Helen’s Restaurant
| Address: | 2527 W Main St, Richmond, VA 23220, USA |
| Phone: | +1 804-358-4370 |
| Site: | helensrva.com |
| Rating: | 4 |
| Working: | Closed 5:30–9PM 5:30–9PM 5:30–9PM 5:30–10PM 10:30AM–2PM 10:30AM–2PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 10
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Amy Parnell
I came here for my friends birthday dinner. He ordered the duck and I ordered the burger. His dish was great, but my burger which I ordered medium rare came out well done. Our waitress came by once after dropping off our food to drop off another beer my friend had ordered when we got our food, but didnt not even look at us when she dropped it off or say one word. She walked by on at least 5 other occasions without glancing our way before I finally got up to use the restroom, my food still untouched at least 20 minutes after it was delivered. I came back inside to discover that she had berated my friend when he came back inside from smoking and accused us of trying to walk out on our tab. Oh now she noticed us??? She demanded we pay for the meal immediately and when I asked her to remove the burger she started arguing with me, insisting it hadnt been that long since she had checked on us. After some back and forth she begrudging offered a 50% discount on my order. My meal was completely untouched, except for the burger which I had cut in half to check the temperature. When I fought back she accused me of "having a bad night" and "taking it out on her". I have never been treated so poorly at a restaurant in my life! My friend was so sick of hearing her make excuses that he paid for his own birthday dinner. We called the next day and spoke with the manager who said the chef assured her the burger had been cooked correctly. When I responded that it mightve been, but the waitress let it sit in the window forever and over cook she stuck up for the waitress. Eventually she promised that the owner would call us to discuss our experience further, but since then all theyve done is ignore our numerous attempts to reach out. There are way too many amazing places in Richmond to eat to EVER come back here again!
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Michael
Though I would suggest trying the food at Helens, I would also strongly suggest avoiding this place on a late night for a drink. One of the employees cursed and shoved me when trying to push out patrons fifteen minutes before closing time a few months ago because I asked that he give just a moment for my friend to finish her drink (and also because he was not demanding that other patrons leave, like he pushed my group and me to do). He asked several times over the course of two minutes, and my group began to complain about his attitude, which was about the time he became violent. The restaurant manager was rude and defensive when I reported the incident. In hindsight, I should have pressed charges. Helens could be a great bar, but incidents like this are not uncommon. Save yourself the headache. This is an elitist dive bar where only tattooed townies and hipsters are made to feel welcome. If you dont fit the mold you will receive little or no service at night, as you will find in other reviews.
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Jayson Gochez
We eat brunch in Carytown almost weekly, and thought it would be nice to try something new, but did we make a big mistake coming here. We ordered the pancakes, and the steak and eggs. 45 minutes later and we got our food. The pancakes were RAW in the middle- I sent them back. The waitress only stopped by once after taking our order. We had to ask another waitress for refills, which they charge 2$ for. About 20 minutes later after paying, my boyfriend got up to go to the bathroom. When he left, the owner came by, hovered over the table while pointing his finger in my face shouting that his pancakes were always the best in town and I was wrong. When a nearby table tried to interject, he said he wasnt talking to them and to mind their business. I will NEVER come back here- I have never been embarrassed by the owner of a restaurant. Star-lite across the street is MUCH better.
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A Private User
I was so disappointed that the service was bad enough to make me not want to go back to this restaurant. Otherwise, I loved the food and atmosphere. I do not get to go out to eat often, so when I do, I want the complete experience. I do not need a bubbly waitress but ours did not even look us in the eye. She forgot our wine and I had to flag down the hostess to get it for us. The waitress never acknowledged that we waited so long for our wine and never asked us if we wanted more. After we got our check, we had to wait over 20 minutes for her to pick it up, without even checking to see if we needed anything. They need to either get additional servers or just put more effort into providing better service!
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L. Ennis
My wife and I took our children to Helens for a graduation dinner. The restaurant is located on a busy corner and parking can be difficult at time. I thought the food here was excellent. The sign on the window says "since 1943" and the restaurant looks to still be pretty much intact from that time. The interior is relatively small with seating for maybe 40-50 people. The menu was relatively small, but contained a nice selection of items. We all ordered a different entree and everyone was very pleased. All of the dishes were delicious and the servers were very friendly. Our waitress even offered to hold our 11 month old while we ate. I would highly recommend Helens and I hope to go back very soon.
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James Dwyer
My wife and I ate breakfast here. My wife loved her meal -- and the pancakes I ordered where among the very best Ive ever had -- anywhere! I loved that they were a little crispy on the outside, and the taste inside was fabulous!! Any time we return to Richmond, this will be the one restaurant well HAVE to visit (certainly for breakfast and wed love to try other meal times). The owner is a first-generation Irishman who couldnt have been nicer. Plus the inside of the restaurant is really funky. The tin ceiling is very, very cool.
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Dylan Henry
I must admit, the food portions were smaller than I expected BUT, it is most assuredly made up for in the fantastic quality of the taste of the food. The food was absolutely outstanding. The service deserves 6 stars, as I was in and out in 50 minutes, and this was after enjoying and appetizer AND entree. Everything is prepared by 3 chefs, who then pass the freshly made dish to the server instead of under a heat lamp. The ambience of the restaurant is very relaxing.
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Shannon Roulet
Brunch menu is incredible, the eggs benedict is pretty good. Service is awesome, but be ready to wait 20-45min if youre coming in on Saturday or Sunday between 10:30-1pm. Interior is very interesting, love all the lights. Good coffee. Definitely worth a try.
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John Leite
Bad, I went with a friend to have a drink. After ordering a drink twice and asked the bartender why he forgot our order, the waitress jumped in and made it worst by being rude. The place was not that busy. Just super bad service. WONT go there again.
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A Private User
I wish I asked the bartender his name because he was so nice. We went on a Christmas Eve day and everybody in the bar started singing when the clock hit the midnight. Crowd was fun, everything was fun, drinks were fun, all good all good.
