This Seafood Restaurant Has Been A Houston (And Galveston) Staple For Over 100 Years

Running a restaurant can be a bit of a lottery. Between market collapses, global pandemics, and a constant churn in consumer trends, the next bankruptcy is just around the corner, as is the next must-visit spot. For example, in the first six months of 2024, almost 16,000 restaurants shut down in America, while around 15,000 new ones sprang up. At a time when some big chains keep filing for bankruptcy, you know someone's hitting the nail on the head daily if they've been around for over a century, like this seafood restaurant from Houston. This is the story of Christie's Seafood & Steaks, which has been surfing (and sometimes turfing) since 1917, going from a food-and-drink stall on Galveston's Waterfront to serving a former President on a regular basis.

Fittingly, this legendary restaurant has an epic backstory. A young Greek immigrant, Theodore Christie, found work in the legal profession in New York City before trading law documents for a frying pan. He moved to Galveston, a gambling-fueled tourism hub where he started selling fried fish sandwiches with immediate success. A move to Houston followed in 1934, where Christie ended up opening a series of full-service restaurants over the next few years. A borderline-Hollywood twist in the story came in the 1960s when Christie offered to sell the restaurant to one of his most trusted employees. His only condition was that the employee, James Priovolos, change his last name to Christie in order to keep his legacy alive.

Christie's Seafood & Steakhouse has clearly come a long way from its humble beginnings to one of the absolute best seafood restaurants in Houston. Their extensive menu today includes everything from crabcakes to oysters, an entire section dedicated to lobsters, sirloins, and ribeyes, as well as an entire Greek menu. But the "1917 Famous Fish Sandwich," which headlines the Po-Boys & Sandwiches section, has clearly lasted the test of time. The sandwich is made up of fried, broiled, or blackened fish fillet served on the increasingly elusive po-boy bread, and remains a big hit with diners. Reviews on the Christie's website are peppered with phrases like "fresh and delicious," "most excellent," and "best I've had in ages."

It's not the only famous dish on the menu, though. Former President George H.W. Bush, a regular at Christie's before he died, loved the oyster stew. It's described on the menu as "President H.W. Bush favorite! Made to order the right way with heavy cream, butter, fresh oysters, and seasonings." There's a story behind this as well, according to an anecdote reported from the first time President Bush dined at the restaurant. An Eyewitness News article quotes the then General Manager Maria Christie: "When I asked the waitress what he wanted, she said, 'Oh, he wanted something called oyster stew, but we didn't have that.'" Unfazed, the kitchen made one on the spot for him, and he kept coming back for more. Much like millions of happy diners over the years.