Thelma’s Restaurant

Authentic!
January 2, 2016
I was visiting Oahu and was fortunate to have fellow Unilocaler, Kathy, pick me up from Kailua, drive me all the way to Waipahu and treat me to some authentic Filipino cuisine. From Castle Medical Center, where my Mom was being treated (then later confined for a week in the middle of our vacation), Kathy drove to the hospital and came to pick me up… we hopped on Kamehameha Hwy, merged onto H3, then onto H1, merged onto Farrington Hwy and within 30 minutes we were in Waipahu!
It was on a Saturday and It wasn’t quite noon yet, we entered this restaurant. There was a table with a party of two already seated. We got a table almost as soon as we walked in. Good! I heard it gets crowded by lunch time. Looked at the menu and I couldn’t decide on what to order because there were a lot of entrees and specials to choose from. I wanted breakfast and yet the lunch choices were also sounding good. After a few minutes I placed my order… I decided on the Lunch Mix Plate of Pork Adobo and Mongo Beans with rice. Before you know it here comes my food… I ate slowly, savoring my meal. The pork on the adobo was soft and tasty while the mongo was cooked different than what I’m used to… still yummy, though. Delicious! Tasty! Ono! Sarap! I was amused that Kathy loved Filipino food as well, even tried some dishes I won’t eat (I won’t mention them). Kathy is haole but I think she is more Filipino than I am. I love it!
Where I was seated my back was turned to the dining area. I faced the buffet station and the cash register. As we proceeded to leave I turned around and the place was full by this time with some guests still waiting to be seated. So glad we beat the crowd and I was able to have some authentic Filipino cuisine. Thank you so much, Kathy! Well, I enjoyed the food so much I forgot to take pictures to post.
TRIVIA: In March 2010, Larry & Thelma (husband and wife owners) decided to expand in Las Vegas and opened their second location in Henderson.
Whoohoo! that’s closer to California than Hawaii. Maybe on my next visit to Sin City I will look them up!

Food was good, quick service. The Lechon Kawali was 5 stars! The chicken papaya and adobo fried rice was Ono too but lack salt and papaya was firmer than I prefer but overall I would recommend.

Whenever someone asks where the best Filipino food can be found, Thelma’s jumps to the forefront of my brain! A Unilocal friend was visiting from Sacramento this week and I knew exactly where to take her… besides I was jonesing for Lechon!
So I picked up said friendly Unilocal visitor in Kailua and drove the two of us to beautiful downtown Waipahu at 11:00 in the morning. Entering we were one party of the two seated so we had the servers to ourselves. Anyone who knows me knows I’m not a lover or even liker of buffets but this is the one place I will make an exception.
No point in even looking at the menu, I’m going for every item on the buffet. The mixed plate option only allows four choices, the buffet… ten! Yay! Ten wonderful choices of the best prepared Filipino food IMHO on this island. Mungo Beans to Dinuguan, pancit to fried rice, yes I’m hauole but I’ve got the taste buds of a local and this place rocks. Even the soups are awesome choices and sometimes hit the buffet. When we left at 12:15 the placed was jammed. It’s the place to eat Filipino food.
If I’m in a hurry I will pick up a couple of orders of Sari Sari and an order of Lechon Kewalu for la familia’s dinner. Service is quick and efficient, prices very reasonable. Fighting the rail traffic is still necessary but not as bad as some places. Keep it real my Unilocal friends. Make the trip, it’s awesome!

Kids wanted Pork Adobo Fried Rice tonite, so Thelma’s was the choice because it was the closest and it was already 730pm.
First off, I have eaten here before, and no problems… but maybe cause I go with my wife (Filipino)…and we have never had any issues.
Tonite? Different story.
Place was packed, other then a table that said «RESERVE» and 5 chairs at counter. 2 women working floor and 1 male working register/​counter.
I get in and decide to be polite and let Thelma’s greet me and offer seating or take my name. NO!!!
The older female, passes by us at least 3 times standing by front door with NO acknowledgement whatsoever! A couple come behind us, wait behind us, then the female goes to the counter, speaks the dialect and VOILA!!! They get the «RESERVE» table!!!
WTF!!! I refuse to make a scene. Maybe they are the ones who had it reserved… I will never know.
Meantime, while still standing by front door, I decide to go to counter. I ask the male worker… he looks around the area, and says they are full, if we wanted to we could wait outside. No name? No number?
I go back and stay with my boys by the door… in the meantime, a family of 4 come in behind us. So now we are all at the door, suddenly the older female (Daisy) worker walks up and asks the party of 4…“You need a table?”. Again… WTF!!!
They tell her yes, but that we (me & boys) were here first. She then asks them, «…oh, you are not together?». Ready? Ready… WTF!!!
Daisy then asks me «You like sit on the counter?». I reply, «NO…I will wait for the table!»
After about 10 minutes of standing, with the 3 seemingly in no hurry to clear the tables… the gentleman behind me asks which table I was going to take, so I told him which one and he and his family took the other table they had yet uncleared.
VERY DISAPPOINTED TONITE w/​2 HUNGRY KIDS!
NO CUSTOMER SERVICE! NO MANNERS! NO EMPATHY! NO COMMON SENSE! NOTHING! NADA! ZILCH!
OK…try this NO TIP!!! Oh, but I will be back, oh yes I will be back… maybe not for awhile, but most likely, I will be back. Even though we have been here a good 40 minutes w/​no food… honestly, I will be back. Maybe with a video recorder or a news reporter?
You F#cked with the wrong person!
Disappointed and pissed!!! (Still 2 stars because of the Thelma’s Special!)

The food just didn’t seem to be what it was before. I can’t put my finger on it.
I ordered 4 plates of Pork Adobo Fried Rice and a Lechon Kawali (sp?). The Fried Rice didn’t seem as tasty and the Pork wasn’t as soft as I recall. As for the Lechon, some of the pork rind parts were crispy and some were very soggy. I will admit though that I did transport it all the way home to Kalihi so that could account for the sogginess. I’m just not sure why only some of it was soggy.

I come here for the pork adobo fried rice, by far THE BEST. Located in Waipahu in a little shopping center off the side. Affordable and good filipino food. No bathroom. They take credit cards and debit cards. Air-​conditioned. Definitely a good place to eat if you’re on a budget. They also have a buffet and its super cheap I think like $ 12 or could be less. I always do take-​out though because I don’t like waiting.

Thelma restaurant is an excellent choice if u like to eat Filipino food. Food is fresh and service it’s great. I ordered the Thelma s special which basically was fried pork with onions n tomatoes in a fish salty sauce. Winner! Pork n peas is also a good choice. Dinaguan aka chocolate meat is pork stewed in a vinegar blood concoction that’s both rich n fulfilling. So swing by Thelma is waipahu n check it out.

This is and has been my favorite Filipino restaurant for a long time. This is one of those hole-​in-​the-​wall and not-​so-​great décor but the food makes up for it in spades.
They are know for their Thelma’s Special which is their version of Lechon Kawali. Crispy pork, tomatoes, and onions tossed in their special sauce. It’s a guilty since as its a fatty dish, which I like to call a heart attack special. Sooooo GOOD!
They are also known for their Adobo Omelette fried rice. To be honest pretty much all the food I have had here is great from adobo, Thelma’s special, sari sari, pan it, Gizantes, etc.
They also have lunch and dinner buffets which include all the popular dishes I mentioned above and more.
I sometimes go out of my way just to go here for lunch because it’s so good. Highly recommended.

Every Single Business has room to grow… While waiting for our Take Out Food, The AC is nice and cold, the atmosphere is open with tons of Mirrors and Several pictures of Jesus and Mother Mary… The Seats should be wiped down, no dust and loose hair hanging from the chair, the utensils shouldn’t be placed on the table until the food arrives, dust is everywhere even when we don’t see it.
The Food-​I ordered the Chicken Marungai (not sure how to spell it) Soup, it was very good. I had half a chicken in my soup.

Journey to eat good food? Is it worth it? For me, Thelma’s is worth making the journey out to Waipahu. Even with all the construction and traffic from the rail project, I’m willing to endure this hardship to eat here. It’s just that good and very cheap!
My friend introduced me to this place. He wrote his very first Unilocal review and it was of Thelma’s yesterday. I felt guilty since I didn’t get a chance to write one yet so I figured to finally get it done. We normally eat phở but he was craving Filipino food so he told me to meet him in Waipahu. The first time I wasn’t thrilled that I had to drive all the way to Waipahu to eat but he made me feel bad so I made the commute. Not often I need to use navi in my car but this journey warranted using it.
After finally arriving, I was able to find a stall to park. It was rather busy in the parking lot. This is because Thelma’s is located in a small strip mall with various restaurants and stores. We met inside and I asked him to order since he’s been there many times before. They serve dishes family style or you can do their buffet. He ordered Thelma’s Special and the Sari Sari with a side of rice. This is now our order when we come.
Once the food arrived, I was intrigued. It didn’t look like the typical Filipino food I order so what do I do? I took pics so I knew what to order next time if I liked it and to post on Unilocal.Thelma’s Special had very good roast pork with crispy skin. It’s complimented with raw onions and tomato. Surprisingly, it goes very well together. Sari Sari was healthier with veggies, shrimp and pork swimming in broth. It was the perfect order because we were both full after.
If you’re looking for good Filipino food with good portions at a very good price, look no further… go to Thelma’s! It’ll be worth it.

Food is really good, very authentic. Service is terrible. The waitresses will gladly let you sit at a dirty table and ignore you so they don’t have to take your order.

Start of by saying, I cannot believe I have not written a review about this place already.
I love Thelma’s.
I know it may not be the most glamours place, but it is dang good, and for the most part service from the highly experienced servers is quick. (You can tell they are experienced because none of them rush. They take their time, get it right and as quick as it is made because they know for a fact that the food keeps people coming back.) And it is not because it is close by to home. I have found it to be the best around. I will remind you, I am talking about Waipahu. There is competition.
Originally, it was the buffet that kept us coming because, of course, in the line up is Thelma’s infamous lichon kawali. People, this will not disappoint. Also on the line is their favored pork adobo fried rice and mungo. There are other things, all of which are great. But those were my targets, along with the wonderful open-​a-​can-​of-​mixed-​fruits-​and-​dump-​evaporated-​milk-​all-​over-​it dessert. 10 million calories easy, no nutritional value whatsoever. God I love that stuff.
That got price after a while, in the sense that I would pay the price after eating that much food trying to get my $ 13 worth. Plus, it was a bit pricy with the add on of Shrimp Sarciado. But, dang if I was walking away from Thelma’s without some of that good stuff!
More recently, the bf and I have resolved to the 2 choice, getting the Special and Mungo with the order to Shrimp Sarciado. It keeps us from eating way too much (don’t get me wrong, it is still overeating just less of it).
I have not found another place that does those items so well. I will tolerate other places — I’m not a snob, but I crave this place, along with their ong choy in vinegar, and eating with a fork in one hand and the fingers of my other hand. I am there about once a month (like tonight!) and walk away smiling every time.

Thelma’s Restaurant serves home-​style Filipino food. No frills. Plastic dishes, and if you go for the buffet they don’t clear used plates, but you will be stuffed with pork on pork goodness.
The buffet is cheap and it’s got all the usual suspects like Pork Adobo Fried Rice, Dinuguan, Mongo Beans, Guisantes, Pancit, and Sari Sari.
Great for groups for fill you up food.

Instead of having lunch at Pearlridge Mall after leaving our vehicle to have repairs done on it, we made our way out to Waipahu. My husband’s brother-​in-​law was interested in trying Filipino cuisine (Ilocano-​style) after we had been raving about the UYE at Max’s of Manila. As we neared Max’s, I mentioned Thelma’s Restaurant and its more diverse home-​style cooking. It has been years since we last dined at Thelma’s and both my husband and I suddenly voiced «Thelma’s Special»!
Thelma’s Restaurant has been around for years. I would gander saying 35+ years. It’s located in a strip mall that is anchored by Leeward Drive Inn along with several small businesses that cater to our local Filipino community. Fortunately, there’s a parking lot fronting all of the businesses. The mall and restaurant is sort of run-​down but that shouldn’t keep you away if you’re looking for authentic Ilocano food.
It was around 1:30PM when we arrived to a packed restaurant. They feature a daily lunch buffet that runs from 10:00 AM — 2:00 PM for $ 13.50. It’s an AYCE so that’s a great deal especially for large appetites or for trying the more familiar dishes in one sitting. We took a look at the buffet line and did see what we wanted but the 3 of us weren’t in the mood for a buffet. Service was relatively quick but some folks who arrived and ordered after us were served before us. The tables were slowly cleaned but only as more people came in. other than that, used dishes with leftover food was left to pile up.
We only ordered 2 dishes which were prepared very well. Both were flavorful and generously portioned. The Thelma’s Special which is a combination of crispy-​skin pork (Lechon Kawali) chunks, fresh chopped tomatoes, onions and soy sauce. This dish is deceptively simple but so tasty. the onions, tomatoes and soy cut the richness and some greasiness of the pork fat. It was the perfect «meat and vegetable» combination. LOL. Our second dish, Squid Guisado (sautéed squid), was another tasty winning dish. The squid was cooked to perfection… tender and in a soy-​fish broth-​like sauce. Of course, a bowl of fluffy, steaming hot white rice was served to accompany our mini-​feast. I suppose that we could’ve ordered some vegetable dish like Pinakbet but, my brother-​in-​law said that he had a dinner to go to this same evening and didn’t want to overeat. The food is homestyle comforting as even the restaurant seems like you’re dining in someone’s kitchen/​dining room.
We were tempted to order dessert (Halo halo Espesyal) but wanted to continue on our Waipahu town crawl before the food coma hit us!
#345

It’s been a while since I came here & I must say, food is STILL crazy good!
You have to have the THELMAS Special. It’s crispy letchon with diced tomatoes and onions — need I say more?
Their adobo fried rice is super good too. (I think it’s the shredded adobo meat that’s not ridiculously salty that sets it apart from everyone else’s version.
We also got the mongo beans and Paria. Omg, I think I died. Jk. It was really good though.
Filipino food cravings ALL satisfied. I am one happy camper.

I love Filipino food, I didn’t grow up on it, but I’m making up for lost time. I really like Thelma’s, the food is delicious and is made with heart. The restaurant is simple with little décor, but is more importantly is kept neat and clean. The servers have always been very friendly and attentive. On one occasion we walked in 20 minutes before closing on a Sunday night, I used to be a server, and getting a late table was never fun, so I get it, but never did they make us feel that we needed to hurry (and I was looking for signs).
Thelma’s Special is a must get, it’s lechon with tomato and onions, and a special shoyu sauce — seriously cravable! I also add to my combo plate igado (think pork adobo with liver), mongo beans, and pinakbet which are all very good. My family also enjoy the pancit bihon and the pork or chicken adobo.
The portions are generous, but the other must get is dessert. Try the BLS. It’s two warm banana lumpia, a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream and topped with a small scoop of ube ice cream. Tasted subtle notes of coconut too. So good!
Thelma’s prices are reasonable, and food is so comforting, it feeds my soul.

I went here with a bunch of friends for lunch during our lunch break. We got the Thelma’s buffet which has everything from lechon kawali, chocolate meat, adobo fried rice to sari sari. Everything was delicious and I loved that for only $ 13.00 I could go back for more delicious lechon!
In my opinion this place is better than Elena’s. The taste of the lechon was on point and I think Elena’s is too salty and I don’t like how they chop up the meat so small like cat food or something.
Parking can be tight but we were lucky and found a spot out front. The only thing that minuses a star is the water served was tap water that had a funky metal pipe taste. I bought a passion orange juice because of this and it was $ 1.75 for a can of Hawaiian Sun juice! Total rip off!

Thelma’s gives me warm, fuzzy feelings. I’ve been dining here (mostly takeout) since I was a child. Call ahead for takeout, because sometimes it takes a while. The only junk thing about this shopping center is the parking lot is truly horrendous. It’s always full, and a lot of times people resort to double parking and blocking other people’s cars while they run in to get their takeout. Thelma’s is where you go for Filipino food that tastes homemade, not that crap they serve at Max’s.
My favorite dishes here are:
— Pancit bihon: I just love pancit bihon… Not much more to say there. Pancit bihon has the THIN noodles, which I much prefer over pancit palabok.
— Thelma’s special: Lechon kawali with onions & tomato. Best eaten fresh if possible! Tons of fat and surely will raise your cholesterol by about 10 points, but super delicious. I end up just eating the meaty parts of the pork and throwing away the pork fat, which is kind of wasteful…
— Fried pork: Fried pork strips with onions is another one of my favorites. This one is a little less artery clogging than the Thelma’s special!
— Adobo fried rice: Fried rice with pork adobo wrapped in eggs… This is pretty famous, especially since Elena’s makes it too.
— Kare kare: Oxtail meat in a thick peanut sauce with a lot of vegetables. I don’t know exactly what’s in it, but this is DELICIOUS and my absolute favorite dish from Thelma’s. I have never had kare kare as good as the one at Thelma’s. The peanut sauce is super yummy, and I like to drizzle it over the rice/​adobo fried rice/​fried pork.
Okay, I’m hungry now.

The area is somewhat run down. We arrived at Thelma’s just in time for lunch. This is where good inexpensive Filipino food is offered.
Buffet offers choice of rice, pancit, sari sari (soup with squash), mungo beans, the rest are pork dishes gisantes, adobo, pork blood stew, and fresh diced tomatoes with pork rinds.
Everything was good and buffet was replenished regularly. After the meal you sort of wished for a «shady tree» to take a nap under.
The Pros:
— Lechon kawali with onions, tomatoes and soy sauce
— Sari sari soup
— A thoroughly good menu
— In general, quite clean
The Cons:
— The atmosphere: «hole in the wall»
— Service is not great – slow but friendly
— Area is the best
The Verdict:
— Don’t let the area or the atmosphere stop you from trying exceptionally delicious Filipino food.

I love to satisfy my Filipino food cravings here.
My favorite is their $ 12.95 dinner buffet. Yes… buffet. I like the idea of getting a little bit of everything at a good price. My friends and I usually come here around 5pm for an early dinner. Parking isn’t too bad since its in the shopping center.
You seat yourself and service isn’t too bad either. They constantly fill my water glass and I never feel pressured to rush.
My favorite is desserts! Halo halo with ube ice cream! Its sooooo yum!
I would review their foods but I have no clue what the dishes are called so lets just say that I eat a little bit of everything on their buffet line :) all of it is fantastic!