While visiting Helen, GA mainly for the Helen tubing earlier in the day decided too walk around Main St get feel for Helen. The friends went with never been here so decided too give the place shot for lunch besides the fact have great view of the all the tubers coming down the river. The only thing really worth noting is the location and getting the view of everyone enjoying themselves on beautiful day in Helen. Everything about the food was sub par too even the service and although sitting on the patio was great not enough.
I ordered the combo wurst platter for lunch. Helen name comes from country of Germany. All along Main St you can feel that german influence from the architecture and some of the restaurants along downtown. So decided when in Germany go with the sausage. It was two kinds of sausage. It was ok but not much flavor and did not have that german feel of a good old Bratwurst. The worst part was the potatoes as one of the sides. It literally was had no flavor. Just felt like peeled, sliced, and blanched potatoes. It had no real sauce if you consider onions and whatever dried herbs they added for seasonings. The Sauerkraut was also bland. The two sliced of bread came with the dish really made no sense. Overall not great lunch in really nice city. Sure would check out other restaurants before would come here.
The service only thing must note is started off great. Once we got our food our waiter was no where too be found. We had too wait longer until reached point that we just asked another waiter for our bill. When we left never saw him. I understand if in shift change but would be polite too tell your guest that fact.
First, I'll list the great perk of this bar and grill. Â It's riverside location in Helen, GA is very scenic and beautiful. Â You can enjoy indoor/outdoor dining, while watching floaters tube the river for fun. Â If you're looking for a standard beer or drink, with a nice view, I suggest giving the Troll Tavern a shot.
Now when it comes to the food items, the menu quality is VERY much below average. Â I tried a few different appetizers, as well as the "traditional German fare"... Â Not tasty at all!! Â It the food was average, I'd offer a two star rating. Â But, I'm pushing to offer 1.5 stars.
Nice menu selection of American and German fare plus a great view of the river and tubers. Â The food was really good and the kids were happy. Â They let us sit in the corner with our dog on the other side of the fence and even brought him water. Â Service was good, but prices were high.
Review Source:This place was pretty good for a tourist town actually. Â The entire town sells these large plastic mugs that you get a deal on when you refill your beer. Â Pretty sweet and we were staying close enough to walk to all the attractions (which I highly recommend). Â Â My fiance and I both tried some of the German style food and enjoyed what we had. Â It was Americanized a little but I think that is to be expected. Â We left full and satisfied. Â We went back a second time as well with our mugs for a refill :)
Right outside the door is a bridge.....the troll bridge :) Â Didn't notice it the first time we walked down the steps but I saw it the second time and it was charming to me!
We stopped by this place as a last dinner with friends before leaving Helen.
Most of the food was pretty typical American fare. They have a portion of their menu dedicated to German foods, but it was basically just bratwurst and knockwursts served on a bun or plate, or a reuben.
The beer was good, we opted for the "souvenir" size mugs simply because it was the same price/volume as getting two drinks but with the cup thrown in. That said, there are more beer selections at other places in Helen.
The staff was more than friendly and had lots of recommendations, though I still found the menu lacking originality.
The theme is trolls, as you could guess, but it might as well have been Trees or Toys or Tiaras, as that's about as far as the theme goes.
The outside seating next to the river is extensive, though we sat inside because of rain.
The food was a little pricey for the privilege, and the theme was lacking. Stop by if you want to eat next to the river, but there are better experiences and better food elsewhere.
Ok, let me preface this by saying the last time I went here about 3-4 yrs ago, It was GREAT! We were there on Sat(3/16) and It was not so great! I ordered the expensive Rueben and german potato salad, 13.00 for this and worth about 5, Corned beef had  so much fat on it that I couldnt eat it w/o picking it apart and potato salad was nothing to write home about. Drinks are real expensive for what you get, a daiquiri was $10.00. Also, there is one toilet for women, this is ridiculous as I had to wait in line every time to use it. The only good thing about this place is THE VIEW!! Be prepared to have a big tab for not so good food and drinks that are very weak.
Review Source:It was the winter season when my friend and I visited Helen and the Troll was one of the only restaurants open. The outdoor seating would be awesome during the warm summer, they had plenty of it right by the river.
Obviously, we sat inside because of the cold. I ordered a sandwich and fries. The food was pretty awful and incredibly overpriced, but service was great.
Wouldn't recommend.
Our waiter was literally on cocaine. They very obviously serve alcohol to minors which is repulsive and they were very obnoxious. The food was just okay and got worse as we got sick after. Not good service seems like a bunch of irresponsible kids run it guess that explains the under age drinking that goes on!
Review Source:They did well considering we showed up with a party of 18 Atlanta scene kids during Oktoberfest. Although I'm pretty sure the wait was over an hour.
The table arrangement they originally provided us was whack, but they didn't protest too much when we took it upon ourselves to rearrange.
We were served by Superman (weekend prior to Halloween) and he did a pretty good job, kept it quick, was polite, and had a sense of humor.
Food was... some looked great, some looked wretched. I didn't eat many wings, I was too busy waiting in line for the bathroom.
... they have a huge dining room, a huge outdoor area, and two toilets. One for men, one for women. Ouch.
I've eaten here twice - the food is 1 star, but the atmosphere/on river location and service bump it up to 2 stars. Â
Our server this time recommended the Muffaletta over a burger. I sure hope it's not the better choice because it was not very good at all (and I had low expectations going in based on my first visit). Â I got onion rings with it, and they were nice and crispy, but bizarrely bland. Â The little lady got a reuben, which was fine, although it was pressed with a ton of butter, which masked the lack of "interior" flavor.
In short, if they served this food in any major city, they'd be out of business very quickly because there are just too many better options.
I saw lots of bad reviews of this place ahead of time on both Yelp and other food/travel sites so I was a little wary to go here, but no worries. This place was PACKED!! It is right across the river from the Cafe International but they had both indoor/outdoor seating.
Our server was just adorable and very attentive. We enjoyed our meal. I got a wrap, my friends got another sandwich, a burger, wings and they also shared a nacho app from what I recall. Try and snag a table by the river.
Bad, Bad, Bad. Â The food was ok. Â The only reason I gave it A star at all is because out waitress was so nice. Â I ordered a margarita and agreed to the $2 up charge to keep the souvenir glass. Â When it arrived the "glass" was plastic so I said I didn't want it. Â The manager said he couldn't refund the money because they can't was the plastic glass and resell it. Â I think that is bad management to not refund my money when we had drinks from the bar, appetizers an entrees. Â In fact the manager didn't even come out and talk to us. Â A table by us had a problem as well and the manager just kept making the waitress middle man the situation. Â The food is just not worth the bad management.
Review Source:This place used to be a 5. Â The last time I was there, the ribs were tough and the food was sub-par. Â They stopped selling full racks of rib for dinner. Â RIDICULOUS. Â Unfortunately the reviews are continuing to put this place down. Â I just wish they'd go back to the deals they used to have and the quality that I remember. Â Until then, we"ll be eating elsewhere.
Review Source:I've been to the troll several times, and I've never been disappointed. Â However, I do get the same thing everytime I go: chilli cheese fries and onion rings. Â It's kinda hard to mess up those two. Â The onion ringers are some of the best I've ever had. Â I've tried their reubens and the grilled chicken sandwich, and they were good. Â
Based on the experiences I've had, I'm surprised that it got so many negative reviews.
The menu was not bad, but all we had was an appetizer. Â The crab dip was pretty good. Â It came with chips and wheat crackers. Â The beer selection was kinda weak for being a TAVERN in a German town. Â Standard slightly high end stuff, plus out of nowhere they have Chimay Blue. Â The wine selection was not bad though. Â Of course, it's not hard to have a good wine selection when you are one mile from a winery. Â Almost everything in Helen has a larger than average wine menu. Â We did sit 3 ft from the river! Â That was nice.
Helen has more to offer though.
The best thing about this place is that it's located right on the river. Â The second best thing is that you can get a bloody-mary (full bar) right on the river.
Other than that, not much else to say about it. Â Our waitress was nice, but a few of the other staff were just rude. Â Food was mediocre. Â Overall, decent if you want to be outside, but other than that I'd try someplace else.
Got the prime rib, a baked potato, and a garden salad. I also had a bottled Erginger Hefe-Weizen beer with an orange slice. Â Nothing about this food got me excited besides the beer. Â A bit on the pricey side for what they offered. Â All of the German options were typical pork sausages. Â It is by the river which can be nice, but do factor in that flies will be swarming if you eat outside. Oh, and they only have a one stall bathroom so I waited about 10 min in line to use it.
Review Source:My wife and I decided to dine here on our first night in Helen.  We decided to settle for a seat inside because the patio was very crowded, and we hoped it would be a bit cooler.  It was, but without the view of  the river, we didn't enjoy ourselves as much...plus, we were seated right by an open door, which kind of defeats the purpose of being inside.
The food was OK, for bar food...but if you're expecting restaurant quality, you should probably try somewhere else. Â My meatball sandwich was OK, and had some really LARGE meatballs, and my wife enjoyed the onion rings that came with her Southwestern Wrap. Â
The number of flies in the indoor section was pretty astounding. Â (see above, we were right by an open door) Â We actually had a couple near us get up and leave because of them. Â We just shooed them off, but it did get a little annoying.
If either my wife or I drank beer, this would probably be an OK place to have one, but since neither of us do....meh.
I give The Troll a 3 star because I do plan to visit again down the road.
I've never had a problem with the food here myself and being that I'm am pretty much a local, I've visited a lot. Â Yes, the waitstaff can be a bit lost in the way they conduct business. Â
I actually had one waitress that actually had the nerve to ask about the tip my husband planned to leave. Â He pretty much had the change to pay the bill and did so leaving the extra buck left on the tip tray. Â We weren't even finished drinking our brews, nor putting out the additional money for a tip, Â when the waitress asked if her service was bad enough for only a dollar tip! Â Dang woman! Â We were still at the table, hubby in the bathroom, and not even ready to leave when she approached me with this question. Â This has never happened to me before. Â In any case she did only get that $1.00 and 10 cent tip at that point; we always tip 20% - 30% if the service is wonderful as we believe more is deserved. Â That poor woman would have been coming back to thank us, at least I hope, had she not jumped the gun with her question/comment type of thing which I can't even place a name for. Â I have to say that I've never left such a lousy tip, then I've never had such a lousy question/comment and the timing of it presented to me in the way it was.
The river seating is really nice and can be very entertaining in itself too. Â The bathroom, well I'll leave that to your imagination because I'd rather take a little dip in that river when needed if you know what I mean.
Nasty. Pretty location but nasty. Too bad! A decent stop for a few beers but otherwise, don't waste your money. It really is too bad. It seems that its a universal truism- Â places that draw a crowd because of their location really don't even try but it sure would be nice if they did.
Review Source:Given the other reviews about the food, I guess it was a good idea to stick with the same order every time. Â The Troll was a favorite spot, we always sat riverside and ordered the artichoke dip and the prime rib. Â Tasty enough!
The service was always fine, though when I requested a four-top table once I did not appreciate the condescending response that couples get two-tops and tables for four or more get the bigger tables. Â Yeah, I know that, I was a waitress. Â As a waitress I also gave the customer what they requested, as long as they were willing to wait for it. Â But I can't blame the ignorant actions of one stupid waitress on the whole restaurant.
Always entertaining hanging out for a few beers inside to listen to the singing country boy. Â Good times, good times.
So we decided to try a drink and food sample at every restaurant on the strip we could get into and started here.
It was a very cute place and we sat outside by the river. The service was prompt as was the food. Hubby got the wurst platter with bratwurst knockwurst and whatever other wurst they make (he's a meat eater) I just had some soup as it was quite chilly for us Floridians.
The food was good and the place was fine until I had to go inside to use the restroom. Eek! Did my food come from that kitchen?? The place was worn down, run down, dirty, filthy carpets and looked like a college drinking bar.
We ourselves did not have a bad experience there, but knowing what I know now of the place, I wouldn't go back for food, maybe drink, never food.
The only good thing about The Troll Tavern is that it has outdoor sitting next to a river. Â Drinking a pitcher of beer and watching rednecks float down the river on neon colored intertubes proved to be fairly enjoyable. Â Especially when one of them gets stuck or flips over. Â Even though Helen is this cheesy German themed town, the Troll's selection of German beer is crap. Â
I didn't try any of the food. Â They have your typical bar food and some German food. Â I don't know if I would trust the quality of the German food from a place that also serves quesadillas.
Food was okay but more than a little xpensive for what you get. The crab and artichoke dip was right out of a plastic tub from the grocery store - no doubt about it. The appetizer buffalo chicken strips were good - but cost $12 for about 5 strips. Service was acceptable but not great. Parking was sort of a pain. I doubt we'll be back. Helen was just a sad little place - not at all what I expected - and the Troll was sadder than some other places.
Review Source:
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