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Varanese, Louisville, KY

Varanese

4.7 (4707)
$30 and under
Contemporary American
2106 Frankfort Ave., Louisville, KY 40206

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 13 times today
Experiences are available.

About this restaurant

  • Good for special occasions
  • Neighborhood gem
  • Great for live music
Varanese settled in Louisville because of its successful independent dining scene, and he believes that the people of Louisville will appreciate fresh ingredients, prepared with a creative flair and a culturally diverse menu. Varanese’s eclectic menu boasts an array of options from stuffed grape leaves, and fried green tomato salad, to new signature entrées: the seared boneless pork chop, and caramelized orange salmon. Finish with a fried banana accompanied by a house-made oatmeal cookie dough ice cream dessert. This New American style restaurant will comfortably seat 150 guests between its bar, dining room and four seasons patio. The four seasons patio of Varanese is an addition to the building, which has a dramatic 20-foot slate water wall. The space is enclosed by a serpentine of glass doors, which retract to offer an outdoor dining experience. Varanese is located at 2106 Frankfort Ave. in the Historic Clifton neighborhood

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Contemporary American, Seafood, Steak
  • Hours of operation
    Dinner: Sunday - Thursday: 5:00pm - 11:00pm Friday & Saturday: 5:00pm - 12:00pm Christmas Eve 11am-10pm Christmas Day CLOSED New Year's Eve 4pm-12pm New Year's Day CLOSED
  • Phone number
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Executive chef
    John Varanese
  • Catering
    Catering is offered depending on Chef Varanese's availability. Call to inquire.
  • Private party facilities
    With the addition of two new private dining room spaces, Varanese can accommodate groups of up to 80 people. Minimum sales requirement for each room applies. Call 502-899-9904 or email letsdine@varanese.com to inquire.
  • Neighborhood
    Frankfort Ave - Crescent Hill
  • Cross street
    Vernon
  • Parking details
    Varanese provides on-premise parking along with additional parking across the street at Nancy's Bagel Grounds along with street parking.
  • Public transit
    Varanese has a TARC stop in front along with a Frankfort Ave. Trolly Hop Stop.
  • Entertainment
    Live jazz seven nights from the Jeff Sherman band 6-10pm.
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Experiences

  • Pride Mtn Wine Dinner

    $110.00 per person

    Jun 24, 2025 only
    Join us for this special wine dinner. Pride Mountain Vineyards will be hosting a wine dinner at Varanese for the first time. This will be a five course dinner expertly paired with wine varietals from Pride Mountain Vineyards Please call Varanese at 502-899-9904 to secure your reservation.
    Pride Mtn Wine Dinner Photo

What 4,707 people are saying

Varanese reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.6Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.6Ambience
  • 4.5Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Central Kentucky

    Hot spot

  • Central Kentucky

    Contemporary American

  • Louisville

    Hot spot

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Varanese offers a delightful dining experience with "delicious food" and "excellent service." The atmosphere is enhanced by "live music" and a "perfect ambiance." Guests commend the professional staff and highlight standout dishes like the "Orange Bourbon Salmon." Despite occasional noise concerns, the restaurant remains a "favorite" for many, ensuring memorable visits.
4,707 Reviews
  1. Nick

    Central Kentucky2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Food was delicious and the servers were very professional and helpful

    Is this helpful?

  2. Lowell VIP

    San Francisco Bay Area41 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 1
    The three-piece combo was very loud, especially during drum solos. It’s not easy to dine with all that noise. My Alaskan rockfish was very good, but it would be better without the cornbread coating. Service is very good.

    Is this helpful?

  3. Barbara

    Central Kentucky1 review

    4.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 5
    Food was great!!! Service was not so good and they were not busy at all, no excuses!!!

    Is this helpful?

  4. Paul

    East Tennessee1 review

    4.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 2
    The food was great; the staff friendly. Occasional noises from the street, like motorcycles speeding through the neighborhood, detracted from the experience.

    Is this helpful?

  5. Niles VIP

    Central Kentucky87 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Open-air dining and live music -- what better way to spend a summer evening? Definitely worth a visit!

    Is this helpful?

  6. James VIP

    Central Kentucky44 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Ten years ago we had our wedding reception here… It was great then.. All was awesome again last night. Caprese salad was shared. My wife’s filet and my pork chop were great. Excellent service was topped off with a complimentary dessert. We are looking forward to many more years of delicious meals at Varanese.

    Is this helpful?

  7. Len

    Northwest Florida3 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on June 7, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Too much salt on entree’s. Veal dry. All else fine.

    Is this helpful?

  8. Jami

    Chicago / Illinois1 review

    5.0

    Dined on June 7, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Upon arriving for our reservation, we were greeted by a friendly hostess who immediately showed us to our table. Within just a couple minutes a young man approached our table to give us water. He has some great pouring skills. Our waiter, Will came and was the picture of the best waiter we have ever had. He brought us bruschetta while he asked us what drinks we would like. He kept us up to date on our meal preparation. When he misunderstood our wine order, he made it right and explained how he was going to adjust our bill. He gave us his opinion on dishes when asked. He didn’t “bug us” while we were eating. The food was phenomenal from our first bite of bruschetta to our crem brûlée and cheesecake. The 3 man band was perfect for background music. We were seated just on the edge of an open door. When it started raining we did not get wet and the band started playing Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head. The ambience was perfection. If we make it back to the Louisville area again, we will make sure to come again.

    Is this helpful?

  9. Nancy

    Tampa / Central Florida West1 review

    2.0

    Dined on June 4, 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 5
    It was hard to talk and all hear one another due to the noise level. Tables were so close together that waiters bumped my chair all evening. The manager spilled wine across my MIL’s table setting when he poured her glass, then walked away as if he didn’t even notice. Waitress was unable to provide suggestions and was hard to hear when she spoke. Also got the order wrong and didn’t catch it when serving the food. The charcuterie board was not good…meats were kind of grey looking and greasy and the walnuts were soft and stale and the crostini were stale and soft rather than toasty and crisp. Dinners were fine but nothing special. Best part of the experience were the cocktails, which were great but we spent $275 on dinner for 5 and it was NOT worth it. We had been here in February and had a great experience, so not sure what happened between then and now, but we won’t be back.

    Is this helpful?

  10. T

    Central Kentucky4 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 4, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great experience. Highly recommend. Food, service, ambience was just what we expected.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Varanese offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (502) 899-9904.

Varanese is rated 4.7 stars by 4707 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. Central Kentucky
  4. Louisville
  5. Frankfort Ave - Crescent Hill

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 13 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Varanese

2106 Frankfort Ave., Louisville, KY 40206

Additional information

  • Cross street
    Vernon
  • Neighborhood
    Frankfort Ave - Crescent Hill
  • Hours of operation
    Dinner: Sunday - Thursday: 5:00pm - 11:00pm Friday & Saturday: 5:00pm - 12:00pm Christmas Eve 11am-10pm Christmas Day CLOSED New Year's Eve 4pm-12pm New Year's Day CLOSED
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Contemporary American, Seafood, Steak
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    Varanese provides on-premise parking along with additional parking across the street at Nancy's Bagel Grounds along with street parking.
  • Public transit
    Varanese has a TARC stop in front along with a Frankfort Ave. Trolly Hop Stop.
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    John Varanese
  • Entertainment
    Live jazz seven nights from the Jeff Sherman band 6-10pm.
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Entertainment, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
  • Catering
    Catering is offered depending on Chef Varanese's availability. Call to inquire.
  • Private party facilities
    With the addition of two new private dining room spaces, Varanese can accommodate groups of up to 80 people. Minimum sales requirement for each room applies. Call 502-899-9904 or email letsdine@varanese.com to inquire.
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