Thelma's Restaurant

this was an unplanned dinner with my husbabe and siblings. Surprised it wasnt crowded on a Saturday nite, looked like take out was a little busier than dine in. We were seated immediately. We order lots of food and gonna be honest, I was too busy stuffing my fave to take pictures of the others dishes that came out. Dishes that were ordered:Diniguan- that was goodPork Pumpkin Guisado-my husbabe enjoyed thatShrimp Sari Sari-nice flavorMarinated pork-one of my favorites Pinapaitan-yummy good flavoringPancit-this was a little dry :( Fried rice adobo-good flavor, but very dryThelma's special-cane out freshLauya: this i have to say tasted like they had just whipped it together and brought to the table, no flavor, carrots and potatoes were EXTREMELY hard and that went for the meat as well. literally tasted like water with meat and vegetables added to it. thats was super disappointing :(( Other than the lauya being a disappointment, everything else was okay.

I love coming here for breakfast and anytime of day. Food is always on point especially the arrozcaldo. My favorite and the kare kare. My favorite for breakfast is the corn beef omelette. My boyfriend and I usually come here for breakfast early since it isn't busy. Highly recommend if you love Filipino food. Definitely worth the money here. The waitresses are nice too. They refill your coffee right away and your waters.

Cyndy's Bottom Line: Great selection of Filipino foods for breakfast, lunch or dinner.*Walk ins are welcomed, no reservations needed.*Parking up frontThis is what we ate/drank for breakfast:~Enjoyed the robust and smooth cup of coffee with generous refills.~A fluffy golden pancake buttery and yummy.~Thelma's Breakfast SpecialThelma's Special (Lechon Kawali with tomatoes, onions & soy sauce) served with 2 eggs* (any style) and choice of 2 scoops rice, toast or hotcake. We substituted rice with fried rice for an additional $1.50. Garlic rice is also available for an additional $1.00.*The fried rice was tasty and good with the two eggs cooked perfectly. The lechon kawali so flavorful with lots of tomatoes and onions. *Attentive and friendly service.*Portions are generous.*Highly recommend

I was craving some filipino comfort food. I thought of ordering delivery from Shay's, Pampanga Kitchen or my usual place, Bautista's at Pearlridge. But because I haven't eaten at Thelma's in a long while since my last unpleasant visit (see my previous review), thought I'd give them another chance. So wrong! The quality and pride they used to have with their food, presentation and customer service years ago has sadly declined. The Thelma's Special wasn't special as the lechon skin was not crispy, but gummy and the diced onion and tomato did not look fresh, the mongo beans looked bland and had no flavor or kalamungay or ampalaya leaves or chunks of lechon inside like it used to.Lesson learned...with Filipino food finally getting the culinary attention it so deserves and all the other Filipino eateries putting forth vibrantly delicious Filipino dishes with generous portions for virtually the same prices, I'll go elsewhere.

Food was delicious! I wasn't expecting that! I'm new to the area, & also my son was visiting from the mainland and was craving Filipino food. Thelma's was perfect!

Small, hole in the wall kind of place. Delicious Filipino food, you have to grab the Thelma's Special; lechon so crispy and delicious. It got busy just as we walked in but the Aunty who served us was so cheerful and sweet, the short wait felt like nothing.

Located in the Westside Mall in Waipahu is Thelma's Restaurant serving Filipino food for breakfast, lunch and dinner.They share the parking lot with many other restaurants and businesses.They no longer had the buffet, you just order off the menu.I ordered the sari sari which comes with a side of rice. This was very tasty and lots of vegetables and roast pork, it is enough to feed 2 people.My wife had the combination plate choice of 3 and she enjoyed it the mungo beans, Dinuguan and the Pork adobo.Service is fast and they are very friendly and accommodating.They also have their own restroom, which was very clean.Even though it is 1 restroom for men & ladies.

Update on Thelma's Filipino restaurant went there for lunch on Friday . Took half day off from work picked up my sister and brother in law and grind time .I love their squid quisado and their pork and peas is very tasty as well . Got there around 10:45am it was perfect we beat the lunch crowd. If you want some good authentic Filipino food this is a place you need to check out . Located in the Westgatw shopping center where Leeward Drive inn is located . Support local

Whoever Thelma is, she deserves a kiss. We knew this was the spot when it was the only busy restaurant on the block and full of local families. The server was so funny and sweet and everything we ordered was phenomenal, to the point we ordered takeout for later mid-meal. The lechon was mega crispy, the lumpia comes out piping hot, the pumpkin green bean a crowd favorite, the combo meals a great deal, and halo-halo amply abundant. Get ready for kanak attack after

My favorite sit down Filipino restaurant on the island!Thelma's is probably the most authentic, most mainstream Filipino cuisine on Oahu. Oahu's Filipino food scene on the island might be a bit of a shock to Filipinos who didn't grow up on the island (e.g. grew up in different parts of the Philippines or in the mainland). I had cousins who lived here for a few years under military orders, and they all left the island thinking Oahu's Filipino food doesn't compare to what they're used to. I wish we knew about Thelma's before they left!What drew me to this spot was that our part-Filipino hanai family would ALWAYS bring up Thelma's as their favorite Filipino restaurant. Of course, Thelma's still offers local style Filipino dishes (adobo fried rice omelette, sari sari, and pork guisantes are more Hawaii-style) and the very popular pinakbet. What I love is that Thelma's has a pretty wide menu, not just local style Filipino food. They offer various "sabaw" (soup) dishes, veggie dishes, pancit dishes, breakfast platters, and they are the inventors of local style lechon kawali, AKA Thelma's Special!I first had Thelma's Special when another hanai aunty ordered it as takeout, and I loved it! Thelma has perfected the way they pack their lechon kawali for takeout orders, separating the saucy condiments from the crispy roasted pork! Another time, I ordered Thelma's Special while dining in, and it was very "masarap" as always. I enjoy their arroz caldo too, where they add the right amount of garlic and ginger flavor and the right arroz caldo consistency. Many other places have arroz caldo that's light on the garlic or colorless. Of course, nothing beats my mom's arroz caldo, but Thelma's has pretty good arroz caldo for a restaurant!Thelma's pancit palabok is probably the closest thing to homemade palabok, imo. Still doesn't compare to my mom's secret palabok recipe, but it's way better than Jollibee's palabok. The ground pork and shrimp sauce is flavorful without being too greasy. Thelma's uses the thicker luglug noodles. If I don't want to spend all day cooking palabok, I'll ask Thelma to cook for me!Even Thelma's desserts aren't bad. Skip Teapresso down the hall and stay put to order Thelma's halo halo special (with ube ice cream) or banana lumpia special (with ube ice cream!).Thelma's comes in clutch. When I was feeling under the weather and didn't have energy to cook, I thought of Thelma's for arroz caldo. When I have townie friends visiting, Thelma's is one of the first spots I'd recommend to them. Even my uncle who was visiting from the mainland enjoyed Thelma's pinakbet when I brought him here to try to curb his Filipino food craving. Thelma's is usually busy with both diners and takeout orders, yet the workers are always nice and helpful! They can crack jokes too :)I think Thelma's overall Yelp rating is misleading unless I'm missing something. I think they should hold at least four stars!