The Varsity, Atlanta

I am not picky, and appreciative of local icons . Have had a splendid spring break week in Atlanta, what a wonderful city! Our first visit, love the town! Came to the varsity as it is on the must do lists. Great, fun atomsphere. However, the food was awful. My bacon-burger reminded me of a cold,stale Krystal s burger. My chili dog was cold and squished. My fries were cold and soggy, didn t finish them. No amount of seasoning salt, pepper and ketchup could make them enjoyable. Note:My 13 year old thought his food was good and said the onion rings were perfect. Of course, he is 13, he eats anything!:) I think for the prices, the portions were appropriate, but dissapointed in the 50cent refills for sodas. Had planned on getting the famous fried pies but was so sad about the food, did not. I find it sad that such an icon was this bad. They probably at one time were great, but maybe now are letting the quality go, relying on the famous name. That will only last so long:(

The varsity restaurant is a cheap decent place to eat different fast food. The service was quick but the workers aren't too friendly. The food quality was good as expected. The price is in the $5 to $10 range. My only problems are the cleanliness of the restaurant. It wasn't terrible in terms of being clean but for a place that prides itself on longevity I expect a little more.

I have been eating at the Varsity since I was 8 years old (now 55) and have brought my kids up to like the Varsity----I don't know about the other Varsity's,but the one in Athens no longer serves the fries that helped make the Varsity famous----they serve frozen fries similar to the fries that Wendy's hamburgers serves.makes me think twice about going to a Varsity---and if the rest are following Athens and no longer serving the fries that are part of the Varsity tradition,then it's really not worth the trip.

Unique eating joint and worth a visit once but get a shake if you dare or a cola. The food rumors are true it's bad and it is large and old. You get a unclean feeling by the surroundings as well. I can't think of any more honest a review than this and we were disappointed. A member of our party had frequented the varsity many years ago and boasted how good the food was. This was a surprise to them to say the least.

As I have said before, icons are icons for a reason, and The Varsity is one for several reasons - the hot dog (good, not great - weak chili); the Frosted Orange (it's a Frost Orange, for God's Sake); the Onion Rings (if only for the grease); but primarily for THE EXPERIENCE - and the experience is at the original location. This is a funky piece of culinary history which a person can still visit, and experience personally. It serves Southern chili dogs, the wiener is not in a casing, natural or otherwise. If you don't like the classic chili dog, you probably don't want to come here. People who go to iconic restaurants, and then complain because the food they were served was exactly what the restaurant was famous for, are more than a little silly. Remember: Study up, order up, eat up. The have burgers, a couple of other sandwich choices, salads, fries, sweet tea & sodas, but the hot dog, onion rings, and Orange Frosty should be the order. I have had better dogs, better onion rings, and I'd really rather have a Pepsi with a hot dog, but this is The Varsity, and that is my order.

Ok, we recently moved down here from the midwest and before we moved, several people from the Atlanta area told us 'you have to go to the Varsity'. We drove by their locations several times and they have a cool retro vibe and looked busy. My wife and I decided while shopping to stop by and try it out. Wow....I don't understand the love for this place!! Now don't get me wrong, I love 'hole in the wall' places, mom & pop joints and interesting eateries (Billy Goat in Chicago!) and there are other places i've eaten that people either love or hate (White Castle/Krystals anyone?) however this had to be one of the worst cheeseburgers i've ever had! The double cheeseburger i had was tiny and devoid of any burger flavor, the meat patty was the most generic, gray patty i've ever seen. Didnt even look like hamburger. It resembles those patties you see in the hamburgers you can pick up at the convenience mart and heat in a microwave. The bacon was round and small and the only reason i knew it was on there was due to the fact it made my burger harder to bite into (chewy). The buns were hard and looked like i had 2 bottom buns. The fries were ok, not the worst i've had. My wife got onion rings which were by far the best part of the meal. They were more like hand battered type and tasted good. With the price you pay for your meal, it still costs extra to get lettuce or tomato! I guess if grew up with this and didnt know any better then you will like it however, when you eat at real burger joints offering fresh ingredients cooked to order (Five guys or Bobby's which i've tried since moving here) especially with the hoopla we heard about the Varsity, then this was a huge disappointment. How they have 5 other stores is beyond me but I guess McDonalds has been fooling people for years with their hamburgers. We will not go back for any reason. Shame too since the look of the place is kind of neat.

COME ON people! Of course I know the Varsity is...ummm...and acquired taste but it is an Atlanta tradition since 1928. I mean really? They serve more Coca Cola than any place in the WORLD! Yes, the food is greasy, yes the portions are small but they have hundreds, yes hundreds of people everyday who make a special trip to get their bite of history. I actually was searching for someone who may have posted something about their hotdogs now being even SMALLER than they used to be when I stumbled upon this blasphemy. Do not come in here your first time and criticize our hometown hero. Maybe you need to take another look around at the hundreds of people served everyday and most of them are not first timers…someone is doing something right here! Also, check out the people working here. The Gordy family has been incredible to their employees and it is proof by the number of years these people have been working at the Varsity. Many of them their whole lives. It is not the best hotdog or hamburger you will ever eat but after your first one I’d be surprised if you weren’t craving it like most Atlantans do on a regular basis. “Have your money in your hand and your order on your mind, Gimme 2 dawgs, a PC and an FO and walk em!” Ok, so maybe I wouldn’t have a PC (plain chocolate milk over ice…sounds odd but trust me) AND an FO (Frosted Orange) but I like the sound of it.

At the downtown location, the ambiance is great and the service is what you'd expect of fast food. However, as someone from the Northeast, I thought the food was disgusting. I had a cheeseburger, slaw dog, and onion rings. The only part of the meal that was even okay was the onion rings. The other food was some of the worst fast food I've ever had--and I've had a lot!

I went there yesterday 3/11/2009 and i was so excited.It took 10 min for someone to actually pay attention to us.Once we order the food came out quick which was good.But once we got the food,The hot dog were small and thin the chilli was awful.The burger was smaller than the palm of my hand and the onion rings were ok i ate 4 and then i felt the grease more than anything.And they dont have much selection for a place known for their hot dogs too much hype for nothing.Also the guy came back with my change 20 min later.Just awful!!!I do not recomend this place to anyone try something else but dont waste your money on pricy food that is not worth it.

Would gotoNorth Ave, If I would you, for the real tast, of the Varsity. Let's look back to when Frank Gordy and daughter in law, run this spot.