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    Helic International Bistro

    4.6 (168 reviews)
    ModerateItalian, American, French
    Closed 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

    Order Helic International Bistro Takeout or Delivery

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    HELIC INTERNATIONAL BISTRO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Trendy
    Romantic

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    Recommended Reviews - Helic International Bistro

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    Classic breakfast sub pancake
    Davana H.

    For brunch, we decided to try Helic International Bistro, and of course I had to order the eggs Benedict--it's a classic for me and an absolute must if it's on the menu. I really enjoyed it! The hollandaise sauce was rich, creamy, and full of flavor, and the poached egg was cooked beautifully. My only small wish was that the English muffin had a little more crisp to it so it could hold up better with the sauce and egg. It got a little mushy, which isn't my favorite texture. Other than that, it's a great choice if you love a classic brunch dish. My hubby ordered the classic breakfast with a pancake, and of course I had to steal a bite One thing that really stood out to me was how much they let you customize your order. Scrambled eggs--soft or hard? Bacon--soft or extra crispy? They really make sure you get exactly what you want, which I always appreciate. As for the classic breakfast, it was good! Nothing super standout, but sometimes a traditional breakfast done right is exactly what you're looking for. Service wise we ordered pick up and it was done really fast and still hot when we got it home. They are always nice and welcoming. The restaurant is a vibe also! I wish I would have known so I could have ordered in. If you are looking for a new brunch place to try, you have to stop at Helic!

    Another view inside sports on the TVs over the bar
    Julieanne H.

    I really enjoyed my visit to Helic Int'l Bistro which is open for breakfast and lunch. The place was kind of empty on a Tuesday at 2 PM when I showed up. It is spacious and cute and has outdoor dining area . A fabulous place for an intimate or a large party brunch. I had researched a place to get a steak sandwich nearby and this place popped up. I had never heard of it even though I'm in the area for lunch a couple times a month. They have an extensive breakfast and lunch menu, but there wasn't exactly a steak sandwich. There was a Philly steak sandwich and then there was a Ny steak and egg breakfast so I asked if I could have NY steak that they serve for breakfast on a hoagie roll as a steak sandwich and they were happy to accommodate me. The steak sandwich was lovely. It's not the cheapest, but nobody is having cheap steak sandwiches these days. They also have cocktails and TVs with sports on. This will be a new regular place for me to suggest whenever we're going to brunch!

    Allison L.

    I dined at Helic International Bistro with some friends as we were looking for lunch options in the area. It's located in a strip mall so parking was convenient. The restaurant itself is nicely decorated and clean. I had the crab cake Benedict, which was great. Not sure if the crab cakes are made in house, but either way they tasted good and were well seasoned. They gave a generous serving of potatoes as well. My friends enjoyed their French toast and crepe. They have a pretty wide selection of options on their menu, so you're sure to find something for anybody. Overall, good option for the Natomas area!

    Breakfast Sandwich with no cheese
    Susan B.

    Once I walked in, I was shocked to see how nice the place looks inside. Nicely decorated, clean and bright. We came Saturday afternoon for brunch and was surprised, they were not packed. They offer weekly brunch menu and regular menu. I decided to go with their Breakfast Sandwich without the cheese. I went with their house potatoes as a side. Food came out promptly. The sandwich was good. The potatoes were ok. Overall, the food was good but nothing much to rave about. Service was awesome. Friendly and attentive. Plenty of parking which is shared with other businesses in the plaza.

    Strawberry match green tea latte
    Anthony A.

    My friend wanted to try a new brunch place and this was the one we settled on. Since then we have visited twice. They have a good amount of vegan options, but my favorite is the classic bacon and eggs. It comes with two eggs, two strips of bacon, one slice of sourdough toast or an English muffin, and breakfast potatoes or fruit. Usually to drink I get the Strawberry Matcha Green Tea Latte. All of the ingredients they use are fresh and tasty. The only two things I don't like is that they give two strips of bacon when most places offer three and though the Strawberry Matcha Green Tea Latte is tasty, it's heavy on the ice. The interior is really nice and classy with plenty of seating both inside and outside. Plus they have a bar and offer a wide variety of non alcohol and alcohol beverages. The owner we met was really friendly and she explained their menu periodically changes.

    Dahlia C.

    Such an amazing restaurant that not only offered good food but amazing customer service! Came here on multiple occasions with my family, but I want to highlight our experience the day we came with a group of about 20+ guests. Our family had a mini reunion after celebrating the life of a passed loved one & decided to have brunch here without any prior reservations. Although they seemed busy, they quickly and efficiently organized and set up the patio area for us. The server who took our orders was so nice and made sure we were all taken care of. Food did take some time but they checked in on us and kept us updated. Overall, food was incredible and everyone seemed to enjoy what they ordered. Their menu had so many options to choose from but so far everything that others and myself have tried, did not disappoint. Although I don't live in this area, this has proven to be a staple whenever I do come to visit.

    Adriana D.

    We went on Super Bowl Sunday for brunch, and we had fantastic service from Alicia. However, I didn't enjoy my meal - I ordered the crispy crab sandwich $23 from the brunch special menu, and it was not good. The roll it came on was soggy, the onion was extremely sharp since they served the core of the onion only, and the crab patty itself was not crispy and seemed microwaved. I also did not enjoy the sweet taste from the chunks of imitation crab meat used as a filler. Barely any real crab at all :( :( My partner got some kind of carne asada breakfast, and the meat was overcooked and tough. However, he still thought it tasted good. lol It's been a year since we last dined here, and I loved it back then. I think if we go back, I will stick with the chilaquiles! Their mimosas are great too - I had the guava mimosa and its well balanced champagne/fruit juice ratio.

    Waffles & French toast with oat milk caramel macchiato
    J J.

    Very clean and friendly staff. Breakfast was amazing. Mimosas were to die for, oat milk caramel macchiato was amazing delicious. I would definitely come back for the French toast and waffle with the fresh strawberries and berries.

    Tamara P.

    This is a super cute place tucked in a shopping center in Natomas! We went to celebrate a few birthdays as a big group with reservations. They set up a a table that had a beautiful happy birthday banner. They have brunch and lunch menus with varying options from breakfast sandwiches, waffles, crepes, full breakfast plate and weekly specials. You can get a mimosa tower or other cocktails. I will definitely be back to try out the breakfast menu and cocktails another time. I opted for the lunch menu u and ordered the California burger with a side salad. Pictures here is also the Philly steak sandwich that someone else ordered. Service was great! Atmosphere was really cute. We are super excited to have another great option for brunch in Sacramento.

    Excellent hot chocolate
    Ann L.

    I will say up front that I struggled with a 4 or 5 star rating. The hospitality here is the likes of which you rarely encounter. We were so warmly welcomed it was almost getting hot in there. There is clearly pride of ownership here. The space is clean, open, and inviting and offers a large patio for those seasonal months. The chairs were nicely padded and super comfy. Here's where the rubber meets the road. It was such an enjoyable experience from a service point of view but I felt the food just slightly missed the mark for me. My husband loved his Italian omelet btw. My eggs Bennie were okay. I am not a fan of the rosemary potatoes at a few of the other breakfast spots around town and equally not a fan here. Rosemary is a strongly flavored herb that I just don't care to greet in the morning, but that's on me. The thin, tasteless hollandaise is a misstep. It's the reason for ordering a Bennie and this one missed. That being said, the food is good and we will be back.

    Avocado Toast
    Sarah-Lorraine K.

    WHY WE WENT HERE: - brunch THE LOOK (FROM THE OUTSIDE): - located in the plaza off W El Camino Ave and Truxel Rd - located in the same plaza as Grocery Outlet - located in the southwest corner of the plaza - enclosed patio seating THE LOOK (FROM THE INSIDE): - so cute! lots of natural light - light wood and comfy looking seating at the tables THE (BREAKFAST) MENU: - from the griddle - eggs & omeletts - special plates THE MENU OF THE WEEK BRUNCH: - weekly special brunch menu THE (LUNCH) MENU: - sandwiches & burgers - salads - crepes THE (DINNER) MENU: - appetizers - pastas - entrees MENU OF THE WEEK DINNER: - weekly specials dinner menu THE (KIDS) MENU: - breakfast - lunch & dinner SIDES & ADDS: - adds - sides THE (DRINKS) MENU: - beverages - drinks, kids drinks, hot beverages - coffee & tea - espresso - soft drinks - juice - beer - seltzers - cocktails - mimosas, margaritas WHAT WE ORDERED: - avocado toast - chicken pesto sandwich - California burger - Western BBQ burger - mimosa tower THE TASTE: - food was all good, but the mimosa tower was pretty, didn't really like that they were pre-mixed; it was definitely mainly the champagne with a splash of enough juice to determine which flavor it was by how it looked but not enough to taste the juice itself CUSTOMER SERVICE: - warm - welcoming

    Prickly pear spritz
    Mi M.

    I came in for Sunday brunch at Helic International Bistro with a friend, and what started as a pleasant morning ended in a frustrating and unnecessarily embarrassing experience. At first, everything was great. We enjoyed a reasonably good meal, had brunch drinks, while listening to smooth jazz and spent time catching up. When we were finished, I asked for the check. Instead of being presented with a paper bill, the electronic payment device was placed in front of me. The total looked correct, so I paid using Apple Pay, watched the confirmation come through on my iPhone, and even received the receipt by text. As we were preparing to leave, my friend stopped briefly for water, and that's when things went sideways. The waiter/bartender approached us and asked if we had paid. Since I had covered the bill, I said yes. He seemed confused, so I offered to show proof of payment. I showed him my text receipt, asked if he was satisfied, and he said yes. Moments later, the manager approached us and asked again about the bill. Again, I was asked to prove payment--this time in front of other customers. At that point, I felt insulted and publicly embarrassed, as though I was being questioned over whether I had tried to leave without paying. I showed proof again and even texted the receipt directly to the manager. As I was leaving, they handed me a paper receipt. Once I got to my car and looked at it closely, I realized it wasn't even my order--it was someone else's tab entirely. I had to go back inside and explain their mistake to them while they were still standing there trying to figure out what happened. Instead of simply owning the error, the manager tried to backtrack and imply he had been trying to explain that all along, which felt like gaslighting and made the situation even worse. The difference between the two tabs was only about a dollar, but that was never the issue. The issue was being repeatedly questioned, inconvenienced, and made to feel like I had done something wrong because of their internal mistake. A perfectly nice Sunday brunch was completely ruined over something that was not my fault. In my opinion, the meal should have been comped for the inconvenience, embarrassment, and poor handling of the situation. Instead, all I received were apologies. Mistakes happen. How a business handles them is what matters--and unfortunately, this experience left a very bad impression.

    The Village Benedict for Two (an Instagram giveaway only special)
    Felicia P.

    I had The Village Benedict Meal for two (thick cut applewood bacon, poached eggs, Chipotle hollandaise sauce, on a Belgian waffle) with crispy potatoes on the side! We also ordered the strawberry matcha drink and the horchata latte. Service was excellent, food was divine, ambiance was incredible (loved their patio area and all the plants they have inside and out). The only thing I will pre-warn is that the shopping center sometimes has some sketchy people hanging out.

    Beautiful decor

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    The restaurant is very nice, the food is delicious, and the servers are polite, and nice.

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    Ask the Community - Helic International Bistro

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    Ippolito's Trattoria - Happy Hour 2PM - 6PM 
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    Ippolito's Trattoria

    4.5(533 reviews)
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    We loved this small family style restaurant. The decor is simple and service warm and welcoming. So…read moremuch to choose from on the menu it can be overwhelming so just plan to come again. I was craving the eggplant parmigiana and was told the eggplants had been delivered to the owners home and therefore, was not available. Funny! So we settled on the shrimp and chicken dish - apparently a fan favorite- and chopped salad. Both delicious with ample portions for two to split. Interesting note - they offer cauliflower crust pizza- a must try next time. Enjoy!

    I've been to Italy--including Sicily--more times than most people have left California, and my…read morepartner even holds an Italian birth certificate. With that context, we don't take Italian food lightly. That's exactly why Ippolito's Trattoria stands out. Nick, the owner, is there seven days a week. Whether he's running the kitchen like a true master or walking the dining room checking in with guests, his presence is constant. His wife is often by his side, and together they've built something that feels less like a restaurant and more like a family. The staff reflects that--welcoming, attentive, and genuinely warm. Now, the food. The chicken parmigiana is massive--easily two meals--and executed perfectly. The chicken is tender, well-seasoned, and balanced. We usually start with calamari or a shared salad, both consistently excellent. I'm especially particular about carbonara, and this is the only place in Sacramento that truly gets it right. No shortcuts. No cream. No smoked bacon. They respect the tradition--using proper ingredients like guanciale or pancetta and incorporating the egg the way it's meant to be. It's easily the best carbonara I've had in years. The arancini are another highlight. If you've ever made them at home, you know the effort involved--this is the real deal. Crispy outside, rich and flavorful inside, and absolutely authentic. The bread is baked fresh daily by Nick, and it shows. The pasta is artisan-quality, also made fresh, and sourced from a trusted local partner. Every detail reflects care and intention. Dessert is not an afterthought here. The tiramisu--made in-house--is flawless. And the cannoli? Outstanding. The shells have the perfect crunch, and the fillings are rich without being overpowering. Even the pizzelle cookies are done right. It's no surprise they've earned recognition, including: Best Italian Restaurant in Sacramento Best Restaurant Overall in Sacramento Beyond the food, Nick is active in the community and gives back, which only adds to the experience. We've enjoyed this place so much that we've chosen them to cater my 60th birthday for 20 very discerning Italian family members--many of whom we've already brought here, all with the same glowing reactions. If there's any criticism to address, it's usually from people saying the food isn't salty or herb-heavy enough. That misses the point. This is balanced, authentic cooking--where ingredients shine without being masked. I've been to Papa Gianni's in Cameron Park dozens of times over the years, and it's a great spot. But when it comes to the Sacramento region, Ippolito's Trattoria is my go-to, without question.

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    Paesanos - This pasta dish is super delicious!!

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    4.1(2.2k reviews)
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    Came for midweek work lunch around noon, got sat quickly inside…read more Service was quick and restaurant was clean and not crowded. 5/5 Spaghetti carbonara! This dish is absolutely amazing! Crispy bacon and rich sauce. Generously seasoned with red pepper flakes, Parmesan and some salt. Added a side salad but it was moderately portioned and pretty lackluster. Passable next time. The garlic bread is also not my favorite but it comes with the pasta so that's a nice plus.

    update: it has been 3 years since we dined here last. It…read morewas my son's birthday celebration and he wanted to go to paesanos. So we invited a few friends and came on a friday evening. Ambience: very comfortable, although very loud inside the dining room-background music along with many patrons conversing. But our wait staff was great. Friendly and engaging - but not over bearing. In fact, i gave this place an extra star just for the wait staff. Other than that, i would rate their entrees...as decent, but there is room for improvement to help raise the bar. Hence 3.5 stars overall Appetizers: 1) fried raviolis - not bad, filled with spinach and ricotta and arrived with marinara dipping sauce 2) fried calamari- too much coating which over powered the delicacy of the squid. Plus, it arrived cold. It came with two dipping sauces which helped. Entrees: 1) Two pies: Sicilian and soppresaata & hot honey: both pies were decent, arrived straight from the oven 2) farmers market salad: very fresh greens, tender pieces of chicken but was missing the fresh corn. 3) spaghetti w/meatballs: nice entree with a mild sauce, but meatballs tasted more filler than actual meat. And the garlic bread was cold 4) rigatoni aka vodka: very nice entree and our diner ordered it with gluten free pasta 5) spaghetti parmesano: entree looked great when it arrived- mild sauce w/al dente noodles but the chicken was over cooked and even dry with a layer of mozzarella that didn't help. And again arrived with cold garlic bread. Would i return? in a few years. but the service was good which made our evening. However i wish all the pasta entrees and calamari appetizer were as good as their pies. Again, little details with their appetizers, pasta, and salad dishes would have made our dining experience more enjoyable.

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    Pazza Notte is definitely busy for a reason! We came here for a birthday dinner and had the best…read moretime. The staff here is very friendly and attentive. We got seated pretty quickly and immediately ordered drinks. The Martinis are delicious and they give you shaker with them so its essentially two drinks in one. We have tried pretty much all the flavors and you cant go wrong. Now for the food, the burrata appetizer was absolutely delicious. The sundried tomato and chilli on top cuts through the creamy burrata and is such a great way to start your meal. We also ordered the classic penne vodka and fettuccini pesto. Both were delicious. What really stole the show for me, though, was the mushroom pizza. So simple but so delicious! The roasted portobello was earthy and warm and the truffle oil was a great addition and not overbearing. Overall, we had such a great time here. Will definitely be back!

    2nd time here & wouldn't come back - ordered $8 chicken to add to my pasta (see photo) & was…read moreconfused as to where the chicken was. confirmed with server/chef they only add 4 ounces, but from the photo it looks like nothing. they were kind enough to offer a whole order of pasta to go. food 5.5/10 - caesar salad was tasty - free bread is always a plus - calamari breading is very heavy + not much flavor, the side sauces save it service 7/10 - server was kind, checked up on us regularly - waited 30 min for 1 plate of pasta ambiance 5/10 - very hot inside - went on saturday morning & they leave the door open, so i kept swatting flies

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    La Porta Restaurant & Bar - Roma Pizze

    La Porta Restaurant & Bar

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    How did I only discover this amazing place?!?! This was by far the best food I've had in a very…read morelong time. We ordered the cheese bread as an appetizer and the cheese pull was insane. It was pure perfection. Just all around perfect. Lunch was Tuscan Chicken Penne and my friend ordered mussels. The presentation of the meal was beautiful. And the taste - on another level. Absolutely blown away. Now on to the dessert which we picked Tiramisu. I was pretty stuffed from lunch so we decided to split it. I'm kinda mad I didn't have the whole thing for myself because it was so good. Not only was the food amazing but the service was too. Just an all around great experience and I can't wait to go back and try something else.

    We wanted a nice dinner and decided to come here. I made a reservation ahead of time. It was not…read morebusy for a 6pm Saturday dinner. It looks like an office building from the outside. It's next to a dealership. The space once you enter, is really nice and open with a full beautiful bar. They also have a cute seating area. The server gave us the menu and gave us tile to review. Pretty easy to look over as they have your Italian basics. We opted for a cranberry and blue cheese salad with candied nut's. We ordered a full to share. I wish we were told it was too big for just 2 people. It's good for about 3-4 people. Without knowing, we also ordered Brussels spouts, which again is for 3-4 people. As for my entree, I ordered the chicken rigatoni. I didn't get to really enjoy it because I was super full by the time it came out. It was saucy and tasted good with the chicken bites. My husband had their famous lasagna. It came out hot so they must bake it as you order which is great! I will say, he said it was extremely cheesy. He had to look for the pasta in it. He did enjoy the flavor. Circling back, we got full with the salad and a small portion of the Brussel sprouts. We had to take our entrees to go. The waitress noticed and said she should have told us that the portions to the appetizers were large. I would have just ordered 1.

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    Il Fornaio

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    $$

    Il Fornaio is a beautiful restaurant to dine at that has a nice high end feel. Pricing-wise, I'd…read moresay the food is mid-high in tier, but doesn't reach the cost of other such places - which is a great thing as Il Fornaio is a wonderful place to hold a special event or celebration. You'll definitely enjoy the elegant decor and picturesque dining room. As the name suggests, Il Fornaio is an Italian restaurant that serves pasta dishes, salads, soups, and other Italian fare. The food is well presented and and the quality is certainly there. It didn't disappoint, but I personally wasn't blown away by it either. It's just very solid you get what you pay for food. Usually that means you buy cheap food and you get cheap tasting stuff, but here you pay a good amount and you get pretty good food. We came on a pretty busy evening and service took a little longer than I expect that it typically would. But overall it wasn't bad... just very busy. I do think that Il Fornaio does get pretty busy regularly because it is a popular restaurant in Sacramento. Just keep that in mind on busy nights like weekends and special dates.

    I wasn't expecting good Italian food in Sacramento, so when a colleague suggested this place for…read moredinner, I agreed. Im also not much an Italian food fan really. Crazy I say this as I was in a serious relationship once with an Italian lol. I know I sound like a miserable wretched human being, but its quite ubiquitous and a lot of it is not too hard to make. But I do like a good pizza and there are Italian dishes I like (ones I cannot make like Sardinian wild boar or squid ink pasta). First, this dining room is gorgeous, the bar space is really nice. Saw a handsome gent in a nice suit sitting at the bar, which was a nice accessory to an already elegant and dare I say sexy bar? I had a drink here and then our party moved to a table when everyone arrived. My colleague did us the favor and ordered some antipasti dishes for us and made good choices. The carpaccio was great (and I loved the grana padano cheese - one that I can have) and also enjoyed the tartara di tonno - which is seared ahi tuna. Both with copious amounts of arugula (my favorite). Great choices as I love raw anything that's well made. Since it was Tuesday, one of my colleagues ordered the pasta trio which is a special for Tuesdays. No idea if it was any good, but colleague cleaned the plate. My other colleague ordered the risotto (which looked great and I love risotto and can make it myself), large portion size and she had a good portion leftover for another meal. I had the branzino in crosta. The portion size for my dish was ridiculous. Fish was decent, but I have had better (in Italy fresh caught). Rooted veggies were probably my favorite (I'm a rabbit and love veggies) and the grilled polenta was so-so. My colleagues ordered panna cotta al limone and it was excellent. I am used to a denser consistency panna cotta and this one was lighter one but well made. I love limoncello or anything with lemons, so this was just lovely. There is only one kind of tiramisu (more pudding style) I like which is made by North Italia and the one here likely was the traditional tiramisu so I declined to get dessert. Overall, a very good choice for a business dinner. Food was good. I deducted one star because I am not much into chain restaurants and prefer to support mom and pop type places. I deducted another star because the service was so SLOW and while we ordered some sparkling for the table, some of us did not get still water and I recall not having much water to drink and its summer. Also, I think the New Yorker in me just doesnt have much patience, but it does seem the cadence here was a different speed I am used to. I'd definitely return to have a few cocktails at the bar, and come back for their HH specials too. This location is in a beautiful setting and I'd come back just to sit at the bar and quietly ogle which cutie might show up...

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    Helic International Bistro - italian - Updated September 2026

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