Christian's Tailgate Bar & Grill

Christian's Tailgate was the first local burger joint that I had the pleasure of eating in Houston. I had my "National Lampoon's Guide to Eating in Houston" book and I knew that any place where I could grab a bite to eat while observing Houston locals would be a good place to set my burger roots. Their beers on tap are great local brews and their chili burger is still probably the best burger I've had in Houston for the past three years. The atmosphere makes you feel like a rough and tough burger goer while simultaneously warming up your frozen heart from that time your ex-girlfriend Stacy broke your heart. She never did like my haircut. What I Order: A pitcher of Shiner Chili burger with fries

Neighborhood dive bar with burgers worth leaving your neighborhood for - depending on your neighborhood. Good beer selection (B/B-) , and I'm not sure if there is any actual "top shelf" but pretty good happy hour prices. Oh, and by "fried bacon" they mean battered and deep fried. If that sounds good to you, I'm actually sorry. It's not. Flavorless batter and floppy bacon. (sad trombone)

This is why "sports bars" get a bad name. We visited last Sunday to watch football. The place was half empty - seemed perfect. The bar was pretty full and waitresses were tending to tables so we took a seat and looked at the menu. Fifteen minutes later, three waitresses had passed us what must have been a dozen times. One waitress swept the floors which, in all fairness, was needed. Another had found a spot to chill behind the bar. No one had greeted us, taken our order, acknowledged we were there. I'll give you fifteen minutes grace before I'm out. The only purpose this place serves to us know is catching a glimpse of the game while walking to our car from Fitzgerald's.

This is a nice sized bar with a pretty good atmosphere. Cyclist friendly. Depending on the night you go determines the crowd atmosphere. Sometimes good sometimes bad. The food is pretty good and so is the beer selection. The wait staff is ok at times but not the best.

It's true. Most places who serve a burger on their menu can make a good one. Those places specializing in burgers SHOULD make a very good one. One would think. Today, I enjoyed my monthly lunch with "The Burger Buddies". We convened at "Christian's Tailgate" on Washington Avenue. We made the decision in unison, during our last lunch, to try this place out together. Christian's is somewhat of a Houston burger institution. Per usual, I ordered a 1/3lb "cooked-medium" bacon cheeseburger, with lettuce, onions and light mayo. (Mix of Onion Rings and Fries on the side - okay some say I need an intervention quick!) The burger arrived, and the aroma was reeling me in as I took the first bite. The burger (mine and the others') was a little over-cooked, but had a good flavor. The bacon, light (mustard-ly tasting) mayo and the meat flavors complimented each other nicely. The burger was warm, juicy, and firm. The onion rings were quite delicious, but the fries were batter fries - not my favorite. And, that about sums up this burger experience. Good burger - nothing too exciting. The rustic "beer joint" atmosphere was cool, and fit the mood. While discussing the fact that our burgers were "good", it led to an interesting discussion on our choices for good burgers and great burgers in Houston. We agreed with each other, and disagreed with each other, but we all did agree on our next burger adventure! And, we agreed that if anyone ever wanted to meet us at Christian's we would. But, would we make Christian's a destination burger?.......hmmm.

Don't be fooled - you may think Christian's Tailgate is a sports bar, but it's really a burger joint. Their other food may be good - who knows - but this is place you really come to for great, juicy, fatty burgers. Their bacon bacon burger and country fried bacon burger and probably the biggest hits, but you won't be disappointed by their cheese burger either. Protip - you can also get your side as half-fries and half-onion rings. Maybe one day I'll try their other food... Oh, and a warning - their website indicates they're open on Sundays, but I'm not sure that's really true. Call ahead if you're considering going on a Sunday. Enjoy!

The original Christian's Tailgate and my favorite by far. The epitome of a burger joint in my eyes. Kinda old, kinda dingy, kinda amazing. Order at the bar and enjoy one of the beers from their solid lineup while you wait for your number. It's tough to go wrong with the food but give me an old fashioned cheeseburger anytime.

The food was good. It was a little hard to swallow with the smell since something died under the south side of the restaurant and it has been a problem for a week according to the manager. The air conditioner has also been out for a few weeks. The health department really needs to look into this.