Christopher’s Restaurant and Bar is one of my favorite restaurants. It is the first place I recommend to people dining out on a budget, or anyone who is just looking for a casual, friendly restaurant with really great food. The menu has all your traditional pub fare, items like burgers, fries, nachos, and sandwiches. Then they add in an upscale flair with items such as chicken and broccoli penne, fish tacos, and yuppie nachos (made with jack and goat cheese).
Two things stand out in particular to me about this menu.
1. Despite the steak, burgers and chicken there are a plethora of vegetarian offerings. They have tofu sliders, tofu stir-fry, veggie chili, buffalo tofu and a vegetarian soup of the day.
2. The food may sound heavy, and it’s definitely not light, but unlike other restaurants with bar-food, Christopher’s never leaves me feeling weighed down. There is a focus on flavor here, rather than just added fat and salt.
I recently had the pleasure of going to Christopher’s with my beautiful friend Jenny (hi Jenny!). We both started with a spring seasonal Sam Adams, after perusing their wonderful list of draft beers. They have rotating specials, typically from smaller, craft breweries and they always offer a 4-beer sampler. After some chatting and some sipping, our waitress came back but we still had not decided. This is the one down-side of being a vegetarian here; there are so many options it is hard to choose! Seeing as how it was Jenny’s first time, and we both couldn’t decide we ended up splitting their spinach-artichoke burrito and their homemade veggie burger with avocado, caramelized onions and roasted peppers.
The burrito, which happens to be my all-time favorite dish, comes with mango slaw, lettuce, pico de gallo and black beans. The delicious filling is loaded with spinach and artichokes, and gets its cheesy flavor from a blend of three cheeses. I have nothing bad to say about this burrito. The bites with slaw and salsa are tangy and spicy and all the flavors balance each other out so nicely.
Christopher’s is famous however, for their burgers-both the meat and homemade veggie ones. They have a variety of toppings and the veggie burger comes with both a salad and fries! No more choosing between the two! A little bit of indulgence, with their thick cut fries, and some healthy veggies. It’s a win-win. The patty itself is a blend of veggies and grains. It may get messy, especially when loaded up with toppings, but the flavor more than makes up for it.
The service was speedy and courteous. And our total bill for two satisfying entrees and one seasonal beer equals…drum roll please…..less than 36 dollars after tax and tip. If you haven’t been out in the Boston/Cambridge dining scene recently, that is a steal!
Just writing this post makes me want to go back to Christopher’s tomorrow tonight. It’s conveniently located across the street from the Porter Square T station on the red-line and there is metered parking on Mass Ave. The great food, great atmosphere, great prices, and great beer keep me coming back. It’s one of my all-time favorite restaurants. I suppose this is more of a gush and less of a review but everyone I have brought here has loved it and I’m sure you will too.
i wish you took me there for yuppie nachos