Christopher’s World Grille: Award-Winning Cuisine in Bryan, Texas

by Minnie Payne on January 30, 2025 in Food+Drink,
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Customers leave with a smile after dining at Christopher’s World Grille. 

Excellence often stems from a deep love and early experience in a craft, and Chef Christopher Lampo exemplifies this perfectly. He discovered his passion for cooking at just seven years old. “I wanted to cook my breakfast, and with my mother’s help cracking the egg, I succeeded,” he recalls. This early spark of curiosity and determination laid the foundation for his skills and love for cooking.

The Parlor includes an oversized fireplace, where the Christmas tree is featured during the holidays. Two French doors lead to the outdoor wrap around deck. This room can be booked for private events seating up to 64 guests and can open up the partition on the right side to make it a “Banquet Room” seating up to 144 guests. Photo courtesy Christopher’s World Grille.

Chef Christopher’s Early Life

Christopher was born and raised in Bryan. “I went to school, elementary to high school, in Bryan,” he said. “After graduating, I was trying to find a profession. I thought about being a priest, but my older brother chose first, and I didn’t want to be a copycat.” 

Christopher’s Dad gave him his first cookbook at about age 10. “We watched the cooking shows together, and Dad saw my interest. I created my own cookbook with four recipes, and would cook snacks for my older brother’s friends. I was learning to make a living in the restaurant business, so I guess I have been in the restaurant business since I was 10 years old.”

The Journey to Becoming a Chef

Award-winning Chef Christopher Lampo has transformed Christopher’s World Grille into a culinary landmark, making Bryan/College Station a must-visit destination for fine dining enthusiasts. Photo courtesy Christopher’s World Grille.

Christopher Lampo’s path to becoming a chef was inspired by his family’s Sicilian heritage and nurtured by key mentors along the way. When he cooked a delicious dinner for one of his mother’s friends, she encouraged him to go to The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Encouraged by this suggestion, Christopher dove into research at Texas A&M University’s library, uncovering details about the cooking school that he needed in order to pursue his dream. 

Before applying to The Culinary Institute of America, Christopher told his father he wanted to go to the CIA which led to a humorous exchange. “Dad was thrilled and replied, ‘Finally, we will have someone on our side of the law.’ I responded, ‘No, Dad. Not that CIA! It’s the Culinary Institute of America. I’m going to chef school.’ ”

“Back then, you couldn’t just go to school without on-the-job training. I think the requirement was about 800 to 1,000 hours of paid training,” said Christopher. Hired by Danny Morrison, owner of Epicures Catering in College Station and a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Christopher worked for about one and a half years, gaining invaluable experience and earning a recommendation to the Culinary Institute of America, which launched his career as a chef. 

The Bleu Filet is a pepper crusted, bacon wrapped seared beef tenderloin topped with bleu cheese on buttered crouton, Cognac sauce and the chef’s vegetable selections. Photo courtesy Christopher’s World Grille.

“Halfway through my education, I entered an internship at the Boca Raton Resort in Florida. There I worked with professional French chefs who encouraged me and told me I had talent. The internship led me to things that other internships wouldn’t cover – a job at the exclusive Top of the Tower Restaurant.”

Christopher finished his education as a chef in 1989, graduating with high honors from the Culinary Institute of America. He was concerned, though, that he would become trapped in the kitchen for the rest of his career, so he decided to go to Hotel and Restaurant Management School for a four-year degree. “I earned my Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management from Florida International University, Miami.”

Opening Christopher’s World Grille

This was the Andrews family’s original living room. The fireplace still includes the original tiger oak mantel from the 1900s and original tiles. Photo courtesy Christopher’s World Grille.

After graduating, Christopher worked as a chef in restaurants and on private yachts all over the world. During this time, Christopher cooked for numerous celebrities, including Michael Douglas, Mick Jagger, and Robert DeNiro, according to his website. In 1999, after returning to Bryan the year before, Christopher’s World Grille opened in the historic Andrews House.

Original Recipes Inspired by Global Travel

Berries Napoleon is a dessert made with layers of white chocolate pastry cream, fresh berries tossed in orange liqueur and almond lace cookies on raspberry sauce. Photo courtesy Christopher’s World Grille.

All of Christopher’s recipes come from worldwide travel and inspiration. “In the beginning, I tested my recipes on my older brother and friends. As Christopher’s grows each year, all recipes are made in-house and tested on our staff,” he shares. “I am especially successful with French sauces as a result of being educated and trained by French chefs. Even though there may be a modern twist, my sauces come from French tradition.”

“We buy the best prime beef in America – the top two percent. My instructions are to ‘leave it the way God made it.’ We add salt and pepper; special sauces and vegetables make a big difference.”

Popular Menu Items

Three popular dishes on the menu at Christopher’s World Grille are:

Christopher’s House Filet

Photo courtesy Christopher’s World Grille.

 Grilled 8-ounce center-cut beef tenderloin on creamed spinach and house potatoes, topped with fried crawfish tails and benaise sauce on port wine demi-glace. This popular dish has been on the menu since they opened in 1999.

South American Marinated Beef

Photo courtesy Christopher’s World Grille.

An 8-ounce grilled beef tenderloin tip marinated in cilantro chimichurri on roasted serrano butter sauce with our vegetable enchiladas and seared baby spinach.

Zihuatanejo Redfish

Photo courtesy Christopher’s World Grille.

Flash marinated and sauteed with lump crab, pico de gallo, Chardonnay butter sauce and served with our house vegetable presentation.

Accolades and Awards

While the focus at Christopher’s is great food and service, you can’t overlook the numerous awards the restaurant has received. “Our most distinguished award is the AAA Four Diamond rating. Another great award is the DiRoNA (Distinguished Restaurant of North America). We are all about great food and great service. That’s why we win so many awards,” says Christopher.

The Galley Room was the Andrews family’s original kitchen. Spot the unique copper pot rack chandelier, original brick exhaust where the wood burning stove would have resided. This Room is called the Galley because before opening the restaurant, Christopher spent years as a private chef on luxury Yachts and that is what they call the kitchen on a yacht (galley). This room can be booked for private events seating up to 22 guests. Photo courtesy Christopher’s World Grille.

Navigating Challenges: COVID’s Impact on the Restaurant

Christopher shares that to make his restaurant stable, it has to provide good service. When COVID hit, supply changed; cost of labor changed! “We are still trying to make Christopher’s profitable by constantly dodging things. The thing that saved my business is that I own our building and property. When it’s your passion in life, you make it succeed.”

This is a very popular, romantic table in the restaurant, as it sits in front of beautiful French doors overlooking the terrace. The ceiling in this room is the only visible portion of the original ceiling; the original wood is from 1900. Photo courtesy Christopher’s World Grille.

Family Life

Christopher speaks proudly of his wife Dr. Sandi Lampo, a Clinical Associate Professor in Marketing at the Texas A&M University Mays Business School, and two sons, Luke and Dominic.

“The driving motivation for making my business successful is to give my children opportunity; to make a living is to provide them a good, happy living. I work long hours to give them a career where they can do anything they wish.”

The Molten Chocolate Gâteau is very popular for Valentine’s Day. It is a rich flourless chocolate cake warmed with a chocolate ganache truffle served with fresh raspberries and raspberry sauce. Photo courtesy Christopher’s World Grille.

A Romantic Dinner: Valentine’s Day 2025

Valentine’s will be a busy time at the restaurant. Christopher’s is very proud to have been voted the Top 100 Most Romantic restaurants in America by Open Table for the past two years. Be sure to save room for dessert when you go. “Our Molten Chocolate Gâteau dessert is very popular during this time,” Christopher says. 

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Cover Photo courtesy Christopher’s World Grille

Minnie Payne grew up in South Carolina but because of her husband’s government job, lived in many different U.S. cities. Having lived in Texas 38 years, she claims it as home and appreciates the many opportunities and advantages that the Lone Star State provides.