Helen's — Local services in Leonardtown

DON'T GO HERE! EVER!! WILL MAKE YOU SICK! Food wasn't that great. Took 5ish minutes to seat us, that's good, but once we sat it took 20 min for waters. Probably another 30 min before we got our order taken, and 20 to 25 before food came. So in total, once we sat, it took over 70 minutes before food was put on the table. The food was uncomplicated all you can eat oysters. So food shouldn't have taken that long to come out since there were two other tables getting oysters. And fries don't take long to cook either, but they didn't come out till 20ish minutes after the oysters and were lukewarm. Oh and the coleslaw side took a good 40 minutes after the oysters. Even though we kept asking for our other sides. Once the coleslaw did come out it was OLD or at the very least the mayonnaise was really really off. The waitress was nice, said she was sorry, and said she would bring out different sides for us. SO... yet again had to wait for new sides to come out. After 30 minutes of waiting for the new sides, I was full-ish, annoyed, incredibly nauseous, and no new sides had appeared. So we asked for the sides to go, which was told that was fine. I was ready to throw up, and I tried to explain I wasn't feeling good and that's why we wanted the sides, to go, along with the check. Another 15ish minutes later we were told that we would be charged for the sides if we wanted them to go!!! I talked with the manager and she finally gave the replacement sides to go after some attitude. And she treated me like I was a liar when i said it took 70 min to get food. She tried to say she didn't have any oyster reservations till 530 so there was no way we had been there that long. While we didn't have a reservation, we did walk in the door at 5pm. She also thought we were lieing and claiming the coleslaw was bad. Then the waitress, who was hardly trained, charged for the original sides and didn't give separate bills like we asked for. I get that the waitress was new, but it wasn't busy and she only had two other tables. She had no hustle or sense of urgency. Both her other two tables had to keep getting up to hand her their drinks so they could get refills. They even started to stand at the bar and stare at her. Even that didn't work for them most of the time.

The whole 2 hour and 20ish minute experience was terrible. Also, the coleslaw was confirmed by the manager to be bad. I overheard her telling the waitresses that she checked it and it was bad so she threw it out!!!!!Worst thing is it made me sick!!! I've had to take a bunch of meds to calm my stomach, and despite that I couldn't keep everything down. Won't be...

I stopped by Helen’s Café today hoping for a quiet, relaxing lunch break away from the office. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

To start on a positive note, my server was attentive and friendly, and the meal itself was just fine - no complaints there. But everything else about the experience was overshadowed by the environment. As soon as I sat down, I realized there was active construction happening in the dining area. One worker was on a ladder drilling into the ceiling, another was working along the wall, and throughout my meal I got to listen to the two of them carry on a conversation about their job as if the rest of us weren’t there.

The noise wasn’t just a distraction - it was disruptive. The ladder scraped loudly across the floor, ceiling tiles were pulled down, and clouds of dust and debris drifted onto counters and tables nearby. At one point, one of the workers even answered the phone to handle business while standing in the middle of the dining room. It made the space feel more like a job site than a café.

What’s frustrating is that Helen’s is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. You would think those would be the ideal times to schedule this kind of disruptive work instead of during lunch hours when customers are trying to enjoy their meals.

Bottom line: while the staff and food were perfectly fine, the atmosphere today completely missed the mark. A café should be a place to relax and enjoy a meal - not to eat alongside drills, dust, and...

Open 7 days a week, call ahead (6/29/21) Helen’s is hands down the best cozy restaurant in Southern Maryland. You may think this is hyperbole so let me explain.

From the moment we walked in our server Darlene greeted us with a big, beautiful smile. This set the tone for the rest of the experience. Warm & sincere. Although when we came it was lunch time and about 75% filled, we were cared for immediately. We had fresh coffee & waters within 3 mins- best local coffee thus far. We ordered the Farmer’s Feast & Helen’s “Toast & Berries”. The pancakes were light, fluffy & buttery. The French toast was soft with hints of cinnamon & vanilla. The scrapple was my personal favorite. The portions were generous. Food made with love. The staff works as a team and the good energy is just as evident in the setting as it is the food. We later met Paul who is one of the chefs. He was kind, welcoming & dedicated to their family business. Every person working there checked on all the guests consistently. Everything was really clean as well, even the restroom; always a plus!!

They informed us that they’re open 7 days a week now so don't let the old sign fool you & call ahead just in case. Overall, a humble spot with great, fresh food, what more...