Helen’s

Helen’s in Ellsworth is pretty good — but it still can’t hold a candle to the original Helen’s in Machias, Maine — an hour or so’s drive further Down East! Don’t forget to order pie!
As an appetizer, we ordered the Haddock chowder to try to replicate the famous Fish chowder from the Machias Helen’s — it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t as tasty as Machias, though it certainly wasn’t bad with a little salt and pepper.
As an entrée, we ordered the Open-​faced Reuben and the Ultimate Tuna melt — both were very good, but the tuna melt was already pretty cold by the time it arrived, and the Machias Reuben was better.
For dessert, we ordered the banana cream pie — which was delicious! The Machias Helen’s only has banana cream pie on Fridays, so we were pleasantly surprised to see it available on a Wednesday. True to Helen’s experiences of yore, we were thrilled by the pie!

Stopped here on our way through. Waited on right away and food came out fast.
I had the pot roast. The gravy was too salty salty but not horrible. The pot roast itself was delicious and tender.
My friend got the chicken Parmesan and said the chicken was tender and tasty. The portions for both were more than enough.
The staff was very friendly, the place was busy but clean and the dessert was big. We each had coconut cream pie and it was very good.
The coffee was weak but this is Northern New England and that’s how we roll up here.
Good experience. It’s a nice place to go.

This review is for their pie — which is amazing and I still have dreams about it. Specifically their blueberry — if I could drive up from Boston just to get more of those, I would. The price per slice is around $ 5 — unsure of the whole pie. It says on their menu that it won awards and honestly, I would believe it from them. The pie is not sweet like artificial blueberries — real fruit, amazing crust.
We also had dinner there — some folks had the lobster, I had clams and scallops. It’s simple foods, I wouldn’t eat there for any regular dinners but the lobster is amazingly priced at $ 15. So there you have it — lobster + pie = perfect.

My son and I stopped in for lunch. Ample parking lot and a very nice building! We were seated right away, It was not busy, maybe 7 other parties of two/​three.
Our server was wonderful!!! Courteous, not pushy and refilled our drinks promptly.
I ordered the surf and Turf, steak Medium Rare with Fried Scallops. The Scallops were plump and perfectly cooked. My steak was Well done and dry. The mashed potato side left a lot to be desired.
My son ordered Prime Rib. It was seared on one side, Grilled on the other. He ordered it Rare.
Our wonderful server asked if we wanted to try Helen’s pie, and declined. Reading the reviews, I wish I had, but after the meal I was convinced we’d be served Debbies Cakes.
It’s a shame they could not get a better Back of House staff, The Front of House is amazing, and Im sure the Baked Goods are great, but I would not go back because the meal was so terrible. I hope they improve the quality of the food. Very nice folks.

Food and atmosphere were marginable. The lazy lobster was acceptable yet left something to be desired. The mashed potatoes were flavorless. I found the service to be very helpful and friendly. The food came out very quickly. Overall, the experience was mediocre. The Helen’s in Machias was much better than this one.

Just had a great lunch at Helen’s. Wonderful hot pastrami sandwich and wonderful tuna melt sandwich. Charming stand-​alone building makes up the restaurant decorated all with antiques on the inside. The food is priced right and very reasonable. And the waitstaff were wonderful. They have a large selection of pies which all worked great. can’t wait to go back again.

I do not usually write reviews but the food was such poor quality here, I find the need to let others know. My boyfriend and I stopped in to Helen’s on our way back from Acadia. The menu is very limited if you are looking for something on the lighter, fresher side. I was hoping for some mussels or steamers but no luck here. I ordered fried clams with french fries and my boyfriend ordered broiled scallops with a side salad. The side salad came with wilted, brown iceberg lettuce, cucumbers, onion, tomatoes, and a couple shreds of cheese. It was pre-​made and appeared to have been sitting for a while. The scallops had absolutely no flavor. The clams were good but the french fries were clearly from a bag and served at room temperature.
The service was good and the lady who waited on us was friendly and accommodating. Although, as we were waiting for our meal we observed the bus boy clearing a table. He spilled a drink from the table he was clearing, onto the floor. He clearly noticed what he had done but he just left the mess and did not wipe it up.
The atmosphere is definitely a family type atmosphere. The cleanliness of the restaurant was subpar to what I would prefer. In the center of the dining area was a dirty lobster tank that was not in use. There was a dirty tissue on our table where the ketchup was located.
Overall, I will definitely not be visiting this place again and would recommend that others do not make the same mistake as we did.

Worst service ever experienced in a restaurant and from the owner no less. Food is marginal at best. Highly NOT recommended.

Probably not the best place in Ellsworth to have lunch. The staff was sweet and friendly, but the food was less than mediocre. I ordered the coconut shrimp. The shrimp was delicious — sweet and crispy and cooked just right. But the salad wasn’t fresh — the cheese was dry and I didn’t eat the diced tomatoes because they seem to have gone bad — pale and slimy. The baked potato was cold (butter wouldn’t even melt on it) and very dry. I didn’t have room for dessert, but the pies did look good. Can’t vouch for the taste. I wouldn’t go back.

Homestyle cooking, friendly service, and a pie case so filled with drool-​worthy delectables, I’m quite sure it behooves them to keep a mop and bucket by the front pastry end at all times!
The grilled cheese and bacon sandwich that I had one day was exactly what I needed, the fries were served hot and crispy, and their fried onion strings are terrific!
But let me tell you, their Haddock Burger is a real star! The word «burger» is a bit of a misnomer; this is not ground fish in a patty. This is a slab of haddock almost three quarters of an inch thick, fried to a perfect golden brown, and served hot on a lovely toasted and buttered bun. The fish was flaky and moist, and served with the usual tartar sauce accompaniment and potato chips.
A note about service: It is terrific. Both of my visits to Helen’s have included servers that are friendly, real people, as opposed to faux-​friendly serving automatons. Ours had a way of making us feel right at home, without hovering or leaving us stranded.

My wife ordered Surf n’ Turf, asking for the steak to be medium rare. It came out seared and raw. She sent it back and it came out well done. Whatever!
My son ordered the chicken pot pie. It came out over cooked, tasting burnt.
I ordered the haddock, which was fine, but the «garlic vegetable» side was gross. Frozen, cut veggies with garlic powder sprinkled over them. Some of the veggies were browned which is weird since the taste was like they were boiled.
We had just drove 8 hours up from NYC and we’re too tired to cook at the house we were staying in. We made a mistake choosing Helen’s.
The cashier volunteered a slice of paid for our troubles, but we were done with this place.

Surprised at some of the bad reviews. Service was fast, waitress very friendly, and damn near if not the best fried clams I’ve ever had. PS– parking was ample.

My family and I have been vacationing in Ellsworth, Maine for one week every August since before I was born. We’ve been coming to Helen’s almost as long. The food has never been absolutely superb, but it was yummy, it was comfort food and it was tradition. The last two years — and specifically this year — we’ve watched it go downhill. Tonight, I ordered BBQ chicken — I got a chicken breast without BBQ that was no more than 3 inches long. The rest of my family was also completely disappointed in the meals they got (chicken parm that tasted like a TV dinner, rubbery shellfish, soggy fries, really meager salad, etc.) We were also overcharged.
I give Helen’s 2 stars, despite the terrible experience for 3 reasons: their service is always friendly, the pies are PHENOMENAL (perhaps they should quit the restaurant biz and just sell their pies) and, also, it’s very near and dear to my heart because it has made a wonderful tradition for years. I hope they pull themselves together!

Wife and I stopped for lunch on way home from Acadia. Wife had the haddock burger broiled — large piece of haddock cooked well. She rates it very good.
I had the roast beef sandwich with fries and gravy. I was expecting sliced RB but it was chucks of pot roast. It was very good and I liked it so no complaints.
The fries were really good, crunchy but soft inside and the gravy was really good, too.
We shared a piece of blueberry pie. Lots of tasty blueberry filling with a thin crust. Very good.
Nice hostess and waitress and the place was clean.
I would definitely come again if we live in the area.

We only went in for dessert takeout, but here’s what we thought:
The staff was very friendly! The dessert case was full of yummy-​looking goodies.
We had coconut cream pie and it was awesome. A large slice for about $ 4.50 is pretty darn good. Gave us everything we’d need without being asked (utensils, napkins).
I’d definitely go back for more.

I went there for lobster. It was very rubbery not very good. My husband had the prime rib it was very tasty and tender. The salads were pretty wilted. Overall nothing special about this place.

Steak was chewy scallops where undercooked and sitting in a small bowl of some kind of liquid I could not figure out. I did not try the pie but seems to be their claim to fame, maybe they should stick to baking. I could not in good faith recommend this place to anyone.

Amazing service. They were so warm and sweet when we came in a 5 till closing.
The food was great the arrive was beyond amazing and the PIE. Words do not describe it.

I am really really sorry to do this. But… I can’t. I just can’t give it anymore.
Stopped in for lunch and ordered a tuna salad. I asked what it was like… I was told it was a scoop of tuna salad on salad greens with a side of fruit. Fair enough!
Salad greens? I think «shredded iceberg lettuce»
Fruit? Canned mandarin oranges and canned pineapple.
Redeeming factor… pumpkin pie. That’s about it. It was quite good. Helen’s, I wish I could like this location. I simply cannot recommend it.

You come here for pie. Blueberry pie if you are lucky enough to be around when the berries are in season.
My parents and I came here after a day trip down to Winter Harbor. One of the most picturesque and practically undiscovered spots on the Maine coast. Sunny, pleasant weather to go with the scenery. My Dad was in the Navy and stationed here back in the 1960’s. He met my Mom on a blind date. Real estate with sentimental value.
I have never eaten anything but pie whenever I visit Helen’s. Even when the only location was Machias. I drove a delivery truck one summer and whenever we had a job that took us Downeast, it was pie at Helen’s. A must.
Blueberry season means fresh blueberry pie with fresh whipped cream. Each berry maintains its integrity with just the right amount of sugar clinging to it. They don’t cook them down to jelly. Every bite bursts in your mouth. The cream coats and distributes flavor everywhere. It lingers. Its delicious.
The rest of the menu looks a bit uninspired. The divinity is in the pie.