Downtown Atlanta Varsity at Night
What’ll ya have, what’ll ya have?! These are the famous words you hear as you walk through the doors of the Varsity in downtown Atlanta. If you’ve never been to the Varsity, then it’s worth the trip to hear those words and be a part of the culture and history that have made it an Atlanta landmark.
There are six Varsity locations in Atlanta, but to me, the real Varsity is in downtown Atlanta. The restaurant, which dates back to the 1920s, is known for its drive-in style that has satisfied teens, students and tourists for decades. Compared to your typical soda shop or drive-in, the Atlanta Varsity has no problem holding droves of people. The downtown Atlanta restaurant’s location is the world’s largest drive-in, as it can hold up to 600 cars and 800 people.
You better plan ahead when visiting the Varsity by making the day you visit be your day off from your diet. If you get turned around when trying to find it in downtown Atlanta, you just have to follow the smell of the greasy hamburgers. The Varsity’s menu includes salads and sandwiches like a BLT, but let’s be honest, the hamburgers and hot dogs are what make a drive-in what they are. The combos include a variety of different options, including a bacon cheesburger, two chili dogs or a chili dog and chili cheesburger. Make sure to save room for the famous Varsity Orange, which is this Atlanta restaurant’s own take on an orange push-up like you had when you were a kid.
The Varsity offers the same range of prices that you get at most fast food restaurants. Lunch for two will get you out of there for less than $15. If you’re worried about long lines during peak lunch times, don’t worry, the Varsity’s cash registers stretch three or four times further than your typical fast food restaurant. I’ve never had to wait more than two minutes to order my food.
So next time you’re in downtown Atlanta, make a special trip to the Varsity and let them know what you’ll have.
The Varsity
61 North Avenue NW
Atlanta, GA 30308
(404) 881-1706
Photo courtesy of ohhhhhlisa on Flickr.
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3 Responses
It was my first visit ever to Atlanta 4/30/10.I was very disappointed at this historical place will not go their ever again. We had a bus of hungry patrons. There were a sea of people waiting in line. It took 1-hour just to get a greesy,salty, burger,drink and fries for six dollars. For the life of me I fail to see what the big deal is Varsity was awful and service was sorry. However the best pizza I have ever ate was from ‘Da Vinci’s’ Smyra,Ga 678-213-1112 it was out of this world Chicken Pesto was splendid. Now that place should be praised.They should open a frachise wish we had one in NC
Gina of NC…I’m so sorry that your visit to the Varsity was such a disappointment! I’ve been dinning at Atlanta’s Varsity since 1965 and have never had a disappointing bite. Seems to me that the fact you had to stand in line for 1 hour (which I absolutely do not believe….a bit of exaggeration there my dear…hasn’t happened to me in over 40 years and I’ve eaten there between opening and closing many times!!!) would be enough to tell anyone that there must be some people who enjoy the food. Let’s see, six dollars for a greasy (not greesy…no such word), salty burger, drink, and fries sounds pretty reasonable when you consider it’s a fast food place. What would you pay at McDonalds if you didn’t buy a Happy Meal??? (I know you paid more than $6 for your pizza at DaVinci’s and the Chicken Pesto….probably tore up $20+ on that one in Smyrna!) Too bad you didn’t try a Frosted Orange…yummm yummm, or the delicious fried onion rings…mmmmmmmmm, even the outstanding and famous chili dog….wow!!! In fact, this entire conversation about the Varsity has made my mouth water and I’ll spend no more time on your pittiful excuse for not enjoying the delicious, famous Varsity food…..I’m heading there right now for a chili dog, onion rings and a LARGE Frosted Orange!! What ya got in NC????? By the way, there are a couple of Varsity Juniors around the Atlanta area too.
I took my family to the Varsity on the way back to NC from Panama City Beach. I had been there a couple of times in my younger years and told them they had to have the experience. They were excited when we first got there. My son was taking pictures, my wife said this must be good as there were hundreds of people there. I will have to say that gina of NC may not be too far off on the line as we stood in line around 40 minutes before our order was ready. This was on Saturday 8/14/10. My guess is that these was a pre-season football game this night. Dont know what else it sould be. Dont judge on this as I don’t remember this being the norm. The onion rings were great! Family was overall disappointed in the burgers, perhaps I hyped them up too much beforehand, but they were glad for the experience. Dont go expecting gourmet food. Get the dogs and onion rings! It’s fast food like Ima said above. Expect that and go have the experience for yourself. Go inside, take the kids, let them take their kids when the time comes.