Helai - Piet Smitkade 160

The food is amazing. Every dish. Take your time and enjoy it. The price is a little higher but it will be worth it. The ambience of the restaurant is beautiful.

Me and my husband we have decided to try on new cuisine for our dinner out on Sunday at this Afghani restaurant. The restaurant is pretty new in the city of Rotterdam and it’s located nearby the cinema Pathe de Kuip and nearby the Feijenoord football stadium. Because we like cooked dishes and not just simple fried cooked stuff, we saw on Helai’s website they have a so-called “Rijst-taffel menu” ( Rice table menu) with cooked dishes of different meat and veggies, so we decided to try that on. As a starter, we were brought the Afghani meat dumplings topped with a spicy sauce and crème fraiche, then the big round platter/tray with smaller dishes was served. To our surprise, we were told it’s actually an “all you can eat” small dishes: meaning that once one small bowl is finished we can ask for a refill. Well well well, we have asked for a refill for our “besties” foods of the night: aubergine, tender lamb and beefmeat balls. Next to these, there were also a chicken dish, pumpkin dish, potato dish, salad, creme fraiche, spinach cooked with chickpeas, and afghani spicy parsley citrus sauce. The dessert they served was super over our expectations! Lava cake with icecream and a pink sour-ish sugar strip ?. Serving was superfast, we were done eating in almost 1 hour haha. One thing to remark is that the place looks very posh and it would be nice to dress up accordingly when going out to eat there, otherwise you’d feel a bit awkward or unappropriate if walking with your Nike’s on ?. But, personal preference maybe only. Feel free to go try this amazing Afghani food! It’s worth the money ! 28 euro per person is what we paid to have all these as in the pictures ?

A taste of the Arabian Nights is what Helai brought to my mind. It was a first in many ways: first time eating Afghan food and the first time on that side of Rotterdam. You come in a hostess walks you in. Wait to be seated while the Arabian/Middle Eastern ambiance embellishes the night. We ordered a mixed grill and the lamb shacks. O.M.G. what an experience. Clearly done with care, every ingredient reminded us of the high quality they aspire to achieve. For dessert we ordered the cream roll. A complex combination of cardamom and vanilla meringue with pastry cylinder filled with a deliciously mysterious cream. A.MA.ZING We have definitely found a new favourite!

I love their food! You can pick up or eat there! Always amazing experience. Great options also for vegan and vegetarian :)

Very tasteful Afghan dishes! Really enjoyed every single bite of it. Just look at the colors on the pictures of the food and it says it all. During this pandemic a lot of restaurants are now doing take aways. The food was really well packed and stayed warm all the way until I arrived home. If you are afraid of the food getting really cold after picking it up. It won’t. I would definitely recommend this to anyone that wants to try something else than your usual pasta and fried rice dishes. We live in a time where you have to take restaurant experiences to your house. Good food, nice music and fun people.

Over the top decoration of the resto! Feels like i am somewhere inside a palace ???. The food also great and tasty, the all you can eat menu to share is a great deal!

Very nice to eat here. Was the third time for me. Good quality and great staff.

Great tasting menu. Decorated very arabesque. Cute big restaurant.