Helium Comedy Club - Philadelphia

Reviews 3

MO

Monica F Brown

Actually closer to 4.5 than a 4. Note: This review is based on the actual location and food itself, not on the venue I was attending, which is the comedy show featuring Mick Foley. A while back, I was invited by a fellow author and friend to attend a live comedy event featuring Mick Foley at the Helium. The event took place last night (Wednesday, June 18th). Location: The location was very easy to get to. I was traveling from NJ via Septa to the Market East Station. It is within walking distance from the train station. The only drawback was the temperature in Philadelphia (it had gotten to the low to upper nineties) so it may be a bit daunting to those who arent used to the humidity. Ambiance: The inside was like a trip down memory lane. Autographed items were in glasses cases that aligned the wall. The staff was pretty friendly and engaging, particularly the wait staff during the time of the event. Drink: Although I didnt have any alcohol, my friend had the Amaretto Sour. He was very pleased and deemed it was made properly and gave the right amount of buzz for his evening. I stuck to a soft drink, which was done well in terms of balance of syrup vs carbonation. Meal: I ordered the classic panini with a small side of french fries. My friend had the barbecue chicken personal pizza. He and I split the Spinach and Artichoke dip and the mozzarella sticks. The Classic Panini and French Fries were very filling for a main meal. The mozzarella was very fresh and the mix of the bread and the spices was pleasing to my taste buds. The french fries were well balanced in terms of salt content, texture (since I dont like my fries very crunch at all), and amount. I tasted some of my friends barbecue pizza and the sauce had a good pop of sweet and tangy. The chunks of chicken were very tender and not one ingredient overshadowed the rest. The Spinach and Artichoke dip was very yummy. I do wish there had been more of it in the dish. The saltiness of the multi-colored chips (Im a fan of the red and black) meshed well with the dip. The same with the mozzarella sticks. Breading and mozzarella was proportionate yet not many came on the plate. I could have done with a couple more, since there was quite a bit of marinara sauce remaining after he and I made them disappear. Pricing: Be prepared to spend a bit. Theres nothing on the menu appetizer, course or desert wise that is below $6.00. Alcohol beverages run from about $6.50 and up. Sodas, regular coffee, and tea is $3.00. Fiji bottled water is $4.00. At the events, its 2 selections per person. Here are two factors that kept me from giving it a full 5: Portioning: Although the sizing of the panini meal and chicken pizza was well done, for the other two selections, the cost and amount does not quite equate. Despite that, my mouth was satisfied. Tables: In a usual setting, Im sure the set up would have been fine. Given that the Mick Foley venue was sold out, it was important to get in as many people as possible. The drawback was that when my friend and I ordered our food and the servers brought it out, we had to be very creative in placement. The tables were not big enough to accompany our dishes and the dishes of the other two people we were sharing a table with. I consolidated one plate by putting the mozzarella sticks and marinara sauce on the same plate as the spinach and artichoke dip. Then, the smaller plate has to be positioned underneath the larger plate. The process had to be repeated for the other dishes as well. Seats: Also, after a while, the hardness of the chairs (since they dont have any cushioning) can cause slight ache to the buns. Yet when your funny bone is tickled, the bottom burn doesnt surface until the show is over. Despite those two takeaways, I would recommend this location. Good tasting food, friendly staff, and views of nostalgia are top notch. Id be open to coming again.

BR

Bryan Durkan

My girlfriend and I went to see Gilbert Gottfried last weekend. First....show was awesome! But......your policies and attitudes need major work. We were meeting friends that were already there holding a table waiting for us. The show was at 8pm and we arrived at 7:15. When we got there they said our tickets were for the previous night and could not be used for this current show. I accepted the mistake since the link that I used on my phone wasnt that clear that the show I chose was for the wrong night. The person working the register understood our dilemma and mentioned that I might want to wait to see if I can get in. That sounded reasonable until another guy that worked there (seemed to be an assistant manager or something) seemed happy to say NO with a big ass smile on his face. I was completely turned off at how unhelpful they seemed to be. Its not like we didnt buy tickets prior to making the drive into the city and paid for parking before some dude has to have a smug reaction that hes almost happy to say NO that he couldnt help. Also found out that there were other people there that apparently made the same mistake that we did. One of the women there was very cool and she ended up getting us in to the show as it was starting so it worked out in the end. However, make sure you arrive ON TIME. When we were finally getting our tickets to go in, another customer that was already in the show with a party of 8 people walked to the counter to explain that he was still waiting for 2 more to join him. This was about 7:45pm (15 mins before the show) and the same guy refused the seats. This customer expressed that everything was already paid for and his 2 friends were supposed to be there right at showtime. The guy still refused and said hes making the seats available to someone else. If your going to make this your policy you should make it extremely clear. If you pay for the seat and you know you will have all of your party there, then you need to honor that. Bottom line...it was a cool spot to see a show but it can be a tough experience if your First Timers, lol!

JO

josh riley

Ive been here about 6 times and the past 2 times have just made me angry. I get that youre not supposed to talk during the show, completely understandable. But if the "security" guard comes over and tells you too keep it down when all youre doing is laughing that doesnt make sense to me. The security is the biggest issue here. Obviously everyone is coming to laugh at a good show they paid for. I dont think anyone is coming to enjoy some silence. The past 2 times my table was told that we were being "disruptive" I even spoke to the "manager" about it and he really didnt clear anything up. I actually even asked the security guard to talk to me outside to explain the problem. I told him the only talking we were doing was ordering drinks and I apologized for not knowing how to order a drink in sign language. Bottom line the security is garbage, the bartender up front was awesome he was busting his ass to make sure everyone was accommodated and served, never seen a bartender work that hard. The manager is shmoe who isnt concerned about his customers. The front desk girls are always helpful . Ill still return for the comedians but the management in this business is embarrassing and I hope they care enough to read this review and get rid of the big headed security guard. "Shhh weve had some complaints about the noise over here" Ass

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