The Varsity
Atlanta's iconic chili-dog drive-in, served from a counter just past the security checkpoint on T.
- Cuisine
- American, Diner
- Concourse
- Concourse T
- Location
- Concourse T, food court
- Hours
- 6:00 AM – 10:00 PM
- Price range
- $
The Varsity has been an Atlanta institution since 1928, when Frank Gordy opened the original location across from Georgia Tech. The Concourse T outpost serves the abbreviated airport menu — chili dogs, chili burgers, frosted oranges, and the signature onion rings — but the chili recipe is the same one Gordy perfected nearly a century ago.
Order at the counter using the traditional Varsity vocabulary if you want the full experience: 'walk a dog' (chili dog to go), 'naked dog' (plain hot dog), 'F.O.' (frosted orange), 'ring one' (onion rings). The staff will translate if you don't.
Most orders are ready in 4–6 minutes. Seating is communal counter-style with limited tables. Total damage for a chili dog, rings, and a frosted orange runs about $14.
It's not haute cuisine, but it's authentically Atlanta in a way that many of the airport's other dining options aren't. Worth one trip if you've never had a Varsity dog.