Scottish Guy Tries American Fast Food (The Varsity) in Atlanta for the first time 🇺🇸
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- Опубликовано: 15 июл 2023
- Trying Fast Food from The Varsity in Atlanta for the first time - watch my Southern US Road Trip so far: • Scottish Guy Tries NAS...
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In this episode of the vlog, I go to an Atlanta fast food institution - The Varsity - to try some of the best hot dogs and burgers the city of Atlanta has to offer.
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My name is Shaun and I'm a vlogger from Scotland, and in my Shaun Takes America series, I explore all the best that the United States of America has to offer, from travel locations, to food and more. Join me by subscribing to my channel. I join other British vloggers like Laurence from Lost in the Pond, Mr H and Friends, Jolly and others including your New Zealand Family, Diane Jennings and The Beesleys in exploring America from the outside. 
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Atlanta is also home to the world's busiest airport.
you don't have to make an episode about it, but you really should go to Mary Macks in Atlanta.
Hi Shaun. I just discovered your channel after watching the episode with you on Lost in The Pond. If you’re still in Atlanta, I highly recommend The Vortex as one of the best and most unique sit-down burger restaurants. There are different delicious burgers with awesome toppings and the tater tots have always been cooked to perfection when I get them. Wishing you safe and happy travels!
@@elevatordancer I second the vortex. but I recommend the original in little five points.
@@oliviawolcott8351 I’ve been to both, and I’ve been to the one at Little Five Points more. I agree that it’s a nicer area, plus it’s fun to look around The Junkman’s Daughter, but Shaun would’ve probably been closer to the one in Midtown. Either one is worth visiting if a person could only visit one.
You missed out. You didn't get the onion rings. Those are the real treasure of the varsity.
Legit the only thing I would eat there! 😂
@@kerris6163 you'd be missing out then. Their Coney dogs are absolutely amazing! Everything else is pretty damn good but their Coney's and their Rings is where it's at! Anyone from Atlanta will tell you.
“Whadda ya have whadda ya have” !!!! My dad loved the Varsity! Cant wait for this one, hope you can decifer the lingo( language)!!
The chili cheese dog and burger looks bloody yummy 🤤
My parents dated at The Varsity way back in the ‘40s. Not always the best food, but nostalgic and always lots of fun. My dad used to bring me a box of fried peach pies when I was in college, made me very popular in the dorm!
My parents did too in the 50's. This is why I think it is such an institution. But I do also admit the food is greasy and not the best. I mean pimiento cheese burgers. Yeech!
The Varsity has the best onions rings I've ever eaten.
Having grown up in Georgia and being a regular at the Varsity, I’ve spent my whole life trying to find onion rings like the Varsity’s! Been around the world and nothing beats them.
I don't think that I've ever clicked so hard on a video before. Was so happy to see the thumbnail. The Varsity is a Georgia, especially Atlanta, staple! Some of my greatest memories are going to The Varsity before a Braves game. Nothing beats a chili dog with an F.O (frosted orange). Hope you enjoyed your time in my hometown. "What'll ya have? What's ya have?"
Ahh that’s awesome to hear these memories - thank you for sharing
What? You didn’t order the fried onion rings? Simply awesome!
Peach pie looked good ! You need to try peach cobbler ! Maybe we when meet up we can make you both one ?
Whoop 🙌 ❤ 🤤
Needs to go on your list 😊
There are sooooo many good restaurants in Atlanta. The Varsity isn't somewhere I go often, but when you are craving it there really isn't anywhere else that ticks the box in quite the same way.
My father was an ATL police officer in the 60's. He told me The Varsity fed the on duty cops for free. He really enjoyed the hamburgers.
That’s awesome!! We just went there a couple months ago for a college trip after a concert
Ahh cool! How was it?
@@shaunvlog it was great! Never been to that part of Atlanta before
Peaches are absolutely delicious. I can't understand why anybody would not like peaches that much. I'm drinking peach iced tea right now and it's so good.
I don't like peaches.
I love gummy peach candy
We canned peaches every summer. And made jam. And peach cobbler. Without fail
. It's life❤
that's why there's a very popular song about them ;)
@@sheilaathay2034 Back when I was a kid in the 1960s coming back from our grandmother's farm, my mother would always stop and buy large amounts of peaches at the peach Orchards. She made peach cobbler and we also ate peaches everyday when they were in season. We always loved peaches. We also used to eat peaches in our cereal with milk.
There was also a Varsity in Athens Georgia for decades. It was an Athens institution. Sadly, it closed earliest this year. The orange frost was always my favorite. So glad you had a chance to find out, "What will you have?"
I'm not a big fan of ketchup but I've always seen here in the US & having grown up here... That it's always mustard, ketchup,and relish, also onions and maybe a little mayo. Those are the most common condiments to use, so I can't believe somebody would say something against using ketchup on a hot dog
I think the ketchup-on-a-hot-dog-hate is mostly a Chicago thing?
(I don't get it either. I mean, I don't put ketchup on hot dogs, myself, as I'm just not that into ketchup, but most people I know DO use ketchup on them. Though I did work at a hot dog place in high school back in the 80s and the Chicago-style dog on our menu specifically DID NOT have ketchup. Otherwise, ketchup was pretty commonly requested by our customers here in Atlanta)
I'm from Chicago and ketchup on a hotdog is like a cardinal sin our here haha. It's bc of the way we do hotdogs, mustard just goes better w all the other condiments and toppings we put
@@NicoleM_radiantbaby I always heard it was a NY thing ketchup on a hot dog is for children.
I live in the South, and if it’s not a fancy hot dog (chili or sauerkraut or onions or relish), we just use mustard, ketchup, and sometimes a little mayo.
Awww!! The Varsity is a classic grease joint in ATL, lots of College students love it. Too bad you weren’t told to go to Ponce City Market… no fast food there! You should Google it. Even Little Five Points has amazing restaurants. I know it’s hard to choose when you only have a little bit of time to explore.
I know what you mean about being over fast food. There is so much of it in America and it is so convenient, cheap, and tastes so good.
Indeed - so good but I did have too many 😅
When I heard about The Varsity, I was on a cross country trip from Boston to Texas. So I figured I'd stop in Atlanta for lunch and check them out. This was 1996. I was HOOKED! I used the car hop service and it was just awesome!! I spent maybe $5 on food, and gave the car hop another $5 for his time/advice! My favorite order...2 Hot Dogs, Ring One, Large Sweet Tea. Extra Mustard on the side. On the ketchup...well, we agree to disagree. Glad you enjoyed it! To stay healthy, don't come back there for 18 months. Haha! Yeah, it's wicked salty, but wicked good! Whenever I'm in Atlanta...I always make time for a visit to The Varsity!!
We need to try that burger ! 🍔
As much as I have wonderful memories at the Varsity (and as a Georgia Tech student, I ate there regularly), it's really not as good as it once was and I quit going and/or taking visitors there over five years ago. You missed out on the onion rings and the *frosted* orange, which are the best items they still have (at least when I was still patronizing them). I favor the Varsity's onion rings so much, I refuse to eat any onion rings from anywhere else.
Pretty spot on with your review. Best things are the fries, the chili cheeseburger and the peach pie. Homemade fried pies like that are better though.
Too late for suggestions but I hope you tried Fox Brothers BBQ and just about 20 minutes west of Atlanta is Douglasville where you can find an awesome Cajun restaurant called Gumbeaux's. Their seafood rotini is one of my favrite dishes I have ever eaten in any restaurant.
west
@@willp.8120 Oops, you are right, Don't want to send them to Between. Douglasville is east from me, not Atlanta.
Peach pie, apple pie cherry pie fried pies are all over the south. Peach pie is the best. You can even get fried pies with chocolate in it
As a teenager, my best friend and I would hop on our motorcycles and ride from central South Carolina in the late evening and ride to Atlanta for a Varsity Chili-cheese dog or three, fries and a large Coke and ride back home… ahhh.. those teen years were something indeed!
Hi Shaun, thanks for another video of your travels. You may find this interesting: I read this morning that Georgia suffered a peach crop shortage. They lost more than 90% of the crops due to record warm weather in the winter months that signaled trees to start blooming and some put out fruit. This was followed by a freeze that completely froze the blossoms and tiny fruit. Georgia is now buying peaches from Washington State.
Sadly, this is too true. I'm going to be visiting Lanes Orchard in my hometown next weekend and I'm hoping to get a few peaches that are actually from GA
Oh thanks for sharing I had no idea
Washington fruit is fantastic though
I'm glad you chose them❤
A lot of people don't know this but even though Georgia is called the peach state, it's actually South Carolina that produces far more peaches than Georgia. 🙂
I love the onion rings at The Varsity! Best onion rings I have ever tasted! Also, try the frosted orange. The peach pies are delicious!
You missed the onion rings. Very popular at The Varsity. Also made with Vidalia onions, another world-famous Georgia product. The last time I was there (in the early 80s), you could watch the rings being cut through a big glass pane
I'm perplexed as to why anyone would tell you ketchup doesn't go on a hotdog, most people I know like a hotdog with mustard and ketchup, while I like mine with mayo, mustard and relish. Whatever floats your boat is what I say,lol, thanks for taking us along Shaun.
You have offended my sensibilities. 🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮😅🤣
rich_t,
Lol, not my intention, but as the old saying goes, don't knock it until you tried it! Cheers
Hey, no one who is a food snob about hot dogs can be taken seriously. I like mine with ketchup on the bun, then the hot dog, and topped off with cold cottage cheese. Do what appeals to you.
jackiebuchanan3024,
What ever made you think of that combo Lol, I'm not knocking it I just would have never thought of it.
A hotdog needs just mustard, preferably one with horseradish, no ketchup or even worse, mayo
Eat the hot dogs the way YOU like. I also like ketchup and mustard on mine.
Exactly!
LOVE Ketchup and Mustard and Mayonnaise and Piclkes and sauerkraut and chili and cheese and....!
Whatever and whenever it might strike my fancy or fancies in any given moment. Glad you ate it the way YOU wanted it.
👍
I put ketchup on everything. 🤣 I’m a Chattanooga gal, born and raised. I’ve been to Atlanta for concerts over the years but never made it to Varsity. My husband has and has always told me the food was subpar and the staff is rude. Lol. I’m sure those who love it are somewhat operating off sentimentality which I totally understand. ❤
Have you ever been to Albuquerque, NM? If not, put the Owl Restaurant and their Chile burger with a shake on the list of "Must Eat!"
Gosh, I'm really surprised you didn't get more votes for Mary Mac's Tea Room, The Silver Skillet, or Bones, which are iconic, too. Varsity is okay; it's pretty typical heavy, greasy, gut bomb food, though it's still tasty. The others are, to me, a bit more unique and varied.
I LOVE Mary Macs Tea Room. I also like The Vortex. Prefer the one in L5P.
Love Mary Mac's. Their Mint Julep is excellent
@@brandi_with_an_i Yess! The Vortex (especially the Little Five Points one) is one of the top places I always recommend to visitors! ❤
Thanks for giving me ideas of what to do when I visit the ATL! I live an hour and a half away. Im a travel nurse in Alabama.
Classic place. You've got to eat there when you're in Atlanta.
The legend goes that the original founder was either kicked out or flunked out of Georgia Tech, which is just next door. He vowed to open a business on their doorstep and become a millionaire, which he did. The peaches in the peach pie are probably from California, not Georgia, as California is the number one peach producing state. Glad you enjoyed.
I always thought it was the abrupt counter servers who expect rapid fire ordering...but that was in the late 80s when I moved to Atlanta. Glad to be long gone from there.
Love Varsity chili dogs, but they sometimes bark back later on. You need the extra salt as hot as it's been.
Oh yeah I definitely had a bark later alright 😅
It is the world's larget restarant. I went to engineering school across the road at Georgia Tech. I love the Varsity!
My favorite in Atlanta! Frosted Orange 🍊 yum
Was a favorite stop in Athens GA as well but it closed. All of this American food is gonna kill ya!
When you’re in SC or NC make sure you try a Carolina Dog. It’s a hot dog with mustard, diced onion, chili and cole slaw. The most classic and traditional ones will have bright red hot dogs but in my area they’re just basic regular hot dogs.
When I was there they would say, "Walk Me A Dog... Chilly Cheese Slaw Dog". The Best! 😄
Yes! Now you’re sampling our finest.
The varsity is a big hangout for the university of Georgia. Students usually gather around dinner after studying all day. During games it’s packed to the rafters. During summer not so packed as everyone is off. Sometimes you see the strangest people inside like the entire Denver Broncos football team was inside still in Uniform just chowing down after a game. Or coaches just taking a break from their job. They have a lot of large private rooms inside for some reason which is fine and it’s actually pretty good for people who want to eat for meetings and stuff.
Finally someone makes a video a very in depth video about this place thanks Shaun
A 67 year old Canadian here. Shaun, I like very much watching your videos when you`re in Scotland. I look forward to other such videos. I don`t think the whole of Scotland has been covered.
Perfectly fine to put ketchup and mustard on hot dogs. But you wouldn’t put that on a bowl of chili, which is why it seems weird to put either of them on a chili dog or chili cheeseburger, because you want the chili flavor to stand out. But dangit now I want a hot dog and fries!
Welcome to Atlanta. It's not the heat, it's the humidity.
Oh yeah the humidity had me breathing hard lol
I haven't been to the Varsity since the 1980s. Seems things have changed a bit. I'm not hearing them call out "What'll ya have?" Possibly because you were around the corner.
Welcome to Georgia! Glad your here and hope you have a great visit!
Peach pie can be found on other places, but Im sure its good.
Lololol Georgia is The Peach State. Famous for peaches. Although, Alabama & South Carolina both also claim to grow the BEST peaches.
The Vortex is well worth the try!!
Yes! Absolutely should try the vortex!
Definitely! My fave burger joint in town!
I'm with you Shaun, ketchup DOES belong on hotdogs!
I wish you had ordered a Frosted Orange and Onion Rings...my must haves at the Varsity 💕
I miss ordering and eating in the car with the waiters on rollerskates.
I love how people think it's ok to criticize how someone eats their food, lol. I don't think chili, onions or coleslaw belong on a hot dog but nobody gives me grief about it. Give me my ketchup and mustard (something I only started regularly adding in the last 10 years) any day. Those fries did look great but there's only so much salt I can stand. I don't like peaches at all so more power to you on that one. I love apple hand pies though. That flaky crust looked great.
Carolina style (with slaw)
Love that you are in my hometown! Can't wait to see where else you go! If you need any recs, let me know. 50 years here so, I might have a few. LOL
Welcome to Georgia bro! Hope y’all enjoy your stay! Yes it’s been blistering hot as per usual this time of year!🥵
I love this man eating xdxd American fooooddd
Peaches are in really short supply right now. Georgia had to pivot to try and preserve what they have now. This shortage is due to such a cold early winter with a double freeze and a dry summer which killed many peach flowers early. It’s going to a bit rough for them for a while.
The citrus crop however is better as Florida didn’t get a major frost last year or this year nor did a drought hit for more than a week. Weather though hot has been quite steady with rains in the afternoons and fairly high humidity. It’s been what you can say is boring Florida weather.
Hi Shaun! Met you at Fraser's Ridge Homecoming! LOVE the Varsity, but my favorite there is the fried onion rings-the best ever!!! And I take my hot dogs--mustard, chili, coleslaw!!! There use to be a Varsity across from the Arch at UGA when I went there!!
I agree as a Native of NC ketchup, mustard, chili, coleslaw and raw small diced onions are a must on hotdogs some cheese doesn't hurt either 😋
Unless you go to the Roast Grille. No ketchup allowed...
@@jasonremy1627 I'd have to slip some ketchup packets in my purse or pocket. 😂
I am a big fan man of the Varsity 🥰🥰🥰…however I was always torn between the Varsity and the Yellow Jacket drive in (closed in the early 70s) down the street (I grew up in metro Atlanta in the 1950s-70s…and regularly went to the Varsity…sadly y’all were never exposed to the carhop “Flossie Mae”…his taking your order was priceless 😎😎😎).
My family eats ketchup and mustard on hotdogs. I never eat mustard on mine. Ketchup only! Lots of people here don't use mustard on their hotdogs, so eat it however you like it!
I grew up in Georgia and have lived in Tennessee for a while now but whenever I get a chance to go thru Atlanta I always try to stop at the Varsity....its the best! If you ever have the change to go thru Macon Ga you need to get bar B que at Finchers. The original location on Houston Ave looks like a dump but it is awesome....the Q there and the brunswick stew is unbelievable. Whenever we go back home we load up with Finchers Bar B Que and brunswick stew.....yummmmmm.
Slaw , chili cheese dogs or burgers with either Onion ryor fries sweet tea to drink and for desert peach pie
Glad you enjoy it. I live in Athens, GA. It's about an hour east of Atlanta. Sadly, our Varsity closed down last year so we don't currently have one.
Noooooo! I always eat there when I go to Athens. Rats!
Oh no, between that and all the Varsity Jrs that closed down around Atlanta, that's so sad!
They're putting a Whataburger in its place.
@@NicoleM_radiantbabyThe Varsity in Kennesaw is still open.
Shaun, We have burgers here in NC. We call it the Carolina burger. It is a cheeseburger or hamburger...with chili, onions, mustard. Sometimes, we do it (All the way), with cole slaw on it. They are very good. I have mine like this, if I do have my regular..mayo lettuce tomato and onion.
Grew up going to the varsity on the way to my grandmother’s house. Now there’s one two miles from my front door
I never heard of putting mustard and ketchup on a chili dog. But to each their own. 👍🏻✌🏻
I’ve had chili cheese dogs with mustard, for those ingredients the mustard isn’t overpowering. Ketchup would overpower the chili taste with it’s sweetness.
@@dayeti6794 I actually want to taste the chili and the hot dog. I do put mustard on a traditional hot dog with some relish and chopped onion.
The hat was on size fits all, you just needed to expand it where the 2 ends of the piece of paper fit together.
You missed The frozen orange. They are the bomb
I hope you're planning to visit the Atlanta Fox Theater. An architectural gem! ☮️
I put ketchup on my hotdog..when I was 12. 😂
At the end of the, you eat it how you want. I like to go mayo inside the bun and mustard on the dog.
Indeed 😇
Oh I can’t believe you didn’t get the onion rings. They are very unique and you won’t get them anywhere else. They are made with Vidalia onions which are kind of sweet. My grandparents ate there in the 30’s & 40’s and my parents started eating there in the 40’s. Me in the 1960’s until present. Possibly my great grandparents in the 20’s & 30’s. Now my kids and my grandchild eat there so they have served 6 generations of my family.
It was the late 1970’s and 80’s for me and the love of my life!
Someone has been remiss in failing to recommend the onion rings to you. The Varsity has great onion rings!
What ya have what ya have what ya have?
Unfortunately they closed the one in Athens. We are just East of Atlanta. Home of the Georgia Bulldogs.
i live in Atlanta area, the Varsity is not worth a visit 😂built on nostalgia and been resting on their laurels since its hey day.
Yeah, I went there twice when I lived there in the 1980s, not something I'd go to again if I were in Atlanta to visit friends.
Been there and done that and it was good.
That is what I think ketchup does belong on Hot dogs but there is one place that you do not put ketchup on hot dogs it's in Chicago I don't remember what it's called my mother called it the winking wieners the little mascots on top of the building are hot dogs and they have their eyes blinking
Aw,man! You didnt get some onion rings?!?! They're so greasy, so good
I've never been to Atlanta, but I've connected in it's airport quite a few times, I'd love to visit properly sometime
My favorite varsity menu items are the FROSTED orange and the onion rings.
I grew up in the Atlanta area and still live nearby. If I'd known you were going to be there, I'd have dropped by to say hello. The Varsity is an iconic Atlanta fast food restaurant and I have been there many times, including recently with my son. It was not crowded when you were there, but one of the hallmarks of the Varsity is their ability to handle enormous crowds. It was (and still may be) the world's largest drive-in hamburger restaurant. When I was growing up and was attending a sporting event, usually an Atlanta Braves baseball game or, across the expressway from the Varsity, a college football game at Georgia Tech, it was commonplace for Atlantans to stop by the Varsity and grab a carry-out meal for the game. Eventually, and sadly, the greed of professional sports team owners won out, and the Atlanta Braves banned outside food from being brought into the stadium. I am not sure how long you plan to be in Atlanta, but if you have time, you may want to check out the original Chik-fil-A restaurant, also known as the Dwarf House, at 461 N Central Ave, Hapeville, GA 30354, near the airport. It is a different experience from an typical Chik-fil-A, inasmuch as you can sit down at a table and be served by a waiter or waitress, with a much expanded menu with items only available at the original location, including chicken and waffles. There is also a historical marker outside, as well as a bench with a life-size statue of Chik-fil-A founder Truett Cathy, who died not long ago, seated on it. Coca-Cola and Chik-fil-A are Atlanta's most famous culinary exports! Regardless, I hope you enjoy your visit to Atlanta!
That's the 1st time I've seen fries that look like the fries served at Dicks Hamburgers in Seattle. Sure enough they're hand cut from fresh potatoes. Same kind of basic and hopefully affordable eats.
Ketchup on hotdogs is the way to go! Be a rebel!!! 🥰😆
Ketchup on a hot dog is as common as mustard on a hot dog. It's not being a rebel at all.
I’m a ketchup & mustard on hot dogs guy, but would never put ketchup on a chili dog. To each their own, though!
LOL, dude...stop with the ketchup on the burgers/dogs...just wrong!...LOL. I live up the road a couple of hours from there. Very familiar! Enjoying your travels!
Hi Shaun. You really missed out by not trying their onion rings. They are spectacular.
Damn I wish I knew. Next time!
Nice place to eat. You needed to get held up outside for the true experience. Come late on a Friday night. Visit the Bluffs. Welcome to Atlanta
No worries! You have to SEARCH for places without AC in Atlanta. 😂😂😂 If anything, you might freeze
In Edinburgh they'd dip that chilli cheese burger in batter and deep fry it.. with salt n sauce.. imagine how much better that would be!
Mick’s, Mellow Mushroom, La Madeleine, and there’s a wood fired pizza place whose name I can’t recall.
More like local fast food, Near a university there is usually a good cheap place to eat. There are salads at fast food places
What'll ya have! Awesome place.
Your uber driver couldn't be a local. Best onion rings on the planet were invented here at the VARSITY!
Just my own preference but chili dogs and chili cheese dogs don’t need condiments 😉. I agree whole heartedly that ketchup goes on hotdogs. Don’t listen to the haters, lol. Just make any food you like the way you like it, that’s what we do. Loving your vids from your travels. 🙌. Stay safe and have a great vacation.