The Varsity Club Youngstown — Restaurant in Youngstown

This is a great place with a lot of potential, but it definitely needs some corrections. The bar was very busy and clearly needed more staff or better organization. Several bartenders seemed unprofessional and inattentive. One dark-haired girl with glasses, for example, was dismissive—walking away mid-order to serve another section. With four bartenders behind the bar, they still only catered to half of it, and you had to wave them down just to get noticed. Once they did come over, it felt like serving was an inconvenience. Another gentleman appeared inexperienced with the keg system—after popping the pressure relief valve, he seemed unsure how to fix the problem and ended up shutting down half the taps.

Overall, the staff need better training, professionalism, and attention to the entire bar, not just sections of it. If management can correct these issues, this place...

Been here twice, will probably come again. Definitely recommend a try if you haven't yet.

So far all the food I've gotten is solid. The best thing is probably the pretzel appetizer.

Service seemed to be going through some growing pains. The pace definitely needs working on but they're nice enough to make the experience pleasurable.

Good selection of beer, but the cocktails are subpar unfortunately. My cocktail of choice is an old fashioned, both of the times I've had a cocktail from different bartenders, they came out a little bland with a watery bite. Hopefully third time's a charm.

Again, definitely recommend this place, hopefully my review is taken as...

Stopped into the Varsity Club in downtown Youngstown with my brother-in-law for lunch, and it was outstanding. We tried the Hot Honey Chicken Sandwich and the VC Chicken—both were amazing: juicy, crispy, and packed with flavor. The atmosphere is top-notch, with a fantastic location right downtown and a huge outdoor area complete with turf and a bar.

We even had a chance to talk with the owner—very friendly and welcoming. This spot is definitely going to be one of our go-to stops after games downtown. Way to go, Youngstown, for adding another great...