For New Yorkers seeking comforting Italian cooking, the easy 2019 answer is to look to Jody Williams and Rita Sodi. The couple first independently ran their own hit West Village restaurants, but together, they reached fixture status after partnering up to open Via Carota more than four years ago.

Now, the duo is working together once again, combining their favorite experiences for a breezy, all-day bar called Bar Pisellino, at 52 Grove St. and Seventh Avenue. Considering who they are, the opening has been eagerly anticipated and long awaited — but for the two of them, putting together the restaurant has been “spontaneous,” Williams says.