Helens Restaurant - American restaurant in Gainesboro - 3013 S Grundy Quarles Hwy, USA

I really had high hopes for this place. I have heard SO many good things about it. But it's a pass for me. I ordered the "pot roast" and was highly disappointed. The roast tasted like it came from a box and was very dry. The potatoes had almost a gluey texture and were definitely instant, very off putting but the flavor was good. The green beans had a very strong vinegar taste. The corn bread was as dry as a Popeyes biscuit. The only redeeming factor was dessert. I got the lemon cake and it was absolutely delicious. It was soft and the lemon wasn't overpowering but you knew it was there. Id go back for that cake but as far as food goes, I wouldn't recommend

Me & my friend have a list of restaurants that we want to try. Helen’s has been on it because we both have heard good things about the food. Needless to say we both were sadly disappointed. I ordered the Helen’s Country Classic: which comes with a choice of 1 meat and 3 vegetables served with cornbread or a roll Meats: 5 oz. Grilled Pork Chop, Pot Roast, 5 oz. Country Fried Steak, Hand Breaded Chicken Tenders, Baked Ham, Grilled Chicken Tenders, 5 oz., Chopped Steak, One Piece Fried Fish, One Piece Grilled Fish, Chuckwagon, 5 oz. Fried Pork Chop Vegetables: Pinto Beans, Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes, Creamed Corn, Fried Squash, Fried Okra, Coleslaw, French Fries I got the grilled pork chop with the pinto beans & double mashed potatoes. The pork chop was seasoned very well but it was a little heavy on the salt. I got pinto beans which were cooked perfectly. The mashed potatoes were confusing! One bite they tasted like instant potatoes then in the next bite they could’ve maybe been homemade because there were a few lumps. They weren’t bad though. My roll was was hot & fresh & really good. My friend ordered the Helen’s Classic but with roast beef & gravy, green beans, creamed corn & cornbread. Hers was definitely worse than mine! The roast beef was dry & I personally thought the gravy had a odd taste to it. The green beans had a heavy vinegar taste to it. I didn’t care for it but she did. The cream of corn was entirely too sweet and the cornbread was dry. Even though their desserts aren’t listed on the menu they have a variety of different ones. We were told they had cheese cake, carrot cake, chocolate pie, lemon cake, pecan pie & banana pudding. I was going to get the banana pudding. The server told me there’s no bananas in the pudding that it was basically nilla wafer pudding. I got the pecan pie which was actually very good! My friend got the lemon cake. I personally thought it was too dry but she loved it. The entire time we were eating, multiple servers would stop & ask if we were good. It was to the point it was a little annoying but when we finished eating & was going to order dessert, no one was around. We definitely won’t be back.

The Helen's Club sandwich was amazing, definitely recommend. The shrimp was overseasoned and dry, the okra tasted freezer burnt. The Pippin chicken was a mess, dried grilled chicken with bacon crusties and mushrooms that for some reason didn't quite work. Great service and quaint atmosphere with rushed flavors makes this a "try once" restaurant for us.

GREAT “Meat and Three” very much worth the quick (~10 min) drive off of I-40. Great food. Great prices. Great service. Great down-home atmosphere. Super clean. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 FOOD: I like to try local shops that give a flavor of the foods as well as the local folks, and this place DID NOT disappoint. 👌🏻 With a menu chocked FULL of choices, everyone should find something they’ll love. I tried the Meat and Three (catfish, fries, okra, pinto beans AND hush puppies), and everything was fantastic!! 😋 Super fresh and a lot of food for the price. Get this: Meat and 3 (That’s THREE SIDES y’all!!), with sweet tea, AND that delicious chocolate pie for LESS THAN $14!!!! 😳😳 Folks, that’s crazy 🤪 in this day and time. If you are anywhere near this place, stop in. I imagine this will be on my frequent stops moving forward. 🌟 SERVICE: It was not crowded at all, but at the same time, I never had to ask for anything, and everything was taken care of, no problem. Food was served fresh and promptly within ordering. 🌟 OTHER: Great down-home country feel, BUT at the same time SUPER CLEAN. Even the bathrooms were kept clean! I tried the Chocolate Pie and it was fantastic. I mean, look at the size of that meringue (who knew how to spell THAT!! 😳🤪). 🌟

Everything was delicious, service was great, fairly priced, and came out quickly.

The owner was very nice to me , greeted me as I came in and explained the menu to me . Even though they were about to close. My Food was still fresh and I still received it in a timely manner ! Customer service was Amazing, the place was very beautiful and clean as well . My first time here and I can say I will be back !!

Wonderful reunion with my daughter and her boyfriend! We enjoyed a great sandwich and shared a dessert, and chatted long after finishing! Nobody rushed us out, which was nice!

The staff are super friendly and the food is awesome! My husband and I actually stopped as we were passing one day just to get their banana pudding to go! I don't know what they do, but they have the best banana pudding we've ever tasted!! Everything else was very good too! Four of us ate for less than $100.00 and two of us had to get boxes for left overs! They did not scimp on anything! Looking forward to going back soon!!