Enjoyed the best service we’ve had in a long time as well as one of the best dinners. Kate, our server, was delightful! She was attentive, prompt and seemed genuinely happy to be working there. The clam chowder was one of the best we’ve ever had (and my husband’s from New England). Our entrees consisted of the specials; skirt steak with shrimp add on, and the grilled swordfish with shrimp add on. Throw in some Sonoma Cutrer and Tito’s cocktails and this was a winning evening. An addition to our favorite restaurants in Louisville’s world class dining scene!

We went here for a friend's birthday and had a blast! Staff were attentive and worked quickly to resolve a misunderstanding about our reservation. They were packed but the atmosphere was still pretty comfortable. The food was spectacular. Not at a price point where I would go all the time, but well worth it for a special occasion.

They had a live jazz band, our server Jessica was really nice. The food was delicious. Importantly for us, everyone was nice about our baby. I had the flight of small batch bourbon and my wife had the Ultima palabra, both were great.

Perfect spot for date night. Service was great and food was amazing. We shared the sesame chicken and duck confit egg roll appetizers and both were delicious. For mains we got the beef short rib (one of the specials) and the lamb shank. Both were served with mashed potatoes and asparagus. SO good! It was very busy on a Saturday night even as we were leaving. They had live music in the main dining room. We will definitely be back!

Good food. Great live music. Lava cake was served with forks. With chocolate & ice cream melting, spoons should be provided. You would think that would be common sense. Every table had a flower but ours. No rose 🌹 on our table, even though we let them know we were celebrating a honeymoon. My partner was happy regardless, but those minor details mean a lot to me, and I left a bit annoyed. They were busy, so I get it, but I really wish we went somewhere else.

Great people, good bourbon selection and the food is good. I can’t emphasize the staff enough. Not pretentious at all. Will definitely repeat.

Drinks and dessert were delicious. Food was ok. Not piping hot. Was wanting something to WOW me, but just didn't get that experience 😕

Not going to do a detailed review. Service was polite and nice but not at all personal. Atmosphere was fine. There is a big waterfall feature where water runs down the stone wall - this needs to go. You can see the pipes and values in plain view. Food was decent. My fillet was cut strangely. It was like a hockey puck or the shape of a crab cake patty. Flatter and thinner vs thicker and tall. This made it not possible to cook it to the rare I ordered. It came out medium. Not how you are supposed to present and serve a fillet. Serve it so that it's thicker. And the mashed potatoes were quite salty (and I tend to go heavier than most on the salt). The brussel sprouts were very good and the best thing I had there. Oh, I forgot they had a classical guitar player live and he had some skills. Great dinner music. He was very good.

My all-time favorite restaurant in Louisville. I think I've been 7-8 times and have never been disappointed. You just can't beat the variety of daily specials paired with the live jazz duo.

Amazing staff.. Excellent food, great ambience. The appetizer got delayed but they gave it to us on the house even though we didn't make a big deal of it. Loved the bread that were served as soon as we sat down. Nothing like live music.

Amazing staff and food!! We were in town from out of state celebrating our wedding anniversary. Found this in Google under "nice dining" in Louisville as we wanted great food but not super fancy. Great prices for excellent food. Wonderful dessert sampler. Staff was very attentive. Live music was a nice touch. Outside location seemed a little questionable, but definitely one of those hidden gems!

Atmosphere always on point. I hold this place in my heart as I frequent here with a group of friends when we are in town. The old fashions have yet to fail me and the desserts are decadent. This last visit was a mission for bread pudding!!! We drove from Underwood, Indiana to have a taste. However, when it was announced that it would take 20 minutes, our group became super important all of a sudden and did not want to wait🤣😂😅. Okay this is the best bread pudding ever but we settled for the awesomely amazing crème brûlée. We weren’t too important to wait 8 minutes for that. Great place and atmosphere.

We had a great dinner here this Saturday. Our waiter was great. I had the Lamb Shank, a delicious spicy pineapple drink, and some duck egg rolls. It was all great!!

Randomly picked this place while traveling and wanting something nice for dinner. This place was perfect. The server was attentive and friendly. The food was phenomenal. Loved the atmosphere. I would definitely recommend this place and come back next time I'm in town.

Great food plus great service too. The owner clearly cares and is hands on and supportive. A great place to eat.

I love this place. Every time I visit Louisville I come to eat here. Really delicious, flavorful food. Love the live music. Had the lamb shank and it was phenomenal.

Amazing dinner it was our anniversary and we couldn't have been happier. Great atmosphere great music we even got a visit from the chef and owner himself to tell us happy anniversary. I'm confident that this will be our new favorite spot!

I took my husband here for dinner for his birthday. The hostess greatest us and took us to our table where there was a happy birthday sign for him. The food was amazing. He ordered the strip steak (which he enjoyed every bite). I ordered tye shrimp and Grits and it was good. The band played happy birthday for him! The ambience gave off a romantic vibe and the service was great! We will definitely be dining back here!

We celebrated our youngest's 16th birthday! We got right in at our reservation time. There was live music, The Jeff Sherman Duo, that was just perfect. Our server, Kate, was energetic and positive, which was a breath of fresh air. She assisted with vegetarian selections and steered my wife expertly away from certain items to the angel hair pasta with shrimp. The Pork and Sweet Potato biscuits were outstanding and a highlight of the appetizers- imagine Krispy Kreme Donut meets Pork! Do not miss those when ordering!! So, the breadsticks were top notch, per my son. He is an aficionado of such things. Also, the lobster Mac n cheese was delicious. 3 of us had steak, which were tender and juicy, and enjoyed completely. The vegetarian plate for my daughter reflected the seasonal availability, and she enjoyed that. Our desserts were fully consumed, without sharing like we planned, because my daughter cleared the lava cake in record time. I really enjoyed the brioche French toast, which was a first time I've ever seen FT offered as a dessert! It was actually sublime, and much appreciated! The pistachio-crusted goat cheese spinach salad was good, just a bit heavy on the dressing and uncrisp baby spinach. Everything else was right on! Thank you for an enjoyable evening!

Really lovely date night here with my husband while exploring the local bourbon distilleries. They were very busy, as to be expected on a Saturday, but we felt well taken care of and everything we ordered was delicious. Cozy environment, great drinks, and reasonable pricing for a nicer meal. We would gladly go back if in the area.

When you go to a restaurant you want everyone in your party to enjoy their food. Only 2 of our party of 5 had a good meal. The mushroom risotto that came with the flat iron steak was not creamy the way risotto should be. It was more diced mushroom than risotto and had no flavor. I have ordered risotto many times in my day and never failed to finish it. I took 2 bites and left it. I paid extra for mushrooms on my steak. The server asked if I wanted to add them to my entree and I said yes. She failed to tell me that they were chicken wood mushrooms which taste more like chicken than mushrooms. Now why would anyone want the flavor of chicken added to their steak?? The marshmallow bread pudding was bread pudding with an inch thick layer of marshmallow on the top that was sticky and thick. The lentil soup was so salty my father had to send it back and he is use to salting all his food so it must have been bad. The shrimp and grits were good as well as the burger. I had not been back to this restaurant in years because the last time the same thing happened. Some of the party had a good meal and 2 did not. It is very hard to enjoy your meal when others with you are not. This restaurant is just too hit and miss with their entrees.

Food and service were stellar. It was our first time dining in this louisville gem. Wife had the chicken and I the pork chop. Both entrees were delicious and hefty, healthy portions. The burnt lemon old fashioned was tasty. My wife had both the gin drinks and was very pleased. Order the Brussels spouts and ask for Ruth! We will be back!

Outstanding restaurant and exceptional service. We'll definitely head back sometime soon.

My Iceberg blue cheese salad was delicious but the cornmeal crusted Alaskan rockfish was tough as leather. Our server was very pleasant. Saturday night was busy and at times the noise decibel rating prevented actual conversation among our party. Sorry to post a less than flattering review. May try again at another time in the future.

We visited Varanese two years ago for our first anniversary, and returned this year to celebrate our third. We were just as impressed this time as the first! The cocktails are masterfully mixed, the service is attentive and friendly, and the food is absolutely delicious. We enjoyed four courses tonight and we were delighted with each plate that came to the table. If you have a sweet tooth, the brioche french toast is not to be missed. An additional note: the live music we enjoyed on both our visits was an excellent addition to the evening without overpowering the ambience of the restaurant. We've decided that this will be our go-to anniversary spot, and we look forward to many more visits in the future.

Ambiance was really nice. Great food, wonderful staff. Can't wait to go again!

I am updating my review, still positive. Our server was Erica. She was amazing. We visit this restaurant at least once a year, esp for our youngest son's birthday. It's a very special bitter sweet day as he shares the same birthday as my late husband's. It was his favorite place whenever we came to see our son who goes to school in Louisville. Our table was reserved promptly with rose petals. He was also served with a complimentary birthday dessert. Erica had a large group of guests, more than 10 people and she was dealing with a large order, a lot of plates, but she always managed to give us her attention and gave us everything we needed and more. Our water and coffee was promptly refilled and the food was delectable as usual. The baked Brie was amazing and so satisfying. I told Erica my son and I were going to share a salad and she already brought the salad in 2 different plates. The food was plenty. They also had live music; a bass and a guitar player. We enjoyed them immensely and they played the "Happy Birthday" song when Erica brought out the birthday dessert. Please thank the Chef for us. Thank you for the wonderful and memorable dinner.

Food was excellent. The smoked pork chop was the best I've had. Excellent service. Could have had more live music in dining area. Prentice and Dean provided outstanding service

In Louisville as a tourist and ate here two weeks ago. Service was great, food was even better, and the ambiance even better than that. There was a duo, guitar and upright bass, who were great. Didn't try to overpower the room just played background but if you wanted to listen they were really good....worth listening to.

I have dined at Varanese many many times. The food, service and atmosphere are always excellent. I was prompted to write this review after an incredible anniversary dinner with my wife. They had a porterhouse steak special that sounded good, so we ordered it. When it arrived, I could not believe my eyes! It was huge! Being pre-sliced, I could tell it was prepared to perfect temperature. Then the taste: It was literally the best steak I have ever had in my 57 years. The seasoning, the sear, the char, the temperature, the cut, the meat quality and the amazing flavor were all perfect 10s.