Helvetia Tavern

I was just at the Helvetia Tavern for the first time in years. I can see why some folks would complain about greasy fries and skinny burgers... These are not gourmet burgers or fries. They are the fries and burgers that made burger joints a major part of the American landscape...\r \r Okay, my cardiologist would scream at me for tonight, but it was worth it!! more

Once upon a time they had good burgers, they had good service and they were the closest watering hole to many rural families (which means that dad and mom went there for a quick break), but things have changed...\r \r They serve average bar burgers at a gourmet burger price. The ""famous"" jumbo burger is 9.25!! It's mostly bread. Yes, the fries are ""fresh"" potatoes, but the onion rings come from the freezer I'm pretty sure, and are not worth what they charge.\r \r And now at a tavern (which is what really throws me for a loop, because the point of a tavern is to have people go to socialize), they have a policy that parties of 8+ pay an 18% gratuity. Really?!? You require I pay you a gift because your afraid that you wont get your just reward unless it's require? It's not like we called ahead and had a table reserved at a restaurant, we walked into a tavern separately from other people (who had already a running tab), happened to know them and now have to share the 18% on what they ordered before we even set foot in the establishment. That's just lame... This place is making bank! Why not give your employees raises so you don't have to require us to do it for you by the 18% added to our bill.\r \r We had nice looking servers with mediocre personalities and little skills at dealing with customer requests. I'm sure they make plenty of good tips based purely on their looks, so why learn how to be good at a job? Here are the two big examples...1. The only special food request that was made on any of the food was I wanted extra pickles. That, as a former server myself, seems like a pretty easy ""table"" to deal with, but I guess that was too overwhelming for her or the cook staff cause it didn't happen. 2. (The big one) When at the end, after not putting us on separate checks like we had asked, I take a look at the tab and it is a MESS! Can not read it! Scribbles everywhere. There were items we had not ordered crossed out but the total next to them had not been. So we asked several times to have it rewritten so we could understand it, she refused. She just kept pointing to all the scribbles and told us this and that. It became a very unnecessarily confusing and anger arousing situation. Someone asked to speak with the manager and found out that they had been. Poor skills miss manager!\r \r If you've never been to a local dive, I can understand that this place would seem cool and funky, but do yourself a favor and go someplace with better food that has better prices and where they STILL care about the customer.... more

The best burger (and best onion rings) in the city. A bit of a drive, but excellent burgers, fries, and onion rings. If you're a burger fan, this is the pinnacle. more

LOVE this place! It is by far the BEST burgers I have had in the Portland/Hillsboro area! Great prices, always great service and food. more

I was here a couple nights ago and the place was packed (as usual) 10 min wait tops, great food, fun environment, good service. There aren't that many neat places left like this, so if you get the chance I definitely recommend going to Helvetia Tavern. Its a little out of the way but once you get up there its so secluded and peaceful. If you go during the day sometimes there are animals right across the street that my family really enjoyed, and don't get me started on the hats! My kids ask ""How many hats do you think there are"" every time we're up there and the servers are great sports about it! If you have a craving for a big burger and local beer, this is the place to go! Oh and don't forget to bring CASH! ( cash or check only) more

So I'm having a beer with my buddy on a Friday night and this guy comes in and it's obvious the waitress Erica knows him and doesn't want him there. Instead of getting her boss she starts cussing at him, dropping f bombs and a lot of other inappropriate language. All I wanted was a relaxing night and a few beers, def won't be coming back here after that tirade. more

The highlight of my trip was walking in the door. My fries (which were greasy) showed up ten minutes before my burger (which was so dry it was hard to swallow) and the side of mayo had pickle chunks in it (I don't care for pickles on my burger), also I was not offered a refill of my coffee. All in all it was a bad experience! more

Our family has enjoyed the burgers,fries and onion rings for years. We love the out door seating. If you enjoy rustic and small town places you will love it. more

We came here because some people at my husband's office had recommended this place because of their burgers and fries and I had read some reviews that this was the place to try if you wanted a good burger. When we got the fries they were so greasy we had to dry them off with a paper towel before we could even eat them, and they weren't even cooked through. Our main reason for coming was because of the burgers really. I expected a nice thick juicy burger. Boy were we surprised when the burger was about as thin as the burgers you get on a McDonald's sandwich and the unidentifiable sauce that was on the burger came closest to the same kind of sauce that is on a Big Mac Sandwich at McDonald's. So all in all we paid more money to eat poor quality food when we could have gone to McDonald's and got two Big Mac value meals for less than what one of our meals cost at this place. Pros: Umm, nothing really. Cons: greasy food, not enough seating space, poor service more

My wife and I have been in search for the best burger around. We moved here 2 years ago and have tried lots of good burgers but we tried this today and we both said this is our favorite by far. Small menu and that's a good thing. They have turkey sandwich's and grilled cheese for those crazy enough to not get the burger. There is a hamburger,cheese and a jumbo which is big enough to share for 2 and one order of fries with burger is penty for 2 of you each get one. Also add bacon, it's crispy goodness. Over all great place to end up after a nice drive to the country or when your craving it like I am right now and I had is only a few hours ago. Pros: Quality old fashion burger, great fries. Cons: Little far if in Portland but well worth the drive. more

We've been enjoying these burgers for years. I've stopped going to other burger joints because they just don't compare. I brought my sister and her two boys here (they're Californians) and the boys said that the burgers were better than In & Out!\r \r Good food. Good, friendly service. Pros: Jumbo Bacon Cheeseburger w/everything rocks Cons: My stomach isn't large enough to eat the whole burger more

The people who havn't liked this place are crazy. One of the best ""local"" places you could find. It doesn't always have to look like 5 stars to be 5 stars.. more

My fiancé and I stopped in here for the first time a few weeks ago while driving home from the beach and let me just say, we WILL DEFINITELY BE BACK! I honestly don’t understand how some people have such negative things to say about this place. My recommendation: try it and judge for yourself. I doubt that you will be disappointed. Pros: very good hamburgers, onion rings and beer more

We drove from Wilsonville looking for a great old fashoned burger. Got there and it was busy, which is a good sign. Walked in the door and saw a hamburger and got concerned, so we decided that the reviews must be talking about the 9.00 ala carte Jumbo cheese burger, so we decided to split that and a 1/2 order of fries. \r \r The burger consisted of about 4 patties, slightly thicker than a Big Mac pattie. If the burgers in the reviews are juicy, it's because they put a lot of sauce on both sides of the bun. The fries were fresh cut, but not crisp whatsoever. FYI HT, you should know that you have to cook fries twice to make them crisp.\r \r We spent 17.00 with tip for a burger, fries and two soft drinks. The Carl's JR 6.00 burger is FAR superior. I wish I would have known that before I wasted the money. Pros: The drive Cons: The food more

my boyfriend and i had heard that this place has the best hamburgers. we went this weekend because it was a nice day and we thought it would be a pretty drive, which turned out to be the best part of the experience. we arrived and grabbed a seat outside. unfortunately, they had tarps up that blocked any kind of view and made it seem very closed in. he ordered the jumbo cheeseburger and i got the chicken breast sandwich. we also ordered some fries. my chicken sandwich was fine although i scraped off all of the weird yellow sauce that was on it. the sandwich was nothing special but i didn't expect it to be, the purpose of our trip was the hamburger. my boyfriend said the hamburger was a simple frozen patty that you could get from costco, absolutely nothing special. the fries were greasy and some of them were sliced so thick that they weren't completely cooked so they were kind of hard. i'm not sure why everyone likes this place so much. i can see if you were on a bike ride out there it might be a good spot to stop and refuel but this place is REALLY NOT THAT GREAT. the food was fine, but nothing to write home about. also, it was overpriced for what you get. we don't mind paying $10 for a quality sandwich but this was not even close. i guess the place has switched owners several times and i think it might have been a good spot several years ago but this was not worth the trip. Pros: pretty drive to get there Cons: hamburgers aren't that great and fries are limp and greasy more

Order the burgers and Onion rings! This place is usually packed during lunch. Its a nice short drive into the country with a roadhouse feel. Rub elbows with bikers and Intel workers. Did I mention the amazing burgers? The prices and service are great! They serve RC if you happen to be the designated driver. Its a nice touch! A great place to stop on the way back from pumpkin patch or getting your Christmas tree. Pros: Burgers, onion rings, price, and service Cons: Sometimes a long wait more

I was told to go try a burger at Helvetia Tavern by several people over many years. Finally, my husband and I went, and went back a second time!! There burgers are FANTASTIC!!!! They are juicy, and the sauce (goop) is soooooooooo yummy! Fries were good both times, but the first time was better. Onion rings okay. The iced tea is good, tastes homemade, not packaged. This country tavern is cool! Nice atmosphere and great service both times. The first time we went we came in behind a large golfing group so my husband went to the counter and ordered. Our food came quickly. The second time we went (today) the young man taking our order came over to our table, sat down at our booth and took our order. He offered several times to refill my iced tea and checked on us to make sure we were okay. We LOVE this place and will return again for sure! TRY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pros: Nice crowd of people dining both times, nice place! more

Sure it's funky, that's part of what makes it GREAT! But just funky isn't reason enough to stop in for lunch. It's the jynormus burgers and the cold beer that sets this place above the rest. Get the double with cheese and don?t forget the ""goop"". The fries are hand-cut and way better than average. Outdoor seating is the best on a nice day. If you want prissy-clean, go to Applebee?s or iHop; you wouldn't have fun here anyway. more

My girlfriend said this place was a great place for burgers, so we decied to try it. I ordered the Jumbo Burger and my girl had the same. We were served quickly, the staff was friendly. It wasn't too busy, so that may be why we were served fast. The food was excellent. The burgers are huge (the Jumbo anyway). The only negative was that there is no place to go up and pay, so you have to wait for the waitress/cashier to take your money, which isn't good if you're in a hurry. Also, there are no refills on drinks (at least we weren't offered any). Overall, the food was better than the service. It took us longer to pay for our food than it did to order and eat it. Pros: Food Cons: Service more

My first hamburger at The Helvetia Tavern was in the Spring of 1986. When we travel from our home in northern California and my son's home in Tacoma, WA, we arrange our schedule so we can visit the\r Helvetia Tardvern either on the way north or on the way south. I tell everybody I know that The Helvetia Tavern builds the best hamburger and the hottest fries in America. Just this weeked (February 23, 2008) a good friend visited the Portland area and went to The Helvetia Tavern on my recommendation and LOVED IT! We will be there for lunch on Monday, March 3rd.\r Stan Morgan, Anderson, CA more