Christian’s- A Wood Fired Grill

The restaurant had an inviting cozy feel to it. The hostess was welcoming and made us feel at home. The menu was small but unique. The fried pickles were excellent and my wife loved the Brussel Sprout salad. We ate tapas style ordering another app, a pizza and a few cocktails. The experience was good, until we decided to pay. My wife wanted to use a groupon we purchased that we couldn’t use the 50 amount due to the renovations that we’re going on in January. We were only using the face value of 25 and not the fifty dollar amount we purchased it for. They gave us a had time about using it. Even though we were only using when we spent and not the promotion. This ruined our experience since it took so long and arguing a little from my wife for them to accept it. We won’t be going back. It’s a cute place but it’s only one of many in the area filled with great restaurants.

I was pleasantly surprised. I had Brussels sprout salad (excellent). I followed with charred octopus (also excellent). While waiting served warm bread with olive oil dip (very, very good). Highly recommended. I ate at the bar and Eric provided great service. I intend to return and explore the menu further.

From the moment we walked in we had a good feeling. The hostess/​server, Jesse, was warm, friendly and welcoming! The restaurant is small, but warm and inviting. Nice cocktail, wine and beer list. We started with the duck appetizer, which was fantastic, we then had the buratta, which was presented with some greens and grape tomatoes… excellent, then onto some delicious chicken wings, and wood-​fired grilled pizza… which was cooked to perfection in their pizza over. I just wish the owner would have come over to the tables, saw him walk through the restaurant a couple of times, but didn’t stop. It would have been nice, since the place is so small, if he could have stopped and asked how things were. It would have been a nice touch!

Christian’s is definitely making a name for itself in Bristol.
I’ve been a few times and each time I’ve had great service and great food. Last night, I went with my sister because we wanted to go somewhere that had tuna tartar, and Christian’s does. The dish is so fresh and comes with a spicy mayo drizzle on the plate which makes it just that much better. We have had this dish before and loved it, so we had to get it again.
I feel with this contemporary restaurant, you can take your dining experience two ways. 1.) The tapas route. You can get a few small plates to split between friends and be fully satisfied (definitely have done it before). 2.) The normal entrée. They have great one plate meals.
I got the Lobster Bucatini — absolutely delicious and my sister got a special, which was not featured on the menu, the wood-​fire grilled chicken with gnocchi in a pesto cream sauce which smelt amazing (and tasted good).
Of course we got drinks as well, and they have a great drink menu full of interesting cocktail combinations. I got the Worker Bee which was amazing and my sister got the El Bandito that had a mescal rinse. That was tasty as well.
At the end of the meal, we were craving crème brûlée (our most favorite dessert ever). They ended up featuring a crème brûlée but it wasn’t just a normal crème brûlée. It was Kahlua flavored. Let me just tell you that we could have eaten 5 each. It was sweet but not too sweet and you could definitely taste the Kahlua but it wasn’t strong — just enough.
It was a little busy when we came around 7pm (on a Saturday night), but the service was still good.

Love love love this restaurant! Delicious entrees, small and large plates. They always have unique choices and changing specials. The house speciality cocktails are a must-​try. The bar service and waitstaff are pleasant and make you want to come back. It’s a quiet, intimate restaurant with a comfortable feel. One of our absolute favorites.

Food is fantastic. Had the sirloin which was cooked perfectly and delicious, sitting on the best spaghetti squash I have ever had. Service was friendly but slow. Atmosphere could use some work. Bare walls in need of something.

We LOVE this place. The food and the service are outstanding and Chef/​OwnerChristian Ferreira goes above and beyond to ensure that his guests come in welcomed and leave happy.
I literally LAUGHED OUT LOUD reading a recent review which stated that they had waited 45 minutes for bread. That would NEVER happen at Christian’s. They hold a much higher standard.
CLEARLY, this person is insane. If that statement is true, you’re an idiot for not having the problem resolved at the time you were experiencing this issue. Certainly, you had plenty of time. Or did you have nothing better to do than plot your passive-​aggressive revenge behind your computer?
Sounds like a grumpy old white guy.

Visited Christian’s during restaurant week… first mistake…2 servers for entire restaurant !!!
Waited 45 minutes for bread and appetizer… and nearly another 30 – 35 minutes for entrée.
Sad situation… have or call in extra help when needed. I don’t blame the server but it made for a very stressful evening.
Will truly think twice before returning.

Went there hearing good things and sadly was very disappointed. Service was very slow and waiter was strange and forgetful. Food was generally good but avoid the Salmon entrée. It was terrible. Their bananas foster was also not good to the point that the sugar was still crystallized rather than melted like it should be.

Christian’s is one of the finest dinning locations in Bristol. It is a great place to bring a date. The décor, though somewhat sterile, is intimate bordering on romantic. It feels like a nice place to get a great meal and that is exactly what it is.
The wait staff is professional and knowledgeable. We had many questions about the cocktail menu, the waitstaff went as far as to be able to pair our cocktail choice with the meals we were expecting to get. Which they were completely successful with. We love our beer, wine, and cocktails. Christian’s has a very fine selection of all of these.
Our first course was Tuna Tartar. For full disclosure, I have never had Tuna Tartar before. This was fantastic, everything I had hoped it would be. They chose to serve the Tartar on a fried wanton, which gave it a balance of textures. It could have used a little lemon on the side to provide acidity.
For our main course, we both got appetizers. My wife ordered the butternut squash bisque and I ordered crab cakes. I remember her BSB was mighty tasty, but I was very focused on my crab cakes. These were breaded with panko, which gave them a great crunchy outside and moist inside. These had great crab flavor (rather than being overly bready) and they were served with a spicy «dynamite» sauce, which I loved.
For desert, we got bananas foster which was served with a caramel gelato.
Overall, Christian’s is a fine dinning establishment.
Oh one more thing, they have wood fired things! That’s awesome.

For a new restaurant to give up half of its potential customer base by not accommodating children is ridiculous! No highchairs or booster seats, not everyone has a babysitter on call

We went to Christian’s on ⁶⁄₁₄ for dinner with some family. We has been here before when it was Hourglass and I do like what they did with the minimalist décor… took it up a notch, even the divider by the door made it feel more intimate and will be a good touch during the colder months. Our server Maxx, who also has a great knowledge of wines, made our entire dining experience a delight. He paired individual wines with our courses, without going over the top… and they were perfect compliments to a delicious meal. The oysters were outstanding… best I have had in New England and the fried pickles are to die for… our entrees, from fish to meat were excellent and unfortunately we were too full for dessert, but will try that on another visit. Don’t miss this one, it is well worth it.

My family and I went to Christians and we were blown away. Our server Matt was very knowledgeable about the menu and quite attentive. The cocktails were unique and delicious. We decided to order a multitude of items. I won’t give it all away but the chowder is our of this world. The Cuban fried pickles with pork belly are a must. Over all I was very impressed, in Bristol a lot of restaurants mail it in thinking you are there on vacation or something. I am from Rhode Island and will definitely be back. Karen (the manager) cane over to table touch and also was very knowledgeable and sweet. I saw her pulling passers by off of the street. Owner should be proud.

Christian’s really is a great restaurant with excellent quality food and great service.
We started with the calamari which has an interesting and creative twist to it, adding bacon and a mix of sweet and spicy pickled peppers. A refreshing change to what most Rhode Island restaurants pipe out as the standard. The calamari was fried perfectly, nice and light.
For main dishes we had the NY Strip and the Lobster and Shrimp pasta. The steak was grilled to perfection, and the wood fire added a great flavor to it. The wilted chard that accompanied it was also excellent, as were the roasted fingerling potatoes. The lobster and shrimp pasta was fantastic, with a lighter and balanced sauce, as opposed to the often overly-​heavy sauces that accompany many local seafood pasta dishes of the type.
The only thing holding it back from five stars was the speed of service. We did come on a night where this small restaurant had a large party of 16 which sat just prior to us. However, unlike other other diners that evening, I would have preferred a longer wait time for the perfectly executed food like we had, than a shorter wait for just average food. The waiter was also extremely apologetic for the wait, even though I don’t blame him at all. If they can learn to handle bigger tables or to decide not to accommodate them, I would give them five stars easily.
All in all, I highly recommend, just don’t expect it to be a quick in and out if you’re on a night with a big party.

What a great experience we just had here! The Menu was great and so was the service.
We started with the pork belly fried pickles which were very different from the typical fried pickle appetizer you would get… but still very good and the portion was large to share between two.
For the main, we shared the Pesto Wood Fired Flatbread and the Brussel Sprout Salad. Both were good but the salad had to have been the best preparation of brussies I have ever had! I will be returning just for that dish!
To cap it all off, our server convinced us that we must try their gelato… So we did. Holy yum! The chocolate sea salt and balsamic fig were both delish and I seriously contemplated ordering another dish to go…
Check this place out!

Stopped in on a Monday night with a friend since we had heard great things. It did not disappoint! Food was creative and delicious! We each had the brussels sprout salad and split the pizza Bianca. The salad was amazing. Crunchy and so tasty. The pizza crust was thin and crispy and cooked to perfection. The other menu choices sounded delicious too so we will definitely go back soon. We were too full for dessert but the options all had a creative twist on old favorites. (Kahlua crème brûlée!)
The service was excellent. Our waiter Matt was knowledgable, attentive, and very pleasant. The hostess, Karen, made us feel welcome from the moment we stepped in the door. She also checked on us a few times as well. The interior is nicely appointed and we had a nice view of the sunset from our table. Although I would say it’s an upscale place it has a relaxed vibe as well.

Christian’s is a warm, friendly, and casual restaurant. Service is timely and attentive. The food is exceptional, especially the Ceasar Salad, burgers, lobster mac and cheese and pizzas. A great addition to Bristol dining scene. A weekly visit for us!
Dennis Hogan

It had been a rough day and I was looking to just get a casual bite out. We decided to try Christian’s as we had been told it was more of a casual pizza place. Whoa. So not the case. This is a more upscale, scraping the crumbs off the linen between courses type of place. I felt woefully under dressed in my jeans, T-​shirt and fleece jacket. It was quickly apparent that this was not going to be the casual bite I was looking for. The whole meal just felt a bit off and uncomfortable because of that, but it is not the restaurant’s fault.
They have a nice cocktail menu, wine list and a few draft beer choices. I went with the Pleine Lune ($ 12), which is Bourbon, Lemon, Maple Sugar Syrup, Hard Cider, and Aromatic Bitters. It was absolutely delicious.
For appetizers we went with the Fried Cuban Pickles ($ 8) and the Brussels Sprout salad ($ 8). Both were great. I wouldn’t necessarily call the pickles fried though, at least not in the traditional sense. They were sliced pickles, with a piece of pork belly on top, cheese and mustard aoili. The Brussels Sprout salad had breadcrumbs and large slices of parmesan.
A few of the entrees caught my eye, particularly the pan-​seared scallops ($ 27) and the beef tenderloin ($ 32). I was still in the casual mindset though, so just got the burger ($ 13). It was definitely a good burger.
Service was good and I did appreciate the creative touches on the menu. I won’t be a regular here, but I’ll be back when I am looking for a more upscale experience.

Another great restaurant pops up in the East Bay! We went out to Christian’s on a Monday night around 7:30ish. Great location right on Thames St. in Bristol. Inside the restaurant has a comfortable upscale feel, dim lighting, simple light colored table cloths with a little candle for ambiance at each table. Elegant and inviting would be the best way I could describe it. We were greeted and sat by a friendly hostess, and soon after, a little bread with olive oil arrived at our table. Our server was polite and put together. She (I’m sorry, I am terrible with remembering names) took our Drink order and our dining experience began!
Drinks: I had the «Worker Bee» a concoction with Gin and honey. I usually find that bartenders overdo a cocktail making it too sweet or losing the base spirit in a mix of random ingredients. This was not the case! The gin shined beautifully, and the mixers complimented it instead of overpowering. Well done. My girlfriend who has been on a spritzer kick, opted for «Le Dame» again, well balanced and very tasty.
FOOD: We decided to go for a few items on the menu so we could get a taste of a much as possible. We started with the roasted beets and the lobster fritters. Both amazing! The beets were tender and delicious, on a bed of frisee with goat cheese. The vinaigrette tied it all together nicely. The only this we could complain about was that there was not enough beets, but we were after all sharing a plate made for one. It was just so damn good! The Lobster fritters were perfect, crispy outside, soft inside lots of lobster. I could have drank the lemon aioli that came along side.
Next up for her was the blackened shrimp tacos. Her only dislike was the tortilla, it seemed a bit under cooked. But she raved about all the goodies on the inside. The shrimp was cooked perfectly and the avocado, grilled corn and salsa all went great together. I went for the Portuguese short rib. This is what dreams are made of for a guy like me. The short rib was fork tender and decadent. Sitting on top of fingerling potatoes and pickled spicy peppers. I cracked the quail egg over it and had to take a deep breath while taking in its beauty. I ate as slow as possible, it was so good I didn’t want it to end.
For dessert we shared the sticky toffee banana bread. We asked for a scoop of vanilla gelato on top and were obliged. It was delicious! Not overly sweet… just right. The perfect end to an amazing meal. Thank you Chef, bartenders, and staff! We will be back.
P. S. I am happy you don’t have chocolate syrup or lemonade. ;)

Plus– very nicely decorated place, bar looks nice. Lobster fritters were very good. Having said that, you can go to The Boathouse and get a better bank for your buck, a better quality and a better view.
Cons– Service, below average. Sat down, there were 2 tables and a couple at the bar including us. There had to be 3 – 4 people on the floor and it took a good 10 minutes to get a drink order in. I had to go to work, so I ordered a coke. So here comes the nice 10 oz glass full of ice and fountain soda with no refills. As an avid dinner, thats like going to a breakfast place and charging per cup of coffee. Their burger was like eating a summer homecooked hockey puck. Brought our daughter with us, no chocolate syrup for chocolate milk or lemonade.
When is all said and done, I am sure a lot of the food is of much superior quality than a lot of other places in the area but with the heavy competition in the area, their service news to greatly improve.