The restaurants along Varazze's seafront and in the streets behind the beach serve the Ligurian repertoire of fish dishes: fritto misto di pesce (mixed fried fish), grilled sea bass and sea bream, fish soup, and the local specialty buridda — a Genoese fish stew made with stockfish, pine nuts, capers, and dried mushrooms. Pesto alla Genovese, the basil, olive oil, and pine nut sauce from the nearby capital, is on every menu as a dressing for trofie pasta.
Look for restaurants displaying the day's catch at the entrance — a good sign of freshness. The quality of olive oil in this part of Liguria is very high, and a simple bruschetta or bread with the local oil is worth ordering alongside a meal. Focaccia in the Ligurian style — thicker than the Roman version, oily, dimpled, and sometimes topped with olives or sage — is available at bakeries throughout the town.