Abby L.'s Profile

OK... Man, this is hard here. So they have a nice little spot, some good things on the menu. Definitely have lots of great veggie options. I really like the Reuben (Veggie & Non-Veggie versions). The Club sandwich is good. If you're on a budget, the make your own salad can be gotten rather cheaply - pick a salad base + four 50-cent  ingredients. The nachos and fries are tasty. I wish the sandwiches came with fries instead of with chips. If you want the fries instead, it's a pretty hefty extra fee. Some nice beers on tap and some good cocktails, too.

Here's the thing. I have two major gripes: (1) Service is consistently bad and slow. Staff are often inattentive, get orders wrong, forget to put apps in before entrees, and generally it takes them a long time to get around to checking on you. (2) the pricing is a bit too high for what they are serving across the board.

Oh, this isn't a real diner. No true grill. Just pans on burners, so don't expect standard grill diner food.

They've gotten a bit back into my good graces, but not completely. The food is good enough that I've been willing to try again from time to time, but in general, it's not nearly as good as I was hoping it would be.

How do I love Helios? Let me count the ways. I'm new to town and have been here every day. There's free wifi, a nice vibe, great coffee, and a great clientelle that changes depending on the time of day and the day of the week. I managed to end up there on a Wednesday night when there was a killer DJ and wine, and a knitting group at the same time. I really like the pumpkin spice latte. I'm currently addicted. It's a well-lit space with high ceilings and interesting art that rotates. I met the owner, and he seems like a super-sweet guy. I've had a few of the lunch menu items, which were mighty tasty. Wifi service is very consistent. Only complaint is that they could use a few more plugs for the pyooters.

I really love that this place has opened up. I live and work downtown, and I've been to the lunch buffet three times and ordered take-out to my house once. All times, the food was delicious. It's kinda bare bones - simple decor, smallish menu. But they do it right. During lunch you pay at the register, then hit the buffet. The usually have Tandoori Chicken and another Chicken Dish (like Tikka Masala or Butter Chicken), some sort of spinach dish (Saag Paneer or Channa Saag), plus a few other vegetable dishes. There's always Basmati Rice and some fresh Naan. There are some basic salad fixins (lettuce, tomato, cucumber). They usually have coriander chutney, tamarind chutney, a spicy "pickle," and Raita (that's the cooling yogurt side). There's also usually rice pudding. One time, they had those little carrot dessert squares (I always forget the name). Anyway, very delicious filling meal. Wide selection. The lunch buffet is $7.99 normally, but on Mondays, it's $5.99. You'll see me there most weeks!

The delivery is free at night (I think they only do delivery for dinner, not dine-in). When I ordered a delivery meal for two, I got the following for about $28 (including tax and tip): 2 Samosas, Chicken Tikka Masala, Aloo Mutter (Potatoes and Peas), lots of Basmati rice, an order of Naan, and a side of Raita. What a great deal. I'll totally order from there many more times.