The Varsity Sports Bar & Lounge

Great food especially their calamari. Mike was a really nice host and so were the other employees. Lounge vibe which is great for big parties or a date.

Okay my review might not be the most useful because I have NOT eaten the food here. (Although I hear its really good!!)
I came in on a game night. Forgive me for not being such a huge sports fan but I believe it was Monday night football? We went straight to the bar and ordered drinks. The restaurant itself is huge. They have a lot of televisions and ample seating. The décor is… I guess I would say classier than a lot of sports bars I’ve been to in my life. I really liked the big booths. What I also noticed was how packed it was. Very lively atmosphere for a Monday and I could tell everyone there was enjoying themselves. It looked more like a Friday/​Saturday night.
I ended up meeting the owner while being there. Mike was super friendly. Actually, the whole staff that I encountered that evening was really nice. After having about 2 drinks we moved out to the front area/​outdoor lounge. Plenty of cozy seating outside with more televisions and tables so you can eat outside if you want.
I just moved to the area so I will be coming back soon. Going to for sure bring my appetite next time too!

They are said to be moving so this review may be obsolete soon. Good place to watch sports as they have many TVs at every angle. Location is nice, but if you’re trying to come here for HH, it might be a little tough because of the area. There is no parking, but they said to park at Wells Fargo across the street. Even with HH, the prices are still pretty high, especially the food. Good atmosphere and nice place, but pricey.

The TV’s here are really nice and I enjoyed watching the game here, even if it was to see my team lose badly.
The staff were friendly and the manager/​owner was very nice, too.
However, the food was not good at all. We tried 4 or 5 different things, but every item was mediocre at best.
Might come back to watch other games, but I’m definitely going to eat before I get there.

Good place to watch sports, but what’s up with the $ 100 minimum on a booth that probably seats 6 – 8 at most?
buzz kill.
i’d go back though b/​c it’s a good sports bar.
food could be better

**BAD BUSINESS!**
What a terrible first experience with how Varsity Lounge does business. I can’t even write a review on the food and service because we didn’t get that far.
Two weeks ago, my boyfriend and I wanted to go here to watch the football games. We looked on their website and it says «All you can eat breakfast and bottomless mimosas» are offered. Perfect, were sold. We call to make sure and check prices when the guy who answered the phone was eager to tell us about the «All you can eat menu» that is not a buffet, you just keep ordering, and then bottomless mimosas are additional charge. He said it gets crazy in there but its a great place to come.
So we had found our spot Sunday morning. What a great lounge with tv’s everywhere! This was going to be a great place to watch the games. We were presented with standard looking menus with no mention of «All you can eat» and a card on the table promoting «Bottomless Mimosa’s Saturday and Sunday Mornings».
Confused at the menu, we ask the waitress about what we had saw and she says «Well, our website isn’t really accurate… we only have regular menu items that are priced as you see.» Ya think its not accurate? When we inquired more that was really all she could say. Oh well, so we wont get «all you can eat». The menu was $ 14-​$ 18 for brunch food that was not that special. Irritated since that we were under the other impression, we decided we would still stay to eat and get mimosas.
Then when I order bottomless mimosas, she says «Oh we don’t do bottomless on Sunday»… Really? I am pointing at the card on the table which says it is offered. They are like $ 15 each! For OJ and champagne? I don’t think so.
***So according to Varsity Lounge, if its advertised on their website, advertised on their tables WHEN YOUR SITTING THERE LOOKING AT IT, if you call to confirm these specials, and you show up expecting those specials… they just don’t do them, and their excuse is website is inaccurate.***
We left. That is completely ridiculous to not offer what you advertise no matter what it is. We tried not to waste time by calling to confirm but apparently that is not enough. What else could we have done?
I wanted to like this place! What a HORRIBLE way to bring new guests in. I couldn’t come back to try here with a bad taste in my mouth already.

Nice, chill place with comfortable chairs and couches and a late-​running happy hour — I showed up around 10 PM and was still given the happy hour price of $ 6 for a goblet of wine. I caught a comedy show here and I liked the accessibility of the crowd to the audience; some good-​natured heckling is always fun and makes the stand-​up feel more intimate.

Sweet place!
Came here for the Vikings home opener because it’s a «Vikings bar» and were the first ones there at like 9 a.m.
For some reason, all over the website, bottomless mimosas were advertised. We got there and that wasn’t the case. If this hadn’t happened I would give it 5 stars.
PROS: Solid service.
–Great manager!
–ALL the games televised
–AWESOME seating.
–Affordable
–Good food!
–VIKINGS
CONS: Server forgot to charge us for stuff then tried to call us to come pack and pay for something.
–NO bottomless mimosas (false advertising)
LOVED it.
Best,
Sean

I’d give it 3.5 stars. I’ll start with the pros– The food is tasty, particularly if you consider this a sports bar (which I really don’t). I was expecting greasy chicken strips and was served delicious grilled skewers much to my surprise. Then we munched on the shrimp pesto risotto which was really flavorful and a nice presentation. And finally the bread pudding which was just okay, a little dry.
The cons– identity crisis. Varsity hasn’t really grasped the sports bar ambiance except for the flat screen tv’s, a few hockey sticks on the walls, and waitstaff in short shorts. If they want to be a sports bar I’d suggest an a la carte pasta to cost less than $ 16. Even if that includes shrimp.

Came here for the MMA fight on Saturday night. It was really good! Servers were really nice and helped out. We got our food promptly and everything tasted good. I love the atmosphere with the couch booths and tons of big screen TV’s. I definitely want to check this place out on Sundays when football season starts! And haven’t been here for their Happy Hour yet so that should be good.
Will be back!

Slow, impatient service and mediocre food. Disappointing for a mid-​Wilshire sports bar.
However, it has very comfortable seating and TVs EVERYWHERE. But that’s Sports Bar 101.
On three different occasions, the owner has been rude. #stayinthebackoffice

My favorite spot to watch spots. (SOCCER BABY)… Love the chicken wings, the best in LA other then Hooters. Yah, I said that.

Another spot near work that is surprisingly good! This place is spacious with lots of seating and televisions for your game-​watching pleasure. A large group of us came for happy hour recently (4 – 7 pm, M-​F) and ordered a bunch of items. I especially liked their:
* BAJA FISH TACOS — You can get beer battered or blackened fish and it comes with cilantro, cabbage, pico de gallo and avocado. My friend had the blackened fish and it was tender and the toppings were all good.
* GRILLED MOJITO CHICKEN STRIPS — The chicken is marinated in lime, rum and mint and comes topped with a three-​pepper salsa and pomegranate reduction. Kind of fancy for bar food… and it was awesome.
* FRIES — These aren’t actually listed on the menu for some reason, but I asked our server and she said they are definitely available. We tried the regular and sweet potato fries. Both are excellent, particularly the sweet potato ones which were nice and crispy!
The service was great too, so we’ll definitely be back!

Cute little place… Awesome for just chilling, kicking back a beer, and watching «the game» — whichever that my be. I love that it’s not some shady dive bar… There are real couches and that LA vibe I miss so much.

Came on a Saturday night and it was pretty slow. There was only 2 waitresses working and they were SUPER SLOW. They were so slow we just ordered all our drinks at once so that we didn’t have to keep waiting for each drink to come.
Other than that, the food is okay but I did really like the mac n’ cheese. All the other food I ate (nachos, chicken strips, and potato skins) were meh.
I probably wouldn’t come here again unless I had to or someone else plans to. It’s convenient because it’s across the street from where I work, but other than that its nothing special.

I stopped in last night and was very satisfied with the great customer service, excellent prices on and off happy hour, the Tuna melt, Ahi Tuna salad and Bread pudding was delicious. Oh and they had a band at 10p… Awesome! !!!
I can’t wait to go back to try other items on their menu.

The most horrible experience I have had in a very long while at a bar/​lounge. The food was not good, the service was horrible and since there was a game on, we needed to pay a minimum of $ 30 per person. I was not informed of this minimum, nor is there a sign stating this. My group and I were only a few dollars away from breaking the minimum and there was only a few minutes left in the 4^th quarter. Since we told them we were not informed and of the minimum, we do not feel we should pay it. They kicked us off the table after we all have eaten and drank and we were only a few dollars away from hitting that minimum. The table next to us experienced the same issue.
I will not step foot in this place again, nor do I recommend it.

We didnt eat, but the drinks were strong, college football was on, and the staff was quick and attentive.
4 stars for the comfy booths, lots of big screen TV’s, and PBR on tap :)

I like this place! Good food, upscale bar, and over a billion TV’s.
I’ve been here twice for big games: 2011 World Series game 7 (Cards vs Rangers), and the 2011 NFL Championship (Bears/​Packers). Found great seats both times, ate delicious food, and served by cute ladies… oh yeah, and able to watch the game! Went with my good bud, Tim, both times… and we equally enjoy this place.
Food is really good, burgers, salads, and cool choices for appetizers. Beers is well-​priced, and not expensive. This place at night feels like a club, really nicely decorated, and yet — a cool sports bar… how awesome is that?
I also love the Happy hour here. Check it out at –
Drafts for $ 4-​$ 5
Chips & Salsa $ 3; Nachos $ 5+; Wings $ 6; Mojito Chicken Skewers $ 6; BBQ Chicken Quesadilla $ 6; Calamari $ 6; Jalapeño Mac & Cheese $ 6
Special «shout outs» to Stephani and Laura, who are both sweethearts. Great service with a smile!

With playoffs here, I was gearing up for a full day of football, beer and buffalo wings. The big cushy booths at The Varsity were perfect. It has a lounge-​like atmosphere with huge tables and comfortable couch-​like seats. There are several TVs all over the place and the volume is loud enough to actually hear the commentary. It’s a welcome addition to the LA sports bar scene.
While I admire the attempt to offer a diverse beer selection, I was really bummed that it didn’t include a beer I could drink. Admittedly, I’m not a big beer drinker. My friends always tease me… Want some beer with that lime? hahaha. whatever. When I’m about to spend 6+ hours in a bar, I shouldn’t do hard liquor because I gotta pace myself (no one wants to be the drunk girl yakking in the bathroom. ew!). So, I typically order Bud Light or a Mexican lager that I can add lime to. But I don’t care for Corona, which happens to be the only one offered here. boo. and what bar doesn’t carry Bud Light?
I ended up ordering a few of their signature cocktails ($ 10). My favorite was the Blackberry Drop (pictured) with Stoli Blackberry, sour mix, muddled blackberries and a sugared rim.
The food wasn’t the best I’ve had, nor anywhere near the worst. It seems a bit pricey though, and it’s a bit unconventional. For example, the menu inc a $ 30 filet mignon, $ 24 salmon, and $ 16 kung pao chicken (which we were told was great, but I think I’d have to be pretty drunk to try kung pao ckn from a sports bar). Also, a few mainstay apps were missing, like chicken strips, onion rings, and mozzarella sticks. The wings were decent, the nachos were a little odd (nacho cheese product with black beans and pico de gallo), and the shrimp egg rolls were yuck, but the Blue Burger was very good.
Service is friendly and attentive, and the cocktail waitresses are super cute (I know you fellas like eye candy). Plus, the crowd was diverse. It was a great mix across age and ethnicity. Also, there’s a nice little patio area (no TVs outside though).
The parking situation might require a little effort. You’ll have to search for a meter on Wilshire, street parking along Crescent Heights, or settle for a nearby parking lot.
A true review would merit 3 ½ stars, but I’m rounding up because I’m eager to try their happy hour ;)