In the past year or two, a handful of proposals and changes have surrounded Cafe Helios. Starting with a new logo and culminating with a new menu and interior makeover, Helios looks to be quite settled and thriving on Glenwood South.
The first big change was a new identity, including a new logo. The new logo is a bit more contemporary and urban than the previous sun based logo, which was more relative to the name. Just afterwards, they changed the street sign to match the new logo. There were also plans for Six String Cafe to move upstairs and the two floors becoming one coop, but those were scraped. Now Helios has a new seating arrangement and new attitude in the downstairs area that is a bit more crisp than the previous layout. Add in a new menu and it almost seems like a new place.
Gone are the sofas and mostly sporadic placement of tables and mismatching chairs. In are new built-in booths that occupy the length of both dining room walls and a row of tables with napkin holders on them to signify FOOD! This increases the seating in the cafe by almost 15. New chairs (all matching this time) will arrive soon, as will new patio furniture. (Note, the photo above only indicates the new booths, not the new chairs, hence the still sporadic and mismatch nature of the chairs) The merchandise area has been reconditioned as a built-in wine cabinet. The area in the front by the doors that was once occupied by a cooler, has been restored as a bar, increasing seating in this area as well. The interior was redesigned by Kay Jordan, wife of Will Alphin.
The last change that has occurred in the past few months that will round out the new attitude and atmosphere is the menu. Helios has always offered light snacks and small sandwiches, but now there is a full menu of around 15 cooked sandwiches, quesadillas, and appetizers. Finally a proper cafe in the downtown Raleigh area (aside from The Morning Times of course) that has drinks, music, coffee and a nice selection of food (aka culture). This will be key for Helios when Solas opens next door and Bruggers opens up just down the street in 222 (Glenwood’s Finest?). Hopefully they won’t take too much away from the little cafe that could. Luckily, Brugger’s won’t have the atmosphere that Helios currently has.
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