Helen's Restaurant

Our longtime chef Clay Hostetler was nominated for Best Chef in the Richmond Times-Dispatch Best of 2024 reader’s poll! Voting closes on July 28, and you can vote once every 24 hours. Show Clay some love and vote in all of the other awesome categories with the link below!

https://richmond.com/exclusive/readerschoice/ballot-2024/

❤️❤️❤️

It is with profound sadness that we share the unexpected yet peaceful passing of our beloved Stella Dikos, the heart and soul of Stella’s. Her warmth, creativity, and passion for food have touched so many lives here in Richmond and beyond. Stella’s legacy lives on through the delicious recipes and the love she poured into every dish.

Stella’s journey began at the original Village Cafe, where she worked alongside her husband, Stavros, and introduced many people to her incredible cooking and recipes from her homeland, Greece. After those cherished years, Stella opened the first Stella’s on Harrison Street, where her culinary magic continued to flourish and create lasting memories. Following the closing of the original restaurant, she opened the second iteration of Stella’s on Main Street, further enriching Richmond’s dining scene.

Her passion and dedication culminated in the Stella’s we know and love today on Lafayette Street, a true testament to her incredible influence. In addition to our flagship restaurant, Stella’s legacy extends to our gourmet markets, Stella’s Grocery, Our Life by Stella’s, and Stella’s in Charleston, South Carolina.

Stella was more than just a chef; she was a friend to all who walked through our doors, and a beloved sister, aunt, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Beyond her culinary talents, Stella had a deep love for the arts, classical music, travel and gardening. She embraced the beauty in all forms of creativity and expression, enriching the lives of those around her with her diverse interests and passions.

We know how much she meant to you, just as she meant the world to us. Stella was vibrant and full of life, still preparing her specialties up until her last days, making her passing a shock to our family. Thank you for being part of her journey and for your continued support during this difficult time. We will be sharing details about her memorial service soon.

The Dikos-Giavos Family

We’ve got a couple of dinner specials tonight!

•Spaghettini Carbonara w/ pork belly + saffron pecorino sauce
•Fried Squash Blossoms w/ pimento cheese + salsa verde
•And for dessert: Aperol Floats w/ vanilla ice cream + blood orange soda!

We’ve got plenty of room for walk-ins tonight! Come have some of your favorite menu items before we change up the menu for summer next week! 👀

Reservations available at www.helensrva.com

Nothing better than a $6 happy hour mojito on the Helen’s patio after work ☀️🌱
Our happy hour is Tuesday thru Thursday, 5-7pm! Come say hi 👋

We are super excited to host our first patio market of 2024 this coming Monday, May 6! We will have some amazing local vendors indoor + outdoors w/ handmade crafts, vintage clothing, stained glass, fresh flowers, polaroids, & more! We will also be joined by Horne Dogs for some delicious food (veg options available)! 🌭

After the market we will dive right into Monday night karaoke until 2am 🎶 Hope to see you there, it’s gonna be a blast!

These handsome lads are ready to cook for you! Serving dinner 5:30-9pm, drinks til 2am ✨

☀️ HAPPY HOUR IS HERE! ☀️
Join us Tuesday thru Thursday (5-7pm) for $6 mojitos, half off draft beer, and half off house wine glass pours! Kitchen is open 5:30-9pm. Make a reservation on our website www.helensrva.com or walk on in!

✨ CURRENT MENUS! ✨
Please feel free to comment or message us with any questions (or requests! 😉)
Menus are subject to change due to local / seasonal availability! Check our Facebook + Instagram for updates and specials!

Mondays are about to get a whole lot better…🎤✨
We are SO excited to announce that we will be hosting weekly Monday Night Karaoke starting TONIGHT! Our hosts and will be running the show - please come join us and sing your heart out!

•Monday nights, 10pm-2am
•Drinks by Frankie + Coleman 🥂
•21+ to enter

On special! Potato-crusted fried flounder with fingerling potatoes, peas, green beans, spiced pea purée, + béarnaise aioli ✨ It’s as good as it looks!

Come enjoy dinner on our patio this week! The weather will be beautiful ☀️

Our lovely bartender Michelle showing off some Cynar USA 🍷 We’ve got several aperitifs and digestifs available to elevate your dining experience! Come on in for a cozy dinner date or night cap tonight ✨

Dinner served tonight from 5:30-9pm, and the bar is open til 2am! Dinner reservations encouraged but not required.

Photo by Dylan McMahon ( on Instagram)

✨🫒 Now on special until it sells out! Pan-fried flounder with fried brussel sprouts + artichoke hearts, parsnip purée, and an olive + caper herb butter 🫒✨

Dinner is Tuesday thru Saturday, 5:30-9pm! Reservations encouraged, walk-ins welcome. Head to www.helensrva.com to book your table!

A rainy night calls for a $6 shot and beer special! Come hang with Frankie and Coleman tonight til 2am 🍻

We’ll be running this special every week Sunday thru Wednesday, 9pm-midnight and til 2am Mondays!

Our Shrimp & Grits may be the perfect comfort food for this dreary weather! Our signature smoked gouda grits topped with low-country gravy and grilled shrimp ✨ Served during both dinner and brunch!

We have some space for walk-ins tonight! If you’d prefer to reserve a spot, find us on or call the restaurant!

Photo by :)

🍹 NEW COCKTAIL ALERT 🍹
We are rolling out our late winter / early spring cocktails! Pictured from left to right:

🌟 THE TAMARIND SEED: reposado, tamarind paste, hibiscus syrup, lime juice, simple syrup

🍋 THE GODSON: toki, benedictine, sweet vermouth, yuzu

🌶️ CHOCOLAT: , creme de cacao, reyes ancho chili liquer, cream(optional)

Come try these and our numerous other new drinks this weekend! We can make a good amount of our cocktails as a non-alcoholic version too. Find us on or call the restaurant to book!

Here are our current dinner + drink menus!
We implement minor dinner menu changes fairly often due to local ingredient availability/freshness, kitchen efficiency, etc. We are always working to have a good amount of pescatarian/vegetarian options, as well as items that can be made vegan/gluten-free. We have sample menus on our website, and post newer menu updates on our Instagram as well!

Website: helensrva.com
Instagram:

Hello! We will be closed tomorrow (Tuesday) for a private event with the RVA Bartender’s Guild! Tickets are still available for $5 each at the link below, and will also be available at the door. We will have photographers, a DJ, games, prizes, and more!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bartenders-new-years-bash-tickets-794813617927

Need some comfort food on this cloudy January weekend? Join us for Sunday brunch tomorrow from 10am-2pm! (You gotta try the homemade biscuits and gravy!) Brunch is walk-in only, no reservations. We have tons of vegetarian and kid-friendly options!

Photo by Courage & Co Photography 📸

Join us for a romantic evening with your special someone 🌹 We are already filling up fast for Valentine’s Day tables! We will have our normal menu plus some elevated dinner/cocktail specials. Call now to book! (804) 358-4370

🎁✨ IT’S RAFFLE TIME ✨🎁
We partnered up with to raffle off this AMAZING hand-painted Helen’s tote bag! 100% of the proceeds from the raffle will be donated to RVA Community Fridges + Matchbox Mutual Aid to support their incredible efforts to reduce food insecurity in the Richmond community.

HOW TO ENTER:
✨ Raffle tickets are $10 each
✨ Venmo us at and put “RAFFLE TICKET” in the description! Each $10 increment is one entry - for example, a $30 donation = 3 entires! If you don’t have Venmo, just DM us and we will provide alternative options.
✨ The raffle will close on THURSDAY, JANUARY 11 at 12pm. The winner will then be randomly chosen and announced on our page!
✨ Out-of-town entries are welcome! We can ship the bag to you if you win.

From :
“RVA Community Fridges is a mutual aid organization that operates 13 fridges in the city of Richmond which are open 24/7 to anyone who needs food. We are also a part of Matchbox Mutual Aid kitchen in Northside where we prepare meals with donated foods to stock the fridges. Our work is done by the community and for the community.” ❤️
Go follow and to learn more!

Still looking for NYE plans?! Come join us this Sunday for a special last-minute New Year’s Eve dinner, followed by late-night bar service with guest DJs and drink specials!

✨ Brunch will be 10am-2pm, walk-ins only!

✨ Dinner will be reservation-only, 5:30-8:30pm! Call us Thurs-Sat, 3:30-5:30pm for a NYE dinner reservation, or try book at helensrva.com. You can still come and grab a drink and head to our covered patio during dinner service - we just won’t have indoor tables available.

✨🪩 Late-night bar service will be 21+, first come first served. We often have a line out the door on NYE, so come early!

Happy New Year! Feel free to comment or DM with any questions ✨

Thank you on Instagram for this amazing photo!

Holiday hours!✨

Just a few of our favorite photos from this year’s annual holiday party! Thank you so much Courage & Co Photography for always capturing all of the fun ✨ Go to his page for the link to the entire photo album, and keep an eye out for our other photographers’ photos and videos as well!

We are expanding our hours through the holidays! See photos for details! ✨🎁

Come hang with us for the holidays! We are OPEN for dinner tonight at 5:30pm with some room for reservations/walk-ins, followed by bar service until 2am w/ dj sets by Bedspread Radio ✨🍻

We will be CLOSED for dinner tomorrow (thursday) but will still open at 10pm for bar service til 2am!

Book your table: helensrva.com

Thank you Brandon Copeland (Instagram: ) for this amazing photo of our holiday decor from 2021!

We have been working daily to get this year’s decor up asap, and we're aiming to have it done by December 1. The restaurant is already feeling super festive! Come check out our progress this week during dinner, bar, and brunch!

HOURS:
-DINNER is Tuesday through Saturday, 5:30-9pm. Reservations are encouraged, walk-ins welcome!
-BRUNCH is Saturday + Sunday, 10am-2pm. Walk-ins only!
-BAR (21+) is Tuesday-Saturday, 9pm-2am and Sunday/Monday 10pm-2am!

Book dinner reservations here: helensrva.com
Purchase gift-cards and other merch here: helensrva.shop

Helen's Restaurant - Richmond, VA - Serving Lunch, Brunch and Dinner since 1935 Helen\'s Restaurant is located in the heart of Richmond, serving brunch and dinner.

Give the gift of Helen’s this holiday season! 🎁✨ You can purchase gift certificates of any amount by stopping by the restaurant or by visiting our online merch shop (website: helensrva.shop)! We also offer shirts, patches, bags, and more!

Check out our website helensrva.com for dinner reservations! Brunch is walk-ins only.