Helios Cafe

I stopped by Helios Café on the way back from Port Charlotte to Tampa. Conveniently located minutes from the 75, it seemed like a pretty good place to grab a quick lunch. The restaurant itself looks like a scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The decoration and ambiance was on-​point. From the blue and white décor to the wooden chairs outside, I truly felt like I was back in Greece… minus the blaring Floridan sun and heat.
Helios has a wide selection of authentic and traditional greek dishes. I ordered the typical gyro with a greek salad and fries. To be honest, it really hit the spot. On top of that, the tzatziki sauce was surprisingly really good. The ingredients tasted really fresh and the flavors were just right. My friend got the chicken shawarma and it was equally as good. I swear I could devour another two or three of those. The only downside was the water that came with our meal. I’m not even sure how to describe it. We couldn’t tell if it was just the water we got or just how the water actually tasted, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to be living next to the toilet for the next two hours because of the water (not joking).
The service was quite fast too. We had our food come out within 15 minutes of ordering, which was perfect because we were all starving. Overall, great experience and would definitely come again if I’m in the area!

What a great breakfast! Fresh and wonderful food. One of the specials was Broccoli Quiche — amazing!

One of my favorite lunch spots. Great home made soup and sandwiches. The open faced turkey and mashed potatoes is great. Everything is reasonable priced. Ate here a dozen times so far and never had a bad meal.

We just had a wonderful dinner at Helios. The food is authentic Greek and is full of flavor, freshness and quality ingrediants.
Our server was fun, professional and familiar with the menu.
Prices are very very reasonable.
Our highest recommdation.

My tablemate and I both got sick soon after eating lunch here. His gyro was pretty good at the time, but what’s the point if you’re going to be miserable afterwards? My roast beef sandwich was absolutely dreadful, with dense dry thin slices of salty deli beef on bread that tasted moldy (I discarded that after the first bite) and covered in even saltier soup base type gravy. None of this was hot and the mashed potatoes were actually cold inside.
No, we will not be returning to the Helios Café.

We recently moved to the area and wanted to try Helios for breakfast. We were not disappointed! Good value & friendly service. Looking forward to trying Helios for lunch & dinner in the near future.

Had a great dinner there with my family! The ambiance and decorations were really nice. We started with saganaki and triple greek dips, very flavorful and authentic. I had the Chicken French and my wife had Shrimp Helios, both were fantastic. The service was great, Gina took great care of us. We finished the meal with the Baklava and Rice Pudding, they both tasty as well. The owners Chris and Marlene stopped by and chatted with us for a while. I will definitely be back!

Was told about this place & thought I would try it. Went to breakfast & it was great. I will return & going to try dinner. Looked at the menu & it looked good. I would recommend this place. Very clean.

We had a tasteless dinner;very disappointed. the Green peppers stuffed had canned tomatoes, the peppers were bitter! Greek spaghetti tasted as though an adolescent conjured the recipe, horrible. The itsy pieces of pita that were served were of wal-​mart quality. Just felt that we donated money but not to a good cause. They got us! But we won’t be back or refer friends. Question, why all the dishonest reviews, are they close friends to the owners? Beginning not to trust the reviews.

Restaurant not busy server friendly (Sandie) Greek salad good fresh main dish was Stuffed peppers not recommended peppers overcooked ground beef filler was dry and lack of flavor. The Café is a simple setup table and chairs open setting lack of ambiance. Small bar area and beverage selection is limited.
Big issue was when leaving what appeared to be the owner sat at the bar glass of wine and laptop turned said good night and thanks no interaction with clientele or welcoming environment. May take awhile before willing to return.

Enjoyed a chicken based soup and a wrap for under $ 10! There were only a few people in the restaurant for lunch and the staff was very friendly.

I had breakfast and was completely disappointed. The coffee was bitter, and the orange juice tasted spoiled. I asked for avocado in my omelette and got a tiny bit of brown paste that I had to scrape out. The omelette was overcooked and dry. The feta cheese was scarcely there. My entire party of six was dissatisfied with their meal. The service was good though. I don’t know if they are better for lunch, but breakfast was a waste of money.
Additionally, the bathrooms have a terrible smell. They tried to mask the odor by placing room deodorizers all over, but the problem persists. They need to seriously address this.

I had high hopes for Helios Café as the area is desperate for lunch places for the local businesses. Unfortunately, it has been incredibly inconsistent.
I’ve eaten here 5 – 6 times, and when I’ve ordered items I had eaten before, they would be completely different between visits. For example, the open face sandwiches. Sometimes the mashed potatoes are fresh, sometimes they are clearly flakes. The gravy is sometimes yellow, sometimes brown, etc. No consistency whatsoever.
The gyros are OK, although the tend to way overdo the Feta and not have enough meat. The pita bread has been adequate, however.
The other thing I enjoy is watching new customers be confused when they first come in. The seating process is very awkward. Sometimes the waitress seats you. Sometimes they don’t. I could care less either way, but it should be consistent. Standards need to be set for this.
There is at least one good waitress, but some of the others are lacking. At least four times I’ve not had a drink re-​filled once while eating. I also usually have to beg for the bill, which often takes a while to get.
I think this place has huge potential, but the owners need to work across the entire house for greater consistency in both the food and the service.

Good Musaka. and Baked Haddock.
Nice server.
Good cookies dessert…
Probably won’t come back.

Gyro meat perfectly sliced and tasting, love the kalamata, tomatoes and feta. Ordered eggs over medium and they came over easy, home fries tasted like boiled potatoes and not a lot of flavor. Overall it was good and the service was good and prompt.

We just had our Silver Fox Follies cast party at Helios and it was wonderful. We had a private opening for approx 65 people after our finale at the Venice Theater. Marlene worked with us to have a select menu cross section of offerings and everyone was very pleased with the food and drinks. There was a lot of action from the kitchen to the tables and there were lots of smiles.
I personally have been to Helios several times and never have been disappointed. You will find Chris and Marlene, owners, to be the nicest people willing to go the extra mile to make your experience a great one. There were lots of smiles from both my group and the servers and a good time was had by all.
Thank you Chris and Marlene for a perfect ending to a wonderful run for our show on main stage at the Venice Theater.

Came here with my in laws and two boys for breakfast. We were delighted with the freshness of the food. Eggs and corned beef hash were fantastic. Everyone left stuffed and happy. My breakfast was better than losing my virginity!
Best breakfast in town, hands down!

I actually ended up here for breakfast, lunch and dinner yesterday.
Every meal was absolutely delicious. Would strongly recommend
every menu for every meal.

If you are looking for Great homemade Greek food you have found the right place. Helios is a great place to have a good breakfast or to have a family dinner. New to Venice this is just what the locals are looking for. You have to order the flaming cheese it is amazing. Next time I am in town I will definitely be making another trip here. Thanks for the great food and fantastic service.

So excited to find this place today. It’s a locally owned café with Fresh food, great menu, reasonable prices. Super friendly staff. Will definitely be back!