The dining out options in Lynn continue to expand with Christine’s on Chestnut Street now open for business.
The restaurant, which has dine-in, take-out and delivery options, is located at 617 Chestnut St. Those who have been around Lynn long enough may remember the building as the former home of the old Lynn Sunday Post newspaper (as well as several other eateries). Christine’s serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and is open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is closed on Sundays.
The new owners, Greta and Lirim Shehaj of Revere, came to the United from Albania about six years ago through a lottery. After working various food service jobs, they operated their own restaurant, Christine’s, on 1st Street in Cambridge for five years before moving the business to Lynn. The grand opening was about a month ago.
They serve all three meals, but Mrs. Shehaj said their specialty is breakfast. The menu features assorted egg dishes with home fries and the choice of sausage, ham, bacon or corned beef, as well as Eggs Florentine and Eggs Benedict. The Shehajs also offer a variety of omelettes, French toast, breakfast burritos and breakfast sandwiches.
The lunch and dinner menus offer plenty of options as well with salads, club sandwiches, regular sandwiches, pizza, calzones, hot and cold subs, steak subs and several different pasta dishes. The dinner menu also includes chicken, steak, fish n’ chips and roast beef selections.
The Shehajs, who have two daughters ages 13 and 16, didn’t get into the restaurant business until coming to this country. Back in Albania, Mr. Shehaj had a government job and Mrs. Shehaj worked in banking. After arriving in the United States, Mrs. Shehaj said her first order of business was learning to speak English and she tackled that challenge by taking English classes.
Mrs. Shehaj said their decision to open their own business came after both she and her husband had worked for others. They decided that
running their own business would work out better for the family as a whole.
Christine’s has several specials that run every day including two large pizzas for $14.99, a large cheese pizza, garden salad, large chicken wings and soda for $19.99; 4.99 pasta dishes on Mondays and free coffee with the purchase of any omelette.