Varsity Pizza

Varsity Pizza is a family-owned and operated restaurant at 802 South Crouse Avenue in Syracuse, New York, directly across from Syracuse University. It has occupied the same location since 1926, when Greek immigrant Jerry Dellas bought a house there, raised the facade, and opened the Varsity Coffee Shop and Deli. The business traces its origins to an even earlier peanut and popcorn cart that Dellas ran on nearby Marshall Street. Over the decades it became an integral part of Syracuse University sports culture and a landmark on the Hill. Although the Varsity began as a coffee shop and deli, its pizza and wings — today its biggest sellers — did not arrive until 1971, when the Dellas family hired the husband of their then pizza cook, Elli Darmoyslis. The restaurant has since expanded into a broad menu that includes traditional and specialty pizzas, its "Classic" Varsity slices, wraps from its "Wrap Shop," salads and bowls, deli and soups, blue-plate specials, wings and sides, grill items, and weekday breakfast. It also offers catering for large groups and gift cards. The Varsity remains family owned and operated, with many staff members having worked there for several decades. It is a gathering place tied to Syracuse Orange fandom, where fans stop before games and celebrations spill over with the SU marching band. The restaurant has been documented in local media, including a 2018 Syracuse.com article by Johnathan Croyle that featured an original Varsity Coffee Shop menu and described the business as "an American story" about how to build a landmark. A 2011 blog post titled "Picturing Syracuse" noted that people have met, fallen in love, and hosted wedding receptions there, and that students return with their grandchildren decades later. The Varsity represents stability on the Hill even as it has evolved. Today Varsity Pizza operates with weekday hours from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Saturday from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., and is closed on Sundays, with holiday and event updates posted on its website. Its address, 802 S. Crouse Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13210, has been its home for nearly a century.

Varsity Pizza's history begins with Greek immigrant Jerry Dellas, who sold popcorn and peanuts from a cart on Marshall Street in Syracuse, New York. In 1926, Dellas bought a house at 802 South Crouse Avenue, raised the facade, and opened the Varsity Coffee Shop and Deli. The location, directly across from Syracuse University, placed the business at the center of campus life on the Hill. For its first decades the Varsity operated as a coffee shop and deli. Pizza and wings, which would become its biggest sellers, did not arrive until 1971, when the Dellas family hired the husband of their then pizza cook, Elli Darmoyslis. That addition transformed the menu and helped cement the restaurant's identity as a pizzeria. Over the decades the Varsity became an integral part of Syracuse University sports culture. Fans gathered there before games, and celebrations sometimes included the SU marching band. The restaurant also became a personal landmark for generations: people met and fell in love there, hosted wedding receptions, and returned with grandchildren decades after graduating. A 2011 blog post titled "Picturing Syracuse" described the Varsity as representing stability on the Hill even as it evolved. Local media has documented the business's history. A 2018 Syracuse.com article by Johnathan Croyle featured an original Varsity Coffee Shop menu and described the story as "an American story" about how to build a landmark. The article noted that the restaurant had been a Syracuse University landmark for decades and that its pizza and wings arrived in 1971. The Varsity has remained family owned and operated, with many staff members working there for several decades. As of its website's "Since 1926" branding, the business describes itself as a Syracuse family tradition for 99 years. It continues to operate at 802 S. Crouse Avenue, offering pizza, wings, wraps, salads, deli items, breakfast, and catering, and maintaining its role as a gathering place for Syracuse Orange fans.

• 2018

  Syracuse.com article by Johnathan Croyle features an original Varsity Coffee Shop menu and calls the business "an American story" about building a landmark.

• 2011

  A blog post titled "Picturing Syracuse" describes the Varsity as an integral part of SU sports culture and a stable landmark on the Hill.

• 1971

  Pizza and wings are added to the menu after the Dellas family hires the husband of their then pizza cook, Elli Darmoyslis.

• 1926

  Jerry Dellas buys a house at 802 South Crouse Avenue, raises the facade, and opens the Varsity Coffee Shop and Deli.

A family-owned Syracuse University landmark and tradition since 1926, known for pizza, wings, and campus culture.

• Traditional & Specialty Pizzas

• "Classic" Varsity Slices

• Wings & Sides

• Wrap Shop Signature & Specialty Wraps

• Salads & Bowls

• Deli & Soups

• Blue-Plate Specials

• Breakfast (eggs, bacon, french toast, pancakes, bagels)

• From the Grill

• Catering for large groups

• Gift Cards

1. 1Varsity Pizza Syracuse - Since 1926varsitypizzasyracuse.com
2. 2History & More - Varsity Pizza Syracusevarsitypizzasyracuse.com
3. 3Varsity Pizza - Wikidatawikidata.org