55 years ago, a family changed its name to buy Houston's oldest restaurant

Christie's Seafood & Steaks is now the oldest restaurant in Houston.

By the time the new Christies took the restaurant over, it had already earned quite a reputation, with roots in Galveston dating back to 1917. Theodore's original concept was a sandwich shop called Christie's Cafe within Galveston's Tremont Hotel, and a fried trout sandwich, served on toasted po' boy bread, was its claim to fame.

In 1939, Theodore opened a full-service restaurant at 6703 South Main Street in Houston. The much larger Christie's had three dining rooms and was churning out upwards of 10,000 fish sandwiches per week.

"They called it Christie's famous trout sandwich," said Maria Christie, general manager and daughter of James Christie (formerly Priovolos). "It's just like the one we have on the menu today—same seasoning and breading, but now we use Gulf snapper instead of trout."

The location on South Main would remain in business for 45 years, and at the time of Theodore's death in 1968, James and Steve were operating multiple Christie's locations, including outposts on Bellaire Boulevard, South Post Oak and Westheimer. Steve's retirement caused the partners to scale back, eventually leaving only the Westheimer location for James to manage. And when James passed in 2013, his children took charge.

"We all grew up in the restaurant," said Maria of herself and her four siblings. "It was only natural that we would end up in the restaurant business—and three of us, myself, Terry and George, did." Maria's sisters, Roula Christie, the host of 104.1 KRBE's popular morning show, and Kathy Christie, take on supporting roles, but Maria says "the restaurant runs through their blood too."

Christie's has a hefty focus on seafood today, but Maria says a peek at vintage menus brought in from longtime customers revealed the selection was much larger in years past. "There were omelets, enchiladas, shrimp curry and ham sandwiches," she said, citing that it wasn't until the 1970s that the menu was simplified to include mostly seafood.

"Today, people know us for our fried shrimp," she said. "We peel and devein it, butterfly it, bread it with our house-made breading and serve it with our own garlic remoulade sauce."

Fresh fish is equally sought after. Christie's simple grilled snapper filet is offered everyday with a vegetable and salad for $31.95. Maria claims their prices can't be beat, but that doesn't mean they skimp on quality. "We look at all of the deliveries, and if we don't like the way something looks, we send it back and let customers know we don't have that specific thing that day."

A great many regulars have passed through the retro building on Westheimer for fried shrimp, the 1917 famous fish sandwich, and much more, but former President George H. W. Bush is arguably the most famous among them. His dish of choice was the oyster stew—a piping hot combination of heavy cream, butter and fresh oysters—that still graces the menu.

Blood may be thicker than water, but in the case of Theodore Christie and his chosen successors, the opposite has proven to be true. "None of this was planned, it just happened," said Maria, who wouldn't have it any other way. "My family loves feeding Houstonians."

It's a great time to honor the beloved Houston institution and its highly publicized 1917 famous fish sandwich , as Christie's celebrates its 105-year milestone anniversary in 2022.