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  5. Frankfort Ave - Crescent Hill
Varanese, Louisville, KY

Varanese

4.7
4.7
4609 Reviews
$30 and under
Contemporary American

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 14 times today
Experiences are available.
  • 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

Order delivery or takeout

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
    (502) 899-9904
  • 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

  • Six Course Holiday Sparkling Wine Dinner

    $75.00 per person

    Dec 3, 2024 only
    Six course dinner paired with sparkling wines from around the world $75 per person Call for reservations
    Six Course Holiday Sparkling Wine Dinner Photo

What 4,609 people are saying

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
  • 4.8Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 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 an exceptional dining experience with "amazing food" and "great service." Guests adore the open-air ambiance and live jazz music, which enhance the overall atmosphere. The menu features standout dishes like the bourbon pork chop and butterfish. Despite occasional noise levels and service delays, patrons consistently express their eagerness to return.

4,610 Reviews
  1. Bob

    Louisville

    10 reviews

    3.0

    10 reviews

    Dined today

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    Table was not ready on arrival so had to wait a few minutes. Then on being escorted to table and seated the escort had forgot the menus so went back to fetch those which took a bit. Table was crowded by musicians cases and equipment which is ok because a member of the party was part of the groups playing but it would be ever so helpful if an area was available for those items out of the way of diners. And although understandably there were large parties of customers seated at various tables and it was a bit busy, we waited for a long while before my husband had return to the hostess to ask for waitress. We had water poured as soon as we took out seats. It was still a few minutes before a waitress made her way and took our drink order and we went ahead and ordered since one of us was playing in a group and wasn't sure that we had too much time to waste. Then another waitress came over and said she was now going to be taking care of us since she had been rushed off her feet prior. Although no problem, it is not what we expect from our years of experience at Varanese. Music labs are wonderful as always and we enjoy that every time.

    Is this helpful?

  2. Sue

    Louisville

    19 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    19 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Varanese never disappoints. One of my favs!!! The music is just an added bonus

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  3. Micah

    Louisville

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Always a wonderful time here. One of my absolute favorite restaurants in Louisville

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  4. Barry

    San Francisco

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food was delicious and our server, Erica, was excellent.

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  5. Ellen

    Louisville

    26 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    26 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Fabulous food, excellent service and love the live jazz!

    Is this helpful?

  6. Talia

    Louisville

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    A friend and I went to Varanese for his 25th birthday. OpenTable had an option to specify if the reservations were for a special occasion and I said yes, for a birthday. We got to the front desk and they brought it up almost immediately, which really surprised my friend, and they seated us at a table with a little "happy birthday" sign on it. The live jazz band even played a snippet of the birthday song and have him a complimentary birthday dessert with a little candle on it. He loved it! Our waitress was great, and we didn't want for anything. The owner of the restaurant was milling around, checking on patrons and just being an overall lovely host. All of the food was delicious. This was pretty much the best American-style cuisine restaurant I have ever been to. It was all very classy, flavorful, fresh, and perfectly cooked. Nothing was overdone or undercooked. It got a little loud on a Friday night at 7pm, but honestly, that's just Frankfort Ave for you on a Friday night lol! It didn't bother me enough to affect my rating though. I would highly recommend this restaurant, especially for special occasions — they really do go all out.

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  7. faye

    Louisville

    16 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    16 reviews

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    way too loud, that's the only problem when we try to come with more than just two of us sitting near each other. wish there was a way to do some ceiling sound insulation!

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  8. Kevin

    Louisville

    10 reviews

    5.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on November 17, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Wonderful as usual. We were seated promptly and served meticulously; our meal was excellent.

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  9. Vicki

    Louisville

    7 reviews

    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on November 16, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    It was my birthday but I didn’t tell them it was my birthday and they had the table set up for a birthday by using social media. They always do nice things

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  10. Lori

    Louisville

    7 reviews

    4.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on November 15, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Dinner was great, but dessert was disappointing. We ordered the special dessert of the night and it was just average. Desserts at a great restaurant like this should always be decadent!!

    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 4609 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 14 times today
Experiences are available.

Order delivery or takeout

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
    (502) 899-9904
  • 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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