A popular destination among many in Dayton, Christopher’s restaurant in Kettering is so popular because it’s a place that does just about everything; it’s got a very local and small-town vibe to it, but it’s still got a menu where you can find finer dining dishes. It’s got a lunch menu for soups and salads and lighter fare, but heavy Italian pastas and steaks as well. Really, the secret to its success is how many different palettes and moods it can appeal to at once. For this reason, Christopher’s is and will remain one of those few timeless restaurants that locals will always continue to swear by.
The menu is so diverse it’s hard to nail down one dish to begin with that would describe the restaurant as a whole. But of course, I was inclined to try the fish, which dominates many parts of the menu. Christopher’s makes great grilled salmon fillet sandwich. It’s delicate fish, slightly browned on the edges but flaky inside. It’s served with a grilled bun and vegetables, altogether a great main course. I also tried the spaghetti with Italian meatballs, which were great, too. The pasta is al dente and the sweet tomato sauce is astoundingly fresh. It’s the kind of stuff you wish you could make at home, and the kind of great food you only find in a restaurant with years of refinement.
Even the simple dishes are great; the appetizers include soups and salads and other lighter fare. I had the bruschetta, which was also good, lightly toasted bread topped with cheese and some light veggies. In all of the menu you find a lot of neat little things to sample. During Restaurant Week I tried a delicious pork tenderloin. In all of these dishes, there’s a delicious theme: these dishes aren’t exotic or unfamiliar to the Midwestern palette, but they’re done in a creative interpretation that makes them tasty.
The atmosphere is great, it’s very Midwestern-friendly and the people are very passionate about making this place really shine. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of restaurants serving the same kind of cuisine around this city, but nonetheless when talking about the best Dayton dives, this place almost always comes up. Having sampled it, I really understand why. The Pritchard family truly began something special when they first opened this place in Kettering in 1991. Dayton should be proud.
This restaurant’s diner-like atmosphere and menu have been so beloved by locals that I suspect it will continue to be a pillar of the Dayton dining scene for a long time to come.
Recommendations
- Unlike most other places, I actually suggest you come here for dinner first. The prices are not the same, but the best dishes are ones you simply can’t try at lunch.
- There are a number of dining options, though, included a breakfast menu, sandwiches for lunch and some “after 5” specialties.
- Christopher’s also caters.
Another Food Critic 
What happened to the critiques you used to do? Now for the past couple of months you have changed your story styles to just promotional rubbish. You are supposed to be a critic, isnt that the title of this website? Stop painting rainbows and go back to the realistic feedback you used to give on your restaurants including the bad ones. I am probably going to stop following your blog, because these stories are a waste of time, a schmooze, and definitely not a critique.
Wes,
It’s a shame you feel that way. However, the rate of negative reviews hasn’t really changed. About 10 percent of my reviews are negative now, as they have been for most of the past few years. Part of it might be that some three-star reviews lately have focused more on strengths than weaknesses, but I remain just as willing as ever to pan a bad restaurant. Breaking into a new city, the better places tend to be easier to find.
Thanks for reading!
Well said Wes. He has done the same thing with his writings for a local website. Needs to use less photos and the stories are too long. I think I am done with this blog too. Yuck
Wes – I agree ! I have noticed a change in style as well in the past I would say 3 months. One of my friends who knows this guy, recommended this site a while ago. There used to be much more bad reviews, or mentions of bad service or menu items so I knew what to stay away from. Now this blog seems like a 17year old art student wrote it and it stinks. For a REAL food critic visit foodvsface.com. It is a no-nonsense review of good and bad points and not this artsy fartsy baloney.
I had a few negative reviews scheduled over the next month, I’ll move them up for a little more equilibrium. If any of you can think of a restaurant that needs a little tough love — or one that got undeserved praise here — let me know. also, Wouldn’t be so sure about food vs face. He rarely reviews restaurants anymore since he started his column for the community papers, and he openly asks for handouts on his site.
Food Vs Face is a she. She jokingly “asks for handouts” though I wouldn’t even call it that– she’s turned restaurants down for it before because she thought they were crap the first time around (when she paid for her own meal) and she’s been open about that. She’s also keen on giving away things she’s sent as promotional stuff– I know she’s given away things for McDonalds, Mike Sells, and I think some other stuff too. She’s one of my favorite food bloggers– yeah, I wish she had time to post more, but I am pretty sure I remember she also had a baby in the last few months as well as starting that new job for the paper, so I’m willing to cut her some slack as long as the quality of posts stays where it should.
I actually just found your blog today courtesy of this review, and thought “Cool, another Dayton food blog to follow”, but the first thing I see is you knocking a fellow food blogger who you clearly don’t even know well enough to get their gender right. Comes across super catty. Not a great first impression to leave, just so you know, and certainly not encouraging me to follow. Save the critiques for the restaurants, not fellow bloggers.
I certainly sympathize Ang — I definitely wish Dayton had more food bloggers. I’ve probably met every Columbus food blogger at some point, but other than Food vs Face, Kevin Superfry and Big Ragu there aren’t a lot of food writers. If we all met I’m sure I would never say something demeaning about FvF’s work.
But understand where I’m coming from here; Every negative review I do gets some kind of angry response, and when I try to be more constructive I’m attacked pretty viciously for being too positive. I try to take food criticism with an appropriate level of balance; I owe it to restaurateurs not to trash their livelihoods without good cause, and I owe it to readers not to shill every place I visit. I owe it to everyone to be endlessly critical of both myself and everyone else trying to walk that line.
That said, if FvF is reading this, I apologize if that was out of line, and I greatly respect her work.
How dare you knock FvF! She tells it like it is, not this stuff you are writing. What fluff!
You’re jumping to conclusions a little quickly. I am not ‘knocking’ FvF. As I just said, I respect what that blog has produced, and I pretty clearly just apologized if what I said was out of line.
This site strives to be as useful as possible. Of late I’ve tried to focus on what to get at restaurants, not what to avoid, because until now no one has ever complained about a positive review, but I take it as great validation that my readers say they prefer things in a more critical context. I’ll go back to my old formula, since people seem to prefer that.
This blog has sucked for the past few months. Just keeping it real. My friends at the local site have become disenchanted and are tired of him dominating with these fluffy stories and would relish this guy moving out of state.
AGREE 100% Kelly !!
HANDOUTS ???? At least Food vs Face has a full time job and doesn’t live with her parents! That is the ultimate handout! Why don’t you stop spending money going out to eat everyday and move out like an adult? Ironic you saying anything to anyone about handouts.
PS your article style here is the same crap you write on the local site. Too many photos and not enough critique on that site or here. That’s why people stopped following you.
Ah, you again! I hoped I would see you return to my site. You know that WordPress automatically grabs your IP address every time you comment, right? Clearly I haven’t been TOO positive, since you’ve been trolling my reviews ever since I wrote a negative review of your restaurant.
Well, since you’re now posting different fake names and pretending to have conversations with yourself, I’ll be tagging all of your past and future comments. Might want to contribute a little more constructively from now on.
It’s nice to see dining places that stil stays after so many changes in the food trend. Growing up dining in this place really keeps the haapy memories coming back and I guess it is something which is irreplaceable.
Thanks, I have recently been looking for info about this topic for ages and yours is the best I have found so far.
thank you for valuable recommendations and basically great information
I have to chime in with the others who note the unqualifiedly positive reviews from this site. I found you on Urbanspoon and I have noticed that, since I have seen your review logo there, NONE of your reviews are negative. You do do a great job of characterizing every place, its food and its atmosphere. But I can’t rely on your reviews very much to get an accurate impression of the probable quality of the experience. I think even a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio of positive to negative reviews would feel a bit more balanced and it’s just not here.
True, it’s all subjective.
The main issue with that is service is very, very subjective. It takes a dozen or so visits to tell if your bad service was one barrista having a bad day or a systematic problem with leadership that plagues the restaurant. I only mention the latter. I’m quick to criticize when service is slow, but rude? I have to see that on a much more consistent basis to bring it up. Turnover in food service is quick, and it’s not fair to place a heavy emphasis on one experience with one person who might well end up being fired the next day for being rude.
Bad reviews have stayed relatively consistent, in fact they may well have increased of late as I have eaten my way through the best places in many cities and look for less reputable ones to review. The two-star and three-star reviews still add to more than the four- and fives. It’s a matter of reading the content, I have continued to criticize individual dishes and restaurant atmospheres pretty frequently. I rarely say nothing but bad things about a place, and like anything in the world, even mediocre restaurants have some good and some bad going for them.
I agree with Wes, this guy just tries to visit as many spots as he can for Urban Spoon. Throw a bunch of crap on the wall and see what sticks. Want REAL critiques? Read FoodvsFace.com. Or onegirlstasteonlife.net This boring site is a weak imitation of them. It doesn’t hold a candle, as the phase goes.
As always, I challenge you to find a specific restaurant where you find praise was unwarranted and explain your thoughts there. Though I seem to be entering a circular argument with seemingly fly-by commenters who try to criticize this blog but don’t appear to be reading its contents at all.
Christopher’s is a good restaurant. Lots of healthy options. My only complaint is the location. I used to always drive past it and never go in until one time I decided to try it out for restaurant week. I was very impressed. Plus, the decor might turn off a lot of its young, hip, urban target market. It was the main reason I never ventured there – I thought it would be a meat and potatoes typical Beavercreek/Kettering family restaurant. If this was downtown Dayton, or Yellow Springs, it would attract more of its target market.
Let me add to it…I think its the best restaurant in Kettering. Just my take on things.