When it comes to spots on the main drag in Helen, I like this one slightly more than the rest. What really made it stand out was it's set up inside with plenty of TVs, all of which had various college sports on. We ended up seeking it out b/c we wanted to watch college football. They have solid indoor and outdoor seating. The outdoor seating is right by the river. On the indoor side you have a very small bar but plenty of TVs around the establishment. The food is fine but nothing terribly special. But they do have a fair amount of beer on tap. The overall experience is solid. We were able to watch football, eat and drink beer. I suspect I will end up back here the next time I visit Helen. I'd suggest swinging by if you get the chance. read more

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Don't go here. Food is nearly inedible. Spent $80 for a burger and a sandwich for 2 adults. Total tourist trap. I'm not a man of high standards. The burger was so dry it could have been made of dust. I ate about half of it, because I'm a man, and that's what we do...maybe it's dry on the outside, maybe the next bite is acceptable...nope not this time. My girlfriend had the Ruben. Tasted like nothing. You'd think you can't mess up a Reuben. Well, I was wrong. Meat tastes like newspaper. Also got some jalapenos poppers. Also gross. I've had frozen ones that are better. Only edible things were the pickle and ranch dressing. It's a shame because the ambience is SICK. The staff seemed to know it was bad. Don't go here read more

The Troll Tavern - Looks great. Tastes like dry dog treats - American Near Me - Helen, Georgia

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Fantastic location, it's bar food so if that's what you're in the mood for, it's wonderful. They have great house cocktails, very tasty and of course good beer. Be sure to sit outside on the river if the weather is nice. Best spot in town for a casual change of pace from classic German food. read more

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Nice place to eat by the water. Leigha was our server. Very personable and professional. Even with a crowd of people, we still got good fast service. read more

Came in Friday Sept 20th 2025 about 9pm. We got seated promptly inside as outside had a wait time. Inside was not crowded, probably 25% occupied, if that. There were several wait staff walking around. Our server came over after about 10 minutes of waiting and took our drink order, but since we had to wait long enough we were ready to give our dinner order. I ordered an Arnold Palmer with unsweetened tea to drink and my buddy ordered a water. We got an unsweetened tea for him (again, he ordered water) and I got an unsweet tea with a tiny bit of lemonade. She went back to get my buddies water and that took another 10 minutes. We both ordered the fish and chips, which is haddock and fries and a side. I had the side of red skin mashed potatoes and seasonal rice. My buddy had the side of coleslaw and beans. The fish was horrible. It was probably microwaved frozen fish from a grocery store in Cleveland. The skin was greasy and paper like, the fish itself was bland. My potatoes were even bland, the only thing that had any flavor was the "packaged" Ken's tartar sauce that probably came from the same grocery store. My friend and I were both not just unhappy with the meal and the price we paid ($24 for just the food and almost $4 for the tea), we also felt nauseated after eating, probably from all the greasy fish. We ate most of it because we were hungry already. I could have stayed home and bought a tv dinner and been happier. The whole time we were eating the server NEVER came back to our table. We were polite, gracious and friendly so we're not sure what happened but AGAIN they were NOT busy. Overall the place was clean and at least they had some college football games on so that's why I gave an extra star for atmosphere. I've eaten here before but sat outside last time (plus it was probably 5 years ago). Seems like last time was much better. I certainly won't return and absolutely do not recommend, which is very rare for me as I usually try to give places another chance or the benefit of the doubt because every place has a bad day, and yet in this instance absolutely not. This service and food experience was horrible. Good luck. read more

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Sandwich wraps were very good. Service was fast and friendly. Ordered a seltzer water that tasted weird, but otherwise, would go back. Nice outdoor deck by the water. read more

Service was bad, beer took forever, and pretzel was hard as a rock. Points only for the view. read more

The Troll Tavern - American Near Me - Helen, Georgia

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I was walking around and saw that this place was right across the street. We (my mom and I) were able to get a seat outside by the river, which is so nice for the warm, fall weather. We were greeted pretty fast and went ahead and ordered our drinks. Their menu varies from salads, to burgers, to German food items, so basically like a tavern with a hint of German. We got a garden salad, a side of mashed potatoes with brown gravy, and a bratwurst. It was my first time trying a bratwurst, so with nothing to compare I'd say it was pretty good for my first experience. The staff was so nice, loved the vibes especially since it's Oktoberfest season. read more

The Troll Tavern - Garden salad and bratwurst with a side of mashed potatoes and brown gravy - American Near Me - Helen, Georgia

My wife had a club and they left the bacon off.Also her margarita wasn't good.The service was good.My goblin burger was good.The beer was cold.It was raining but normally it would be great to sit on their riverfront seating.I will give it another try.But based off my wife not being happy I am giving them 3 stars from The Working Man Review. read more

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We had lunch here on a Monday during October fest. It was hopping but we still got a table inside. There was a wait for a creek side table outside. We ordered the brat on a pretzel roll and the fish and chips. A mountain mule, Pilsner, and some pickle fries started us off. Alas I was absorbed in the company and failed to take pictures of the food but fiddle Dee Dee, don't let that stop you from coming in. We enjoyed it thoroughly. The service was friendly and prompt. We appreciated the laid back atmosphere. You will too! read more

The Troll Tavern - Mountain mule - American Near Me - Helen, Georgia

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Our favorite place to eat in Helen. Outside or inside, you can't go wrong! Great service, super good food and they have clean restrooms which is a rare find in Helen during the Oktoberfest. My favorite hamburger has been discontinued there and I keep hoping they will bring it back (the Billy goat) read more

The Troll Tavern - Taken as we waited to be seated at the Troll Tavern - American Near Me - Helen, Georgia

The views at this restaurant were great especially if you sit outside but the food and service were just okay. There are better quality options in Helen for the same kind of food but I can see how their location makes eating here extra appealing. I'm glad we did it once but probably won't be returning. I will also give it to them that the portions are quite large so we left full but slightly underwhelmed. read more

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The view was great! We had sandwiches and fries. We wanted to go because we had never been there. It was just okay.... The fries were cold and the sandwiches were dry. $10 to park and $60 for two sandwiches. Probably will not go back. read more

One of the most beautiful and enjoyable diners in North Georgia with an amazing view of the Helen river and the Main Street bridge above it. Has a good selection of food and drinks as well. Food: Every time I visit Helen, I make sure to visit this place. The pretzels here are fabulous with beer cheese and spicy mustard. The fried pickles, fried cauliflower, the vegan burger is a delight. Hot chocolate and sodas are the only drinks I have tried. Plenty of vegan options and with a good taste; slightly on the bland side but that's okay. Ambience & Service: The ambience is just amazing. Always there are some amazing people around and especially if you are seated besides the river, and if it's summer, then that's you best spot. To watch all the tubing while having your food and drinks is just amazing. The service is excellent, even on the busiest day we don't get to wait for more than 10 minutes. Staffs are great and respectful. BOTTOMLINE: Good food; great views. Should be your go to place in Helen. MY PICKS FOR YOU: Fried Pickle, Pretzels read more

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It's fine. Nothing outstanding or special. I grew up in Atl and have been to Helen roughly once every ten years or so at different ages and stages of life. And have been to this restaurant 3 separate occasions years apart. It's fine. Nothing particularly special. I will say if you are visiting during a particularly busy time (this most recent visit was the day after Christmas-something I DO NOT RECOMMEND but we had family in town who had never been and wanted to experience Helen at the holidays) this was the fastest seating option (5min for outdoor seating vs over an hour for literally everywhere else, though indoor was also over an hour here) so we ate here. I heard someone refer to it as the "sports bar of Helen" and that feels pretty accurate to me. It was loud. Bathrooms were gross. There was no soap in either dispenser which is pretty bad for a place that service a lot food that's meant to be handled by hands (like sandwiches) I told a bar tender and asked for hand sanitizer and he rolled his eyes at me. Never brought any or spoke to me. After a while passed and we had ordered I went back to try to wash my hands and there was still not soap in the ladies I told someone else and they got it taken care of immediately thank god because I'm not sure I would have been able to eat my sandwich. That may seem dramatic but the bathroom was pretty gross so to not be able to wash my hands with soap did not leave me feeling comfortable with that. Food was fine. Some better than others . I ordered a French dip sandwich and subbed fries for the chips that comes with it (an up charge if $2) the sandwich was okay. Not great-not bad just meh. I wouldn't order it again. But the fries were very good. My husband orders a Rubin which was very good. The key for both of us is making sure the bread is crispy not soggy at all and this stayed crispy until the last bite. His side of mash was also very good but had a flavor to it we couldn't place. Our table also ordered a total of 4 hot ciders (two of us ordered two each) and they were drastically different each time. From the flavor to the size. Totally different but not different pricing. They also do not come with a lid so they went from hot to cold very quickly. Also just a note there were no heat lamps in December in the patio and it was cold. We were fine because we're bundled but who doesn't have heat lamps or outdoor winter dining anymore? I also did not see if there was a ramp or elevator anywhere but there was definitely multiple stairs to get down to the entrance and up the indoor dining room/bar/bathroom. Just because I didn't see it doesn't me it wasn't there but just putting that out there. Like I said I have been here a few time over a wide span of time and there are definitely other options but this was the fastest option during my most recent visit. It's fine. I wouldn't tell someone to go here or recommend it at all but in a pinch it's fine. If you go order the Rubin as it was in fact very good and definitely sub for fries, but everything was sort of disappointing even for just a normal grill style establishment. read more

The Troll Tavern - French dip sub chips for fries. Fries were good. Sandwiches was fine. Not bad but wouldn't order again - American Near Me - Helen, Georgia

Three stars for food presentation and quality. Service was terrible. Hostess was warm and welcoming when we arrived and sat us quickly. The waitress was slower than a sloth which was brutal. We ordered the pretzel with the beer cheese to start. The pretzel was fair the beer sauce was excellent. For lunch we had the French dip, the grilled cheese, trout, and a chicken salad. The trout was hands down the BEST. Cooked beautiful and had a great flavor. Music didn't add to the ambiance. The river was nice and we would have loved listening to the water more than the music that was being played. read more

The Troll Tavern - Menu - American Near Me - Helen, Georgia

Aptly named because it's under the bridge! If you're a fan of German fare, this is a good option in Helen. Pretzels, bratwurst, knockwurst, schnitzel, as well as things like salads and sandwiches. We all enjoyed our meals (grilled cheese with bacon, bratwurst, and roast beast) as well as the pretzel with beer cheese appetizer. Our server was attentive and friendly. Overall, a good choice for lunch! read more

The Troll Tavern - American Near Me - Helen, Georgia

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What can you say? This has tables alongside the running river in a decidedly tourist town. Prices were reasonable and the beer list was pretty good; several German beers for October fest. My wife ordered the weinerschnitzel. I had the grilled reuben. Service was a bit slow, but I think she was new. My wife liked what was on her plate, while reporting the schnitzel was pork, instead of veal and the side was mashed potatoes instead of German potato salad. My reuben was very good, with lots of corned beef and sauerkraut. I ordered the Caesar salad as an upcharged side and it was well made with large slices of parmesan. Overall, we were quite pleased with what was offered in this price range and location. read more

The food was great - everything cooked very well and fresh. Our party had the Tavern Burger, Helen Hillbilly, Fish and Chips, and the Angry Goblin - everyone's food was great. Service was a little slow, having to asking for refills and reminders about things like that, but still friendly friendly. Great atmosphere- right on the river and helpful staff! read more

The Troll Tavern - Tavern Burger with Pimiento Cheese and Fries - American Near Me - Helen, Georgia

Great Reuben! Great view on the porch and since it was Tuesday at 11:30am, seating and service was great. Recommend if you're not an idiot and here on the weekend or in the Fall. read more

The Troll Tavern - Reuben - American Near Me - Helen, Georgia

Stopped by to grab lunch. Great services, great food, and great views. I would recommend coming back. read more

The Troll Tavern - Trout and salad - Fish & Chips - American Near Me - Helen, Georgia

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We had lunch at The Troll Tavern a few weeks back and it was decent food but overpriced. All their sandwiches come with chips or you can upgrade to fries for $3 (or coleslaw / salad for $2 I believe). I ordered the club sandwich on a croissant with chips, my husband had a buffalo chicken wrap with fries and my daughter had the chicken tenders with fries. My sandwich was good but $14 is pretty steep for a few pieces of lunchmeat and cheese. The buffalo wrap was fairly bland. The kids chicken tenders were a bit spicy so my daughter wouldn't eat them. I will never understand why kids menu items are spicy. Overall the service was good and the food was fine but nothing special and I likely wouldn't return due to the cost relative to the quality. read more

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2024 Yelp 100 Challenge - #25 May A relaxing Tavern located by the water that serves great margaritas, and bar food. My family and I visited during opening weekend (Memorial Day Weekend) and only had a short wait for a table. However, while enjoying our meal we noticed the lid beginning to grow. Location- This is a great place to sit out and watch different people float by in the river. Their patio is covered to protect you from the sun and the close proximity to the water makes it a relaxing pit stop. Order Cheese Burger Plain with Fries & Chicken Tenders and Fries. Food was hot and our serve was very attentive. read more

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This place is hit or miss, but this time was positive. It took us about 20 minutes to get seated (or we could have sat outside immediately in 40 degree weather- no thanks!), but being a holiday weekend I understood that. Service was pretty decent, not fast, but not slow either. The food was perfect for my liking. The fried cauliflower was very crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The Brussels sprouts were cooked to the right tenderness. The Sweetheart sauce here was wonderful too! read more

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They need to get trained on how to work in a restaurant. Because they have a captive audience (tourists) they really give no attention to teaching basic restaurant skills. And the food sucks. read more

Substandard food for too much $$. Service was slow. Restaurant was nearly empty and sat us between two tables with no room to get in or out. $15 burgers that come with a bag of chips. The "soft baked pretzel" was hard as a rock with no salt. Beer cheese was good. $52 for two entrees and an appetizer. Instant stomach aches after eating. read more

First off my server was amazing and I adored him. The fries were also great. I liked that you could sit by the creek/river. Now for the burger...it wasn't bad by any means but the chef is apparently very stuck on no modifications to this menu item. Like so much that it's printed in the menu. Honestly, I can't imagine eating this burger and thinking it was worthy of refusing to modify it. The pepper jack cheese should be optional, I felt it held the burger back. The lack of medication ability on the burger is the only reason I'm dropping stars. Everything else was great. read more

The Troll Tavern - The Goblin Burger - American Near Me - Helen, Georgia

8/22/25.. what a great experiance! Stopped in for dinner and the wait staff was helpful attentive and overall great! The beer was ice cold, we watched the river go by and felt like we were with friends! Reid, (the Host), visited with us, we shared stories he was just outstanding! The food... listen have the Schnitzel fried with the bratwurst and Kolewurst and thank me later! Highly recommended! read more

We were in town and grabbed some drinks outside at the Troll Tavern. Great river views and our server was very friendly. S & J ordered the Mountain Breeze cocktails and loved them. I ordered the rotating draft stout - I forget what it was, but it was great and I love that they had a stout option! Four stars because the boys ordered a second mountain breeze and it was completely different - too much pineapple and served in a different glass. I'd go back for a drink on the river if I was in Helen again. read more

The Troll Tavern - Mountain Breeze - American Near Me - Helen, Georgia

Really great spot on the deck overlooking the Chattahoochee river. Got the requisite 1 liter beer mug for Oktoberfest and some drinking snacks. Pretzel with beer cheese was just abysmal. The pretzel was dry and stale and the beer cheese was for sure a Sysco concoction that was just putrid. The 'fried out of the box' jalapeno poppers were fine but obviously just plopped into some hot grease before serving. Come for the view and the beer but don't come hungry. read more

Meh food. Drink are touristy. Won't let my dog sit outside. Booooooo. The location is great. The service is good, but whoever owns this is just throwing money away. The second star was for their servers. Otherwise it's be one read more

Lunch place before a hike: sit outside along the water near the bridge order a Reuben and enjoy. To me it's not a diner place with the other choices for a nicer dinner selection in Helen ga. Service was average, from the hostess telling me the wobbly table she wanted us to sit at was fine, to the slow service (Monday lunch not busy) to the kitchen staff delivering food. It's a must do lunch in Helen due to its location and order the Reuben. Good sauce, great bread, below avg amount of corn beef. But was good for lunch place. read more

This experience was absolutely horrible. The host was very rude, which set a bad tone right from the start. We were seated after a few minutes, but the rudeness was off-putting. Our server, thankfully, was nice, so we didn't take our frustrations out on him. I ordered the grilled salmon with mashed potatoes and a side salad, while my fiancé ordered the schnitzel, which came with mashed potatoes, red cabbage, and sauerkraut. Unfortunately, my salmon was burnt on the bottom, dried out, and unappetizing. The salad was fine--it's hard to go wrong with lettuce. The mashed potatoes on my plate were just edible. My fiancé's schnitzel was definitely old. The meat was gray and tasted unpleasant. I warned him not to eat it because it seemed expired, but he was too hungry. His mashed potatoes were reminiscent of cafeteria food, and he didn't touch the rest of the meal. He ended up getting food poisoning and felt unwell for the rest of the day. I would like to add we have had schnitzel at other restaurants in Helen and they were amazing. I would not recommend dining at this restaurant. I've attached a photo of the schnitzel for reference. read more

The Troll Tavern - Schnitzel comparison - American Near Me - Helen, Georgia

Great lunch today we meet with 3 Ladies from our old Church as they were visiting Helen today. Picked the Troll Tavern and had a table outside where we could see the river. Temperatures were just right for sitting out side and enjoying each others company. Our server Brandi was the bomb always on top of everything we needed. They were very busy, sat down at about 1130 and they the crowds started to show up. When we left at 1300 there where 20 people in line. The inside of the restaurant was full also Now everyone raved about all of the selections, and cleaned their plates. The house dressing was just right for the salads that two people had. Two also had the Rainbow Trout and it was perfect and very tasty. Our other guest had the grilled salmon and it was perfect. I had the Fish and Chips it was very good also. My wife had the Chicken Tenders for lunch as you can see by the picture they were a lot larger than we expected. This is a meal for two. We were expected strips of meat not pieces that large. Keep up the great work. Get there early would suggest you eat early here then go walk the town to walk off the calories. read more

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This place is okay if you are looking for a quick bite or a drink but I wouldn't go expecting anything great. The location is nice, right next to the river, under the bridge. If you sit outside you can watch the people tubing down the river. We had the pretzel and it was decent but nothing special. I would try a different restaurant next time I am in town. read more

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My family and I ate here for lunch during our day trip to Helen! The initial appeal was definitely it being a restaurant on the river, however because it was cold and windy we sat inside. The place was packed shortly after we were sat, so thankfully we had some good timing! My family ordered Rueben sandwiches to eat while I went for the muffuletta! The sandwich was good but it definitely had less meat stacked in it than what I'm used to. And what would a visit in the alpine village be without a schofferhoffer grapefruit beer! I have to get one whenever it's available! My only complaint about this place is I felt like we were taken care of more by the sever adjacent to the area that ours was in. While she was super friendly and checked in to refill our drinks and being the check, our server didn't want to elaborate on any answers to questions we had about the menu and she didn't stop by our table other than to take our orders and bring a to go box. Overall I'd try this place again the next time I visit. read more

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Greeted by everyone with a smile. Quickly seated and all food came out perfectly timed. All our food was delicious and cooked to perfection. Highly recommend the Reuben with German mashed potatoes, Combo platter and Buffalo Chicken Wrap. Atmosphere nice by the river, sitting on patio and not too loud. Give this place your business!! read more

The Troll Tavern - Patio seating along the river - American Near Me - Helen, Georgia

Service was great considering we were seated inside and there seemed to only be one gentleman serving everyone in there. There were 2 large parties (8ish each), 1 party of 6, and a few like us (2 or 3) and he was the only one serving any of us. The good, beyond the service? The drinks. Again, the man serving us appeared to also be making them and they were delightful. The not so good? We got the mountain fries and they were lackluster at best. They almost tasted as if they had been frozen, defrosted, and then frozen again? I'm not saying they were but that was the taste and texture they had. The beer cheese on top was ok and the jalapeños ($1 extra) were good, but portion and taste was nothing to rave about. read more

There are so many better places to eat in Helen. Right by the Tubbing river, so it's an easy spot to stop at. Completely over priced with the potential to be cute due to the name. Weird atmosphere honestly. Troll Tavern is a catchy name but eh.... All of Helen is a Tourist trap but this was lack luster. read more

Stopped in for a drink and a snack. Order Oktoberfest and a soft baked pretzel Well the beer was good the $9 pretzel wasn't even warm. Not coming back that's for sure. read more