Family Style Cooking

Apparently, I had family in downtown Roanoke and didn't even realize it. Thelma's Chicken & Waffles is welcoming people into their family and they have a new home in the downtown area on Market Street. Over the past few weeks, I had heard nothing but good things about Thelma's but I still hadn't been able to try it. I had also heard about chicken & waffles on many different occasions and had seen it in different restaurants, and I was excited to see that Thelma's serves an option of chicken fingers & waffles, instead of just chicken wings & waffles.

When we went for dinner on Friday night, we didn't have to wait at all to be seated. I hope Thelma's has a strong lunch crowd because the empty tables for dinner on a Friday night can't be good for business. As we walked in to the restaurant, there were two ladies standing at the door to welcome us and they also said, "welcome to the family." We were told the same thing by our waitress, and we were treated like family through the entire meal. It felt like the staff at Thelma's were cooking food in the kitchen and they were excited to be able to share it with their guests - a feeling I rarely receive at restaurants. They also make sure you are taken care of through the meal, joke around with you, and do everything they can to provide a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

As for the food...I LOVED it! We ordered the Richie Rich Chili Mac & Cheese as an appetizer for the table and everyone was a big fan. Nothing fancy about it - elbow macaroni, chili, and cheese - but it was delicious. After that, I was excited to dive into my entree - chicken tenders, belgian waffle, & fried potatoes. There were three decent sized chicken tenders that reminded me of Zaxby's and a thick belgian waffle with some butter melting in the middle, along with a side dish of fried potatoes. The potatoes were very good but the chicken and waffle were the stars. I spread the butter around and poured some syrup over my waffle, then cut a piece of waffle and a piece of chicken and put them together in one meaty, syrupy, buttery bite. MONEY! The waffle even had cinnamon mixed into the batter which added another layer and flavor to the palate. It's a wonderful combination of flavor and texture that everyone should try. I finished everything on my plate and enjoyed every bite of it and wondered what had taken me so long to get to Thelma's. Everyone else enjoyed their food and I also tried Nicole's cornbread, which was delicious. It was more like cake than bread, but that's the way I like it. I also washed everything down with a few glasses of sweet tea, which couldn't have been more appropriate.

Thelma's is the sort of restaurant I love. Great staff that make you feel welcome. Simple menu with great comfort food that isn't overly complicated. Cool location and atmosphere. Great value/prices for the food you get - it costs around $7-$10 per person.  And an experience that makes you want to return. I loved everything about it and can't wait to go back. Thelma's, thank you for welcoming me into the family - I'll come around more often.