Helen Greek Food and Wine

WOW! I felt like I was back in Chicago in Greek town! Our server was happy, friendly, knowledgeable and appropriately engaging. The drinks were great and the food, WOW just WOW! They kept it real but if you want a twist they have a twist, ask for the varieties of Taziki. Wonderful atmosphere, when I walked in I just felt happy. I will be going back again and again, there is so much to try. My daughters know me well, they turned me on to this hot spot. Start with the Saganaki and if you want to amp it up they have a variety of that as well. There is valet parking and free parking in a safe lot adjacent to the restaurant. Well done! Did I say wow already?

Beautifully prepared, delicious Greek food. Server was very pleasant and helpful with the wine selection - brought us a taste from two bottles, so we could pick the perfect one. Good ambience, although it was a little loud during peak time.

Absolutely incredible! A must for Sunday brunch! Try the shrimp and grits, Benedict and lamb with eggs.

I met a great friend for lunch and wanted some place different and special. Helen's unique food did not disappoint. The food was delicious and tasty with wonderful spices. We had the pita bread & dips and the pie with greens, feta cheese & capers. Then for dessert, the Baklava ice cream sundae with chocolate. Needless to say, we were both stuffed but it was well worth the calories.

The food is less notable than the surroundings, though still pretty good. The ambiance is phenomenal. Narrow, crowded, brick. It feels like you're in New York City. The waitstaff is helpful, and have a wonderful knowledge of the food and wine they sell.

Helen is a treasure for Houston. The wine list is a revelation for those who now nothing about Greek wines. The food is exceptionally fresh and creative -- and a perfect complement to the wines.

The Village Salad was excellent. The heirloom tomatoes actually added flavor to the salad unlike most tomatoes today. The pie of the day was great and the Bougatsa dessert was the perfect finish. Really good coffee as well.

Pretty tight quarters but excellent food and attentive staff.

The brine chicken and pie of the say are excellent choices in combination with the potatoes. My son said he prefers lamb gyros over the pork offered but the pita bread was delicious, light and fresh. Next time we'll try the dips. Meatballs were only okay, sauce was too thick and not flavorful. Also, a little expensive at $30 a person without dessert or drinks.

They should serve Greek coffee or espresso, food is great and ambience a little tight, lovely service.

Great choices of Greek wines and beer. Food was excellent! Very creative and flavorful. Our group of 4 split the fish, lamb steak, and meatballs, and tried the whole variety of dips w/pita. The fish was the table favorite but everything was wonderful. For dessert we split a sundae, and the feta mousse which was INCREDIBLE. Will definitely return here.

I feel like this place has gone downhill. Our food came out cold and our service was mediocre.

Nice meal and wine. Great place to spend time w friends and talk.

Consistently outstanding, authentic Greek cuisine. Priced higher than the standards (Yaya Mary's and Niko Niko's), but so much better that it's way worth the extra money.

Disappointing and dangerous visit. Have been several times before but it was as if the server was daydreaming. Specifically notified the server of an allergy to pepper...black pepper, cayenne...nothing spicy. Ordered the Village salad and the Pie of the day. The salad came heavily dosed with specks which I could not make out for oregano, herbs or pepper! Leaving the restaurant I ended up having an allergy attack that left me gasping for breath. This was a serious error on the server's part not to inform the kitchen of the allergy. The pie, I was informed, had no pepper...this appeared to be the case as it seemed to be a mixture of various greens and cheeses wrapped in the phyllo dough. A dessert of Greek donuts would have been enjoyable if we had been supplied forks and knives, as the donuts were extremely hard. This was also the case for two squares of baklava...again very hard and we ended up picking up the desserts in hand to eat. Not impressed with this visit, as I was taking a vendor out for a thank you lunch.

Delicious food. Relaxing atmosphere. Great for every day and special occasion dining.

Food was excellent. While I can appreciate the marketing point to have an all Greek wine list, I did wish for deeper list of wines -- perhaps do Mediterranean area wines and include Italy and Croatia? While food was worth every $, I felt the $80 spent on our bottle of red was not worth it.

Julia was a wonderful and very knowledgeable server. The grilled veggies were great, and the extensive greek wine list was very cool. We will definitely be back!

Loved sharing orders. Rose' wine list extraordinary! Fish marvelous!

Wonderful, everything we tried was so good!

An incredible meal every time served with the type of care and attention that is always appreciated. We love it!

This is a great place for a group dinner. The dishes are large and perfect for sharing. They were out of the pork gyro the evening we went and the chicken gyro was a little underwhelming, but everything else was delicious. Highlights: the pie of the day and the meatballs. Our server was very friendly and attentive, but didn't rush us at all.

Great experience!!! Sarah our waitress was wonderful with a great food and wine knowledge!
We will be back soon.
Thanks again for our first time 😊

We had the most fantastic meal! We sat at the bar, had an amazing server and the meal was fresh and delicious. We loved the energetic vibe of the place and the fact that it was close to home was a bonus. We have told friends and will definitely plan to visit again!

We were Helen's regulars. This was our first trip to Helen's since the menu revamp and we were very disappointed. Many of the things we loved about Helen's were gone! Like we normally do, we ordered 5-6 small dishes to share. The octopus was great (as usual). The lamb shank has been replaced with an inferior cut of meat, the meatballs (which were a standout) are now soggy and fall apart and are covered with a sauce that doesn't really make sense (the sauce doesn't have much flavor and neither do the meatballs...).

Unfortunate - we went from weekly regulars to likely not coming back and recommending to our friends that this place just isn't what it used to be.

Best dining experience in Houston. The menu is simple and well-crafted. Almost every bite was rewarding! The wine list is a delight to read and explore. And the menu is priced for value. Two pieces of feedback: a.) an all Greek wine list could benefit from having a dedicated guide (wine steward or more robustly trained servers) to help diners navigate and enjoy their exploration of Greek wine; b.) the meatballs were excellent, tenderly held together around the Orzo. however, the sauce that accompanies it left a lot to be desired - it was one note and that note was mostly salty, making it taste like Vegeta. It was the only disappointing dish, though and we'd gladly try it again if it was updated!

Helen's food is creative and the restaurant a true gem in the Rice Village area. Although every menu item I have ever eaten at Helen's has been wonderful, the heirloom tomato / Greek salad is one of my favorites as is the fresh catch whole fish. Before visiting Helen's, I was not a huge fan of Greek wines, but the staff at Helen's never ceases to amaze me with a wine selection that far exceeds my expectations.

Never disappointing! New menu with continued favorites. The new mussels were fantastic.

The entire experience was great. I recommend it to others and look forward to going back.

When I add to my open table reservation that it is my fiancée's birthday and first time dining - I expect at least a response.

The table next to us and the table across from us had birthday desserts brought out.

What gives?

I spent over $200 here and was treated like trash by our waitress.

Great food but won't be coming back, nor relying on open table in the future. This was terrible.

Great service

i am not someone with issues with texture. But the salad with tomatoes would have been much better if the tomatoes had not been overly ripe. Potatoes were later served that were closer to mashed than roasted. also 40 min too long to wait on water.

Enjoyed our evening. Small so if you get an out of control toddler like we did it puts a damper on conversation. Not to mention the small bottle of hot sauce she threw at our table. That said our server, Sarah, was super helpful and attentive. Enjoyed everything we tried but the octopus, which was little over cooked. The gyro board, dips, pie, etc. were all really good. Will return!

Wine selection was great! Food was perfect and the dessert was even better. I don't really care for backlava, but their version was perfection!

We were on our way to the theatre on a weeknight. Were seated immediately. The waitstaff was experienced, knowledgeable and helpful in guiding our food choices. We are all fond of Greek food and we ordered plates to share. Octopus, lamb, authentic Greek salad - no lettuce, and dips with pita to share. Everything was delicious! No hesitation about returning soon, bringing more friends who missed out this time. Helen's is an authentic first class act. We will be back.

They changed their menu in my opinion not for the better--they removed the citrus salad from the menu, and they changed the octopus to be over a hummus type paste rather than to be over potatoes, like it was before. I went to look for those, I may not be going back until they put those back on the menu. They bring the dishes whenever the kitchen prepares them, which is difficult unless you are sharing everything with everyone at your table, because you may be eating alone, with others watching you. That is their Mezze way of serving.

The food was amazing as always and the wine was outstanding. Do not skip the desserts!

We loved the small plates and did not have a miss. The wine selections were quite good and reasonably priced. A great evening with friends. Wish we had something like it in San Antonio.

Delicious food, however not very filling for the price. Love the atmosphere and array of Greek wine offerings.

The small venue packs a big punch with its amazing selection of fresh take of Mediterranean style cusine. The portions are perfect to share and the larger family style entrees will make you dance! The service is friendly, comfortable and professional. A true gem for Houston's food crown.