This is the moist, juicy, flavor bomb drunchies food you've been craving. Bold flavors in garlic and chili sauce. Crunchy salty tangy pickled vegetables, succulent meat. Great prices. read more

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Super fast service, a friendly crowd (but not crowded), & the best chicken shawarma I've ever had made this an oasis on the empty streets late late at night. Don't forget the sauce, especially the hot sauce for those that like a little kick, amazing! Have your order ready. Even though it's opened when every other place is closed, the staff works hard to get everyone's order out to them ASAP & the line moves quickly. So know what you want before it's your turn. read more

Sherry and I are staying at the Marriott Marble Arch in an area that is Persian, Lebanese and Mediterranean. Edgware road is filled with restaurants; with Cafe Helen being right across the road. The food is Lebanese. The place was bright and clean and packed with people. We got a table within 5 minutes and our waiter approached immediately. We had grape leaves as an app and lamb Shawarma wraps for dinner. All were very delicious and portions were decently sized. The dining room is open late and take out place is open about 20 hours. Great if you have a 3 am hankering for falafel! read more

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I don't know if it was the fact that I was drunk and it was 2 am, but the shwarma here is amazing. It's a little hole in the wall but for 5 GBP, you get a filling shwarma sandwich that just hits the spot just right. Yup, definitely highly recommended! read more

105A Edgware Road - all Shawarma lovers must forever commit this address to memory for at last, at long last a decent Shawarma place is uncovered in the heart of London's own mini-Arabia! :) Having grown up in the middle east and accustomed to delicious shawarma's it was always on my list of must finds, I have tried many and none came very close but fortunately thanks to "Mashael Z's" recommendation below Cafe Helen came to light! A very unassuming place, right in the middle of some of the Edgware Road giants like Al Arez & Maroush, when you walk by you don't really think much of it. Until you open your sinuses and inhale. The smell had the old Saudi feel as I walked in. Nostalgia hits. The massive spinning grill and the heat beside it opens a few pores. I ask for a chicken Shawarma, the gentleman responds spicy or no? I said why not - lets have some spice. He proceeds to take some bread, cut some chicken, and then apply the sauces, the mayo and garlic, the delicious green pickle, all wrapped and ready to go within a few minutes. For anyone who eats Shawarma's the process of slowly unwrapping and taking delicious mouthfuls is just sheer delight. I did this and from start to finish I felt I was simply beyond. This really is as good as it gets. read more

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Poor service unfriendly staff, do not go here. Have been patronizing this restaurant for 15 years and they treated me as a stranger. Requested to speak to a manager and was denied. Requested a table outside, was told no, but employees were using the outside tables. See picture read more

Cafe Helen - Staff using outside tables we requested but were denied. We requested to eat outside. - Cafes Near Me - London, XGL

Best Shawarma in London, maybe in the world! This is always on my must visit list when in London. Both the chicken and lamb shawarma is amazing! read more

Cafe Helen - Cafes Near Me - London, XGL

Before I begin I must note they only accept CASH This locations was quite and experience for me, I have never had shawarma before, which is Cafe Helens speciality. I ordered the hot lamb shawarma, which was quite delicious. The restaurant has little seating which is common for London. The food has nothing to do with the poor review as I found it to satisfy my palette. The glaring negative of this experience was the service. I was treated hostilely for asking simple questions and at one point nearly walked out. For what could have been a rewarding new experience left me with a disappointed feeling. I would cautiously recommend this restraunt to a friend purely for the food Food-4/5 Environment-3/5 Service-1/5 Overall-2.5/5 read more

We wanted to go there to get the wraps. We were 5 people and had a small baby. We were given a table outside. We ordered a few wraps and French fries appetizers and a few coffees. Right after giving the order from the menu another member of the staff comes out and says if u want the wraps we need to go next door. They wouldn't serve the wraps nor anything else we ordered from the menu at that table. They said they only served full plates outside. There was nothing like that mentioned on the menu not when they seated us. All this is happening while the table next to us has just beverages( orange juice) and a shisha. Really really disgusted by this...it seems like we were taking up their table and not ordering expensive meals so they were indirectly asking us to leave. Just despicable service. Why in the world would they seat us and take our order then only tell us that they served full plated meals outside. Useless service and place!!! If I could give it zero stars I would!! read more

The inflation has driven the 5 pound wrap to be 7.5 pound one. Finally made a trip to get the lamb one

This is my favourite shawarma place in London! Super tasty and served hot (unlike other places that always serve them cold/warm). Chicken delicious. Falafel delicious. Halloumi delicious. They only accept cash. £5.50 each approx. Open all night. Always crowded. Attention could be better. read more

This is the most delicious shawarma not just in London, but anywhere I've ever tasted it. Chicken shawarma with aubergines is where it's at. I've been coming to this place for 20 years, and it only gets better and better. read more

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I do not like Kebabs. I think it's important to say that. I have never liked Kebabs. Helens I like. A lot - they're seriously tasty. The meat sticks twirl in the window salaciously like exotic dancers, drawing you in. The meat, unlike a normal kebab shop, does not look like recovered road-kill. It appears succulent, juicy and most importantly - it looks like the meat on the label. Garlic Mayo - check. Chilli sauce - check. Pickles - check. Other stuff I don't remember because I was slightly drunk - probably. The tastiest thing you're ever going to eat at stupid-o'clock when everything before seemed like a good idea at the time. read more

When it comes to kebabs, Cafe Helen has some of the best. It's really a shawarma which is the tastier less greasy and less dodgy form of a kebab which makes it even better. They are open incredibly late and this makes them perfect for a post-lash food stop. The other benefit is that the shawarmas taste fantastic and the meat is fresh and crunchy every time you go there. I'd recommend getting extra sauces (there is chilli and a garlic mayo) and personally I think the lamb is juicier. Growing up in Saudi, I've had more than my fair share of shawarmas but I think this place is right up there. read more

Not great shawarma Bad attitude from the person who was making it , no gloves, pray to god I won't have E. coli diarrhea. read more

The swarma they cook up out of this 24hr shoebox is amazzzing!! I have tried a lot of swarma in my days and this has got to be the best! Tender meat, soft bread, and tons of extra spicy sauce! Yummm! You can get a coke and a sandwich for under 5pnds! They usually have a queue at any giving time of day and be prepared to wait longer during latenights and weekends! If you are lucky there is about 5 seats smushed into a small seating area designed for maybe 2 ppl in the back! Overall, it's deeelicious food made fast--ready to eat right away!! read more

Been here few times, the lamb shawarma is a hit or a miss, but usually a hit. This time they cheaper out on the vegetables, and made up for it with extra sauce, not cool! I recommend watching over their shoulder and tell them what you want in the sandwich. read more

According to the BBC, the British are renown for queuing and doing it very well. That's exactly what I did when I saw the massive queue extending outside well into the Edgeware road at this amazing Shawarma house to help ring in the new year! Here, not only did i enjoy delicious food, but I was surrounded by the friendliest crowd of cosmopolitan adventurers who were anxious and vying for a chance to taste the delicious, spicy, garlic kabobs! I had the 'mildly spicy lamb kebob', which was out of this world delicious! Owner, Helen, is super delightful and she has a huge following of regular customers, but also has plenty of room to add newbies, like me, to the growing list of FANS! Happy 2014!!! read more

Their shawarma sandwiches are the best on edgware Rd. No other place beats it. Quick and easy takeaway. They ask if you want it spicy, I always say yes! Staff not too friendly but can't expect much. Food was really good! read more

Cafe Helen - Cafes Near Me - London, XGL

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Shawarma was great. Hummus great too (though I do wish they served it with pickled veggies or something). Fast and yummy.

Best Shwarmas on Edgeware Road. They only do one size now for £4 which is plenty filling enough. Meat is succulent and delicious. A cut above every other place I have tried, you can really taste the quality. This combined with their special garlic sauce really cements Helen's reputation in my book. Not 5 stars because they charge a £1 for a warm coke. Sort this out and offer ice cold soft drinks for 50p and you will be on to a winner read more

Down to earth, delicious, high quality shoarma. It doente get much better than this. It's the choice for shoarma lovers.... the meat is so tender and tasty.... Probably the best shoarma in the world. read more

At the mention of going for a kebab, my insides shrink and it's fair to say it's due to places like Cafe Helen. IIt looks just like any other regular kebab joint , but the chicken and lamb spits were ridiculously huge, which makes me a little dubious as to how long the meat had been on there for as I'm not joking, they looked like elephant thighs! They were super quick at serving the six of us, but when the kebabs were handed out, they were so small, fully sausage-wrapped in white paper, that for a moment I thought that they were handing out material napkins, then doh I remembered where I was. The man very kindly showed the kebab novices of the group how to unwrap and eat our tiny packages (peeling round the top like an orange) and although it wasn't revolting, the meat tasted cheap and fatty. About the best compliment I can give it is mediocre, and that's only because it definitely had a Lebanese twist to it with different spices and gherkin added, but for £4 it really wasn't worth it. The worst part was sitting inside, perched on the few stainless steel stools at the back, surrounded by black bin bags of rubbish that were waiting to be taken outside. I definitely won't be going back here! read more

I'm seeing a lot of four and five stars and I don't understand why. This place was average. The shwarmas we used to get next to the Mission Ale House in downtown San Jose, CA, were 10 times better than what we got at this place. My husband picked up take out from this place and brought it back to the hotel for us and the kids. He said the service was non-existent. You get it the way they prepare it and don't ask for napkins or anything else. He compared it to the Soup Nazi. "No Shwarma for you!" The Angry Eater (aka my 8 year-old son) wanted me to give it minus six stars. I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here again. read more

LOVED the lamb shawarma here! We were visiting London and was our first time at this place. The cook told us we'll be back for more and he was right! I would definitely go back here for more next time I'm in London! Tip: go with the large size if you're into bigger portions! read more

Bread? Good! Chicken? Good! Green pickles? Good! Garlic sauce? Good! Shawarma? The best! I am an incredibly picky shawarma fan and from all the ones I've tried in London, Cafe Helen's is the only one that comes close to the mark. I was raised on real Saudi shawarmas and you would be surprised how difficult it is to find anything as good when you leave. For me, the perfect shawarma has to fulfill five requirements: yummy bread, yummy chicken, yummy green pickles, yummy garlic sauce and yummy french fries. Sadly, no one in London puts french fries in shawarmas, but I am thrilled that Cafe Helen does the other four. Like other London shawarma restaurants, they also put in salad and tomatoes and spicy sauce and who knows what else, but in my opinion they are still the best shawarma place in London with the most authentic shawarma and that is saying a lot. They are not cheap, but it is good value as their shawarmas are massive! They are also open late and very quick, although there is not much seating and their style is more takeaway. Their shawarmas are so damn good that I am getting hungry just thinking about them and writing this review.... read more

Simple place. Simple review. For late night, generally after a cocktail or 9, this is the place to go. Long queues await drunken revelers but all agree the wait is worth it. Menu is simple and 90% of people aim for the shawarma ... the meats are well done and cooked as expected: tasty, greasy, artery clogging .... but worth it. I love good food but I also love good street food. This will certainly help avoid a hangover the next day. Simply the best I have had in latenight London. read more

Starving late night snack- not the friendliest but real good. Great recommendation from the local Hotel staff. Cash only. Had the chicken shawarma and it was delish with a touch of heat. Did I mention cash only? Hint.... Basically everything on the menu rocks. read more

They schwarma'd the shit out of me! The best bloody place in London to go after 4 AM. After a hard night out on the turps, no better place for a kebab to soak up the scrumpy jack. There's always a long line down the block so expect to wait a little while. And for less than 5 quid, why not? Probably the best halal place on Edgware Road. They are not open at 7 am, so if you're coming back from a rave, you might want to get breakfast somewhere else. read more

For £4 you can eat about the entire Animal Kingdom in a small pita bread. That's pretty impressive to say. But the place across the street for one more pound you get all that with Coke and Fries. I'll pass Helen. read more

Yeah, definitely a great pit stop for a late night snack (or meal). I'll withhold the 5th star because frankly the ingredients were basic...lamb, lettuce, tomato, pickle, tahini, and hot sauce with shaved lamb. I've had more complex and amazing shawarma before. But when all put together, the taste was excellent. The lamb was cooked to perfection and cut nicely, crispy on the edges. No seating folks, so prepare to eat on the street with the sauce dripping down your arm. read more

I probably had Cafe Helen six times in the four days I was in London. That should probably tell you how delicious and amazing this place is!

So the question is, what can you expect from a kebab stall? Well, my usual answer would be unidentifiable meat, wilting salad, covered in so much chilli sauce that it doesn't matter what is being eaten as long as the chilli heat overcomes it. Cafe Helen however is a kebab dream, I say this as a regular customer. To be fair it is generally at 3.30 am when I am to say the least a tad beered up. However I have also grabbed the odd shawarma or two here when not completely paralytic, and the verdict is... Still damn fine! Yes, a place that has kebabs so good that even at 3.30 am you are still likely to have a 10 - 15 minute wait to be served. This would usually be a pain, but the queue is generally friendly and the shawarmas are well worth the wait. Unlike many places you can see good quality meat being carved by some weird shaving machine, the garlic sauce is magic, and if you go for the superb chicken shawarma, it is worth asking for extra garlic sauce and pickles... As an example of how good the place is, I had a friend come over to stay and (admittedly after a few cheeky pints) we visited Cafe Helen for a quick feed on the way home, after a ten minute walk and some serious consumption, my mate then demanded a return to Helen for another sweet shawarma before bed! True the shawarmas are a tad on the healthy (read small) side, but generally they totally hit the spot after a night out on the town! (I'm writing this with a happy belly after a night of drunkeness topped off with a lovely helen's kebab) and I'm very happy! Viva Helen! read more

I have only ever been to Cafe Helen after late night when I'm a little worse for wear from the mix of drinking and dancing. I first discovered this place when I was driving home a few years ago- it was around 2am and I was starving but everywhere was closed. It felt like all my birthdays and Christamses had arrived when I saw a queue of people were queueing outside Cafe Helene. For £4 the sharawarma wrap filled the hole and unlike doner kebabs (which I wouldnt eat even you paid me) at least I could actually identify the meat as chicken. I have never ventured into Cafe Helene during the day but for a late nigt spot to stop your hunger pains- Cafe Helene is perfect! read more

Let's keep it real -- you come here when it's late, you're drunk, and you want a kebab that you can distinguish as decent, even when inebriated (the ones by old street? don't do it. even when i'm drunk i feel disgusted). The actual taste of the shwarmas, and in particular, the falafels, is pretty good. Just not for £4 for a tiny little thing. But since our judgments are so severely impaired during crucial times of drunkeness... that'll be an afterthought. read more

i doubt the comments before me are real. i just had the worst experiences at this place. so from the start - we got there, it was pretty crowded so we thougt its gonna be a good place. i'm gonna save you the details of how the bad service began (we got asked what we want and then ignored while telling it) and skip to the main problems. what we ordered: Hallumi ( out of stock ..) 2 lamb kebabs with onion and sauce, without salat or anything 2 chicken kebabs with tomatoe salad sauce ect just no spicey what we recived: 1 lamb kebab with salad tomatoes pickels sauce ect 3 chicken kebabs with spicey. nothing else. thats not the end of the story yet. it was me (22 year old austrian female) with a friend (28 year old indian), the only english speaking in the place, so i already felt a bit uncomfortable. right at the moment we got our kebabs (after waiting for a lifetime), i felt a hand on my butt. not only touching it, a guy next to me seriousley grabbed and squeezed my butt. i turned around totally shocked and he just said 'i'm sorry' and rushed out of the place. i was so surprised by what just happened i couldnt belive it, so i could not react quick enough. people were looking because they saw my reaction and how the guy just ran away. yes thats maybe not the restaurants fault but all in all this place was just a really bad experience and i will never go back there again. rude staff, wrong and not tasty food, and even worse other customers. read more

Not gonna lie this place just didn't do it for me. Heard about all the rave and as an avid Shawarma fan decided to give it a try. It wasn't bad but I think it is overpriced when there are better options out there. I still think best Shawarma in London goes to a place called Taza right off Queensway station (which is also half the price). read more

Came all the way from LA and this has got to be the best late night shawarma spot I've ever tried. Gonna try to grab lunch here before my flight out today! read more

If you wake up at 3 am and decide that you Need a Shawarma now , you can relax because Cafe Helen is open and they have the shawarma sizzling hot and ready , but get in line because its crowded and full of hungry men 24/7. read more

it was just too good!!! definitely in the top 3 tastiest shawarma i have tried... went around 5 am in the morning after a heavy drinking session... ordered 10 chicken shawarmas with all the sauces (extra chilli and garlic) to feed my hungry friends and myself... it was definitely worth all the wait... u must try if you are travelling to London! read more