Christo's Original — Restaurant in Lexington

What a miserable, disappointing dining experience lunch was here today, and on all levels. We were looking forward to finally trying this place after eating at Milos in Thomasville a while back - same concept (pizza buffet with salad bar), same pedigree, totally different outcome.

The service was as bad as we've experienced in a long time. The waitresses were all clumped up at a booth in the back of the restaurant, totally absorbed in personal matters and chatter. They reluctantly tore themselves away when forced to to deal with a customer. When we arrived there was only one couple in the restaurant, and of course, the "hostess" promptly lead us to the table next to them. After placing our drink order, we moved to another area of the restaurant.

The pizza buffet was not setup and we were told it would be a few more minutes. We started with the salad bar, which was a pretty nice one, though the only green thing was iceberg lettuce. We finished our salad and waited on the pizza and our spaghetti, which is included in the buffet price. We did at least get our drinks refilled - yeap, we'd been there long enough to empty them.

Finally, the pizzas were brought out. We sampled about 5 or 6 kinds, and were very much underwhelmed. Other than a stuffed pizza and a veggie, the slices all looked alike, they all tastes alike - the toppings less than fresh, the cheese cooked to the point of thin leather, all dripping grease everywhere. It is a good thing the lunch buffet is cheap ($6.99) because the pizza is awful.

We never saw our waitress again, never were served our spaghetti, never saw a single smile from any employee, never heard a thank you, never even received an acknowledgement when we told the "hostess" we'd never got the spaghetti, nor did we have a check for the meal - from the look on her face it was obvious that I had her confused with someone who gave a damn.

No need to ask if...

Christos has a lot of things going for it. For one, they are always open. Lots of places take the day off on Sundays in Lexington, so Christos is a place you can count on. Secondly, the staff are all very lovely and helpful and kind. Thirdly, their pizza, while nothing special and kinda greasy, is consistent and delish in that 'small-town local place has always done it like this' type of way. And the wings are excellent. Like truly truly excellent.

But everything else? Meh. Ask for your cheesesteak sandwich sans 'cheese'...it's just a gooey Kraft single. Like...I can do that at home. And forget the salads; unless you request the dressing on the side, something like the Cesar salad is going to be soggy as all get out when you get it home, even after the most modest of drives. Pictured in this review is what is very obviously a quickly made salad, with chicken vein still attached to several pieces of chicken. For a place that knocks out wings like there is no tomorrow, it's disappointing to see them fumble the other parts of the bird so badly.

Def the type of place that prevails here because it's a local staple everyone grew up with and people don't like to drive out of town unless they have to. If you're sticking to just pizza and wings, you're good. If you branch out, the weakness in the Christos armor becomes evident, as not everything in the menu is treated with the same level of care.

And maybe that flies here in Lexington, but it would be a disaster anywhere else.

The people ARE sweet however. Def not a knock on them...

I've been eating at this restaurant for years, but for some reason have never reviewed it until now. And here's the thing about Christo's: some of the criticisms in other reviews are valid, and there are definitely things the restaurant could and should aspire to do better with. The service here, and the atmosphere it sometimes creates, is something I've never really seen in a restaurant before: some of the staff here can be downright rude. Sometimes, you'll find a group of servers/employees standing at the front near the buffet waiting on orders loudly discussing work drama and speaking negatively about the place and/or other employees. Sometimes it's other customers who lack manners. And yes, if you go at certain times (the end of lunch, for example) you're going to get pizza from the buffet that's last its prime. But even with all of that in mind, we love eating here because the food is just really good when it's done right. They serve my husband's favorite Philly cheese steak. Their pastas and subs are fantastic, and though inconsistent, their wings are awesome. The pizza buffet has an excellent variety of pizzas, and the corresponding salad bar has a ton of different toppings and my favorite restaurant ranch dressing. The supreme pizza, as well as the Philly cheese steak bread stuff, are among the best options, and their dessert pizzas are a really yummy change of pace as well. Even though this place does have its flaws and its bad days, we keep coming back because we just love the food that much at the...