Varsity Tavern

501 S Mill Ave # 200, Tempe - 85281
265 reviews
Dance Clubs American Sports Bar
(480) 534-8620

Only 2 stars due to the nice hostess and waitress. Old dumpy college dive bar. Over priced $12 simple drinks served in a plastic cup. Verbally told amount due; questioned the amount due, and confirmed our drinks. should have read the reviews first we were just told the cost and wasn't given a bill that may have included gratuity. Lots of better options around that area.

Had a great time the food was bomb and I went around lunch time so it wasn't too busy but I've seen this place packed. I would definitely recommend stopping by and checking it out

Food & Service were good.I had the sliders, which were cheesy and tasty. The seasoned fries on the side were flavorful. I also had a red berry spritzer which was nice but I wish they had daqueris. I did ask for the pickle spear instead of pickles on the sandwich but they never brought it. Otherwise service was good tho.My friends had the Asian salad and they said it was the best salad they've had. My friend was disappointed that they didn't have kilt lifter in stock tho.I will note sitting outside was too hot even with the misting system so we moved inside.Also the chair at the table we sat at by the back TV almost fell over with me In it because there is a chunk of cement missing in the floor and the chair leg went in the hole. I'd suggest getting that checked out before someone gets hurt.Overall we were satisfied with the visit.

What a joke this place is. 1st, I have been here many times, and never this experience...The door gorilla says to me,as I walk in with 6 other people, that I have to pay $40 because I don't have belt loops on my pants. My reply was I have never been asked about belt loops, that I was dressed in nice dress pants and shirt, and that if there is a policy for nicer clothes, why are the girls allowed in 1/2 naked and showing every part of their body.I also told him I would not pay to have pants on with no belt loops and I would go elsewhere. He made a big deal about the policy, so I asked to see it and he said he was going to allow me in.What a crock. Either you have a dress code and no one enters or you don't. $40 should not allow me to enter. Others aren't dressed other than trashy, but they get in without a dress code blackmail.B.S. I won't be back at this hack place again.

I waited in line for about 20 minutes on a Saturday night (around 11pm). After seeing everyone get in without a cover, I was surprised when the bouncer asked me to pay $20 to go in. When I inquired why I had to pay a cover when no one else had to, he said my pants didn’t have belt loops. I thought he was joking at first but he refused to change his mind. When I asked if I could just go in, the other bouncer said I had to go and opened the fence for me to leave. I noticed later that other people were going in without belt loops and they did not have to pay a cover.I spoke to the manager, Bill, today and he explained to me that the bouncer does this to get a quick buck and he does this frequently (and I guess he faces no consequences). I would steer clear of this place unless you want to be treated unfairly depending on the time and day you go. I know I won’t be returning.

We were so excited to be in Tempe and this restaurant completely ruined our evening. All 6 of us felt embarrassed and taken advantage of. The service was slow and the food mediocre. The surprise happened when we asked for our checks. The server knew upfront that we would have 2 checks. Because the 2 checks totaled over $100, she made both parties add 20% tip, and also informed us at that time that there is a 3% charge to use a credit card. It’s embarrassing when you’re out with friends and there are unexpected charges. I tried, but she refused, to remove the 20% tip or the 3% fee. And the bills combined were about $105 before the extra charges. Horrible experience.

We were so excited to be in Tempe and this restaurant completely ruined our evening. All 6 of us felt embarrassed and taken advantage of. The service was slow and the food mediocre. The surprise happened when we asked for our checks. The server knew upfront that we would have 2 checks. Because the 2 checks totaled over $100, she made both parties add 20% tip, and also informed us at that time that there is a 3% charge to use a credit card. It’s embarrassing when you’re out with friends and there are unexpected charges. I tried, but she refused, to remove the 20% tip or the 3% fee. And the bills combined were about $105 before the extra charges. Horrible experience.

Such a dumb place, tables open everywhere hardly any people. Can’t find a server at all, tried to order a drink at the bar and both bar tenders are doing nothing but totally ignored us. Finally flagged the girl down and got some drinks. Went back for a second round and same thing- totally ignored us even after making eye contact and seeing us wave her down. We would have spent money and drank till we fell over but ended up leaving after no help and walked down to a different bar where they were super helpful.

Door security was scamming money from people coming in last night. White guy and a black guy. They demanded $20 from someone in front of us and $40 from one of our group. We all left and the bar lost at least $100 in revenue because of it. Won't be back and I'm filling a complaint with the appropriate authorities on Monday.

We were not really impressed with this place at all. We went there to have dinner before a show at ASU Gammage. Knowing that it was Superbowl Sunday, we did expect a noisy restaurant, and we were ok with the noise level. The women's restrooms were disgusting. It appeared that all of the toilet paper holders were broken, so the rolls of paper were either on the filthy floor or hanging on the purse hooks on the door. In all of the stalls. We were seated right away (we had reservations). We waited for several minutes before a server came to us. We ordered our food and literally waited 35 minutes before the food was delivered. We had to leave to get to the show on time, so we asked to pay the bill when the waitress brought our food. Right after she left us, we realized that my Chicken Caesar Salad was not right- it was just a regular house salad. The server never came back to check on us, so it was impossible to complain about my order being wrong. This is not a place we will be returning to, and we would definitely not recommend to anyone.