Christian's Tailgate sells two things Houston takes seriously: a burger people have argued about for years and a no-frills room to watch the game. The Midtown location on Bagby keeps both close to downtown.
The brand has run multiple Houston rooms, and its own site leans on the line that matters most here, billing Christian's as home of the voted best burger in Houston. That claim is the whole pitch. This is a kitchen-first sports bar, where the food is the reason you stay through a blowout.
The room
The Bagby room is a plain, dark, screen-lined box, and that plainness is a feature. Harlow checks the bad seats first, and Christian's keeps it simple: enough TVs spread around a square room that a corner booth still holds a line on the main game. It runs loud and full on NFL Sundays and Texans game days. The trade-off is zero polish. You come for the burger and the broadcast, not the decor.
What to order
Order the burger, full stop. It is the dish the room is built around, char-grilled and unfussy, and it is the honest call at the $$ price level. Pair it with a cold domestic or a Texas draft rather than reaching for a cocktail list this room does not pretend to keep. If you want a second plate, the wings hold up across a long sitting. Skip the room if a burger and beer is not what you came for.
The crowd and best time to go
The kitchen runs from 11am, with the room open later Thursday through Saturday. Game days pack the Bagby location with a Midtown and downtown crowd, so arrive a half hour before kickoff to land a booth near a screen. A weekday lunch is the quiet window, when you can get the burger without the Sunday wait.
What regulars say
The constant across the Midtown location's 450 Yelp reviews is the burger, which reviewers return for even when the room is slammed. The praise is the char and the price; the gripe is the wait and the basic decor on a busy Sunday. The advice that repeats is to come early, order the burger, and not expect more than screens and cold beer around it.
Who it is for
Christian's is for the fan who rates a sports bar by its kitchen, the Midtown local after a reliable burger and a game, and the group that wants food worth ordering twice. Skip it if you are chasing a craft cocktail or a designed room. This is a burger joint with screens, and it has held its corner of Houston for a reason.
The verdict
Two things keep Christian's in the conversation. The first is the burger, a dish Houston has debated long enough that the bar built its identity on it, and on a busy Sunday it still comes out fast and hot. The second is the format, a plain screen-lined room that asks nothing of you except an appetite and a team to pull for. The trade-off is the lack of polish and a draft list that stays basic, so a cocktail drinker is in the wrong room. For a fan who wants the game and a great burger in the same booth, that is a fair trade. For more of the city's game-day options, see our guide to the best sports bars in Houston, and for a bigger-screen alternative try Social Beer Garden HTX nearby in Midtown.
The wider scene is mapped in the Houston bar guide.
Sources: Christian's Tailgate official site (christianstailgate.com, 2026); Yelp reviews (Midtown, 450); Tripadvisor reviews; Houston Steak Night listing.
