Helen Back

Fort Walton Beach, United States

3.7

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards
Free Wi-Fi

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 850-796-1451
Website:
www.helenbackcafe.com
Address:
114 Amberjack Dr, Fort Walton Beach, FL, 32548
Categories:
QR code
Download QR Image Download vCard

Map

Streetview

Activate map

Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
No
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Good For
Dinner, Late Night
Parking
Private Lot
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
No
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Divey
Noise Level
Loud
Music
Live
Good For Dancing
No
Alcohol
Full Bar
Happy Hour
Yes
Best Nights
Fri, Sat, Sun
Coat Check
No
Smoking
Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
Free
Has TV
Yes
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
No
Has Pool Table
No

Today

Today 11:00 am – 4:15 am
Local time (Fort Walton Beach) –

Business hours

Monday 11:00 am – 4:00 am
Tuesday 11:00 am – 4:00 am
Wednesday 11:00 am – 4:15 am
Thursday 11:00 am – 4:30 am
Friday 11:00 am – 4:00 am
Saturday 11:00 am – 4:00 am
Sunday 11:00 am – 4:00 am

Description

Specialties

Helen Back Café is the premier sports and pizza destination in Fort Walton Beach. Helen Back offers a waterfront dining experience with a huge selection of beers on tap, a full bar, and a full menu that features pizza, sandwiches, salads, and a variety of appetizers. Our nachos are our specialty appetizer, that is portioned for several friends to share. Catch live music here on the weekends.

Military Night, Guys Night, Ladies Night, and Bike Night offers specialty pricing for each of these groups. If you are looking for things to do in Fort Walton Beach or Destin just go to Helen Back!

History

Established in 2000.

Helen Back, the premier sports bar and pizza destination was established in 2000 by Chris Sehman. Since its conception, Helen Back has grown into a chain of sports bars on the Emerald Coast. Helen Back has five locations offering pizza, beer, and a full bar on the Emerald Coast. Helen Back caters to locals, tourists, and the military.

Meet the Business Owner

Chris S.

Business Owner

Chris Sehman owns and operates Helen Back. After graduating from Old Dominion University, Chris moved to the Emerald Coast in the early 90’s where he worked in local bars in Destin and Fort Walton Beach. Chris opened his own sports bar in Fort Walton Beach– Helen Back– in 2000 with a vision of catering to the bar and restaurant employees and focus on live music. Chris saw the opportunity to better serve the military community and started offering free pizza slices to active duty and retired military members on Monday Nights at Helen Back. From there, Chris began offering different food and drink specials to different groups, such as Guys Night on Tuesdays, Ladies Night on Wednesdays, and Bike Night on Thursdays. Since then Chris has grown Helen Back and replicated it’s success to include to five locations from Fort Walton Beach to Crestview, to Navarre, and Niceville, Florida.

Related places

You might also consider:
1
mi
The Scoreboard
1214 Siebert Dr
1
mi
Buffalo Chips Sports Bar & Grill
138 Miracle Strip Pkwy SE
1
mi
Props Brewery & Grill
255 Miracle Strip Pkwy SE
1.4
mi
Papa Murphy’s Take ‘n’ Bake
98 Eglin Pkwy NE
1.4
mi
Buffalo Wild Wings
99 Eglin Pkwy Ste 3A
1.5
mi
Pizza Hut
141 Miracle Strip Pkwy SW

Nearby

Browse nearby places:
110
ft
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
112 Amberjack Dr
280
ft
Asiago’s Skillet
110 Amberjack Dr
410
ft
Power Up Watersports
1201 B Miracle Strip Pkwy
510
ft
High Tide Restaurant & Oyster Bar
1203 Miracle Strp Pkwy SE
590
ft
Alicia J Hollis, Realtor
221 Santa Rosa Blvd
640
ft
Old Bay Steamer
102 Santa Rosa Blvd

20 reviews of Helen Back

No registration required
Place rating: 1
Jay, FL
Worst experience! Extremely overpriced for a pizza the same quality of store-​bought frozen. Took an hour to get our food and we were almost the only people in there at lunch.
Other people in our group paid $ 12 for two side salads and two drinks, after the kitchen «forgot» their pizza! Absolutely ridiculous!
Place rating: 5
Southwest, Las Vegas, NV
Any time I’ve ever ordered food here, it’s always been amazing. Not only do they have THE BEST pizza in town, but their appetizers all rock as well. I love the outdoor atmosphere right on the dock. What a fun time I always have when I come.
Place rating: 1
Miamisburg, OH
This was some of the worst service I’ve had. We were in town for a gaming tournament and we had an hour and a half lunch break at 2pm. We had a large group of 9 people so I was prepared for a bit of a wait. An hour after we ordered, we still had no food. We finally had to ask the waitress about our appetizers and she brought them 5 minutes later. Mozzarella sticks and egg rolls, both barely warm like they had been sitting in the window and not picked up. After another 10 minutes, we finally get our sandwiches, realizing that we will be late getting back to the tournament. The sandwiches, which should have been hot, were also lukewarm. Not a place I will visit again.
Place rating: 5
Fort Worth, TX
First, it’s a biker bar. Remember that when the smoke hits you in the face.
We went at lunch and the place was almost empty. It was too cold to sit outside, so we grabbed a table inside near the bar. They had the football game on, so the music was turned off. The place looked dirty, but wasn’t. We were greeted immediately and had a waitress take our drink order rather quickly. She was very friendly and paid attention!
We ordered a full order of nachos and a large BBQ chicken pizza. For four people, it was too much food. The nachos were massive. They nearly covered the large pizza pan. They weren’t the best nachos, but they were good and inexpensive. Hamburger meat was lightly seasoned, refried beans, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and black olives on top PLUS sour cream, salsa, and jalapeños on the side.
The pizza was really good. We had them add pineapple to the BBQ base, chicken, red onion, and bacon. It was delicious!
The service was top notch, the food was really good, and the bill was cheap! Enough food to feed 6 people, 4 beers, and a huge tip… all for $ 75.
I bet the atmosphere changes dramatically depending on the day of the week and time of day. Please keep that in mind before you take the kids!
Place rating: 4
Cleveland, OH
Pleasant ambience sitting outside on the Choctwhatchee Bay boat marina on Okaloosa Island, and decent nachos n pizza n crushed drinks n margaritas :)
Place rating: 1
Sherwood, AR
Horrible service. Waitresses too worried about how short they can get their shorts. Trust me, shorts are the last thing they should be worried about. Nachos were ok, but we were there a good 45 minutes before ours came out. Tables around us had theirs within minutes (but they were obviously friends of the staff). Pizzeria? Nah, under/​over cooked. Had better frozen pizzas. Cooks obviously do not know what they are doing. Save your money, grab some chips at the Tom Thumb. This place should close down and give a new place a chance. Location is kind of cool but this pit is a total waste.
Manager? Obviously too scared to acknowledge patrons. Myself and another table requested a «visit» but he was soon «MIA”-server’s words not mine.
Only reason for one star is there are no negative star options.
Place rating: 1
Albany, GA
First timer in town, heard this place was the best for pizza. I was terribly disappointed. Yes, this place is definitely a dive bar. Most employees there looked like they just rolled out of bed and smoked a joint before coming to work. It’s loud, smoky, and in dire need of better parking. I had to be redirected to park behind the bar in what appeared to be a fenced in «parking area». How this place got so many customers is beyond me, but age, sports on the tv and lack of better options may be a factor. Oh, and the line of cars that were driving up and asking the «parking director» how much the could get for $ 10. Umm. Yeah, probably not talking about food.
Now…for my food order. My husband and I were staying at a local condo and ordered our food for take out. According to their online menu they offer muffalettas. We ordered two for $ 10 each. We were excited for a muffaletta and had great expectations. For anyone other than us who actually knows what a muffaletta is, please tell Helen Back. What we received was a STROMBOLI soaked in a bottle of olive oil. The oil leaked out of the to-​go box onto my clothes, the car, and eventually the condo. Practically inedible. But, from the looks of the place we got what they could offer.
Bottom line: if you want a loud crowd, sports on the TV, lots of beer, Helen Back can serve you up. On the food level… take your chances.
Place rating: 5
Cincinnati, OH
Good times and good pizza.
Place rating: 4
Fort Walton Beach, FL
Great place for a gathering! Lots of space and love the outside dinning area in overlooking the water. I didn’t try the pizza, which is what they are known for but the salads are good too. I would definitely go back.
Con: parking. The parking lot is very rocky which is not good for vehicles.
Place rating: 2
Nashville, TN
I’m really sad to be giving this place 2 stars but it’s the most accurate rating as of now.
We are regulars at Hellen back and absolutely love their pizza, but upon this visit their customer service gets a 2 star rating.
We ordered a ½ top line pizza WITH jalapeños ½ cheese with sausage. After a considerable wait we got our pizza minus the jalapeños. After flagging her down we talked to our waitress and she got her manager. They both had attitudes and made it seem like this was our problem a case of the «sorry but that’s what you get». All together the situation was handled wrong.
We do realize that we come here for the pizza not the staff, but still. This place has such good pizza we will most likely be back but will order our pizza at the window instead of through a waitress.
Place rating: 4
Birmingham, AL
Dive bar that looks intimidating from the outside… don’t be scared, go in and have a fun time! This spot overlooks the bay side and has plenty of seating both outside along the water and inside. Service was friendly and our drinks were never empty. We enjoyed a few beers, the soup of the day (fireball shots!), and shared nachos. The nachos were full of toppings and delicious — the full order is really big, so plan to share or arrive super hungry! The menu includes a variety of things so there is something for everyone (salads, sandwiches, etc…).
Lots of TV’s inside and out, fun music playing via jukebox, foosball tables, friendly service and a lovely view of the bay — go check it out!
Place rating: 4
Nashville, TN
Excellent pizza! Our waitress wasn’t the friendliest, that’s the reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. She brought menus and we said we didn’t need them and already knew what we wanted (after not getting service for 20 minutes) and she acted like she was mad for going and getting menus for us when we didn’t need them. If we had a different server it would have been much better. Pizza was delicious though and I will be back!
Place rating: 5
Wichita, KS
We love love love this place! Great local vibe, excellent handmade pizza, great drinks. This time we had the meat-​lovers pizza and was stuffed! Kids can feed the fish of the deck and You can even drive your boat right up to the dock. No need to dress up but you can if you want. You will see it both ways. We go every time we are in Fort Walton Beach.
Place rating: 5
Ballwin, MO
Stopped in here over the fourth of July weekend. I would rank the pizza as one of my top 5 along with the nachos. The staff was very friendly and fun. Heather and Chad were great bartenders.
Place rating: 4
Hurlburt Field, FL
It was a great place to hang out with some friends from out of town. Lots of space to wonder aimlessly, but we mostly stayed on the outside deck. They have a little pier to feed the fish.
It was military Monday so the meant free pizza all night, usually at places when they do free food it’s usually crappy. Not here the pizza was yummo! I was driving so I can’t comment on the adult beverages at this time, but I’ll definitely go back to imbibe.
Place rating: 4
Knoxville, TN
Helen Back is a great spot if you’d like to sit near the water (bay side) and relax with some drinks & pizza. The music is good, atmosphere is a bit louder inside. Our first server left much to be desired with her attitude although we were very friendly and easy to please. I think she was having a bad day or didn’t seem to be happy in general. We switched servers and sat inside instead on our visit here with much better service. The pizza and salads were very good. Although not one of the top restaurants in the area, it’s still a good hangout spot and you can count on decent food.
Place rating: 5
New York, NY
If you’re looking for a fun local bar scene, this is it! Huge place with both indoor and outdoor seating, TV’s everywhere, on the water and live music. Very fun vibe! Drinks: we had everything from Mud Slides, Raspberry Martinis, Thigh High Crush, Beers and Ciders… All was great! Food: We had the Large Nachos, Chicken BBQ Pizza (Yum!), Meat Lovers Pizza and the Philly Cheese Sandwich… We loved/​devoured everything! Wait staff was great — Jennifer was our server and she was fantastic! Pool tables, Buck Hunt and opened until 4:00AM…Very fun bar!
Place rating: 5
Claremont, CA
Jennifer rocks! Best waitress ever. great food, good beer and a fun atmosphere. Sat on the patio next to the water. A beautiful view of the ocean
Place rating: 4
Edwards, CA
Helen Back is a great place to just get drinks, relax by yourself or with friends, and enjoy the waterfront. One of its features is FREE pizza for military on Mondays. The pizza is delicious!
The atmosphere is simple but enjoyable; sports bar feel, but not too divey. At night, the lighting is darker, which I like. Most of the interior is wood with posters, signs, and various racing and military paraphernalia. There’s plenty of seating with pool tables (maybe darts too, but I didn’t specifically look for a dart board).
Helen Back is definitely family friendly with very good service. Within walking distance of several Ft Walton Beach hotels.
Next time I visit the area, I will be returning!
Place rating: 5
Atlanta, GA
It is a drinkers bar. Drink specials seemingly every night, and some decent food to boot.
I met many of the locals in the area who choose to make this place their watering hole. Pizza, was not as good as some of the reviews make it out to be, but the sauce was very good, and the pizza was in fact better then most bars.
This is a prime place to come on week nights, think «Guy’s night» on Tuesday, or ladies night later in the week.
Given that is it pretty central and very cheap I would say stop be and see for yourself.