A steamed hot dog on a soft bun topped with chili, mustard and chopped raw onions. The Varsity has served the same version since 1928 at North Avenue downtown.
Where to eat it: 1 restaurant across 1 city.
Frank Gordy founded The Varsity at North Avenue and Spring Street in downtown Atlanta in 1928. The chili dog, fried onion rings and Frosted Orange became Atlanta soda-fountain canon. Curb service was a fixture into the 2010s. The Varsity is among the largest drive-in restaurants in the world by daily volume; the chili dog is the canonical Atlanta sports-game pre-meal. Multiple satellite locations across the metro since the 1980s.
Common allergens: Gluten
Tip from the editors. The bun matters; use a soft, white, no-character supermarket bun. Crusty bread fights the chili.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
The Varsity at North Avenue in downtown Atlanta since 1928 runs chili dogs, onion rings and Frosted Orange at a drive-in counter format. The original location runs the longest hours.
Try: Chili dog with onion rings
Tip: Order in Varsity slang: 'two dogs walking' = two hot dogs to go. The onion rings and Frosted Orange are the standard upsell.
More cities are in research. Want the varsity chili dog covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.