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Helgi's, Kirkwall, Orkney

Helgi's

3.7
3.7
50 Reviews
£26 to £40
Gastro Pub

Make a reservation

2 people
7:30 PM
  • Neighborhood gem
  • Great for craft beers
  • Lively
OVER 18'S ONLY. Helgi’s design takes inspiration from Orkney’s Viking past - a traditional pub with a slate floor and wooden panelled walls - it’s small but perfectly formed.
Helgi's provides the perfect setting for adults to wind down and relax, whether it’s a lunch time catch up with friends, a teatime pint with colleagues or a celebration with family. At the weekends, Helgi's is also a bustling bar with drinkers and is a great stop off on a night out. Our upstairs seating area is an attractive room with great harbour views and the room can also be booked privately for functions. We boast a friendly, experienced and hard working bar team who are always willing to help.
Our menu has evolved greatly since we first opened in 2009, but we still stick to our original ethos of producing quality comfort food which is homemade using as much locally sourced produce as possible. Our menu caters for more tastes and more dietary requirements than ever before.

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    £26 to £40
  • Cuisines
    Gastro Pub, Cocktail Bar, Dining Bar
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Sat 11:45 am–1:00 am Sun 12:30 pm–11:00 pm Lunch Mon–Sat 12:00 pm–2:00 pm Sun 12:30 pm–2:30 pm Dinner Daily 5:00 pm–8:30 pm
  • Phone number
    01856 879293
  • Payment options
    Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Neighborhood
    Orkney
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Takeout, Vegan, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 50 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

3.7
3.7 based on recent ratings
  • 3.8Food
  • 3.7Service
  • 3.6Ambience
  • 3.7Value

NoiseEnergetic

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Helgi's boasts an enviable location opposite the harbor, offering a quirky pub vibe with "excellent quality" food and a friendly atmosphere. Renowned for its vegetarian and vegan options, the menu features standout items like chicken fajita loaded fries. Despite occasional service hiccups, its popularity means booking in advance is "essential."

50 Reviews
  1. Caroline

    Derbyshire

    2 reviews

    2.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on October 12, 2024

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 2
    understaffed and inadequately trained. werent asked if we wanted desserts or coffee, eventually went to bar and asked for coffee which we brought to our table ourselves as staff were too busy, had to wait till bar staff were not serving other customers to ask for bill. rather disappointing for the price.

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  2. Paul

    Derbyshire

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 10, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Good food and the staff are excellent credit to the place. Would return for sure.

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  3. Joseph

    Los Angeles

    24 reviews

    3.0

    24 reviews

    Dined on October 2, 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    Food was good but sketchy service. After sitting for quite awhile with 3 servers available, had to go to the bar to order drinks.

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  4. Holly

    Orkney

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 1, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    This review is specifically for the vegan food we ordered at Helgi’s and how we were treated afterwards. The only saving grace of this place is the cosy atmosphere and the fantastic serving staff - the woman and her son who served our drinks and took our order were lovely and personable and clearly excel at their jobs. Unfortunately, that is where the excellence ends. “Creamy mushroom & spinach pasta” turned out to be flavourless, nearly ice cold, soggy penne pasta with barely seasoned macerated mushrooms and spinach slopped on top. The portion size was adequate, though slightly underwhelming for the price of £12.95, and the small bowl did nothing to add to the presentation. The “chipotle tofu salad” sounded tasty and original but turned out to be lightly fried, completely flavourless cubes of tofu (white in the middle, so no marination occurred, and that’s all it takes to make tofu taste good!) tossed on top of a handful of salad leaves. The katsu mayo was nice though. The starter of “risotto balls” was actually really tasty, but with just three balls presented over a spoonful of salad, you would expect quality (as opposed to quantity!). Generally speaking, when you see small portion sizes you would expect qualify and superior flavour, to make up for the lack of quantity! Neither quality or quantity were present in this meal. I want to reiterate that the serving staff are amazing, and the young lad handled our complaint like a pro (politely and with grace), but apparently “cold and flavourless” didn’t warrant a free meal or even a discount, because we had touched our food - this was the excuse of the kitchen staff anyway. I’m not sure how a customer is supposed to know they’re disappointed in the flavour, temperature, and consistency of their food without trying it!? Eventually the server came back to say we could have a free dessert or our drinks comped. We chose the latter. Don’t go here if you eat a vegan diet. You will be disappointed.

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  5. Amy

    San Francisco

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 20, 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 2
    Wait staff were polite but the food was only passable. We were seated upstairs in an odd quiet room with other tourists. Had to ask a couple times for water. No check to see if the food was okay or if we wanted anything else (additional dish or dessert). Another couple had a drinks menu but we hadn’t realized you had to ask for one. Probably should have just gone in for a drink at the bar earlier where there were lots of people enjoying themselves

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  6. Stewart

    Orkney

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 20, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Chicken fajitas loaded fries have become our got to meal when visiting town. Good beer too!

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  7. Patti

    Orkney

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 18, 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 1
    Been several times before - usually good food and lively atmosphere This time very poor quality, bland and overpriced food and no atmosphere at all We had the beef stroganoff - could have got tastier ready meal from supermarket What a contrast - very sad!

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  8. Kenny

    Orkney

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 8, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    This was a great place to eat. The staff were very friendly, quick and helpful. We know understand why it is essential to book in plenty of time. It is that popular. Thank you

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  9. Keith

    Glasgow

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on September 7, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Helgi's is a great place to eat and have a drink, the food is very good, the staff are friendly and the atmosphere suits the place. Its nota big place to booking is essential due to the popularity. There is always a great selection of local beers as well s a cocktail menu. Highly recommend Helgi's.

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  10. beal

    New York City

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on August 26, 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 2
    1/3 des plats non disponibles à la carte, obligé de prendre des burgers, seule chose dispo, et que l’on ne voulait pas. 1 sans oignon et les deux burgers commandés avec des papates douces. On nous apporte deux burgers avec frites. On les renvoie. Ils reviennent les papates douces et avec oignons. Aucune excuses et service vraiment pas top. Et je ne parle pas du vin. Bref, à éviter de toute urgence

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FAQs

Helgi's offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at 01856 879293.

Helgi's is rated 3.7 stars by 50 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:30 PM

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Helgi's

14 Harbour St, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1LE

Additional information

  • Neighborhood
    Orkney
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Sat 11:45 am–1:00 am Sun 12:30 pm–11:00 pm Lunch Mon–Sat 12:00 pm–2:00 pm Sun 12:30 pm–2:30 pm Dinner Daily 5:00 pm–8:30 pm
  • Price
    £26 to £40
  • Cuisines
    Gastro Pub, Cocktail Bar, Dining Bar
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment options
    Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Takeout, Vegan, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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  • Terms of Use
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