This is not NY style pizza... I don't think that's what Chris was going for. It taste amazing (no matter what the girl from NY says)! I lived in the area for years and always had a great time at HBs. It was a short distance from where I worked so I've enjoyed many a happy hour and "afternoon teas" here! : ) One of my favorite places to solve the world's problems!! I always order a large pizza... even if I'm by myself because "pizza omlettes" are amazing the next morning (yes, I said pizza omlettes)!!
Review Source:Had a very bad experience. Came in for lunch. Very few patrons at the time. There was not one server anywhere. The bartender wouldn't even look at me. After choosing a table and waiting over 5 min. and not seeing a server we went to the pizza window (thinking that was how to order). I asked the guy at the pizza window if I was supposed to order from him and he said yes.
After I had already ordered, the server decided to come by. When I let her know I didnt know we had a server and that I had ordered pizza at the window she got mad and told me that wasnt how ordering works. I said I could cancel our order and order from her and she said forget it, it's fine. Then she walked away. Then I had to flag her down again so we could order salad and a beer hoping to give her a tab at our table so she could get a tip. She seemed annoyed the whole time until she brought our check where she was suddenly Ms Sunshine.
The pizza was  crispy on the bottom which we liked but had barely melted cheese on top. It was pretty terrible. We decided to go ahead and munch it down so we could just get out of there. Not a fan.
All the locals here go crazy over the pizza here. I guess we had a bad experience. The problem is there were too many things for us to overcome to want to try to remedy  it.
Won't be back.
Helenback is so casual it makes my living room look like a country club.
You either get it or you don't. Parking lot is full of holes, building looks like it's falling down, waitresses have attitudes, service is at a 'leisurely' pace and the food probably isn't going to win any awards. But, I have never ever found a better place to slide into and order a pitcher (or three) after a day on the beach or out fishing. Patio looks out over the bay, beer is ice cold and it has the most relaxed atmosphere. Also a great place to catch a game, they have a ton of TVs. We always come here when in town to see Falcons, Braves or Yellow Jackets games that aren't on local TV.
During the day it's filled with a sunburned crowd from 21 to 85. The later it gets the younger the crowd gets. It does tend to get smoky inside.
The food is mostly low end bar eats, cheese stix, chicken fingers, jalapeno poppers, out of the freezer and dropped in the fryer. Nachos are chips out of a bag, topped with shredded cheese and other toppings and run through the pizza oven. Pizza is by far the best item on the menu. I'd rate it above the big delivery chains, but below any real pizzeria. They don't take American Express, which I always forget.
It's one of those places where "interesting" things are always happening, like drunk cougars falling out of their chairs, BUI arrests out on the water, so much fun.
Had a good time at Helen back. Took the family including kids there on a Monday night which was Military eat free night .. It was packed with the 20 something crowd who all seemed to be smoking, which was a negative. We had a great table on the deck overlooking the water. Service was slow but not for lack of hustle, our waitress just had a large section to cover and she did good. Pizza and nachos were great and overall we had a really good time.
Review Source:Service is horrible. I was there for lunch recently and waited from 11:00 to 11:20 and no one waited on me. Got up and walked out. Sad considering there was hardly anyone in the place. The pizza is very good here, but I would only recommend the place for carry out. Weekend service can be spotty as well.I have had just too many bad experiences here recently. Last time I went on a weekend it took 50 minutes to get my pizza. Enough is enough. Not going back. Seems this place went downhill after they opened up another location in the airport.
Review Source:Aptly named. If you don't mind cigarette smoke, this place is okay ONLY if you want to knock some back with friends. Otherwise, it's a smoky dive with scarce waitresses, short menu and mediocre beer selection.
Philly cheesesteak is cooked in some kind of Italian dressing or sauce, possibly the biggest departure of the traditional. Tasted mostly like italian dressing on a roll.
The parking lot has mega-sized pot-holes in it, especially on the way out. Drive carefully.
Having been out of the FWB area for a while, I didn't know that Helen Back was one of "the" new places to go in the area (party barge at Crab Island? Â LOVE IT!). Â Finally got to go there last week and was pretty impressed. Â Love the atmosphere, got good service, drank good beer, and enjoyed a great view. Â Didn't try the pizza, but I'll give 'er a whirl when I go back.
Review Source:My sister says it's the best pizza in the area. Â If this is the best pizza in the area, I feel sorry for all you pizza lovers. Â I guess living in NYC for 3 years has skewed my opinion greatly. Â The pizza was soggy (we ordered it to-go) and the ingredients didn't taste fresh. Â The sauce wasn't that great either. Â It tasted canned opposed to homemade. Â And, the pizza was swimming in oil. Â I've never seen such an oily pizza. Â Was it really that necessary to drown the entire pizza in cups of oil? Â And, it was expensive for the area. Â Twenty bucks for a pizza? Â Get real.
I guess this place would be a fun place to drink at. Â You can dock your boat and grab a beer on the deck. Â I suppose a slice of greasy pizza would be pretty good after a few cold ones. Â But I would avoid picking up a pie to-go.
Outstanding pizza, great selection of beer & hot women! This place has a great atmosphere to boot. I like to sit out on the deck and watch boats pull up. It's nice. They have shirts and stuff you can purchase as well for a fair price. The pizza though... it is delicious. Good selection of toppings (although no bacon, just Canadian bacon). They have over 50 beers including Pauliner Hefeweissen and for me that is a great summer beer. If you are in the area, I highly, highly recommend this place. It doesn't matter if you want some damn good pizza, a cold beer or just to look at beautiful women. This is the place.
Review Source:Great bar but the pizza is ok. Most people are drinking so anything tastes good. Expensive if you order something with less toppings...go figure..good way to make you pay $25 for a large pizza with 3 topping... for that you can eat a better pizza at Mellow Mushroom...But Helenback is a bar....bar..bar..not really a pizza place...
Review Source:Some of the best pizza in the area, no doubt about it. It's on the water, so it's always nice to sit outside & watch the boats go by. There are boat slips, so it's easy to get to from the water. The only problem that I have with it is that it's primarily a bar, so no ban on smoking. Â It's okay to bring the kids during the day, but not at night obviously.
Review Source:I was shocked, SHOCKED no one had reviewed Helenback! Helenback is a bar and pizza joint on Okaloosa Island, everyone knows where it is, so just ask. It is a great place to get a wide variety of beers and cocktails and some seriously a@@-kickig pizza. You will find everything from boaters (they have a dock) to bikers (they have reserved bike parking up front), to bankers (they must make a ton of money) in this place. It is an experience you really must have if you are in the Destin-Ft  Walton Beach area for more than 12 hours.
The pizza is unique, with a garlicky.salty thin crust. I always go for the pepperoni. But, remember pizza doesn't travel well, so eat it there. If you like to find the locals' favorite, this is it for pizza!