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Varanese, Louisville, KY

Varanese

4.7
4.7
4681 Reviews
$30 and under
Contemporary American
2106 Frankfort Ave., Louisville, KY 40206

Make a reservation

2 people
7:30 PM
Booked 36 times today

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

What 4,681 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
  • 4.7Food
  • 4.8Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.6Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Central Kentucky

    Hot spot

  • Central Kentucky

    Contemporary American

  • Louisville

    Hot spot

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Varanese offers an exceptional dining experience with "amazing food," "excellent service," and a "wonderful atmosphere." Guests frequently praise the live jazz music, which adds to the "romantic ambiance." The restaurant excels in special occasions, ensuring celebrations are memorable with thoughtful touches. Despite occasional service delays, Varanese remains a "hidden gem" in Louisville.

4,681 Reviews
  1. Mary Frances

    Louisville1 review

    5.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We've been here a few times and always enjoyed the service, food, music etc, Last night the area was open to the outside weather and it was delightful. Thanks for the enjoyable evening! Loved the talented water glass filler!!

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  2. Steve

    Louisville19 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Staffallowed time for the group of 6 to enjoy our drinks and visit with one another. Food was excellent and presentation too. Enjoyed the music immensely.

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  3. Charles

    Louisville9 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    We have been to varanese many times. The food quality is always on point. This was the first time we had brought all of our kids. We all enjoyed our brunch.

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  4. Mark VIP

    Louisville68 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent experience, food was great, service was great. Really appreciate Errol’s service. He did a fabulous job.

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  5. Kathy VIP

    New York City25 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Staff is always accommodating and very attentive. The menu is interesting with the best of ingredients

    Is this helpful?

  6. Paula VIP

    Louisville5 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Everything was delicious! The service was wonderful. We sat at a high top table in the bar. The cocktails were top notch.

    Is this helpful?

  7. Dawn

    Louisville14 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We love Varanese! We've been dining there for over 15 years now and are never disappointed in the food, the cocktails, or the ambiance.

    Is this helpful?

  8. Leigh

    Louisville2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on April 15, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The table was set to celebrate, free appetizer, free dessert for birthday boy, food and drinks were excellent, server was delightful and great at her job!! Even while training!!

    Is this helpful?

  9. Lisa

    Louisville1 review

    1.0

    Dined on April 14, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 3
    Waited over an hour for our food which never arrived. Other tables of 2 and 3 people were being served, who came in much later than our table of 8. They admitted the kitchen staff was making the smaller tables food first. Kept using the excuse “our kitchen is green”. It was a very disappointing evening and I doubt any of us will return to Varanese.

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  10. Stephanie

    Cincinnati3 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on April 12, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    I called to let the restaurant know we were going to be about 10 min late for a 7:00 reservation. The hostess said that was fine because they were waiting for a table to clear anyway. Close to 8:00 our table still wasn’t ready and people who arrived after us got seated before us. The hostess tried to excuse the error by saying those people had been waiting at the bar since before we walked in and then said “well you WERE late for your reservation”. There was no attempt by anyone to apologize for the delay. Fortunately, once we got seated we had fast, friendly service and the food was very appetizing. I’m just disappointed that the experience was overshadowed by such a delay.

    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 4681 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
7:30 PM
Booked 36 times today
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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