Top of the Stairs

Rating this as a college bar not a fine dining establishment (actually I don’t think I have ever sat at a table –not that kind of place). As a college bar they have this down. Clean enough (actually they have remodeled the restrooms so they look better. Good service. Good bar food. Rail drinks (drink made of about every liquor on the bar) are rather famous around tech and actually are good (just don’t have more than about 2).
They have different themes different nights (like karaōke). Usually not crowded at all until after about 8pm.
I believe they are building a Bottom of the Stairs now to cater to those that want to sit and eat something (casual dining).

Typical college bar. Has a nice layout. They have good ribs on Wednesdays too. The only thing is… the DJ they hire on the weekends is absolutely awful.
That’s right, DJ BRANDON, I’m talking about you. the so called DJ they hire plays atrocious music that makes you feel like you were born 2 decades earlier than you actually where. Not only is he bad, TOTS does not listen to the feedback of its bar patrons about fixing the music issue they have. No response to tweets, comments at the bar, nothing. I mean, who samples the ghost busters theme song in the middle of December??? Halloween was 2 months ago.
This place has great potential, but under the current management and horrid music selection on the weekends, I would much rather go down the street and enjoy the company of another bar in Blacksburg.

Top of the Stairs is hilarious.
Look, if you’re looking for an earth-​shattering adult like experience, why are you partying at the heart of a college campus? ToTS is a perfectly designed college bar, replete with the multitude of space and «Forget how Tonight Went» type of drinks. I highly recommend the Rails, which are cringe-​worthy if you watch them prepared but actually kind of delicious.
Loved the service; the bartenders here, even on a busy college football weekend, were polite and efficient. Outdoor deck is great, and it just oozes with the kind of charm this bar is designed with.
Ultimately, this is what college bars are supposed to look and feel like. Crush it.

I’m writing this review over 2 years after I graduated from Tech.
It’s true there were some amazing nights here, and it’s also definitely true there were some awesome ones, but there is no place like TOTS.
This bar boasts three different main spaces to hang out and drink. The first is the main bar area when you walk in. There are seats on a platform to the left, and the bar directly in front of you along with a dance floor and stage around the corner.
If you go outside you’ll see a wrap around deck that has the famous lit-​up VT flag at the end. There is also a bar connected to the deck for easier access to drinks than just inside at the bar.
My personal favorite spot is definitely the downstairs when it’s warm (and sometimes not so warm) outside. BOTS has a lot of space to stand and a few tables to sit. It also has cornhole boards directly in the middle of the action. There are bathrooms and another bar downstairs.
If you go to TOTS you obviously have to get the famous Rail. It’s like 5 different types of liquors mixed with a teeny amount of soda at the end. And it will get you absolutely slammed.
If you’re ever in the area for the weekend or for a football game, this will be a popular destination among the students. Caution: Lines to get in can be ridiculous and there is often a cover.

I tried tots famous «all you can eat ribs» special on a Wednesday and WOW was I disappointed. The ribs were pretty gamey and I’m used to meat falling off the bone but even with my fork and knife, it was hard to get meat off the bone. The mashed potato side was the best part of the meal (along with my friends fried green beans, yum). The worst thing of the meal was that you don’t get unlimited sides? I don’t get why in the price I am not allowed to have an additional portion of mashed potatoes. I will not be back.

An amazing time was had 3÷21÷15 at TOTS! Excellent place to hang out and unwind. Four of us decided it was going to be our hangout spot for the night and we were not disappointed. I can’t get back to this establishment fast enough. I’d go this weekend if I could.
The two owners were just amazing to watch as they prepared drinks and served people. They worked so well together, you’d think they shared a common brain.
The music was present, but not overbearingly loud and obnoxious the way it is in a lot of places. The restrooms were clean and attended to, all tables and counters were kept cleared despite the fact that by 11PM the place was nearly packed. Even though I didn’t eat, but I saw several plates of food coming out of the kitchen that made me wish I’d come on an empty stomach.
We shall return. I’m looking forward to it.

This place is a good time. Get a rail (sp?) and have a blast. Dancing and fun.

Note to anyone going in here: this is first and foremost a bar. If you go in expecting 5 star food, you are in the wrong place.
This place has been around since 1978. I love it. It is a dive bar but the beer is cold and the drinks are cheap. It gets crowded when classes are in session and really crowded for games. That atmosphere is great for me – not for others.
The food is not stellar but it is good. The prices are reasonable. The boneless chicken bites/​wings are amazing – not breaded an they are smothered in sauce. Yum. I would have ordered 2.
Service: it is a college town and ours was great today. Sometimes it sucks. Real shocker.
End note: this had been my «go to» bar since 1983. I love the place with its quirks, crowds and stuff. Just go in, smile, have a drink and don’t be a d*ck.

After our large group table waited over an hour for our food (I specifically had to wait three hours for my sandwich, that is not an exaggeration), we got confronted by the manager because one person in our party wrote a note on the receipt that said exactly that, and then left a 10% tip (for a less than $ 10 meal, btw). A short little «bro» manager then pulled me away from the group for 20 minutes and demanded an explanation, then said that we were just «a**holes from out of town», dropping a homophobic slur, and demanding that we leave.
Some others from our party tried to go back for drinks a week later and got confronted after sitting for a few hours because the comedy show had started so they now had to pay the cover… and stop talking… and sit somewhere else… Or leave.
All this was following a few visits of generally slow and mediocre service.
This is probably a great place to hang out if you have only been drinking legally for less than a year. For everyone else, literally every other place in Blacksburg has better service, better food, and better atmosphere.
And their barbecue is not the best in town. Even Applebee’s can make a better plate of ribs.
Consider yourself warned. Everyone I talked to about this place has a horror story.

Note to self: TOTS is not busy whatsoever Tuesdays at 2pm.
I was told that I needed to get a Rail, and unfortunately the only time I could squeeze one in was Tuesday afternoon and TOTS was completely empty (well, except for the people that work there).
I enjoyed some Tosh.0 on TV while drinking the Rail — which was a very interesting, alcoholic concoction that is not for the lightweight drinker. Reminded me of my good ol’ college days… cheap liquor and lots of it.

I go to TOTS when my friends are really craving TOTS’ all-​you-​can-​eat ribs. The price is low enough that I don’t mind going and getting food that I’d label as «not bad.»
This is definitely not a place that’s made for me and my family; it’s a college-​kid-​drink-​a-​lot-​and-​party kind of experience without a whole lot of focus on making it look good or be a family-​friendly environment.
And that’s absolutely fine! Not everything needs to be made for me or my family! I’m sure that some folks really love it here.
It’s just not for me.

Very popular bar in Blacksburg, There is a cover on some nights but they also have good prices for beer. Have a nice outside seating area and if you go in the off season it is much quieter and more enjoyable.

Going to TOTS is some sort of initiation at Blacksburg. The $ 9 Rail drink is a requirement for any young college student, most likely on their 21^st birthday.
As a 29 year old, it was a bit rough. A bunch of cheap alcohol thrown into a cup usually isn’t a good idea. I survived though.
Loved the outdoor seating, and multiple bars. This place gets packed after 10 pm, when there is cover, and no room to move, even on a Tuesday night.
Closed on Sundays.

Happy hour is great… and CHEAP! Late night is ridiculous, but kind of a must-​do while in town. Hate that there’s a $ 5 cover at night and that you have to fight to get s spot. Typical college bar.

The music was blasted on so loud that I could hear the scratches and ripping in the background — was not my cup of tea.
If you’d like to meet fratboys, sorority girls, wannabe’s, and posers, this is the place.

I do not know what it is like during a school year, but during the summer I went with a friend. The bartender was great and fast, the deck is great, and I will go there again.

over the summer — 5 stars for the bar. Great crowd, much more diverse than when school is in session and its all greek kids. perfect amount of people no crazy lines or fighting through crowds.
during the school year — 1 star. way too crowded and 5 dollar cover. but everyone goes here so i end up going too. plus all the pretty girls like this bar.
ive never eaten their food, but its the same owners as PKs so i would expect the food to be similar

It’s ToTS, a Blacksburg staple. Don’t expect gourmet food or Four Season’s customer service treatment… a dive bar with college students/​alumni and good cheap drinks.
There’s usually a $ 2 cover and a long line. Come early, bring friends, bring cash for the cover and enjoy the show.
Mondays are always a good night at ToTS and football weekends are always interesting here.
Alumni usually endorse the spot because of the all the great memories made here. If anything, stop by during their non-​peak hours (middle of the day) and check off a Blacksburg bucket list item — get yourself a rail.
At the end of the night, enjoy the show as patrons try to successfully make the dreaded trip down the ToTS stairs of death, try not to laugh at those that dont make it.

If you go here, you gotta get «The Rail», the crowd here was cool, the staff was super nice and most importantly, the drinks are hella cheap.

OK I get it, it’s a college bar. But this has to be one of the most disgusting bars I have ever been to PERIOD.
We were greeted by the wonderful smell of puke as soon as the line reached the bottom of the stairs. Whatever, we figured some alumni was partying too hard early. When we stopped by the next night, same puke smell! You would think that they would bother to clean it up.
Also note to fire marshall — you may want to give this place an inspection. Not only was it so packed that you literally had to fight to get through the crowd, the upstairs balcony rail was wobbling so much that I am positive it will fall off as soon as a fat drunk slob leans on it. This place is a disaster waiting to happen.
Also TOTS is the biggest sausage fest outside of Munich Germany. Seriously the ratio here was 30 – 1 generously. It might as well be a gay bar. Since there are no girls here I guess the dudes feel comfortable passing gas. We were dropped ass on no less than 3 times while there.
They should change the name of the city to Dropassburg…
DO NOT GO HERE. Save the $ 5 and go to Big Al’s — at least there is AC and GIRLS there.