Come from away, leave as an honorary Newfoundlander..... Christian's Pub is where I was "screeched in". Gayle skipped being in the ceremony, but watched enthusiastically as we both had a great time. Plus enjoying a couple of wee pints of Guinness ahead of time was a great starter. After all, Christian's Pub is a cool bar and lounge in itself. As legend has it, an American serviceman stationed in Newfoundland during the Second World War downed some local rum one night and let out a 'blood-curdling howl'. Someone nearby asked what that awful yell was and a Newfoundlander sitting at the bar said, "The Screech? 'Tis the rum, me son." And that's how Screech earned its name. I now have the certificate as an Honorary Newfoundlander. But first the ceremony! That involved a shot of Screech rum, flambé bologna, kissing the codfish (a real frozen one), receiving a a personalized certificate, and taking a photo with Skipper Lukey. Joining me that Sunday evening were people from all over the world, all of us having a great time. It was a whole lot of fun and Skipper Lukey put on a show that was also thoughtful, folksy, and educational, all in just under 30 minutes. Other George Street bars do this, but Christian's was the only one that another businesses on the street recommended. And Hell Yes! I'd do it again. read more

See all

Every visitor "from away" must be Screeched in. It's the law. Being from Newfoundland myself, I had to use this opportunity to have my younger brother and partner Screeched in on our recent trip home. Christian's, being the oldest pub in St. John's on one of the oldest streets in North America seemed like the perfect place. Now, Christian's is no fancy joint, so let that be known right away. It's charming and a little edgy. Drinks are poured with love, and hope you're not hungry because you're lucky to get a bag of crisps. Or maybe a piece of flambéed bologna! But it's all served up with the typical Newfoundland charm. Fast forward to the Screeching in... Skipper Lukey is impressive! Memorizing everyone's name (all 40 or so guest) during our ceremony. Adding in his rough around the edges reminders on how the process works. You better be good at following instructions, because Lukey will remind you, not so gently, if you're out of line. All in good fun, I promise! Respect the ceremony and keep chatter to a minimum. It's a sacred duty to Screech in mainlanders after all. Overall a great experience and I highly recommend it to anyone and their group looking to become an honorary Newfoundlander! read more

Christian's Pub - Lukey and his famous cod! - Pubs Near Me - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

Christian's Bar and Skipper Lukey is a must stop in St. John's! Make sure to plan your trip around a Screecher Ceremony and stay for jello shots, drinks and great music! Make an online reservation for the ceremony and save some cash. Do show up to get a seat at the bar! Highlight of our St John's trip! read more

Christian's Pub - Here fishy fishy - Pubs Near Me - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

See all

Has been on George Street for decades and I always enjoyed myself when I was at this Pub. The bartender's are great and the clientele is great too read more

According to those in the know, this is "the" place to get screeched-in and it was super entertaining and fun! And there's a bit of history lesson on Newfoundland too... Screech-in - eat fried bologna, kiss a cod, and drink a shot of screech (rum) to become an honorary Newfoundlander. Anthony Bordain did a screech-in at this exact same bar, and it's featured in a Parts Unknown episode. read more

Came here on a Thursday night to get screeched in, but unfortunately we were uninformed and didn't know to make a reservation! So, if that is why you are coming here, make sure to check out their website and snag a spot. Even without being able to partake in the tradition, this was a nice, cozy pub with friendly staff. We enjoyed a pint and took in the authentic pub ambiance and know what to do next time when we come back to get screeched in! This is the place all the locals recommend, after all. read more

My wife and I were in St. John's on the end of a holiday. What a great way to finish by getting officially screeched-in according to the Newfoundland ceremony. The 30 minute process was entertaining and had us laughing and cheering most of the way through. We kissed the cod, sampled the bologna and drank the Screech. Well done in this great little pub. They have a great selection of bar drinks and on tap beers. Amazing and highly recommended. Janet did a great job serving. read more

Screeched In! A must while visiting Water Street. Ceremony was fantastically entertaining and slightly educational: Perfect. Smallish venue, but cozy, with super sea chanties on the sound system encouraged another shot of rum...then ....another....th antler....t'anteater.... read more

See all

This is a cool place and should be on your list of must dos. Lots of places will Screech you in, but Lukey does the job! Anthony Bourdain thought enough of him to put him on the show, so..... Anyway, lots of fun and a great way to mark your trip to " the Rock" read more

I usually refrain from writing any negative reviews of any establishment, but service was so poor here, and the rudeness that my in-laws experienced FROM THE OWNER, required that I say something. It seems this establishment is only interested in people looking for the $60 Screech-In, rather than seated/paying guests who want to enjoy a nice rounds of drinks. As we were arriving to join them, the bartender was unfriendly, and then the owner was blatantly rude. . When the seats were selected at the bar, the owner came over and literally pushed my mother out-of-the-way, saying "that's my seat". After this rude experience, we all immediately left and went to a neighboring establishment, (that begins with an "O" and we loved it there). We generally only go places where we're treated with dignity and respect. read more

Outstanding old pub in the heart of Saturday night. Screeched in at 11pm. That was the start of a great crowd and good times AFTER a home town hockey win! Go Growlers! Lots of local brew to pick from. read more

See all

Got screeched in here and was so much more fun than I'd anticipated. Proprietor is amazing, delivered a theatrical experience. (a positive) i met folks from everywhere: New Zealand, Georgia (ex Russia) Korea, Northwest Territories, and so it goes. Great experience. read more

Service on the second floor is brutal. Very understaffed and locals and friends of staff take precedence over visitors. It's too bad as the 'Screeching In' show is very entertaining. read more

The screech-in was such a hoot. Hubby did the non-alcoholic version since he doesn't drink. He got a certificate for the screech-in too! The bar itself has seen better days. I went to the ladies room before the screech-in & there were cigarette stains on the sink. They do have a super fancy jukebox in the bar. But maybe they should spend a bit more on upkeep. read more

Christian's Pub - Shot of the bar - Pubs Near Me - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

Getting Screeched In here is an opportunity you should not miss. It seems like a "touristy" thing to do but the bartender helps keep his business and the story of Newfoundland alive. Honestly, it was fantastic. A highlight of our trip. I don't want to give you any spoilers so all I want to say is build a trip to Christian's into your stay in St. John's. Aye b'y! read more

Got screeched in with 3 colleagues. A must do experience when in St. John's. Chef Lukey was fantastic!

Racism and racial bartender I am a jamaican girl I went to Christian's with friends they wasn't drinking anymore but I was I ordered 2 glass of water and Corona Jill the bartender at the time serve everyone else but me after a while she took my order I pay for my beer then I realized It had no lime i ask for a slice of lime she said am busy and walk away i keep on waiting i asked again when she was free she said the same thing am busy my friend was standing at the bar this time around she ask6me did she just told you she was busy I said yes that's what she said my friend then went to a guy that was working and ask for a lime I ask her why is it that you refuse to serve me she replied u only bought one beer and you didn't even tip so why should i serve you any lime I then got upset and told her you shouldn't be working in a bar if you wish to pick and choose who u serve and u didn't deserve any tip. I had to wait so long to be served she then told the bouncer to put me out and that he did Bad service and when I complain I get kicked out for it . They didn't even have a supervisors there to handle the matter . The story they tell when screeching you in about trade between Jamaica and Newfoundland and how much they love the rum they got from Jamaica it's a shame that I couldn't enjoy a beer They give you a certificate and said your honorary newfoundlander there's nothing honorary about Jill. read more

Christian's Bar is the place to get "Screeched-In" when you come to Newfoundland. The bar itself is a dive. They have pretty standard beers and cocktails. The popcorn is free, yet the big bowl of it looked like everyone in there had had their hands in it by the time I arrived. The Screeched-In ceremony is $20. You will get some imaginative storytelling, a shot of rum, the opportunity to kiss a frozen cod, and a certificate authenticating your whole experience. If you plan to get Screeched In, be sure to arrive about 30 minutes early on nice weather weekend days (though you can put your name on the list much earlier.) They take your money in advance and put you on the list for one of 2-3 daily ceremonies. read more

Great experience getting Screeched In. Brian was awesome!! Eh B'y!! Thanks for being so accommodating..... Cheers from California - Deanne & Diana read more

Christian's Pub - a group of people holding up a fish - Pubs Near Me - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

Relive my Newfoundland birthday almost daily! Glad our tour guide recommended Christians. There was a lot of people but Chef Lukey remembered everyone but me ;) it was an iconic Newfoundland experience and I highly recommend. read more

A warm inviting pub. Traditional music with a great beer selection of local brews and Irish trad. beers too. The only place to get screeched in. I loved this place the most out of the George street bars. read more

Christian's is the best place in town for screech-ins. Grab your draft beer downstairs or bottles once you get upstairs. The beer selection is pretty good, the music is ok - it's a juke box so change it if you don't like it. The bar gets 4 stars, the screech-in gets a definite 5. read more

Will add to the list of satisfied customers who have been screeched-in. Our host was witty, enthusiastic and passionate and helped me overcome my nightmares of having a large man in a slicker approaching me with a wooden paddle. Had a large group with me but really felt at home. There's beer too.... read more

I recently travelled to St. Johns with a few work colleagues and having been to St. Johns a number of times I hit Geroge Street once again for some drinks and good times. The night was going really well with a good atmosphere and friendly people until I came to Christians pub. Two of my colleagues bought drinks and received a verbal torrent of abuse from the barman swearing and being abusive and threatening to one of my female colleagues. As the boss of my colleagues I found out the abuse was down to not tipping enough and subsequently asked him why he was so rude to his customers to which I was told to"F#ck off" and all us British are a bunch of "C@nts" I explained we were having a few drinks and would have tipped quite considerably however it was clear there was no talking to him so we left. I travel through St. Johns at least 2 times a year and I will avoid this bar in future. I suggest if you want to get screeched in go to Trapper Johns Museum and bar. Better atmosphere and friendly staff. read more

Wonderful experience. Great, friendly people. Brian's performance was stellar! His ability to remember the name of everyone is unique. I'd recommend this to anyone desiring to become a Newfie!! read more

Got screeched in here on a Thursday night by an amazingly authentic Newfoundlander. While getting screeched is a cash grab, it was still lots of fun. $20 bucks gets you the screeched in pre amble + a shot of screech + a certificate. read more

We were recommended to go to Christian's Pub to be Screeched In by locals and were not disappointed. We had a blast!! Thank you Christian's for making our visit to St John's a great memory. read more

Christian's pub was an amazing experience for my coworkers and I during the one night we had in St.Johns. The atmosphere was awesome and we got the experience of getting "screeched in.." which was super fun. Loved the music machine in the back corner where we got to choose our favorite songs! I can't stress how amazing and kind the staff of this establishment were! I lost my wallet that night and the owner of Christian's found and returned it to my hotel before we left for our flight the following day. Thank you Christians Pub for an unforgettable experience and for your team's hospitality! read more

One of my favourite places in St. John's! The oldest bar on George Street, Christian's has a casual and cozy atmosphere that's perfect for a night out with friends. It has what must be the best screech-in ceremony in the province and is popular with regulars and tourists alike. Little details like free baskets of fresh popcorn at tables, a digital jukebox downstairs and most major sports games projected on giant screens always make for a great night! read more

My husband and I loved this bar. We wandered in one afternoon to find out when we could be screeched in and it was in about 2 hours. We sat down and had a couple of beers with Brian, the owner/bartender. (We were the only people in the bar.) He was very friendly. When the screeching in was done, he asked everyone's name and remembered them during the ceremony 20 minutes later. Being screeched in or just want a beer, this is a great place. read more

Got Screeched in here. Locals say this is the best place to be Screeched it. Upstairs loud dirty and FUN. Highly recommend. Very friendly staff. read more

Terribly rude staff. I brought a colleague here last night to get screeched-in, after calling to book it, and was turned away by the staff. We arrived at 11pm for the 11:15 slot and the staff grumbled at us and said that if we wanted it done we should have been there 10:30. Who shows up for something 45 minutes early when you have a reservation? We went to O'Reilly's instead and they were fantastic. Will not go back to Christian's. read more

if you forget your credit card you are charged an I quote "idiot tax" according to the server. I was being generous at a business meeting and rang up a bill, they charged me an extra 25%. It is disgraceful, unethical, and illegal, I will not bring friends or clients in here again. read more

This place is a little off its peak, but it's still a decent place to pop in and have a drink.

Screech In started half an hour late and they overbooked it so there was about 30 people getting screeched in at one time. Not impressed.