Helen Back Cafe fired up about pizza
By Colleen Coffield Sachs
Daily News Columnist

FORT WALTON BEACH – I am frequently asked about the locations of the best Mexican, Chinese and pizza restaurants. And to keep up, I frequently ask other people the same questions.
  
When it’s pizza, one name that comes up often is Helen Back Café on Okaloosa Island. Helen Back is regarded by many as Fort Walton Beach’s best pizza.
  
There is a large interior dominated by a bar surrounded by bar tables and stools, and tables in a separate area. Televisions are located throughout, and when we visited they were all showing some type of extreme wrestling. The atmosphere throughout is that of a roadhouse-style bar.
  
Just beyond the enclosed area is a large, partly covered deck. This is where Helen Back starts looking more like a restaurant. But it retains its bar atmosphere, with things getting more crowded as the evening goes on.
  
Tables and chairs scattered around provide comfortable seating. A view of the sound makes the deck a good choice in temperate weather. A plethora of cats lend a Key West feel.
  
The food at Helen Back fits the bar theme nicely. It is lots of finger food, and things that taste good with beer. We started out with egg rolls and jalapeno poppers. There was nothing unusual about them, but they were properly fried and tasted good.
  
We also tried a huge order of nachos served on a pizza pan for a 16-inch pizza. It was covered with tortilla chips, lettuce, tomato, black olives, beans and seasoned ground beef. Cheese was melted over the top, and sour cream, salsa and jalapenos were served alongside.
  
Fortunately the nachos were filling, because it took two hours for us to get the rest of our order. We found that the experience at Helen Back depends largely on the staff working during each visit. Sometimes it is efficient, and sometimes it isn’t.
  
We ordered sandwiches and pizza. Not only did it take two hours for the sandwiches to come out, when they did, our server realized that she had forgotten to put in the order for the pizza.
  
The pizza was served quickly at that point, but a casual meal took three hours. During that time it was difficult to get our server’s attention for refills on drinks, or to get napkins or utensils.
  
Once served, the pizza at Helen Back was very good. The crust has a nice bite, crusty on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. There aren’t any specialty pizzas here, but a list of toppings lets you create your own special pizza.
  
We tried one with pepperoni, sausage and onion, which was a good match for the well-seasoned tomato sauce that covered the base. Another good combination was artichoke hearts, Canadian bacon and Feta. We left the sauce off that one, and let toppings accent the good flavor of the crust.
  
Among the sandwiches on the menu are the French Kiss, a hot sandwich filled with roast beef, cream cheese and provolone, and the Menage a Trios (ham, turkey, provolone and bacon).
  
The best of the sandwiches was the meatball sub with juicy meatballs, and lots of sauce and cheese.
  
The menu includes food kids would like (and there were young kids there). But as its name might suggest, Helen Back is rated PG, and parents might want to check it out before bringing little ones. Another caution for those with kids, the open deck has a rail that makes it possible for kids to fit right under, leaving nothing between them and the water.
  
Helen Back is not so much a pizza restaurant, but a bar that serves good pizza. It is a place where people meet to have a few drinks, some pizza and a good time.
  
It fits its purpose well. And with an explanation of what Helen Back is, it will also be one of my responses when I am asked about where you can find good pizza in Fort Walton Beach.

Colleen Coffield Sachs is restaurant reviewer for the Daily News. She dines unannounced at area restaurants for this column. You may write to her in care of the newspaper at P.O. Box 2949, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32549.