So far the ambiance is nice. A great spot for date night. Our waiter Michelle has been excellent and very attentive! I ordered the filetes de sardines assadas and it was amazing. The seasoning mixed with the saltiness of the sardines was delicious. My friend ordered the lombo de vacca grelhado and he says that sauce is rich and tangy. The filet mignon was perfectly cooked and it was served with a mushroom crusted polenta! All in all this place is perfect for a romantic dinner or just a fancy dinner with friends. Highly recommend this place! read more

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Didn't know anything about his restaurant, but he sat at the bar and eighth tasting menu. It was amazing. Each course more surprising and special. Only thing we should not have done was order both the seafood and the steak. A little too much to eat. But the best filet mignon we've ever had. Fabulous service from people who seem to enjoy what they are doing. read more

Too good! Just perfect in every way, service and food. A luxurious experience. Highly recommend. read more

Helena - Pasta & Clams - Portuguese Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

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We had a great evening as a group. We ordered the sampler. Every dish was delicious. A few chose the wine pairing which bumped up the total but was worth it. Despite the Friday evening reservations the place was quiet. Great service in a pretty decor. Save up for your evening. Not cheap read more

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Was in town for work and was recommended by the hotel. Not a huge menu but the catches of the day certainly added to it and were honestly some of the best-looking items. We started with the cod croquettes which were nicely flavored, lightly friend, and came with a tasty aioli. Also got the octopus which was well cooked, especially for some thicker cuts of octopus and came with this really interesting sauce and bed of potatoes. It was great, and so much octopus for the price. I then had a swordfish of the day as my entree. The fish was super tender, well cooked and the veggies that it came with were full of flavor. I would go right for those catches of the day again as my colleagues got some other fish and they were all very tasty. Would definitely return read more

Great dinner location. Service is first class. They were very kind and understanding when we mentioned that we don't speak French. Food was great. I had the fresh cod and my wife the filet, both great. Recommend the Sopa Verde. Strongly recommend this very good restaurant. read more

Incredible meal! My husband and I were looking for something a little more upscale during our visit to Montreal and were happy that we landed here. The service was phenomenal and the food was outstanding. We shared the caldo verde soup, rack of lamb and scallops- each was more delicious than the last. The real star of the show was the paradise island dessert. My husband, who doesn't really have a sweet tooth, still refers to it as the best dessert he's ever had. I've even tried to recreate it at home, but it is clear that the chef was very imaginative in his interpretation. If you're looking for a great night out, Helena is it! read more

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Terrible service. Waiting 90 minutes for my food and not offered a drink a single time.

We held a 14-person birthday dinner at Chez Helena. The staff was particularly professional, respectful, and helpful from the time we started the dialogue regarding the planning of our dinner until the time we left the restaurant at the night of our dinner. The manager Daniel was quick to respond to our inquiry and helped us pick the most appropriate fixed menu for our party along with great suggestions for wine pairing. During the night of our dinner party, the hospitality we received from the staff was one of a kind and was truly overwhelmingly warm, courteous, and cordial. Their attention to detail was absolutely amazing and they did not miss a beat in serving us on time and with the outmost respect. All the tapas that were served prior to our main course were absolutely phenomenal. The food on our fixed menu was comprised of two different types of seafood, lamb, and steak. Each and everyone of these plates were cooked to perfection with a great presentation. Their desert and wine list were also remarkable. A huge thank you to the chef and the staff for such a remarkable night. read more

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We went in an hour before close and they told us that they had a problem in the kitchen and they had to close. I'm suspicious. Nevertheless, We walked 15 minutes because it said it would be open and it wasn't. 081324 at 10 pm read more

Amazing service, quality ingredients and expert preparation. All this in an elegant space where one can enjoy a conversation. A perfect dining experience! read more

+0.5 stars (reduced rating because more than 12 hours later, my mouth still feels like it's coated in salt). We took my boyfriend's boss here for dinner while he was in town. To make things easy, we opted for the tapas/fish tasting menu (as opposed to the just tapas or the tapas/fish/meat menu). And everything was good. Great, even. It started with a shrimp salad and asparagus salad with serrano ham, shrimp and calamari tagliatelle, grilled octopus and cod cakes with piri piri sauce, the bacalhau preto asado (grilled black cod with grilled vegetables) and finished with 2 desserts. All in all, it was lovely. BUT. They are very heavy handed with the salt. Around the cod cake course, I started to notice that my mouth was tingling because of all the SALT. By the time the bacalhau came around, all I could really eat were the vegetables because my entire mouth felt like I had licked salt the entire night. Thank goodness for the desserts that came - one of the lightest, fluffiest cakes I have ever had in my life with a chocolate ice cream (which resembled the consistency and taste of chocolate pudding instead of ice cream - still good). read more

I would normally wait for a few visits before commenting on a "new to me" restaurant, especially during COVID with takeout only service. Helena is so good I couldn't wait to share my experience so here goes... First impressions mean a lot. It was early on a beautiful snowy Saturday night in Old Montreal. My wife and I were walking our Golden Retrievers up McGill and stopped outside Helena's to check out the takeout menu. Hmm, it's loaded with tasty Portuguese seafood dishes so I decided to walk in unannounced and give them a try. The staff was clearly busy with what looked like a huge catering order. I asked the manager if I could order some takeout. After a quick check with the chef, I hear a warm and friendly "Of course you can! Come on in and we'll take care of you!" Well that was a good start and a very nice first impression. By the way, the decor of Helena's is lovely and offers its own first impression as you walk in. I ordered a grilled seafood platter for two with some Natas for dessert. When I picked it up 30 minutes later, the manager walked me through the dishes and explained that the chef added a special treat. When I unpacked the dishes at home I was pleasantly surprised the grilled platter was loaded with lobster, calamari, huge shrimp, mussels, clams and octopus swimming in a white wine and butter sauce. Are you kidding me, there must be $50+ of ingredients in that dish! The chef really worked some magic with those super high quality ingredients. Everything was fresh, delicious and perfectly cooked. VERY IMPRESSIVE! By the way, the special treat was a nice box of freshly baked cookies! Yum... read more

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+.5 for service This was the most expensive restaurant my family dined in during our trip to Montreal (yes, even more expensive than Europea). Unfortunately, it didn't really meet our standards that was set by the beyond fantastic meal we had in Europea. For New Years Eve, there was a set menu, however the server was content in a couple of item modifications to accommodate allergies, etc. The set menu included scallop carpaccio, foie gras (which my dad substituted), frayed cod, house sorbet, filet mignon, and a gingerbread house dessert. Some interesting standouts were the foie gras, frayed cod, and filet mignon. The filet mignon I was particularly surprised at how high quality it was, despite how it's traditionally not the best part of the beef. Both the foie gras and frayed cod were unique in taste and creativity as well. Unfortunately the scallop carpaccio didn't really wow us, and the gingerbread house dessert was quite difficult to chew. Perhaps a non-prix fixe/set menu night might yield better results here. If we're talking about Portuguese dining, I honestly had a better experience a few years back with Jano. I'll probably return there next time I'm back in Montreal. read more

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What a beautiful restaurant! In terms of interior design, Helena has nothing to envy its surrounding neighbours. I went to this restaurant on a Saturday night with a friend, we chose to sit in the back of the restaurant as it was crowdy that evening. I ordered Bacalhau Pasteis, which is salted cod croquettes, and followed it with Bacalhau to Braz, which is also shredded salt cod but confit with olive oil, and comes with black olives crumble, both dishes were perfectly done and delicious, I enjoyed every bite. In terms of wine, the waiter suggested a very good Portuguese selection which unfortunately I cannot recall the name. Everything was excellent for me. My friend who had ordered the catch of the day as well as oysters found the portions a bit small (final bill around $200). The service was courteous, I had a good time, I recommend if you are in the area (plus, there is a private parking not far from the restaurant, so no need to go around in circles for hours). read more

Helena - Interior - Portuguese Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

Beautiful restaurant interior. It hints of Portugal's azulejos tiles through its wall decorated with large blue and white plates. We went during the MTL à Table events and rezos were a must--even on a Thursday night. The entrance is a little weirdly designed because the moment you step through their door, you're immediately in the dining room, right next to diners. We were about to be seated at the first table right in front of the entrance but when I asked to take the spot two tables down, they willingly obliged. They do check your coat to free up space as tables in the front dining room are fairly close together. The noise level is between medium-loud. Tables are provided a small bottle of olive oil and a personal dipping dish. I like! The service was good but probably not at its best due to a full house, however they did bring our entrees within minutes. The swordfish tartar was absolutely delightful with the creamy avocado, the slight spiciness and the fresh swordfish--I could've eaten just that as a meal. My friend had the Portuguese caldo verde soup with chunky chorizo. It's also an item on their regular menu. It was good but filling! Fish of the day was cod on a bed of vegetables and the dish was alright. Considering that seafood was their speciality, it was quite bland on its own without the trimmings. The bouillabaisse contained one large shrimp, three clams, two mussels, some welk chunks, squid and potatoes. I had eaten practically the whole bowl and then noticed that two mussels weren't opened. When I brought this to the waiter's attention, he immediately gave me a whole new bowl. So I ended up eating two mains :) ok that wasn't so bad after all! I think the saffron broth takes getting used to. It's not a flavor I've ever had before. The desserts--the apple feuilleté with maple mouse, pomegranate, though it looked humble presentation-wise, was really delicious. So I closed my eyes to enjoy. The almond cake/choco mousse was simple and good but I preferred the apple turnover. I think the dessert presentation needed just a bit of help. Overall good, especially since my lovely friend treated me to supper but I think I still prefer a humble Portuguese rotisserie with chicken and egg tarts :) read more

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By far the best meal we had during our four night stay in Montreal. Octopus tapas was ranked in my best five and we have had many different prepared plates all over the world. Caesar salad with the sardines was interesting and very good. We also tried the cod croquettes tapas as well. On the salty side but very good. Fresh fish was Halibut and Cod. We try one of each. Both simply prepared and cooked to perfection. The butternut squash underneath each was tasty and we wished there was more. We had the Portuguese custard tartlet and the Churros for dessert. Both excellent. Daniel started our meal with a discussion of wine choices of Portugal and we selected a few glasses of whites and reds during our dining journey. Service throughout the meal was outstanding. Team based staff focused on ensuring top notch service. read more

It's beautiful, but there are some deficits. High ceilings, warm ambience and the sinks in the bathroom look like baptismal fonts. We arrived in time for our reservation and were seated promptly. Our coats were whisked away to the cloak room. Mains are north of $35. For that amount, one would think that the food would be excellent if not spectacular. I explained that my allergies. My dish came covered in something that I could not eat, but we were with our hosts, and so I felt uncomfortable sending the dish back. Worse, it was a dish for two (the seafood selection at $90), and the whole thing was overcooked. So disappointing, as we had really looked forward to trying this resto. We spent 40 minutes trying to pay the bill. First, it took a long time to get the bill. Then, we couldn't find anyone to accept payment. Eventually, our host called someone over and pointedly asked to pay. Quite odd, as it was a Saturday night and they were packed, so one would think that they would want to turn the table over as quickly as possible. Wanted to love it, but it was not a great experience. read more

On our last night in Montreal, my boyfriend and I were craving seafood. I found several on Yelp and we chose this place due to the great reviews as well as the Portuguese flavors which we love. We shared the grilled octopus and the halibut fillet. The combination of flavors and presentation were truly delicious and lovely. We were tempted to do the chefs tasting but we wanted specific flavors that night. The ambiance, service and vibe in this place were perfect and we could not have asked for better. read more

Celebrated my birthday at Helena with a group of colleagues over lunch. Not my first visit and as always not disappointed. Helena gets busy at lunchtime and a reservation is necessary. We were a big group for lunch and had a nice round table near the window. Service was excellent as was the food. Was sceptical to try the sea snail but thoroughly enjoyed it. Had pasta shells cooked in a seafood broth. Will be returning. read more

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Great food! Mediocre service!! Went t this restaurant on Saturday night with 7 friends. I have been here many times and the food is awesome. Tonight was no different. Our group sampled pretty much everything on the menu and everyone was very pleased. For Apps the grilled octopus and peppers was delist and the Red Tuna pavė was perfect. For mains the calamari and rice and shrimps were cooked perfectly but the rack of lamb although tasty was severely undercooked. Overall a very good meal except our server kept bringing the food to the wrong person. One of my guests had 3 different dishes that were not hers placed in front of her. He also brought food to the men beofore the women. Not a big deal but just things that you don't expect from an upscale restaurant in Montreal! https://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserReviews-g155032-d3370628-r238263449-Helena-Montreal_Quebec.html# read more

This was my favorite place I ate while in the area. A very great experience including drink menu, service, and food.

A group of 8 of us came on a Wednesday evening around 6pm. Since we were a large group, I think we annoyed our waiter with a bazillion questions, but our waiter tried to accommodate all sorts of dietary restrictions. To start, I had the asparagus salad, which was delicious. I was disappointed to not find any chicken dishes since this was a Portuguese restaurant. I settled with the steak, which was a huge portion and very filling. I finished my meal off with churro for dessert but wasn't a fan because it tasted mushy and wet. Service: 4/5 Presentation: 4/5 Taste: 3/5 Price: 3/5 Ambiance: 4/5 Overall: 3/5 read more

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Went there on a weekday as I noted their special lunch menu (entre, main meal, desert for 24$), which is a pretty good deal! Restaurant decor is super nice, classy. Most customers were well dressed business people working in the downtown area. Not a baby friendly restaurant as there wasn't any high chair available only booster, but we did bring our own. Also, not easy to find parking during weekdays in this busy area. I ordered the "Mille feuille étage de raie", their grilled cod and finished off with the chocolate eclair. Loved every bites! We were a party of 4 and each appreciated their meals. They have a variety of choices included with the special lunch menu. Would definitely return. read more

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Amazing!! Amazing food, and our waitress Michelle was phenomenal!! Everything we tried was extraordinary, would definitely recommend.

I decided to give restaurant Helena a try on Saturday, November 11th 2017 since they were participating in MTLàTABLE (the city's restaurant week) and had an interesting fixed-price table d'hôte menu at $41. Restaurant Helena sits inside an upscale historic building on rue McGill. The decor and atmosphere of the restaurant are appealing. The waiting staff, the bartender and servers were well attentioned. The presentation of the food was in line with what would be expected from similar restaurants in Montreal. HOWEVER, I have a hard time remembering if the food tasted anything since there was next to nothing on the plates. I had selected the catch of the day as my entree (halibut). The piece I was served had to be less than two ounces if not less. The serving size was inappropriate or perhaps appropriate for an anorexic person. Bottom line: When I go to a restaurant, I go for the food. I left restaurant Helena hungry and felt like I had been ripped off. For those of you that decide to give restaurant Helena a try despite my warning, it is good to know that the Five Guys on the next block is open until 11PM. read more

Helena - Portuguese Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

This is my favourite place to come and eat. The only thing is that some meals are a hit and miss. The meat dishes tend to be winners -- osso bucco, steaks... the rest, it is a hit and miss. Could be great, could be just okay but at least it is never terrible. The menu changes on a regular basis so that's why I am saying it is not great all the time for all the dishes but I am never disappointed when I eat here. read more

We were thrilled to change up our culinary experience at Helena ranked in the top 100 restaurants in Montreal. We made a limited reservation shared of time and upon entry to the restaurant watched another patron rudely demand a table despite social distancing & reservation required at this time. The ambiance of the restaurant upon entry was stunning and on point with Portuguese culture. The design detail of the restaurant ran from floor to ceiling. When our server arrived at the table and we asked to be guided through Argentina wine ... he proceeded to give one option - noted as not a mid level wine but a over 120 bottle with no explanation of the wide drink menu. Almost felt like an un interesting guest running from the table as we tried to ask questions. The front window was broken and Un repaired. We asked another server to explain the wine in more detail and had the pleasure of enjoying Helena 's special wine - it was special - notably - ... proceeded to order several of the tapa items. The fish was fishy in all dishes ... to each their own ? Ordered Craser, the cod crickets, the calamari and shrimp was okay - the mussels and fries were stand out but upon tasting each one was sandy with grit and my boyfriend had two closed shells. For such an acclaimed high end experience we were astonished at how one server made us feel - everyone has a bad night ? But for the price point... leading into bad shell fish I was astonished. read more

Helena - Thanks Helena - Portuguese Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

In Montreal, truly a culinary experience like no other. The chef and team create an incredible experience with amazing food paired well with their wines. If you have that special meeting or date. You will impress for sure. They have a 5 course meal that takes you through the regions or Portugal which a must of you want the full experience. Enjoy read more

Service for such a high end restaurant is completely unacceptable. It was extremely slow to get anything and the entire time the waiter was trying to sell us stuff. Do they get an extra commission? Food was really good but not amazing, dessert was standard. Overall it was okay, definitely wouldn't go there again before they either higher double the amount of staff which they can afford with the pricing or replace the current ones. read more

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This dining experience is haute Portuguese. The Portuguese wine list is overwhelming. Fortunately the sommelier came to our aid, opening two bottles of wine to taste before deciding. Salads, charcuterie, poisson, beautifully prepared, delivered, or filleted table side. Arrive early, take your time. Make this a slow food night. Order a bottle of wine and relax. read more

Went there for lunch and it was delicious. The table d'hôte was so reasonably priced for the quality of the food received. $24 including an entrée or salad, choice of several main course and a dessert. The place was elegant and cozy, noise level is reasonable as you can hear each other talk even if it was quite busy. Service was very good and the waitress were dressed nicely. They all had the same red/classy dress so you can identify them rapidly. Entrée: capacious d'escadron Fish was very fresh and flavorful (I must say that the fish tasted like fish...compared to my recent experience at Park where the fish was tasteless and all tasted the same ) Main: casserole de riz aux tomates avec fruits de mer (6 mussels, 2 big shrimps & 2 baby calamari). I really enjoyed this dish as the tomato sauce didn't overpower and complimented nicely the seafood. The rice was also cooked perfectly. I think the amount of seafood in this dish was very generous. Dessert: carrot cake with carotene sorbet The cake was moist and tasty. Although the sorbet tasted alright, I was kind of weird to taste carrot in a sorbet. For a high end Portuguese seafood restaurant, there lunch menu is priced very reasonably. You probably pay around the same price going to Cage Au Sport or Madison. This is definitely of better qualify. Will be back for sure to try their dinner menu. read more

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Chef, 5 stars, service - 4.5, wine selection ... 6? opened in June, and hopefully open for a long time. enjoyed the Carpaccio de bacalhau, grilled octopus, braised pork cheeks, and particularly the grilled shrimp. the suckling pig confit with clams was very well prepared as was the specialty fish. read more

Amazing! My new favourite restaurant when I visit! Service was spot on as was the menu. read more

I organized a team dinner here and have to say that they did a fantastic job. We were a group of 25, so we were able to take up the entire room in the back, which was nice. We went with the basic group menu which comprised of 5 shared tapas starters, a main dish and shared tapas of dessert, wines by the bottle. It may not sound like much but it was a lot of food. They were very accommodating to a couple of colleagues who were vegetarians and brought them their own set of tapas, which was nice. Oh and the food was great! read more

Compared with other restaurants in town Helena is a good option. Not as advertised as far as kitchen goes but nice setup and staff. read more

This place is pricey but it's totally worth it! Went for the second time and had the tasting menu with fish and wine pairing. The first time I split the seafood for two and both experiences have been amazing! The staff was super friendly and had wonderful recommendations. This is a great date night spot! read more

Outstanding seafood and the backroom is perfect for corporate dining events. All around great experience.

Don't let the glowing yelp/google reviews fool you. Check for yourselves here on Montreal gazette (1* & 1.5*): https://montrealgazette.com/life/food/local-food-reviews/restaurant-review-go-for-the-grilled-options-at-helena http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/fine+dining+helena/7597125/story.html SERVICE: i asked the waiter, could you recommend me a glass of wine? And instead of telling me what my options were, he just took the menu out of my hands, didn't say a word and left. After a few moments later i saw him walking with a bottle of wine and served a glass to a lady in front of me then came to our table and poured the same bottle to me... I suspect he didn't want to speak too much English as he had a hard time understanding us... but you didn't even ask what my preferences were or tell me the price or even tell me anything about the wine I was drinking. Upon checking the bill later, the waiter just gave me the most expensive glass on the menu. The waiter also did not come back to check with us throughout the evening - not once. We also got different waiters for every single dish we got.. and the way they put down their cutlery..smh... they slammed it down instead of gently placing it down.. I understand if they don't place it down perfectly aligned (which they didn't do) but just sloppily putting it down? How unprofessional. FOOD: small portion overpriced and salty BATHROOM: i think from the restaurants bathroom you can tell what sort of restaurant they are... The signs were too small to know if they even had men/women bathroom. The bathroom only had a toilet and an urinal (no sink). But the toilet handle was broken... and they only had one sink outside of the bathrooms with some store bought cheap plastic container soap on the side.. :/ It's the little things that count.. attention to detail is so important. read more

Even though we had a reservation and the restaurant was by no means full, our party of four was seated in the graveyard section of the restaurant where we were the only guests and even the waiters barely made it back there. It was an ominous start to a bad evening. The food was a mixed bag: Appetizers were excellent, especially the mussels with chorizo. We all had seafood mains, and they were generally executed ok though all of them were over-salted, especially the sauces. Some were only moderately salty and some were barely edible. We pointed out to the waitress that some of the vegetables tasted as if they'd been dropped in a vat of salt, and she said she'd advise the kitchen but never returned with an explanation. Desserts were uninspiring. Natas were good though served with unripe fruit, which I can tolerate in February but not in August. A fruit tartlet was a Frankensteinian concoction of a chocolate bisquit topped with cream, fruit and a white chocolate shell. It didn't help that it tasted like it had been made two or three days ago. Service was mediocre throughout and awfully slow, probably a result of us having been seated in the far back. d I had been to Portuscalle before, which was one of the owner's other restaurant before it closed down a couple of months ago. I loved Portuscalle, but the experience at Helena was a disappointment. We won't go back. There are too many good restaurants in Montreal to waste time and money on the mediocre and overpriced ones such as Helena. read more