Vareli

service was meh.
but the food was excellent. i’d go here again.

Amazing food. Was not a fan of octopus until I came here, it is an absolute must order. The short rib bolognese was also delicious, I savored every last bite.

This is the most important thing you need to know about eating upstairs — do NOT let the waitress sit you at the window overlooking the street.
It looks like a good spot but it’s so far away from the staircase and bar that everyone will forget all about you.
At first, you won’t realize that this is a terrible seat. After all, the waitstaff is very nice and friendly. Plus, the waitress brings over delicious triangles of focaccia dipped in olive oil. From this free offering, you dive into the divine, $ 11 Red & Golden Beet Salad, an exquisite appetizer.
But then the meal went downhill.
Here are three more Don’ts that will make your visit better than mine:
Do NOT order the Pappardelle and ShortRib Bolognese ($ 20). While the pasta ribbons have a lovely texture, they come swimming in an oily tomato sauce along with bits of beef fat and only a few chips of shortrib.
Do NOT order the $ 10 Peaches & Cream dessert. The slice of dense yellow butter cake had potential. But it came smothered under pureed peaches topped by a flavorless peach sorbet. A white sauce was puddled all over the dish — according to the menu, it was supposed to be whipped cream. NOT.
My last NOT: There was a really loud party near us that just wouldn’t shut up. If this happens to you and you’re upstairs, ask to be moved into the tiny little outdoor tables at the front of the room, right off the stairs. I wish we had done that!

I’ve eaten here several times, but the food and service is declining. Last time, I ordered the Pappardelle and Short Rib Bolognese, expecting it to contain short rib. When I asked the server he argued with me and said that there are a few pieces in the sauce. Then he said that it’s supposed to have «the flavor of short rib,» which seems odd for a $ 20 pasta dish. My friend ordered his steak rare, but it was overcooked. Another friend’s lamb burger was a beef burger. We didn’t bother to mention this to the server who was drinking wine behind the bar and chatting. He dropped off our $ 250 check and rushed us out of the upstairs dining area by saying «the bar downstairs is still open.» Did not feel welcome and so will not return.

This place was very cozy. The meals were delicious and the staff super friendly. They have an upstairs and an outside balcony. Super cute and dark in the evening. Very romantic.

The old menu under the old chef/​owners (2012 and before) was solid. It’s cycled through new menus in recent years and I have yet to have a truly satisfying meal. I will give it another try, but for nice dinners out in the neighborhood (e.g. entertaining a university guest) I’ve opted for Flat Top and have never been disappointed.

My husband and I went there as an attempt to explore more restaurants in the UWS. The ambience was nice and romantic so we thought of checking out the menu. Now I can absolutely imagine to be one of my top go-​to restaurants for happy hour. Today was Monday and they had ½ off all full priced wine bottles and they even have a great selection for half-​bottles with half off. We ordered the Mediterranean spread as an appetizer which had a highly recommendable yummy humus, baba ganoush and tzatziki. The fourth spread was spicy feta but I wasn’t a big fan after the first bite esp after trying the other 3. We enjoyed the spread so much, we asked for some extra bread to wipe the bowls clean. This was a problem when my grilled monkfish and my husband’s pappardelle arrived. We had filled ourselves a little too much. My monkfish was nicely grilled and light just the way I like it, it had a creamy coconut sauce that came on the side that added great texture to the fish. My husband that the braised short ribs were cooked to perfection and the ricotta (his favorite cheese) on his dish made it even more delectable.
Since both were so tasty, we just ended up stuffing ourselves while truly enjoying it. Not to mention, another reason to return here — the attentive but not hovering service of the staff.

My wife and I went for the Happy Hour while our kids had theater class. We try to find different places every week, but we may have run into a problem. We want to come back to Vareli next week.
We had their Spreads from the Bar Menu. It consists of Spicy Feta, Hummus, Baba Ganoush, and Tzatziki. Each one was superbly created. We also ate their grilled octopus. I would place their octopus at or above any that I have tasted in my life. We live in Astoria (Little Greece), so we know good octopus.
The prices were great on the food and the drinks. The small details gave me comfort that this place prides itself on excellence. Their service was well balanced as they took care of us without interrupting our conversations. It was a great overall experience, and we are looking forward to returning for another date.

Okay, I love boasting about my boyfriend’s parents taste in restaurants. Last night, we dined at Vareli. The food was so good!
We started with the spreads, feta, hummus, baba ganoush, and tzatziki. The dips we spicy, sweet, and seasoned perfectly. Plus the fresh bread was soft and crunchy on the exterior. The spreads were the perfect start to a great meal. My boyfriend insisted we order the garlic, rosemary, cheese fries. The fries were crunchy, tender, and soft. The herbs, garlic, and small amount of cheese added a great flavor to the fries. They did not need ketchup.
For entrees, we got fish. I had the branzino with fragila spacial. The fish was moist and came with a mountain of mitaka mushrooms. Yum! My boyfriend had munk fish with sunchokes. everyone’s fish was so moist and full of interesting flavors.
I will be back at this place for sure.

Came here for a work dinner with a large group. The place itself is pretty rustic and has a cool vibe. I ordered the gemelli and was basically underwhelmed by the dish. It really sounded good on paper but the execution was not good. The flavors were just lacking and the plate was sort of a big plate of mush. The service was just Ok nothing great. The three stars are for the wine, bread and the French fries.

:tear: Vareli was my favorite restaurant in the neighborhood. The burger! The octopus! Oh, my god, the octopus.
But that’s gone now. Instead, we have «Domain». Is this a downtown club?
FYI: Vareli’s Chef Mor is now at Barbounia, and he took the octopus with him.

Periwinkles are not shrimp. Contrary to our waiter’s belief.
Our waiter told us that periwinkles and shrimp are similar just a different kind of shrimp. I think that was our first mistake in ordering the seafood here. We ordered the seafood tower that sounded like it was going to be a feast, but when it came out it was probably the most disappointing dish I have seen; everything was really spread out on the dish to make it look like there was a lot on the «tower» and the seafood was just so eh… 42 $ later I feel like I had been robbed of a good meal, I saw the 4 stars on Unilocal and assumed this was going to be an awesome meal but I was dooped.

I’ve been to Vareli a number of times over the past few years, but I hadn’t been for dinner for a while until last night. Vareli is probably the only true «fancy» restaurant above 100^th street, though not white table cloth fancy. The restaurant has two floors, with a bar on each. The downstairs bar is a little nicer and it’s in that area you can grab happy hour specials, a smaller bar menu and a deal they often run which is a burger and a beer for $ 10.
The restaurant has a middle eastern/​Mediterranean feel to the menu. The food is accessible, but not boring. It is also not cheap. Appetizers run ~$ 15 and entrees ~$ 24. These prices are higher than most places in the neighborhood, but the food is of a higher quality. They also have a pretty nice wine list and always a few solid beers on tap.
A lot of the food is what I’d consider comfort food, though dishes like the tile fish come with a cauliflower foam, a little outside the box and interesting. The duck comes two ways, the breast sliced and a confit leg. The salads, including the beet salad with a horseradish labneh, watercress, pickled onions and cheese is quite delicious. I also have ordered other dishes in the past including the pork chop, which is a hefty portion, the burger which is better than Mel’s & 5 napkin burger (that place sucks, so not hard to beat). The various spreads with turkish bread you can get at the bar is also great, specifically the fire roasted eggplant.
There are some vegetarian options and in the spring/​summer, there is typically a dinner pasta special that comes with fresh vegetables. Vareli is a nice place to take your parents (if you’re a Columbia student and they’re visiting — and paying), a happy hour drink, or just a nice upscale meal without leaving Morningside/​Manhattan valley.

I give five star reviews to restaurants that cause me to be speechless after taking my first few bits of food.
Congrats, Vareli. You rank right up there with the best!
Situated in a long diagonal tube, dimly lit with an almost tangibly sexy ambiance, Vareli just has «sexy date» written all over it.
The Mediterranean — based menu boasts many seafood and meat options, along with such staples as falafel plates and polenta. (The Italian in me loves her polenta! Such a comfort food.) Adam and I both went for the same plate: Roasted Free Range Chicken with chorizo, broccoli rabe, baby potatoes, dill, romesco, and chicken jus. The chicken? Cooked to absolute juicy and tender perfection. The broccoli rabe mixed with chorizo was a surprisingly perfect combination. The potatoes? Well, hell, you need to have potatoes with roasted chicken! (Some rule book about food MUST state that!) The romesco? OH. WOW. As first, not knowing what it was, I believed it was just a well-​flavored hummus served with the chicken. In fact, romesco is (according to our dear friends at Wikipedia) a nut and red pepper-​based sauce. It complemented every food item on my plate and was delectable on its own as well.
As for drinks, Adam went for the Hot Apple Cider, mixed with some Maker Mark’s. The heat mellowed the Maker Mark’s a bit (…which I prefer…), and the apple and honey flavors lingered in my mouth as the drink made me warm all over. On the opposite spectrum, I ordered the Autumn Waltz: Prosecco and Grand Marnier mixed with dried cranberries. Autumn Waltz is more than just a clever name: the cranberries literally «dance» in the glass as the Prosecco bubbles swirl around towards the top. It was captivating! (Like in the way a 5 year old is captivated by shiny things and bubble wrap. Or like in the way this 28 year old woman is STILL captivated by shiny things and bubble wrap… hmmmmm…)
Expect to spend a few extra bucks here yet leave completely satiated in a variety of ways.
I’m typing this up STILL thinking about the awesomeness of the romesco… mmmmmm…

5 star food, 1 star service= 3 star Unilocal review. Butternut squash soup– devoured. Special requested cheese on plain pasta– 4 heaping spoonfuls stolen. Mixed beet salad– disappeared. One glass of white sangria– like I had a hole in my chin. I would* come back here in a heart beat …
*IF– the service wasn’t so awful. We had requested a table upstairs to celebrate a birthday– we were seated on the main floor in a back corner at a booth suitable for our party-​size. We asked about the upstairs and were told the booth was our table. Okay, no big deal. But does this booth come with a waiter? waitress? bus boy?! After finally getting water we had to stop about 3 ‘black shirts’ to get a drink order put in. Service was slow and really unpleasant. I have been a waitress/​bartender– if you don’t want to even fake laugh at a joke– don’t sign up for the service industry. Our waiter was miserable. He brought my mood down when he stopped at our table– good thing it was only about 3 times. Unfortunately, his service was so lousy, it was even brought up after we left.
I loved the food. I really did!

A pleasant surprise in Morningside.
I was taken aback by how beautiful the interior of the restaurant is. I must say, it is quite swanky!
We came here because of a groupon deal. How could I pass up a deal that was $ 40 for two entrees and a bottle of wine?
First, the service. Our server, Ellen, was charming and knowledgeable, and she offered some excellent recommendations. She had a great sense of humor, which is always appreciated. We enjoy our meals more when we feel like we’re being served by real people :)
The food was great. I had the NY strip steak special, which was prepared with a slight Mediterranean twist. It was interesting, perfectly cooked (medium rare, as all steak should be), and yummy. He had the lamb, recommended by Ellen, and it was amazing. Spiced and cooked perfectly! He almost licked the plate clean.
We also had a bottle of Sur de los andes to top off the meal. A solid malbec, couldn’t complain.
I could imagine Vareli to be a place where Columbia students go to really impress their dates. I was impressed, maybe even enough to want to trek to Morningside to return.

My three friends and I came here for dinner a few weeks ago. The décor is upscale, and the menu prices demonstrate the effort to be something higher end for the neighborhood.
I felt like our waiter was dumb as a doorknob. It took three tries to get the beer bottle list.
Our food was good but did not blow us away. The salmon was good, but the whole dish was too salty. The pork chop was probably the winner on the table, but we all agreed that w could make something similar at home. The chicken seemed to be the best bang for the buck in terms of quantity and taste. The Mochaccino Mousse Cake was good, but it seemed to have an identity crisis.
Glad we tried it but not yearning to go back again any time soon.

I’ve to admit I was a bit skeptical about Vareli. Morningside Heights is not known for its culinary delights and especially when there is a Groupon deal involved, I’m a bit wary of how it might turn out. But my fears were immediately put to rest once I stepped inside. Something about it told me I wasn’t going to be disappointed.
The décor is elegant but has a casual feel to it as well. There are two levels of long, narrow rooms with some limited outside seating upstairs. The money seats are on the 2^nd level towards the front which is where our hostess led us to. It was raining sporadically that day and seating next to the window allowed us to keep an eye on the weather.
The Groupon deal was for two entrees and a bottle of wine, so we decided on the Pennsylvania lamb, the Berkshire pork tenderloin and a bottle of Cotes Du Rhone. We also got a couple of dishes outside of the deal.
Pennsylvania Lamb: As perfectly cooked as this was, what was more impressive was the use of the sauce and how well everything worked. The lamb had excellent flavor and was very succulent. The moussaka that came with this was absolutely divine as was the kalamata olive sauce — and I’m not even a big fan of either eggplants or kalamata olives. I would come back here & pay regular prices just for this dish alone. It was delicious, creative and unique. ⁵⁄₅
Berkshire Pork Tenderloin: Also perfectly cooked and an equally impressive sauce to boot. Each component was excellent — I’d say some of them were even better than the tenderloin itself. I was dipping the braised greens and the mushrooms in the lemon pork jus and the sunchoke purée. It was another very well executed dish. ⁴⁄₅
Broccoli Rabe: Fresh and simply prepared (I think just garlic, oil & salt). However use some of the meat sauces with this and it’s more than that. ⁴⁄₅
Quince Basbousa: The dessert was what we liked the least. A bit too much semolina and not enough coconut made it dry and lacking flavor. Wasn’t bad by any means but didn’t match up to its savory counterparts. ³⁄₅
This was one of those rare occasions when I can say I was 100% satisfied with a Groupon purchase. The food, ambience and service were top notch. I got a wine glass with a lipstick mark on it and pointed it out to our waitress. I watched her put away the glass, individually hold up the other glasses in light, making sure they didn’t have marks on them and then replace my glass. That’s a sign of someone who cares about what they are doing. We finished our food way before we finished our wine (we ate like monsters!) but they didn’t rush us.
Highly recommend a trip to Morningside Heights to eat here!

Vareli is a bit out of place in this area, a higher end price point restaurant among all the Columbia kids. The restaurant is quite narrow but also has an upstairs to hold more people. The interior has a definite date night vibe with low lighting, dark woods, and generates the «classy» ambiance. Although the interior is very well done, the customers reflect the neighborhood it’s in. Yes there are families here, couples, and yes, the annoying, slightly drunk, and loud college kids.
Vareli’s menu is pretty small so there are only a few items to choose from. Since it was still happy hour when we walked in, I started off with a pitcher of sangria for $ 13.00 iirc. The entrée I decided to go for was the grilled branzino. Although it took a bit longer for our food to come out than it should have considering the relatively light crowd, I was very happy with my food. The fish was perfectly cooked and perfectly seasoned. Waitstaff was friendly although at one point one of the waiters wasn’t sure if we had been helped (we were). Service could have been a bit more attentive since there was only one check in to see how we were doing, but at the end of the day, the food definitely made up for the service.

You would not expect a restaurant like this in this neighborhood of college kids and grad students.
— inside looks like an expensive restaurant
— bar seating is big enough for a larger crowd
— food quality is excellent
— service of the wait staff is very attentive along with the manager
I’ve tried their Verali Salad which is crisp and light with salad dressing. It was a pleasant surprise.
— Baked bronzino on top of baked beans & spinach works well
— Lamb is just the right temperature and tender and juicy
I would go back most definitely and can become a favorite very soon.