celebrated big moments at Via Carota, taken so many out-of-town friends there, and have often just shown up for no other reason than just wanting to enjoy the ambiance and delicious food.
Right across the street is one of the newer additions to New York chefs Rita Sodi and Jody Williams’ little empire. And it’s not a restaurant at all. It’s Officina 1397, a curated pantry shop selling the same olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and Italian kitchen staples you’d recognize from their tables. When stepping inside, what struck us isn’t just what is on the shelves and tables, it was how carefully all of it seems to have been chosen.
What actually is Officina 1397?
Fittingly, Officina is Italian for “workshop” or “studio,” and that’s exactly what it looks like inside. It feels like it’s where Sodi and Williams gather their provisions, seasonal ingredients, and kitchen tools, that fit perfectly with what’s happening just across the street at Via Carota.
Before you walk through the door, you’re greeted with local seasonal produce, plants, and flowers which are thoughtfully displayed on a mix of vintage crates, stools, and an old table. Inside the shop, small as it might be, is a carefully selected offering of kitchen supplies; large rolling pins, cheese knives and forks, wine and champagne glasses, branded coffee cups and saucers, and even some old-fashioned brooms and aprons.
Explore further and you’ll also find more fresh produce, heads of garlic that you only see in movies, more fresh flowers, and some high-quality Italian tinned fish. In a large vintage refrigerator you can buy fresh eggs, good French butter, and freshly made Italian ricotta. And, of course, they have a small, but very good, selection of imported olive oils and vinegars. It feels more like a celebration of seasonal cooking than an actual store.
The restaurant collection
Together, the two self-taught and James Beard award-winning chefs, have built something rare and unique in New York’s West Village. We’ve written about Buvette (both the Paris and West Village locations, although Pari no longer exists), and stopped for a quick bite and a drink at Bar Pisellino on numerous occasions. The two we haven’t yet tried but plan to soon are I Sodi, which specializes in traditional Tuscan cuisine, and The Commerce Inn, an old New York American tavern. All of them seem to have one thing in common; that unmistakable warm, comfortable feeling the minute you walk in the door and you know you’re going to enjoy good food.
And let’s not forget, they also own Officina del Bere, a piece of the historic West Village and a high-end wine and spirits store that dates back to 1934. It specializes in carefully curated Italian and French wines, hard-to-find regional vintages, and high-end artisanal spirits. It also stocks Sodi and Williams’ line of premium, ready-to-pour bottled Via Carota craft cocktails, like their signature Negroni.
The shops, restaurants, locations, and hours
50 Grove Street, New York, NY
Hours: Daily from 11:00am to 7:00pm
51 Grove Street, New York, NY
Hours: Monday to Thursday 11:00am to 11:00pm, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 10:00am to 11:00pm
42 Grove Street, New York, NY (they also have Tokyo, Seoul, and London locations)
Hours: Daily from 8:00am to 12:00am
52 Grove Street and 92 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY
Hours: Daily from 8:00am to 11:00pm
314 Bleeker Street, New York, NY
Hours: Every day from 4:30pm – 10:30pm and Friday through Sunday 11:30am to 2:30pm and 5:00pm to 11:00pm
50 Commerce Street, New York, NY
Hours: Daily 9:00am to 3:00pm (breakfast and lunch) and 4:00pm to 11:00pm (dinner)
98 Seventh Avenue South, New York, NY
Hours: Daily from 12:00pm to 9:00pm
What we find most charming about Officina 1397 is that it doesn’t feel like a typical gift shop attached to a restaurant empire. It feels more like an honest extension of everything Sodi and Williams have built here in the West Village. It will inspire you and make you start thinking about what you’ll cook next. So if you find yourself in the neighborhood or are waiting for a table to open up, take a few minutes to spend in the shop. You might even find a few lovely treasures to take home with you. And if this is your first time hearing about the world Rita Sodi and Jody Williams have created, here’s where to start:
