Family Restaurants in Helen, Georgia

Quick answer: Six Helen restaurants and one 30-minute day-trip destination handle families exceptionally well. Kids' menu pricing runs $6 to $10 per meal across the board. The best strategy: eat early (5:00 PM) at a biergarten, finish with fudge at Hansel and Gretel, and skip the dinner-rush waits after 6:00 PM.

Eating out with kids in Helen is easier than you might expect for a town built around beer halls and German food. Most restaurants here are genuinely family-friendly, with kids' menus, high chairs, and staff who do not flinch when a toddler drops a pretzel on the floor. The first time I took my cousin's kids to Hofbrauhaus on a Saturday in October, I noticed the hostess had already stacked three booster seats by the front door before I asked; it's a town that expects families. The key is knowing which places handle them best, because there is a difference between a restaurant that tolerates children and one that actually welcomes them.

Hofbrauhaus at 9235 North Main Street ((706) 878-2739) is probably the easiest choice for families. The atmosphere is loud and festive enough that your kids will not be the noisiest people in the room. Kids' menu: bratwurst ($8), mini pretzel plate ($7), mac and cheese ($8), chicken strips ($9). The platters are big enough to share, and most kids will eat a bratwurst or a pretzel with cheese without complaint. High chairs available, outdoor biergarten seating lets kids move around.

The Heidelberg at 8675 Main Street ((706) 878-2986) works well for families during the dinner hour on the first floor, where the energy is more relaxed than in the concert hall upstairs. Kids' menu runs $7 to $10: kid-sized schnitzel, spaetzle, pretzel sticks with cheese. Ask for the first-floor dining room, not the upstairs concert hall, if you have little ones. Stained glass and carved wood keeps kids visually occupied.

Bigg Daddy's on Edelweiss Strasse has burgers, wings, and enough TVs to keep older kids entertained. Kids' menu: cheeseburger with fries ($8), chicken tenders ($8), mac and cheese ($7), mini pizza ($7). The mini-golf course next door (Pirate's Cove, $12 per adult, $9 per child) is a built-in after-dinner activity that buys parents another hour of peace.

Troll Tavern at 56 Main Street ((706) 878-3117) is literally tucked under the bridge on the Chattahoochee. The novelty of eating in a "troll's cave" under a bridge sells itself to kids under eight. Kids' menu $6 to $9: grilled cheese, chicken tenders, kids' burger. The outdoor deck over the river is the seat to ask for.

Cafe International has a covered deck where kids can watch tubers float by on the Chattahoochee while you eat, which is free entertainment. Their sandwiches are big enough that splitting one between two younger kids works fine. Slice of Helen at 8691 Chattahoochee Strasse is the reliable pizza option ($18 large cheese, $24 large with toppings), and pizza rarely fails with children.

Muller's Famous Cafe at 8640 North Main Street is a diner-style spot with all-day breakfast, which is a lifesaver when a kid wakes up from a nap demanding pancakes at 4 PM. Prices are family-budget friendly: pancakes $6, mac and cheese $7, grilled cheese $6. Cowboys and Angels at 49 Edelweiss Strasse is the country-kitchen option with chicken strips, mashed potatoes, green beans, and the kind of comforting food that most kids eat without negotiation.

For a day trip that is all about family, The Dillard House at 768 Franklin Street, Dillard, GA, about 30 minutes north of Helen on US-441, is a winner. The family-style format means food keeps coming to the table: fried chicken, country ham, biscuits, sweet tea, and rotating vegetables. Adults run about $25 per person, kids under 10 at a discount. Kids can eat as much or as little as they want, and there is a petting zoo on the property afterward. On a Sunday afternoon I watched a 4-year-old consume roughly four biscuits and a small mountain of mac and cheese without pausing.

Closer to town, Mully's Nacoochee Grill at 7101 South Main Street, Sautee-Nacoochee, is calmer than the downtown restaurants and has enough variety on the menu to keep both adults and children happy. Their fried trout ($19) is a regional classic; the kids' menu ($7 to $10) covers the usual grilled cheese, chicken tenders, and buttered pasta. Less touristy than downtown, a quieter dinner option.

Eat early: 5:00 to 5:30 PM weeknights and 4:30 PM weekend peak season. Restaurants get crowded after 6 PM and wait times jump. Budget time for a stop at Hansel and Gretel Candy Kitchen after dinner, because walking past a fudge shop with children and not going in is a battle you will not win. For outdoor seating, the biergarten courtyards at Hofbrauhaus and The Heidelberg let kids move around; Troll Tavern's deck gives them a river view. Rainy day? Cafe International has inside tables with a good river view from indoors.

For morning dining with kids, see our breakfast and brunch page and bakeries and pastries guide. For cabin rentals that sleep families, read our family cabins guide. Kid-friendly activities include tubing the Chattahoochee in summer and the paved trail at Anna Ruby Falls, which is stroller-friendly.