Helen’s JAD

Jen is the absolute worst. At being the worst. Love this place so damn much. Sassy ass bartenders. So if you have thin skin, probs not the best joint for you. Wings are the best in kc. Half price burgers on Mondays too

What a nice surprise this place was. My husband and I went in on a Wednesday night and it was not busy at all. I love that you can just sit down and look over the menu without being bothered, when you are ready to order you just go up to the bar and order your drinks and food. My husband and I ordered the Thai and sweet and spicy wings, they were delicious! I had a margarita and it was great! My husband loved the great selection of beers on tap. We loved the relaxed atmosphere. Helens is definitely a dive, but it is a fun experience.

I stopped here after work because a guy at my job said they were good. I ordered the Breakfast burger and wings. The food was very good… no complaints. The burger was juicy, the fixings were fresh and the egg and bacon made it a great meal. The wings were decent… I had the tangy and hot wings… nothing to jump up and down about. they were made to order. I will give you 4 stars for now… it would be nice if the owner or manager came out to talk and ask is everything ok… I believe this goes a long way with a SUPER experiance and brings people back thru your doors
Burger– 7.75
wings– 6

Unassuming little dive bar dropped in the midst of a busy plaza just a stone’s throw from the North Kansas City Hospital and Cerner’s World Headquarters campus. The place and it’s parking lot can be difficult to find the first time over — look for the McDonald’s and you’ll be getting warm. Once in, you’ll find a somewhat spartan, pretty open space with an L-​shaped bar on your right, and tables scattered throughout. Beer/​liquor selection is so so but the food is better than average for such a place.

Someone took a shit right next to the shitter so I open the door and there it is looking up at me the food wasn’t much better

We ate at their food truck in NKC. Great food. I had the Pepper Burger with jalapeños and the fresh made potato chips. The burger was juicy and the toppings were fresh. I like the fact they didn’t kill the jalapeño, they were fresh and added great favors to the burger.
My wife had the 3 Tacos. They had pork and a great mix of greens and spices. The meals were priced between $ 7-​$ 8 and the great sizes portions.
We will eat at this truck again!

We came in after a long day at Worlds of Fun, hungry and thirsty for some good beer. I ordered a Boulevard Tank 7 and was given a generous pour. We ordered a breakfast burger and a gyro. Everything was DELICIOUS and the veggies in my gyro looked and tasted very fresh. I work in a restaurant myself and was surprised by the humble appearance yet great service and food. Defiantly worth coming back to

I’ll start off by saying I haven’t had the food at Helen’s JAD, so if that’s the only reason you’re looking into my review, you can stop. However, I’m sure I’ll stop in for food at some point. So, check back if you’re really that concerned on my cuisine opinions.
Moving on, Helen’s JAD is extremely barren on the outside. You drive by the beige brick building and probably don’t even know you’ve passed it. However, on the inside, is a bar with beer on tap that makes most other establishments jealous. Helen’s has taps taking up both walls of the bar with a great selection. From what I can recall, they had Ginger-​Lemon Radler, Saison-​Brett, Chocolate Thunder, Rubaeus, Calling IPA — just to name a few. Seriously great tap selection. The prices were mediocre ($ 7 per beer), but not outrageous for KC. Just surprised to see them in that kind of place.
Sure, the lights may be dimmed and the smells from the bathroom may not be pleasant, but you’ll forget about that after some of the great taps. And, I suppose, if you get hungry they do have food, too.

I love this place because of the bar tenders and the great food! Try any burger or the goat cheese with flat bread is always great

Best wings in town without a doubt. They change up the menu to keep it fresh and its always a great time.

As dives go this is a good one. The food was great and the bartender knew her beers. She was also very personable. I just moved into the area and saw this place and had to check it out. I’m glad I did and I will be going back. I have to try more things on the menu. My friend and I tried 3 appetizers. Buffalo chicken dip, Southwest egg rolls and the Goat cheese with walnuts in marinara. I can recommend them all. I’d like to see them expand their website more. And trying to get into the parking lot was a little confusing but well worth it.

Nice place to relax with friends. Inside is a little dirty at times but is still a comfy area. Good beers and prices are not crazy.

Don’t let the exterior appearance fool you, this place is a hidden treasure. The food is fantastic. If you’ve never tried the wings, it’s mandatory. I’ve been to Helen’s with big and small groups. It works either way. I love it in comparison to the other bar options in the area.

The Northland’s little hidden jewel. We love this place as they have some of the best chicken wings around. Large beer selection. If you go once I guarantee you’ll want to visit it time and time again.

Over the past 12 years that I have lived by North Kansas City Hospital, I’ve driven by Helen’s JAD nearly every single day, and yet, surprisingly, have only just recently finally given it a try. We went on a Wednesday evening at around 8:30, so it wasn’t busy at all. As we walked in, I could count the number of patrons on both hands and there were at least two servers/​bartenders ready to help us when we took a table near the bar. Our bartender stopped by shortly after we sat down and took our drink orders and brought us some menus. For a small place that has an odd parking lot to get into and out of, it has quite the interesting menu with some items that I wasn’t expecting (aioli?! yes please!). It took no time at all for me to decide on the pork tenderloin because, let’s be honest here, you can never go wrong with a good pork tenderloin.
It took about 15 minutes for our food to be ready, but the music selection on our visit this evening kept me from paying any attention to wait time. 90’s all night? YES PLEASE.
The sandwich was big and loaded with all the goods, and came with a heaping side of french fries, so I asked for some ketchup and dug in.
PERFECT. All around. The tenderloin was tender, crispy and seasoned perfectly and the fries were awesome. I hope that I can come back soon and try another one of their sandwiches, they had some chicken sandwiches that sounded incredible!
The experience here was wonderful. Our server/​bartender was attentive and quick to answer our questions (not that we had very many, mind you) and nice to talk to.
If I were to suggest anything for Helen’s JAD, it only be one thing: make another entrance to your parking lot. The entrance is a little awkward and there is only one way in/​out. But that’s splitting hairs when considering how good the food and service are.

The JAD will surprise you. A previous reviewer hit the nail on the head when she said time ceases to exist here. I am famous with the husband for saying «oh, I’m just going to the JAD for a drink and then I’ll be home» only to roll in much later than I anticipated. The atmosphere is very, very casual, the service is usually very good (they can get busy especially during happy hour), but man, those hours sure slip away once you have a drink and start talking to your co-​workers about work (usually after swearing you want to talk about anything BUT work).
The JAD seems like ‘just another dive”, but it really isn’t. You will be quite surprised by the extensive beer list here including choices on tap… but be weary of prices.
The food here is surprisingly good. The wings and pizza get rave reviews, but my go-​to is the grilled cheese. Yes, I know that it is basically impossible to mess up a grilled cheese, but I’m at the JAD, not Bluestem, so I’ll get what I want thankyouverymuch. Beware of parking, however. The JAD has a fairly small lot, so make sure to find another spot besides McDonald’s because you will get towed. I usually just park by Donut King and walk over.
They do have WIFI, but it can be a bit slow.

I’ll blame Helen’s flesh-​colored, nondescript exterior, and its full name, Just Another Dive, for the reason that I’ve lived within rock-​throwing distance of the place for 11 years and just ate there for the first time this July. It only took me til last night to get back again.
Dive it is, with dark walls and no windows to see out of, a place where time ceases to exist; you go in for a beer and dinner on a work night, and suddenly you realize you feel happier than you intended and it’s WAY past your bedtime!
The name is a bit of a misnomer, too. The beer list is printed on a piece of paper the size of a placemat, and they make pizza in addition to a pretty long list of sandwiches and burgers. I haven’t tried the pizza yet, but I got a kick-​ass pulled pork sandwich the first time, while my friend was impressed with his burger. The second time I took a chance on a pork tenderloin. Let me explain; I don’t like the plate-​size, flat, crunchy version some places make. Helen’s is on the thin side and big enough to make the Roma ciabatta bun look like an afterthought, but it’s tender and juicy instead of dry and chewy. Watch out for the horseradish it comes with-I’m pretty sure it’s pure, not a sauce. But it makes for a tasty sandwich. The fries are hand cut and pretty good.
The servers are friendly, and the food comes out pretty quickly. Sandwiches and burgers run in the $ 8 – 10 range and come with the fries. There’s a big board inside that lists several local companies that get some sort of discount. Lots of TVs and some pool tables. There’s a patio out front, although I don’t know why anybody’d want to sit 5 feet from 210 Highway. They’ve built a deck on the back, so if you need to be aware of time passing, maybe that’s a better option. But inside is a great way to hide from all your cares!

If you check-​in here you already know… if you don’t… find out! So it’s a dive bar, so it has a weird smell, so the parking lot is grimey. Who cares… if your company name is written on the chalkboard, this is where you’ll find your associates… er co-​workers. Beer selection is great… pitchers are cheap. The food is pretty awesome for a dive bar. I here the wings are delicious and the pizza is better than some chain restaurants… all cooked fresh.
Come here to unwind after a long day of sitting in front of a computer and bring your office buddies with you, for god sakes!

I came here after work and it was pretty much filled with people from my company. The parking lot was small and filled up quickly. It was dim on the inside with a few arcade games. I didn’t walk everywhere but it was small and there were a handful of tables. The bartender was nice and friendly. Cool place to hang out after work and have a beer or two while talking about random things.

Probably the most popular under-​the-​radar place in North Kansas City. I rarely find people that know about it, but those that do love it. And the first time you go, it definitely is tricky figuring out just how exactly to get there.
As the first review noted, the hours are odd. And, at least in my experience, not always consistent during the week. I’ve arrived early (but during the posted hours) on a couple of occasions and found it not open yet.
Inside, the space seems a lot bigger than it looks from the outside. Just about all the domestics are on tap. The previous reviewer thought that the beer prices were high, I felt like they were on par with the regional average. Helen’s JAD has a surprisingly good beer selection — almost too good — it very nearly makes this place not qualify as a dive. :) Good thing it qualifies on every other front!
I take that last sentence back… I just discovered that you can order food online through the JAD’s web site. Dive bars aren’t supposed to do that! Maybe Helen’s JAD isn’t really JAD after all???