Varia

Hubby and I had a date night here on a Saturday late evening. We actually stayed 2 nights at The Main because of a marriage conference, so it was super convenient. We had reservations for 8 pm, and it was pretty busy. Minutes upon entering, we realized it was a Ring Dance night for a local high school. We were shown our table immediately and it was just absolutely gorgeous inside. The high ceilings were just eye catching with the elongated beautiful drawn back curtains. They had live entertainment, and this man was singing classic jazz like those from Sinatra. He even came to me, to our table, and started singing. My husband and I ordered: cheese and charcuterie board (half), Caesar salad, panzanella salad, braised beef short rib entree, and the chicken marsala. Everything was amazing. The service was wonderful. Our server was great! The charcuterie board was delicious. My Caesar salad was perfect! It even had a small anchovy on top. And my braised boneless short rib dinner? AMAZING! This was wonderful! It was super tender and packed full of flavor on top of pecorino polenta, mushroom ragu, and greens. Unforgettable!! Hubby loved his salad with melon and prosciutto and also his chicken marsala. We were very impressed and satisfied completely with our evening here and cannot wait to go back!!

I love Varia!! If you haven't been then you've been sleeping on it!!! You can head to the bar at any time as long as there is an open seat. You'll be greeted by the bartender, Angel! And he is in fact a real angel! The ambiance is cool, upscale, relaxing. It's nice to dress up a little and go out. You'll find they have an awesome happy hour from 5-7pm and you'll also find they do live music most evenings. It's awesome piano music, saxophone, and singing. Very relaxing. The food is awesome!!! Not too expensive for the over all experience. You can come here and then head up to Grain if you like to stay out later, since Varia closes at 10pm. Check it out! Quit sleeping on it!

We went here to celebrate the new year before seeing a show at the Wells theater! For an Italian restaurant it was modernly decorated which I appreciate! The short rib was top notch and the noodles cooked perfectly, company had the Chicken parm and bone in pork chop! All really delicious, we all had wine that was paired perfect! Would be back.

I had such a great experience here! The food, the service, and ambiance were all stellar. I tried the grilled octopus. It was actually good though I was thinking it wouldn't been more like calamari, just grilled. I also had the brussel sprouts, which were excellent!! The Parmesan cheese and honey was the perfect complement to the sprouts. I had the primavera as my meal, thought gluten-free so they made it with risotto. I added a chicken breast, which was very flavorful. It was yummy!! The veggies were sautéed, the risotto was velvety without cream. I also had a really good Pinot Noir, and a glass of a pink moscato. Audrey was our server; she was great and answered all of our questions about the menu. I can't wait to go back!!

I had really high expectations for Varia but sadly it did not meet them. My server, Shay, and the live music the night I went were really the saving graces. I really love Italian food but there were many moments here that confused me and left me feeling disappointed...I loved the taste of our appetizer. From the first looks of it, I thought it was rather small... because I was sharing it with a friend, we were curious to why it came in 3 rather than 4, especially if you want to share it. But nonetheless, it was a nice start to our meal. The heirloom tomatoes were soooo fresh!My friend ordered the chicken Marsala. I ordered the spaghetti carbonara but without the guanciale and with the herby grilled chicken as an enhancement. I did enjoy my pasta! It was creamy and a huge dish. My chicken didn't come out with it because the chef forgot it but eventually it came and it was paired nicely with the carbonara. My friend's chicken Marsala looked so questionable. The plating did not make it look appetizing. But also, the taste was not there. I tasted it to confirm that my friend wasn't going crazy... it really didn't taste like anything. Absolutely no flavors there. The woman sitting next to us felt the same way... both of them ending up asking for their dishes to be taken back. My friend didn't lose hope and ended up trying one of the specials that night, lobster risotto. He got lucky and the lobster risotto definitely saved the day! However, he didn't feel that it was priced fairly considering the amount you get.We ended the night with espresso martinis and tiramisu, kind of becoming a tradition to end dinner with... but we were sad to find that their tiramisu was not up to our standards. there was absolutely no cake in it? I would like there was like a teaspoon amount of cake and it was all the way at the bottom rather than layered between cream and espresso. Just not what you would expect when you say you want tiramisu... Anyways, vibes are immaculate here. I just wish the food matched the vibes. If it did, we would easily become regulars here.

Varia is a wonderful Italian restaurant in the heart of Norfolk. It is located in the Hilton--sometimes restaurants in hotels are suspect, but this is definitely worth a visit even if you are not staying in the hotel. It feels both luxurious and comfortable.Before getting into the food, one unique feature is that the have enomatic wine system. That is, they have 28 bottles that are sealed that you can do a variety of pour sizes. You purchase a wine card, then help yourself to wine. This was a lot of fun and we felt it was worth.The food was really great. We started with the half board of charcuterie. In particular, this had some very good cheeses, but a well-balanced mix.For the main course, I had the cioppino. This was outstanding. The base was this saffron risotto that soaked up the seafood flavor and was incredible. The portion size was a little small, so I just wished there was more of it. The seafood itself was flavorful and cooked perfectly, particularly the scallops.I tried some other dishes as well. The gnocchi was great, with really good flavor (and that portion was good). I also tried the chicken parm, which was also incredibly tasted, particularly the sauce.I was too full for dessert, but very pleased after a great meal

The restaurant is located on the 2nd floor of the very nice Hilton downtown. I was seated quickly in their dining area. The cushioned seats sit very low, and the table sits high, so eating was a little tricky. After ordering, the waiter gave me complimentary bread with oil and whipped butter, which was amazing. I ordered the gnocchi with herbed chicken, which was also great and creamy. The ambiance is nice with live music while you eat, but it can be louder than expected in a dining setting where you would want to talk with others at the table.

We recently had dinner at Varia located in the Hilton Main, prosaically named after its location, on Main Street, in the heart of downtown Norfolk.The unoriginal name of the hotel notwithstanding, Varia is an excellent restaurant. They specialize in Fine Dining with an authentic Italian flair that is sure to please even the most discerning palate. If you're lucky enough to get reservations while Frank sings Frank is playing, you'll definitely be in for a treat. This is an incredible experience to behold. I've had many of the items on the menu and I've never been disappointed with anything. They make the pasta fresh every day and it shows.Check out Varia if you enjoy great Italian cuisine and hopefully you can catch a show while you're there.

Food Unfortunately this was just a wine night for us, so we didn't try any food. ServiceI booked a reservation on open table and was seated immediately when I arrived. Our sever was nice and attentive. Ambiance This is a beautiful wine bar with live music on the weekend. There was a singer and piano player the night we went. The wine selection wasn't over the top, it was just right for me. Oh, I must not forget the wine selection on tap upon entering the establishment. I will be back to enjoy more wine.

My wife and I were looking for a great place for a Romantic dinner. We found it here. The mood and atmosphere was amazing. The entire staff was amazing. Our waiter was very attentive and offered several good recommendations for wine and food. The food came out really fast. Appetizers and making dishes were outstanding. We will definitely be back for more food.