Varsity in Portswood is NO MORE

Varsity in Portswood has closed its doors to the public. The venue is set to reopen in mid-June as a restaurant and cocktail bar.

The pub was no doubt in need of a revamp, but the necessity of this radical transformation is debatable.

The site has functioned for years as a place for students and locals alike to buy cheap drinks and pub food, as well as watch big sporting games on the widescreen TVs.

The new restaurant will serve more upmarket cuisine, with a cocktail bar selling a range of fancy concoctions. The big screens will be brought down and the whole site renovated into a swanky establishment.

A Varsity regular and local resident said:

The pub has always made its money out of us old guys and the students coming for the cheap prices and the sport. We’re all going to have to move to the Mitre now and I just can’t see the new place filling up.

Nonetheless, there is excitement surrounding the prospect of a new more fancy venue.

It’ll give Portswood a bit of class!” said Sophie, a second year student living in the area.

Indeed, the ice cream parlour Sprinkles has had huge success since it opened last September, demonstrating that higher market businesses can flourish in Portswood.

But it is questionable as to whether a large restaurant can match the success of the small ice cream outlet.

Sprinkles was something new and unique, so it worked”, said a resident of Tennyson Road. “A restaurant will struggle to do so well.”

What do you think? Will students and locals be willing to splash out on food and cocktails as well as ice creams? Let us know in the comments below.