My 2 star rating is not based on the quality of Varka's dishes but rather on the stunning fact that they now charge 3.25% extra if you use a credit card. Really??!! Your prices are already way above the average but then to extract that much more from patrons is insulting. Food was good but will not be returning. There are many other fine restaurants in Ramsey. read more

You want to have great Greek Food, you need to try Varka in RAMSEY. Beautifully decorated and the the fish is as fresh as it can be. The mussels are to die for along with the original Greek Salad. Try the VARKA chips along with the Saganaki The fish to try is the FANGRI. For dessert try the loukoumades. This is the place for Greek food . read more

Looking foward to coming back! The octopus is a must! Vibes are dark and great for all occasions. Only thing is as we are late eaters we felt that our waiter was rushing us out (not because they were closing as it was a Saturday night). It just seemed we were his last table and wanted to go home. But other then that, great overall experience. read more

What can you say beyond it's the BEST!! You are totally immersed in flavor, service, fine rating wine and cocktails. Varka is a very special place. read more

My favorite restaurant in Bergen County! Never disappointed! Always fresh & delicious!

Let me preface this by saying, I clearly understand the pressure on restaurant owners and managers during this post pandemic period, with the shortage of labor and rising food prices. However, there is no excuse for bad manners and just being downright rude! This coming from an apparent owner/manager! We've had run ins with this "gentleman" before Covid but wanted to give a boost to one of our local restaurants. With that in mind, my wife and I walked into Varka around 6pm on a Thursday night and was greeted by 2 young ladies and a bearded man. With a big smile on my face, I said " how is everyone tonight?". My response from this guy? "You got a reservation?" Well no sir, just thought we would give a shot. "Inside is full!" Ok, my wife asks, can we sit at the bar? Again, a short terse response, "no, can't sit at the bar" He mumbled something and I said excuse me? Again, never even addressing me and barely recognizing my existence, he says "you can only sit outside" at this point, we had had enough, AND WALKED OUT. this guy should not be in the "hospitality" industry. I have never written a bad review about any restaurant and this is no reflection on any other member of the staff. It seems to me, if you're going to charge exorbitant prices for mediocre fish you should have the decency to treat people walking in with respect and perhaps, even pretend you're glad they decided to come to your restaurant! Awful, never going back! read more

Had a great dinner there last night. Greek spread, grilled octopus, lamb meatballs, and scallops all delicious and perfectly cooked. Service was good, never left us a drink empty for long always seemingly wishing eyesight to get whatever we need. Only constructive criticism is give more pita with the Greek spread. Every time we order we need to ask for more, or maybe they want you to get them hot so they don't give you the full amount? Either way, love the place! Keep it up!!! read more

Been coming here for years. Food and service are consistently good however they're new practice of charging almost 4% if you use a credit card is not cool with me. It's a pricey place, not many people walk around with hundreds of dollars of cash in their pockets to go for a meal. I guess they're trying to make back money they lost due to covid but hey, aren't we all? They should be happy with having customers! read more

I am giving the restaurant only 2 stars because we were surprised by their practice of charging over 3% for using a credit card. The food has always been pricey, but now seems outrageously high and the additional surcharge is offensive. The food was as good as always and the service was pleasant, except for the staff at the front desk who messed up our reservations. We will think twice before returning. read more

I have to say this is one of my favorite places to come eat. Besides the food being delicious, and management always doing the right thing for their customers. Our waiter, Nico, is hands down the best waiter they have. He's not just a server, he cares about your experience and wants to make sure you keep coming back. Next time you are here ask for Nico. I promise you he will make your experience that much better and want you to keep coming back. See you soon! read more

Varka Estiatorio - Greek Near Me - Ramsey, New Jersey

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Celebrated my dad's 80th anniversary there. He's a steak person, so we hoped he'll have a meat to choose from when others will go for what the place is famous for. First, booking staff was very accommodating as we changed the reservation a few times for crazy family reasons. They put up with us and went above and beyond to make the event happened. Serving staff was also beyond reproach - we felt appropriately attended at all times, they were knowledgeable about menus and wine list, enough said. Appetizers were delicious, next time I'll order triples of each and will be the happiest person. All fish dishes were mouthwatering, dad ended up with Chilean sea bass and 3 months later is still raving about it. No one had anything critical to say. Thank you, Varka! read more

Great meals. Service a 4 but average still a 5. Pricey but worth it. Must try. Fresh fish. Try the feta broccoli rabe and feta for sure a winner side. read more

Food and service here at top notch. I had the grilled octopus as a starter- the tender octopus and the combination of flavors on the dish were just right! I wanted to order another. The halibut was also so delicious, it was tender, cooked perfectly and flavored just right. The almond cake for dessert was the perfect end, it was the right amount of sweet. From the bar I ordered the basil martini and asked for the vodka to be substituted with gin and my oh, oh my...YUM! I absolutely love going to Varka, the food is always fresh and delicious and the service impeccable! read more

Really fresh seafood. This is my first time having Greek style seafood and I just didn't like it. Loved the fried cheese and the zucchini chips though. And I give it 4 stars because my colleagues had a great time. read more

Food is OK. Service not so much. Servers doing their job grudgingly, as if doing you a favor. Seen better.

Just went here and the food was amazing! Gorgeous seating area outside and really enjoyed the atmosphere. Sadly the only complaint was with our waiter. He had zero personality, wouldn't even look at us while we were ordering, kept looking around and it came off extremely rude. We had to literally flag him down multiple times in order to get our drinks refilled and go order our meal. He barely checked in on us throughout the night and after our entrees were cleared we were excited to get some dessert, however, it took over 15 minutes for our waiter to even come back over to us and ask if we wanted anything more. At that point we decided against because we didn't feel like waiting around that much longer. Also, i will say i understand if it was a really busy night, but it wasn't, and we constantly saw him standing over in the corner a lot talking to other wait staff. So overall the food was great, but for the money you are dropping i expect the service to be a little better. I Will def try again, hopefully that the inside staff is more attentive. read more

The service is simply low class. Nowhere near the attitude of an upscale NYC place. The manager is actually less talented than the servers.

Amazing dinner for my boyfriend's 40th! Had the arugula salad & grilled varka lobster for dinner. We sat at the bar while waiting on our party & had a couple drinks. The martinis weren't my favorite, but the bartender was friendly & attentive. Can't wait to return! read more

I was really looking forward to dine at this place. Unfortunately it wasn't what I expected. While everything looks super fresh (they display fish $ seafood on ice right by the kitchen), somehow whatever we tried was underwhelming. Add to that subpar service and I can tell you I will never be back. Few suggestions to the owners: don't deep fry everything. Pan fried fish tastes great! Use salt and pepper! Your waiters might be related to you but it doesn't give them right to be rude with the customers!!! read more

The food was decent, but the service was awful. We were ignored almost the entire time. The order was wrong, but nobody even checked on us. We waited 40 minutes for a dessert. Not a good experience and I usually never comment on anything. read more

My FAVORITE restaurant! Love love love everything about Varka in Ramsey. Excellent quality food from appetizers to main entrees to the desserts DELICIOUS The management & staff are very friendly and accommodating. read more

My favorite spot for Greek food in all of NJ/NY area. Always fresh and delicious. I've never been disappointed with a meal and the staff is very friendly! read more

The food was good but what a disappointment. Felt like they couldn't get us out of the restaurant fast enough. When I am paying over $100 per person for a meal, I expect to have the opportunity to enjoy the meal - not feel rushed. We won't be back. read more

Gave this place one last try and they're out after years of personal and professional patronage- the service is just so sub par and out and out rude and at these prices-Oceanus beacons. read more

Fresh seafood, you can actually pick your fish out. Very nice lunch menu. Servers are knowledgeable. Pretty pricey for dinner. read more

The food is incredible! I don't know how they make a beet salad taste that amazing. The Greek salad was also delicious, but for $20...too expensive. I ordered the shrimp in tomato sauce as my main meal, even though it was an appetizer. I really enjoyed the flavors. The have a nice wine selection and full bar. You have to get the yogurt dessert - so good! The atmosphere is perfect. The only negative, and it's a pretty big one, was the service. It was terrible. The waiter literally watched us spill our water. It went all over and he just walked away. I was in shock. Usually they come by with a clean napkin and cover the spill at the very least. read more

So I finally had the chance to visit for a dine-in experience. For two dishes (which were fresh and delicious)-- the halibut dish, the chilean sea bass stew, and a bottle of sparkling water, the bill was around $90. Don't get me wrong, the food was very good and our waiter(s) were kind and professional, even cleaning up the table well after we ate, but $90 FOR TWO DISHES AND A WATER is ridiculous, and this isn't even New York City. Of the three hostesses, two, unfortunately, were pretty rude, and just stared at us when we left, instead of chirping out "BYE!" as they did for the countless other people that left before us. The waiters were very polite, but there was an issue at the end because we asked for our food to be wrapped, and the waiter ended up THROWING OUT half of the dish we wanted wrapped to-go, which meant we literally threw more than $20 in the trash for a dish we ate half of and wanted wrapped to go. That was a huge disappointment, considering we spent over $100 after tip for two dishes and a small bottle of water. I'm 100% certain I won't be coming back, because while the food is good, it was nothing out-of-this-world-amazing, and I've never spent that much money on such little food, especially food that I finished barely half of and was thrown out after I asked for it to be wrapped up. read more

THE BEST SEAFOOD OF ALL TIME. Super pricey but it was perfect for a special occasion. Highly recommend the octopus!

Had a wonderful evening last night at Varka and enjoyed some outstanding seafood, but ultimately came away feeling disappointed because of issues with service. This was my first visit. My lady has visited several times. We made a reservation for 9:15pm, the earliest time available to us on OpenTable -- when we arrived there were several tables open, so felt that maybe we could have gotten an earlier dinner time. Those tables were never filled during our time and when we left at 11 half the restaurant was empty. The hostess Jenny was amazing, really adds to the exciting atmosphere. We asked her for recommendations and she set the tone for the amount of amazing seafood we were about to eat. Service was quick, we were asked for drink orders within 2 minutes of sitting.. which we appreciated. She ordered an extra dirty vodka martini and her drink came out clear, she winced when she drank it. I ordered a Manhattan neat in a rocks glass and it came out in a martini glass, slightly disappointing. We were taken to the fish display which was a wonderful experience -- our waiter gave us a knowledgeable overview and took our whole dinner order (apps and dinner) right there. He actually recommended we order everything at once so they could stagger our courses accordingly.. makes sense we listened. We ordered a LOT.. apps: grilled octopus, 4 west coast oysters (only 2 types of west coast oysters were available at that time, the rest were sold out), 1 langoustine/1 tiger prawn/1 king crab leg (prepared shareable for us which we greatly appreciated). Dinner: 1 loup de dinner (bronzinni) with a side of grilled asparagus, and 1 Dover sole with a side of lemon roasted potatoes. Once back at the table, the food was brought out quickly. First was the langoustine/tiger prawn/king crab leg, which were all amazing. While waiting for the next course, she had finished her drink and ordered a Sauvignon Blanc, and the waiter brought out a wine glass, but never brought the wine. Next to arrive was the dinner, which looked amazing, but my asparagus was steamed, not grilled. Also, we inquired about the status of the rest of our apps: the grilled octopus and oysters (as they never arrived). The waiter came over, apologized, offered to pay for the octopus, and said he'd bring it out with the oysters immediately. He unfortunately also spilled some of my Manhattan (could have been avoided if it was in a rocks glass), and promised to "take care of that" for me. We were charged in full for the octopus as well as the Manhattan. My date also got her glass of wine, in a 2nd glass, after the octopus and oysters were brought out. I should mention that the waiter asked if we wanted dessert, we ordered the cheesecake to go (we were so stuffed), and he did not charge us for it. But we were confused as we charged for the octopus and I was not given another Manhattan after the small spill. All in all the food was electric. Simply amazing seafood. However for a bill just under $300 (with a 20% tip we gave), I can't justify anything above 3 stars. These mistakes shouldn't occur when you're charging that much money to customers. Would like to come back at an earlier time! read more

Excellent good and drinks. Good service. Very noisy! Been there many times. Will go again

It has been a few years since I last dined here but I still think of the langoustines from Varka. Will be back soon!

Went to Varka with my company for a team dinner. Everything was tasty and the service was impeccable. Out waiter was extremely knowledgeable and offered great advice on menu items and wine selections. He took great care of one of my co-workers who had nut and legume allergies and coordinated with the chef to let her know why she could or could not have. Back to the food :-) My favorites were actually the appetizers definitely try the charcoal grilled octopus, the Greek spreads were also a crowd pleaser. read more

If your looking for great ambiance, a welcoming environment and very good food, I would highly recommend Varka. The bartender was very friendly and prompt. The service however once we hit the table was horrible. Our waiter had to be one of the worst we have ever had. My wife has an allergy to shellfish and when asked do they share fryers and or grills, he said everything is shared. Obviously not the case. It took him a good 20 minutes to take our order, oh yeah still waiting for drinks. After he took our order we never saw him again (thank goodness) till he tried to push desert and at that point we wanted out. It was my wife's birthday and I asked the hostess to for them to bring something over. What a shock but dinner came and went. Empty glasses piled up. We had plates on top of plates. For $400 I would expect five star service. Never be back. read more

Here's the good news. Went for my daughter's birthday. Food was excellent! Had the Angry lobster. Couldn't be better. Fred our waiter was fantastic. Attentive, entertaining and knowledgeable. Here's the bad news. We arrived at 7:41 for a 7:45 reservation. I checked in with the hostess and gave her my name. Her assistant checked and began to gather menu's. The hostess abruptly pushed the menu's away from the assistant, looked at me with eyes that had all the warmth of a shark about to tear a baby seal apart and said "YOUR RESERVATION IS FOR 7:45". I stared back incredulously and said "It's 7:42 ?". She reiterated " YOU RESERVATION IS AT 7:45". I looked around and see at least 8 or 9 empty tables. It's a Tuesday?? Being it was my daughter's birthday I decided not to escalate and regiain my celebratory mood. I assume this isn't an experience which is unique to me. I fail to understand why a high-end , top notch establishment like Varka would have the 1st person you encounter be as welcoming as a bout of Monkey-pox?? I would recommend this hostess be reassigned to a non--customer facing position immediately / ASAP. The owners of Varka have created a dinning experience on par with the Saddle River Inn. The only other reasturant at this level in Bergen County. The ONLY difference being the front-end customer experience. In spite of this I will recommend and be back at Varka for the excellent food and service! read more

3 stars for, "A-Okay." Largely an older generation of patrons dining here that come in wearing Sunday's best, sprinkled by a few twenty somethings wearing jeans and tank tops. It was an eclectic sight just looking on the dining floor. Started off with drinks. Though they have a full service bar, they were limited in what they could make. Nothing frozen or blended, so no pina coladas or frozen martinis. The draft beer selection was limited to Blue Moon, Samuel Adams Summer Ale, and two Greek beers. I ordered a Sam Adams Summer Ale, Mango Martini and white sangria. The Sam Adams was perfectly poured and foam evenly sculpted for a beautiful head. The Mango Martini had a harsh rough bite. Not sure the brand they used. The White Sangria was equally not smooth, leading me to believe the peach snapps was of a bottom shelf brand. We had the mussels for our appetizer. A bit stinky and overcooked. Stinky means not all that fresh. Some mussels were the size of raisins. All the same, I would like those mussels over cooked rather than under since they were not all too fresh, but at those prices, perhaps New Zealand mussels would of been expected. The tomato broth was decent. Our entrees were the Chilean Seabass. We ordered two servings, one for each person. Mine came out a tad smaller than my wife's but no complaints since they looked similar in size if I did not scrutinize, plus I would end up eating my wife's left over portion since she filled herself up on the table service bread and hummus. The fish was perfectly cooked. The broth was tomato based which I felt took away and overpowered the delicate taste of the Seabass. My portion was without any fingerling potatoes, while my wife got one. I instead had an extra slice of onion. There was a wonderful wood burning smell of a dish being prepared at the end of my meal. I was going to order that as another entree, however when calling over my waiter to identify what entree it came from, he was at a lost. It's okay, it was probably a wood grilled steak or cedar plank Arctic Char. Either way, I'll try it in the future. The evening ended with complimentary Greek cookies which my wife quite enjoyed. We will be back, in search of dishes that will match our palates a bit more to our liking, but there is not much doubt of the skills and quality in this establishment's ability in cooking entree fish to perfect quality. read more

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went here for a birthday a couple days ago. the waiters were very quick and made sure we had everything we needed. you can sit outside or inside and both areas are very nice and make the dinner enjoyable. food is always fantastic especially the beat appetizer and the varka chips. read more

Went to Varka for my dads birthday and it was amazing!.. the star of the meal was the octopus! I think it should win an award!.. it is a beautiful restaurant, definitely romantic and special occasion worthy. My kids also enjoyed everything, fresh grilled fish and zucchini and eggplant chips, so good. I liked how their wine list has great options and delicious Greek wines... unfortunately we didn't try any of their desserts because we had birthday cake at home.. next time! read more

Varka has a great ambiance and good food. Very pricey though. $7 per shrimp in the shrimp cocktail made us laugh (and not order). Octopus was wonderful. read more

My favorite special occasion restaurant in the area. Everything is fresh and perfectly prepared to highlight the natural flavor of the food. In other words, not a ton of random extra ingredients, just simple light food. Cocktails are perfectly prepared and the house wine is perfect. Additionally I love that freshly prepared Greek cookies are available for the taking on the way out the door. Finally, I find the open and bright decor to be very pleasing. read more

Went here last night and my mom was so happy with her Angry Lobster as her birthday dinner read more

Varka Estiatorio - Angry Lobster yummy! - Greek Near Me - Ramsey, New Jersey

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