Varka Fishhouse

Amazing seafood in the heart of the suburbs. The best octopus I've had.

We recently moved to Ramsey and Varka always has a buzz when we drive by! I read reviews prior and was excited to try for our anniversary- and we weren’t disappointed. First off the service from Angelo was the next to superior! He and the entire staff worked like a well-oiled machine. His suggestions for wine (amazing, a wonderful Pinot), food (stellar) were appreciated and on the mark. Lastly, the food. My husbands strip was juicy and cooked to his liking. My fish, Branzino- which definitely ask waiter if they can show you the fish! - was light, airy and melted in my mouth. We added oysters and the octopus app to start and again, mouth-watering. You’re going to drop $$ - but it is truly worth it for a wonderful experience.

We have been coming to Varka for many years. Service and food always very good. However, if you don't know how to order at this type of restaurant you will get more than you can eat and it will be much more expensive.

Trifecta food service ambiance
Always a favorite for us

Outstanding as always!!!!

Always a superior dining experience with superior service.

As always varka does not disappoint. We travel 45 min to eat here. Not low priced but worth the drive

Great food & service combined with a beautiful outdoor patio.

This is our third time dining here for lunch and it is enjoyable every time. We always bring my 83 yr old mom and she invariably asks for the Greek donuts, which are on the menu, even the price fixe luncheon menu, but are never available on Saturdays. That is our only complaint!

Great food and service.

The food is outstanding! The servers are fair, sometimes rude. The wine selection is very good.
My biggest complaint is that every time I go to this restaurant, they want to seat me in the last table in the back of the restaurant while there are plenty of tables available throughout the restaurant. We simply say we want a different table and they move us.

Great as always

Varka is a Beautiful restaurant located in Ramsey. They have lovely alfresco dining and a hip ambiance inside. Food is delicious but bring a full wallet. . It is expensive!

My wife and I had a wonderful anniversary dinner @ Varka!! Food and service were excellent.

The fish is always excellent. Fresh and cooked to perfection.

Far too noisy in this restaurant. Food is ok, but too pricey. Service is ok. The place feels like a tourist trap!

Everything was exceptional- as always:)

Food was excellent but there were several miscommunications with our server. It was very busy so loud which was fine, and the food was delicious. We ordered only appetizers which we found to be the best value. Octopus is a must, as well as the Varka Chips. The dips, shrimp, and lobster gyros were also good. We also ordered oysters but they never brought them, but were charged for them and that was one of the miscommunications. We had Loukemades for dessert which are terrific and coffees were good as well. Overall would recommend because the food is always fantastic, but the service my past three visits for dinner here were average at best. If the service was more professional I would visit much more often.

It was my birthday and the staff gave me a comp birthday cheesecake . It was delicious ! My fave food were saganaki and Greek yogurt drizzled with honey and berries 😋 It got a little loud and noisy at 7p on a weekday no less . But we had so much fun and enjoyed the food just the same .

We've been coming here for many years and keep returning because of the good food and nice selection of Greek wines. The atmosphere is quite energetic and noisy which can make it a little difficult to have a conversation. Considering the premium prices charged, we suggest that they keep on top of some of their old standby favorite appetizer recipes. To our tastes, the octopus tastes great but has been a little over tender and not enough bite the last couple of times. This past visit, the meatballs were decidedly bready tasting. Broccoli rabe and grilled calamari were great, but the grilled sardines were not up to par. We will still return but hope for perfection!

Best restaurant in New Jersey!

Order the lobster gyros!! Sooo good!

We had not been to Varka in a very long time. We hit a couple of snafus right off the bat. My wine had something floating in it and they gave me a dirty dish. They quickly corrected these things. I will say the food was delicious. We had appys, shared a salad and each had fish. I have no complaints about the food. My only issue was the waiter never asked if I wanted a second glass of wine, I had to ask for it and we didn’t feel like they were paying too much attention (refilling water, etc) for the money they charge.

Most amazing seafood selection! Food was truly delicious! Will travel from NYC anytime to eat here

restaurant was packed but there were also lots of staff yet the service is slow. we were seated at 650pm food arrived at 830pm after 3 different follow-ups. We had kids who got hungry due to slow service - they could have at least given the children's food first. Suggest that if certain dishes takes time to order to give a heads up so people are aware. had to ask for additional bread as we got hungry and lost appetite. On a good note, they gave complimentary slice of dessert to compensate for the slow service. Food is good but not that worth it for the long wait! Price was extravagant!

Wonderful as always. The food is magnificent. Our waiter knowledgeable and a gentleman. We come here often and are never disappointed

Prix fixeeé lunch was delicious.

nice selection on menu, varied choices
excellent service

I am never disappointed when I dine at Varka. Highest level of service, outstanding menu with delicious, well presented food and a wonderful wine and cocktail offering. I would rate with 10 STARS if I could!!

Normally we have a good time at Varka, but this last experience was rather concerning. It took the wait staff twenty minutes to talk to us and take our order and there was a long waiting period to get our appetizers and later our meals. I ordered a steak medium and it came out well-done, and my mother's lobster was overcooked. It just seemed a bit disorganized this time around.

We had an excellent dinner, service was well paced and friendly without being overly so. The big drawback is the noise level in the dinning room . Clearly management is aware of this as acoustic tiles have been placed on the ceiling, but it isn't enough.

This is an incredibly good restaurant, by far the best in the area and as good at what they do as any restaurant in New York City. This quality is expensive anywhere, and Varka is no exception; be prepared to spend $100 per person, and you won't be disappointed. The products are impeccable, the finest and freshest, and the kitchen is just outstanding. Everything comes as requested, seasonings are judicious and tasty, service is professional and the results are amazing. Grilled Octopus is the best this side of Greece, the house lobster preparations are wonderful and the wine list is outstanding and moderately priced. When it's busy, which is almost always, the room can be a little loud, but the meal will make you forget that part.

My wife and I go to Varka on special occasions, we have never been let down.
Food is amazing, we started with the octopus salad with an arugula Salad. My wife had the chilean sea bass special, I had the swordfish kboob which were both amazing.
They only issue I have, for the amount of money you spend, you get rushed out VERY quickly, we were there an hour.

Varka never disappoints. I returned here for the first time in 7 years and it was just as amazing as I remembered. The octopus appetizer is a MUST.

Always the same. Great food. Great service. Never had a bad experience.

Will definitely return wonderful atmosphere and excellent service. Our waiter went out of his way to help us with our menu choices and even went so far as to give us a taste of two appetizers we were unsure of ordering. The food was delicious. I highly recommend.

Amazing food, and amazing atmosphere. My wife and I felt like we were vacationing in the Greek islands, again. The wait staff was incredibly helpful with recommendations, as well. We’ll definitely be back.

Food was very good as usual . Wait staff were very attentive .

Fun and beautiful place buzzing with noise but all good conversation. Service was great. Food good but not memorable-lobster gyros were more like a sausage not lobster pieces and just ok. Hummus was amazing, dinners good- I had surf and turf which was filet and shrimp, desserts awesome. Was hoping they would acknowledge our anniversary since they hostess said they would on the phone but they never did. Worth a trip to make your own decisions!

Anniversary dinner was excellent and service was exceptional .