The Varsity

The last few months have seen a big drop in the food quality at this location. Cleanliness in the dining room and in the bathroom is also subpar. They need to have more hands on management to step up their game.

If you want a quick burger or hot dog this is the place. Better than most chain fast food places, the food is very flavorful. The hot dogs are on the small size, so get 2 if you order. The staff is really good and fairly quick, however the menu is fairly small.

Wow, I can’t believe how bad this place is. I decided to give it a try because it’s apparently an Atlanta-​area institution (or at least the other location is). I remember years ago 7 – 11 used to sell these pre-​packaged «cheeseburgers» in plastic wrapping that you could stick in the microwave for a minute or so, when you were in a hurry and desperate for a hot meal. Well, that’s what The Varsity’s burgers taste like. Only difference is The Varsity isn’t cheap! $ 8 and change for that sad attempt at a burger, some onion rings and a soda. How is this place still in business, let alone considered an Atlanta staple? Is this some sort of elaborate ruse or troll that native Atlantans pull on the transplants from all over the country who move here? I’d advise you to skip this place and hit the Cook Out which is a block away instead.
2 stars instead of 1 because the onion rings are decent.

Very mediocre food. Everyone always talks about this place and you are better off going elsewhere like five guys. I got the double bacon cheeseburger and it was eh… bacon was as thin as paper.

This one was in Alpharetta, it was not anything special. I liked my hotdog, but my onion rings barely had batter on them, and my burger was not that good. I had high hopes since it was The Varsity.

New to Atlanta. This is a sad landmark for a supposedly progressive city. Food is cheaply made but not cheaply priced. I would some it up with «ew.» Certainly a never again.

The fries are decent, however the varsity has very lackluster meals such as everything. I have been here a couple times and I’ve been fortunate not to get sick. You go in and people say what’d ya have. These chefs, if I can even call them that, make food that if you ate more than once every 3 months, will not only make you shit your pants uncontrollably, but give you eternal artery problems with their greased up food. To have been in business for so long is truly a miracle. Their burgers will leave you on the toilet for so long that Oscar Pistorius’ sentence would look like a joke. If you like eating non beef hotdogs with veins in them and having gastric distress for a solid 10 years, by all means go eat at this so called «hotspot.» Otherwise, don’t shit uncontrollably.

I like this location. It is always clean and easy to get in and out. It works well for large groups and serves up that Classic Varsity Food. I love to get a Chili Cheese Slaw Dog, Onion Rings and a Frosted Orange (FO). Sometimes I grab a peach pie and a coke. If you are looking for cheap, classic, car hop type food this is the place. Now in the Suburbs for your dining pleasure.

Meh. I order a Chilli cheese dog and fries. Fast food that was OK but certainly nothing to write home about. My coworker was very excited to take me here but maybe I didn’t understand the history or the love for this place since I am not a local.
While I did not order them the orion rings looked good. Being from Brooklyn this did not match well against Nathans [a Coney Island orgional] for me. No need to go back.

The service reminds me of the service at the original location. «Whad ya have, whad ya have». Great spot if you dont want to drive downtown. Same taste and southern charm. Sweet tea was right on cue, just the right amount of sweetness added to it. Not too far from North Point Mall.

$ 0.39 burgers at $ 6.00 price? C’mon. I know this is supposed to be some big college favorite, but even by the drunken-​hazed standards of my college days this place is little more than a novelty. The Alpharetta crew barely speaks English, the food is over-​priced and poor-​quality, and frankly, I’ve outgrown places like this.

I know it is a burger/​dog joint, but really — -how can you screw up a grilled chicken salad?! I mean, c’mon, it was absolutely god-​awful! Dry, stringy chicken, limp greens (and I’m hear to tell you, limp greens are no fun…) and $ 7 to boot. Terrible:(

On a good day, this place does several things well… the chili dogs are good… the chili slaw dogs are good… the onion rings are crisp and hot… the fries are as well… but the quote un quote good day is often ever illusive. Since its opening, there has been a noticeable decline in the «what’ll ya have» spirit of this Alpharetta branch, particularly in the kitchen which can clearly be seen from the counter. I have often watched a less than enthusiastic kitchen staff put together my order in a lethargic and seemingly uncaring fashion and I’ve experienced the same while in the drive-​in line. Don’t know what that’s about but it is definitely detracting from the Varsity’s reputation as a whole. Would normally not return but I do anyway because this location is more accessible than the downtown one.

I tried the original back in 1996 during the Olympics. I had to try the Northpoint location because of location and my cousin only gets to go on rare occasion and I happened to be the occasion.
As a tried and true drive-​in, it is everything I want in menu and staff. The staff smile and are friendly. The food is solid.
Prices are a little high but you have to pay the rent and for a treat it is worth every penny.
FROZEN ORANGE. I needn’t say any more.

For those craving that «What’ll Ya Have?» Varsity experience without the drive into the city. This Alpharetta location has all the charm, décor, and personality of the original, but without the dirt, grime, and, most surprisingly, car-​side service that made the original drive in famous.
When they first branched out with the Varsity Jr. experiences years ago, I really wasn’t a fan. They were stripped down imitations of the original with little personality or flair that made the trip worth while. This location doesn’t suffer from that. It’s an actual Varsity restaurant with drive thru that honors everything legendary about the original.
Now, food wise, we all know it’s not going to win any competitions, but part of the lore is knowing it’s a greasy spoon. For my taste, I love me some slaw dogs and rings. Also, that red chili powder on the fries gives them a kick cooled only by a dip into some Heinz ketchup. Plus the fountain beverages here are just better. That shave ice and sweet Coca-​Cola syrup just seem to pop in a waxed Varsity cup. I was also recently told to start ordering my cheeseburgers with pimento cheese for a lil something special. Sure, that red grease drips down your wrist… but you knew that before you got here!
Grab yourself a paper Varsity hat and play along with a bit of Atlanta nostalgia. There are plenty of televisions broadcasting local sports and news with super friendly staff keeping the place cleaner than any other Varsity I’ve been too.
What’ll Ya Have? What’ll Ya Have? Make it a Frosted Orange please!

It doesn’t get better than a chili cheese slaw dog from The Varsity!

This isn’t the original location, but I doubt that the food is any different from the Varsity downtown. I lived in the GT dorms in ’83 and ate at the V 5 – 6 times a week back then. In my mind, it was cheap, hot, and salty. Today, one out of three defines what I had at the Alpharetta store… salty. For what I ate, it wasn’t cheap. It wasn’t hot. Salty? They have that perfected.
In my idyllic remembrances of long past experiences, the food was filling and a worthwhile pursuit of value. That might have been the case back then, but it is certainly not the case today. For the first round, I had the chili-​cheese burger and hot dog combo with fries and a drink. My awesome girlfriend had the two slaw-​dog combo with onion rings. There were probably 8 – 9 onion rings in her tiny tray and here’s a salient bit of data: the slaw dogs aren’t press-​toasted like the chili-​cheese dogs. The slaw-​dog version is simply a plain bun, a dog, and copious amounts of slaw. My chili-​cheese dog was laid on its side and toasted, panini-​style,
That first round cost almost $ 17…no tips or tip involved. I ate my meal and went back for a DOUBLE chili-​cheese burger. Feckin’ fraud alert! For $ 2.83 (or something very close to that), I got a single chili-​cheese burger with an extra puck of silly putty «beef» tossed on the bun. It wasn’t a double chili-​cheese burger… it was a chili-​cheese double burger. Semantics aside, words mean something, and the Varsity just ass-​raped me. I didn’t get double chili OR cheese… I just got double dried-​out, tasteless burger. Screw you, Varsity wizards. I can get better at McDonald’s for half the price. Your «experience» and «legacy» doesn’t amount to crap. Jackwagons.
My fries were the high point of the scandalous soirée. They were crispy, light, and hot. Maybe that was due to the light traffic at the time. All-​in-​all, I spent about $ 21 for me and my lovely lady’s lunch. I could have had real food elsewhere, but I got kicked in the cojones by the Varsity. Never again, pendejos. Prey on those who know not… I will not be back.
Edit: BTW, for the exorbitant cost-​to-​food ratio, you’d think that you could get a refill on your fountain drink, but these thieves refill a gargle cup with your preferred beverage and dump it into your paper cup… regardless of what size you originally purchased. I paid extra to «sooper size» my drink, but still only got it refilled about halfway when I went up to get a moisture source to help choke down the dried-​out puck of «beef» that I bought. Whatever, Varsity. How far you’ve fallen is truly pitiable.

My in-​laws were visiting and they wanted to go here because it’s part of the Atlanta chain and my MIL had heard about it.
I got the two chili dogs with onion rings and a Coke combo. Everything tasted GREAT while I was eating it, but later that night, I had the WORST heartburn of my life.
I won’t go back… it was a great once in a lifetime experience to say that I’ve been there, but it wasn’t a drive-​in (bummer), and the way the food attacked me later that night, was horrible and I don’t want to experience that pain ever again!

Large, (not as large as the one downtown, but for Alpharetta standards) and clean.
The same wonderful Varsity atmospohere you can expect.
They even have doors on the stalls here!
If you are in Alpharetta and want some decent grease, go right ahead– there is a hospital nearby and a police station if it becomes too much for you :)
There is a drive-​thru here as well, but not a drive in (FYI).

I’m a little bit confused as to what all the fuss is about regarding this so-​called Atlanta «Institution» known as «The Varsity.» I even saw the downtown location on a Food Network show with Guy Fieri once, so I was pretty excited to check it out and see for myself what made The Varsity so famous.
After my trip, I don’t think «famous» is the operative word. «Notorious» is a more appropriate definition to describe this place that serves dry, tasteless, ugly hamburgers that pale in comparison to what you were given by the lunch ladies back in your high school cafeteria (and those were barely edible to begin with). The Varsity’s burgers we ordered came with a soggy bun, overcooked, dry burger patties that resembled hockey pucks, a twisted curl of purple bacon that is so circular in shape that it looks like it came from a factory and not a pig, on top of which sat broken and hand-​torn slices of Kraft American cheese. My burger was so flat and squished, it looked like somebody backed a truck over it before putting it on my tray.
The chili dogs are nothing special either, unless you count the toasted bun, which was the only nice touch we could find in our entire meal. The hot dog was an ordinary frank and the chili wasn’t even real chili, but some kind of post-​nuclear brown soup with crumbled beef (I hope) and a slight hint of chili flavor.
The french fries looked like they were going to be delicious, with that hand-​cut look and peanut oil-​fried appearance. However, once you take a bite, you realize they are soggy and limp and taste nothing like they appear.
To make matters worse, my stomach was in knots the rest of the day after having eaten all this stuff that I hesitate to even call food. We will never be back, even on a dare.