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107 W 1st St, Sanford, get directions, opens in a new tab Call us at (407) 320-0799
Kitchen hours, Sanford time
Sunday 11:00am – 7:00pm
Monday 11:00am – 3:00pm
Tuesday 11:00am – 10:00pm
Wednesday 11:00am – 10:00pm
Thursday 11:00am – 10:00pm
Friday 11:00am – 11:00pm
Saturday 11:00am – 11:00pm

Since 1971

One family, one long table

The Cranias family has run more than twenty restaurants between Detroit and Orlando. This one carries the name of the man who started it all.

A polaroid of Christo Sr. and Christo Jr. with their arms around each other, captioned Christo Sr. and Christo Jr.

Chris Cranias opened Christo's Coney Island in Detroit in 1971. To the neighborhood he was The Old Man. To the grandkids he was Papou, and to everyone who ate at his counter he was Papa Christo's. He believed in a grassroots family restaurant where friends and family can come, eat a great meal, and still leave with some money in their pocket.

In 1979 he moved the whole family to Florida, and in 1984 they landed in Sanford for good. Papou has passed, but two of his sons carry on the family legacy in his name, and the greeting at the door has not changed in forty years: "Welcome to Christo's!"

A polaroid of the whole Cranias family gathered in the living room, captioned The Cranias Family

The family timeline, 1971 to 2010

  1. 1971

    Christo's Coney Island opens in Detroit

    Chris Cranias, the man everybody called The Old Man, opens the first one. Coneys, counter stools, and his name over the door.

    Christo's Coney Island in Detroit: the hanging Carry Outs sign, draft beer painted on the siding, footlong specials in the window

  2. 1974

    Vannete's Pizza Box opens in Detroit

    Square Shooter pizza, subs, ribs, slushes and frozen yogurt on Lahser in Old Redford, right next to the Redford Theatre.

    Vannete's Pizza Box on Lahser Road in Old Redford, right beside the Redford Theatre marquee

  3. 1976

    A second Detroit room, on 8 Mile

    Same menu, more seats, and by now the kids are old enough to bus tables.

    The second Detroit restaurant on 8 Mile Road, wood chevron siding over a brick base

  4. 1979

    The family moves to Orlando and opens Theodore's

    Colonial Drive. First Florida kitchen, first Florida winter, and nobody missed the snow.

    Theodore's on East Colonial Drive in Orlando, cedar siding and the script sign, the family's first Florida restaurant

  5. 1981

    Christo's Family Dining opens in Lake Mary

    A little further north, a little closer to where we would end up.

    Christo's Lake Mary badge, photo coming soon

  6. 1984

    Christo's Classics opens in Sanford

    The year Sanford became home. Forty odd years later we are still on the same street.

    Christo's Classics on First Street in Sanford at its grand opening, a classic car parked out front

  7. 1988

    Christo's Cafe opens in College Park

    John and Ted open a new College Park spot built around the lunch crowd. The College Park staple is still open today, running continuously since the Cranias family started it, though a different family owns it now.

    Christo's Subs & Salads under its blue awning on Edgewater Drive in College Park

  8. 1993

    Appleton's Hometown Cafe opens in Lake Mary

    The Lake Mary Christo's had been sold in the early nineties, and the family took the location back for a needed refresh. Papou's oldest son John, his wife Vicci, and brother Terry opened a new concept built around the same family style menu, with a new feel. Appleton's carried on under several owners until 2020, when the pandemic closed it.

    Appleton's Hometown Cafe in Lake Mary, the teal awning reading breakfast, lunch, dinner

  9. 1994

    Cafe Jakes opens in Sanford

    Cafe Jakes Sanford badge, photo coming soon

  10. 1996

    Angelo's Pizza & Family Restaurant opens downtown

    The pizza oven that taught us how to do the crust we still make.

    Angelo's Pizzeria at 107 West First Street in Sanford, a black pizza awning over the brick storefront and a Budweiser neon in the window

  11. 2010

    The Original Christo's opens

    A new concept and a new feel under Papou's name. The same flavors Sanford has come to know and love, with updated recipes and new menu items. Downtown Sanford's true family restaurant, with something for everyone.

    The patio out front of The Original Christo's on First Street, tables under the branded awnings

Today

Two sons, one kitchen, and the same words at the door: "Welcome to Christo's!"

Come by and one of them will probably seat you themselves.

Come find us on First Street

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