Christoph's On The Water New Bern

LOVE...LOVE...LOVE this restaurant! I eat there all the time and the food is excellent and its great to have the choice of eating inside or on a pretty day being able to go on the patio and enjoying my meal overlooking the river...such a gorgeous view. Friday nite is my fave because I can have dinner and also hang out at the deck party with live music and have a drink. I went last week on Sunday and was pleasantly surprised that there was live jazz music...just always a great experience from the food to the service to the cool vibe. I have and will always continue to recommend this place to all my friends!

Best Kept Secret. Looking for a place to have lunch today, my husband and I decided to try the closest one, and Christoph's was it. In the past we've avoided this restaurant because we thought the prices were high and the atmosphere a little too formal.

We were wrong on both counts!

We were very pleasantly surprised to learn that the restaurant had just begun a new lunch buffet service. Like, last week. Let's hope they maintain the high standards, excellent quality, great variety, and attentive service.

The buffet price is just under $10, including beverage. You're seated in an especially attractive room overlooking the marina, and the table is set in typical upscale hotel style.

The buffet line consists of a hot station where you can have grilled sandwiches made to order from an impressive display of ingredients, including burgers.

The cold buffet features tuna salad, chicken salad, pasta salad, waldorf salad, fruit salad, and some others. There's different cheeses, and deli meats, different breads and spreads, and sandwich makings. There were other things. I just don't remember them all, but I was impressed.

Unlike many hot and cold bars, the ingredients looked like they were just freshly prepared, and artfully arranged. The tuna salad tasted like it was made from just cooked fish, not canned. The chicken salad was full of flavor, perfectly seasoned. This ain't no stinkin Golden Corral, or even Ruby Tuesday.

Everyone we interacted with seemed happy we were there -- the greeter, the manager, the waiter, the shortorder cook at the buffet table.

My only disappointment was that the breads they choose to serve were the usual New Bern assortment -- like something from the supermarket. Real bread, bread baked on premise -- even if there were just two varieties of signature bread -- would have put this place over the top.

Since we keep our boat at this marina, we were able to get a 10% discount on the entire bill. We'll probably be inviting friends to meet us there more often, but it is open weekdays only.

Did I mention the view? And the price? Can't be beat!