Helm

classically trained chiefs doing farm to tablemost creative menu in Philadelphia in a relaxed warm settingstaff professional and friendlya must for a great meal

You know you've had a stellar experience when you're still thinking about your dinner a week after the fact.Helm was a nice surprise for Esq and me. The menu is truly seasonal and farm-to-table. Helm takes it to a new freshness level.The space is small and intimate. Not stuffy at all. Our server was intimately aware of the menu and shared details of each dish with us. I love a passionate team! The warm welcome we received upon arriving extended throughout our dinner. Our party of 4 essentially ordered the entire menu (as per). The broccoli ravioli was a table favorite, along with the scallops, pork cheddar ragu, and the carrots. The bread and butter were simply heavenly. Even the beets and strawberry dish was enjoyed by the non-beet eaters (2 of the 4 of us). See, beets do not have to taste like dirt! The flavor profiles on all dishes were creative, bold, and palate-pleasing. And do not pass up dessert. I don't care how stuffed you are! Helm is BYOB, which we love. We brought two big (read: fancy) bottles of Brunello, which complemented the entire menu. The menu is rotated out regularly, and we are already looking forward to a return visit!

Absolutely AMAZINGThe food had so many bursts of flavors it was out of this world. Helm is now in my top 3 favorite restaurants in Philly area.Carrots were a must very flavorful and smoky.The eggplant gnocchi was my favoriteBest Brussel sprouts we have ever hadNY strip cooked to perfectionScallops some of the best scallops I have ever hadDesserts were also delicious.Service was top notch

The fact that we just got around to visiting to Helm for the first time, is straight up a disservice to our taste buds. If you haven't been yet yourself, make it a priority...like yesterday. From the outside-in, this is a no frills/no thrills type of spot. Very cozy, nestled into the first floor of a townhouse. Furniture and dishware is all mix and matched, and they pack yah in like sardines. Menus? Nah - you are going to catch what they are serving on either of their chalkboards (which are easy to see from any seat in the house.) Also, they had a killer playlist ~ we'd call it something like lo-fi funk..really sets the appropriate mood for dinner.Not sure how to interpret what's on the chalkboard? Not a problem - their servers are well versed on what's getting pushed out of the kitchen, and have no issues giving full descriptions of each dish. Much of it comes from their own experience eating the food (which was really fun to hear what they've enjoyed the most and what's been the long standing menu items), but either way you can tell each of them are passionate about the plates hitting the table. Definite plus - their menu has seasonal rotations and is locally sourced.Not to mention, really accommodating all the way around. We initially had a 7PM reservation and were running late. We called in the day of and they quickly moved it to 7:30! Very nice. We needed to know what dishes could be served vegetarian, and they walked us through so many options!The inside decor has plenty going on - lots of knick-knacks and interesting collectibles. There is an awesome little two top, that's tucked away from the rest of the tables. If you can request that in advance, I would highly recommend. Memorable dishes were:- This might seem super simple, but their bread & butter! Their sour dough is from Mighty Bread, and is fresh, airy, and crunchy. They serve it with a fermented butter too, which brings the flavor to a whole new level.- The brussels appetizer might be one of my favorite bites in the city. Served like a latka, it is fried and crispy, and splayed on top of apple sauce. Crunchy shitake mushrooms sprinkled on top, and each bite is a perfect flavor combination of sweet, savory, salty, and creamy. - Their scallop dish seemed to be well renowned, so I had to get it, and I think you'd be hard pressed to have had scallops like this before. They were served charred/grilled and cut in half, intermingled in this pozole sauce which was like this hearty/earthy broth. It was delicious and one of those plates that you have to swipe with any remaining bread you have left. Low and behold, their desserts were top notch too. They have a cheesecake crumb cake that goes really well with their coffee. Interesting spin on a cheesecake, where the base is actually more of the true crumb cake and then topped with something like a cheesecake icing. Incredible! Their staple dessert is the gateau basque, which rotates in flavor. We had a citrus version of this, and it resembled a pop tart in pie form. Packed with delicious and bright fruit, this was a refreshing way to close out the meal. We left with belly's full and a commitment to sharing our experience with others. If you didn't know, Helm has been on Philly Mags 50 best restaurant list since 2016. The cool thing is, this is the type of place that probably could care less about accolades, but with outstanding food and service, you can easily see why they are so well respected.

Overall would give a 3.5-4 star review. Food: flavorful and unique, changes. The entire menu is written out on a chalk board with no descriptions, would recommend them explaining each dish. We got the scallops and the mushroom ravioli with lamb for our entrees and was delicious! The desserts left a little something to be desired. It is a BYOB! 55$ for 3 courses. Service: excellent, very attentive and provided good explanations. Constantly checked in to see if we were enjoying the food. Overall I would come back and would recommend this as a cute first date spot, it's intimate and quiet. I would be curious to try the NY strip next time

I fell in love with the food here after the first bite. First of all, I'm not a fan of American food; however, Helm has changed my mind. This place is just became one of my favorite restaurant in Philly! The best scallops I've ever had, so tender and flavorful. It was just WOW in my mouth! Everything we had was so good. And what I like most about here is their menu, they based on seasonal ingredients. So you get to try different dishes every season. Can't wait to come back and try their next seasonal menu. FYI it's BYOB here, which is a bonus!It's such a cozy, fun vibe inside. Service was very attentive and helpful. Highly recommend this place!

Everything, and I mean everything we ordered was SPECTACULAR. We had a 5:15pm and were warmly greeted and seated inside this nice and quaint restaurant. The gnocchi and octopus came out first and honestly, when I had that first bite of the octopus it was basically an explosion in my mouth. The octopus is mashed with other ingredients, so you my wonder where is the octopus, but it's def in there. The star of the show to tonight is definitely the scallops. I would recommend this place to everyone and will definitely go here again.FYI: menu constantly changes, which is awesome to keep the curiosity alive of what they're cooking

The food was amazing. I love that the menu changes with what is available. The staff was so nice and it's a cute space. They make you feel like you're friends making you the best dinner. Can't believe they've been open 9 years and I'm just finding it.

We loved the seating and overall vibe of the restaurant. It is BYOB which was nice. We got a variety of items and we noted how filling they were.

My husband and I have recently started dating again and we chose Helm as our second date night. The food is delicious and shows the level of expertise and thoughtfulness in each dish. One thing that may get overlooked is the friendliness of the staff. We arrived early and immediately we're welcomed to drop off our bottle and enjoy the warm weather outside. As we sat outside the staff checked on us and made us feel so comfortable. It was a fantastic start and it carried all the way through our experience at Helm. Thank you Lenny, Melissa, and Ashleigh you really made us feel so comfortable and welcome! Of course Kevin we love your food! Everything about this restaurant exudes warmth, friendliness, and comfort. We will be back!