Miss Thelma’s

It’s busiest during the weekend buffets, but I recommend coming in for a weekday lunch. It’s quieter and more private. But you’ll get to meet and chat with the owner, Ms. Gloria, who is wonderful. And you’ll get an awesome meal as well.
My recommendations:
Fried Chicken
Ribs
Mac and Cheese
Party Wings
Corn Bread Corn Bread Corn Bread
If loving corn bread is wrong I don’t want to be right.
5 stars/​

I had a great lunch. The décor definitely needs some work but the quality in the food is not lacking.

My very first time dining there I was grossly unimpressed… my dining partner and I were there on a Tuesday evening about a month ago, we were the only patrons in the entire place… we were met upon entering by 2 extremely unenthusiastic girls, maybe teens… chose our table, the place didn’t feel welcoming or friendly at all — very substandard wait staff… and there was an older woman of mature age in the rear of the place on her phone the entire time. Kinda wanted to go back for the buffet but perhaps not. Whether the food was decent or not didn’t matter because we were so unhappy with how we were treated. Service was slow and felt like they didn’t care if we were there or not. Thumbs down. Get servers who actually have some personality and proper training. Ugh.

Ok, so I recently reviewed this place, and based on what I’d ordered, it was pretty good. My co-​worker and I returned for what we’d hoped to be another good lunch, and I was so disappointed! How the hell do you have a bunch of dishes advertised on your menu, yet those items aren’t available? I was so excited to order the lasagna lunch special, and also a small order of chicken and dumplings. The waiter said, «okay», and then returned shortly after to tell me that those items weren’t available, so I ordered the smothered turkey wings. Again, the waitress informed me that they didn’t have that either. The owner then came to the table and let us know that they’d only had two dishes out of a menu full of options. No shame or apologies. I literally thought I was being punked. This really made/​makes me upset. This is how many black owned businesses falter. Have you ever been to any other restaurants where they don’t have what you’d like to order unless it’s at the very end of the night before the kitchen closes!!! Extremely unacceptable and disappointing. I won’t be going back.

My family and I have been coming here for years and have enjoyed many sit in, take out, and catered meals from Miss Thelma’s. The food is consistently excellent, including the best chicken and rib dishes and my favorite meatloaf ever. The sides are fantastic, including collard greens, Spanish rice, candied yams, black eyed peas, macaroni and cheese, etc. in addition to butter soaked corn bread. The service is always friendly and attentive, although be prepared to be patient since good things do in fact come to those who wait, and the waiting is worth every second.

Ok… where do I begin? This place is simply the best soul food in CT. Dine in or take away the food is well prepared, and please don’t get me started on the BUFFET! If you’re free on a Friday night pay them a visit for the dinner buffet trust you will leave a better person lol

I was really hungry and wanted breakfast, pancakes specifically. Miss Thelma’s was right around the corner from my hotel so I decided to give it a shot. First of all the breakfast buffet is a little over $ 11.50 which I think is high considering the food isn’t that great. The pancakes were probably the worst I’ve ever had and the fried fish was really dry. I do not eat red meat and there were two different bins with potatoes I found out later. One had pork and the other didn’t but nothing is labeled so I got the wrong potatoes. The staff was friendly and that’s the only reason why my rating is 2 stars instead of one. I think a lot of church going Black people come here because it’s Black owned but I won’t be visiting again unless the food improves. I would have been better off going to McDonald’s across the street and I hardly ever eat there!

I got my southern cooking food fix at Ms Thelma’s while on a business trip from Vegas! I’m originally from the south and I haven’t had any good soul food for many years now. Fortunately this little restaurant was close to my hotel and I am glad that I went there. The staff were friendly and helpful and recommended the buffet they were providing in celebration of Father’s Day. Unfortunately due to time constraints, I had to get the order to go. The buffet selection was more than adequate with several different meats and vegetable sides to choose from. The fried chicken was amazing and the turkey cooked perfectly with plenty of flavor. The vegetables were tasty and seasoned nicely with some flavorful MacNcheese… everything I remember about good southern cooking! I topped it off with some banana vanilla pudding for dessert and I was stuffed! The prices were reasonable and I was very happy with the whole experience! Thanks Ms Thelma for a wonderful meal :)

It’s frustrating because I want to like this place yet it’s substandard. Bring some insulin if you get the lemonade. The wait is loooong and the service slow. I get it, they want to serve fresh food but no one wants to sit there for forty five minutes. Then food comes out and it’s ok. Last time I got yams but they tasted canned with honey dumped on them. The corn bread was good but cold and our waiter couldn’t answer any of our questions. This is one of few if any soul food restaurants in the area and it would be packed if the food and service were better

I was not impressed.
I went to visit my parents, and they’d purchased some for takeout. Though they ordered two meals, they only had one corn muffin. But the macaroni and cheese, yams and ribs they got tasted good.
When I visited again, I decided to go there. I made my order over the phone and ordered pulled pork (no sauce), the mac and yams, and a slice of sweet potato pie. After waiting 15 minutes to go in, I waited another 10 before I was told there was no pulled pork. I changed my order to pork chops. Waited a full half hour longer. Service staff seemed more interested in the group of boys shouting vulgar language in the dining area. I was lucky if the girl looked at me!
I was frustrated and hungry by the time I got my food, so I didn’t check my bag till I got home. They forgot the pie, but had charged me for it anyway, the muffin was smashed UNDER the container and the pork chops had been taken right from the fryer and put in a styrofoam dish. The hot grease had burned 2 holes in to the container, and the mac had been mushed with the yams. The yams themselves were far too sweet, tasted as if they’d been heated up from a can and thrown in the container.
It was nothing like the food I’d had a few days before when I first tasted it. Their consistency isn’t there, and the teenage girls working there are immature. When I placed my order, she kept cutting me off, saying, «Is that it? Is that it? What else? What else?» Happy to take your money but won’t make eye contact.
Even if their food is great the other 99% of the time, I was NOT impressed.

Food was excellent. I especially enjoyed the fried fish and the Mac n cheese and the collard greens. Staff very friendly and provided timely service. We were in between programs at a Messiah Baptist Church and were able to get in and out with time to spare. I really enjoyed myself! Cashier was kind enough to allow me to charge my iPhone !
I will visit again if ever in the area!

In a nutshell: Not the best soul food that I’ve had — we only came here, to eat dinner before a concert at the Webster Bank Arena. I wouldn’t go back.
We came here as a group (after calling in to make a reservation), only to find one waitress/​hostess, and several other groups of people (also grabbing dinner before the same concert). The service was SO slow, we gave ourselves 1.5 hours before the concert, but got our food maybe 45 minutes after ordering. So we just scarfed down the food not only because were starving at that point, but because we were afraid of being late to the concert (we knew that getting the check would take forever, too). And the food wasn’t that amazing, which made it feel worse that we could’ve been late to the concert over not-​so-​decent food.

Great soul food! Needs a little improvement on the décor but overall a great place for lunch or brunch.
Felt like the type of Taye Diggs, Omar Epps, and Morris Chestnut would have stopped in at in The Wood.

Long overdue review. I was first introduced to Miss Thelma’s when it was called Carmen’s. Not sure of the history or reason for the name change, however hands down the best soul food place I have come across in Connecticut thus far. I’ve tried others (will not mention here, but perhaps in a separate review).
Best fried chicken and fried fish. Not greasy, always served hot and fresh, crispy skin, juicy tender and flavorful. Everything I’ve eaten here has been very tasty and cooked to perfection. Best collard greens, just overall good southern comfort food.
I once used them for catering dinner as well, I picked the order up and everything was made to perfection, on time. Delicious!
I’m not a fan a fried foods, however if I am ever craving fried chicken with a side of comfort, Miss Thelma’s has you covered.

If I could give it a 4.5 I would take off ½ a star for the sweet tea and lemonade, tastes more like syrup or sugar water (although my friends loved the lemonade and thought it was perfect).
Oh and as for the service, I have never had an issue dining it or ordering out. Gloria has been there for years and years, always pleasant.

Have eaten there plenty of times just got off work 8:13pm was tired and hungry looking forward to a home cooked meal. young lady at the counter acted like I was invisible asked for a menu gives me one then walks away after ten minutes waiting I left She needs a lesson on customer service doubt I’ll be back if this happens again

Decent, satisfying soul food. Went with some co-​workers on a Friday afternoon, fully knowing we would all be in food comas and have a hard time being productive after a comfort food feast.
All of us had the buffet at $ 11.75 a piece. Piled my plate with mac n’ cheese, collard greens, corn, chicken, and a side of cornbread. Mac n’ cheese was my favorite — not too cheesy, nice and creamy, a perfect comfort food meal.
The sweet tea was too sweet for my taste, although it was good, and probably how the South like it.
There are better places around (Sandras in New Haven), but this satisfies the belly.

When I was kid and I saw bikers I always wondered why so many of them were fat. After my MC took a ride from Long Island to Miss Thelma’s out in Bridgeport, CT this past summer I realized I was well on my way to joining the portly rank and file of girth challenging bikers.
Texas sized portions served on Texas sized dishes turned a comfortable ride up to CT to an uncomfortable one back to New York as jeans that used to fit were now under an incredible amount of pressure. I wish I could comment on the food but I had some of EVERY SINGLE THING that was being served which is unlike a picky eater like me. I’m pretty sure I ate every single piece of food that touched my fork.
Another reason why I don’t recall is because each one of us had a terrible case of the itis and after about two and a half hours of seconds and thirds we all went across the street and fell asleep on the grassy knoll.
In terms of soul food, Ms. Thelma’s tasted more like home because the food wasn’t overly done and the cook didn’t OD on the salt like so many soul places do. The food was just right just like yo’ Momma made it.
The only negative thing I can say about the place is that it didn’t come with cots because after eating there, you’re gonna need some definite shut eye.

I also found this little place while on jury duty in Bridgeport — THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY DAY. I just left stuffed and with another whole meal of leftovers. I had the oxtails, on special today, which I was really quite happy with. A little different than the Caribbean variety, but good and tender.
Also the collard greens and Mac & cheese, both very good. Their sweet tea is like honey right out of the bottle, but despite that, it’s still good, cold and refreshing. There are plenty of places that can’t get it quite right. I was surprised it wasn’t busier, but I don’t know the area well enough. It is very clean and the service was very friendly. The owner came over and talked with me for quite some time. I can’t imagine what it is like packed on a Sunday for brunch, but will try it sometime very soon.
Still so full I can’t contemplate eating for several hours!

I absolutely love Miss Thelma’s. The food is great and everyone I recommend loves it as well. I have experienced the slow service, and sometimes the lack of a water refill but it’s such a homey place all you have to do it ask for whatever you want and they will provide it. I sometimes feel like the servers are in their own little world and they need a shake to snap out of it, but genuinely this place is one of my faves in Bport. This is comfort food, so I only go once in a BLUE. They would see me much more often, but since they’re closed on Mondays they save my waistline! A must try!!!

After 5 years I’m back in B’port and a good old friend took me to Miss Thelma’s cause he knew I love to eat soul food.
I ordered the fried whiting, with collard greens and mac ‘n cheese. After taking the order we were served with cornbread cupcakes covered with butter which was melting like the snow in spring.
The plates had good size portions, and amazingly I was not able to finish it all. Good thing that I have some hungry mouths at home and after finishing the doggie bag they confirmed that it was very good.
The service was kinda slow, even though there were only 3 other customers. Our glasses never experienced a refill, but overall it is worth giving it another try some day.