Thelma’s Family Restaurant & Bakery

After so much Unilocaling to find «real meal» in Big Bear, we finally found THE place. Seated immediately, quick and friendly service. It’s like the home cooking. And did I say GOOD hefty servings too.

Food & service was very good! EXCEPT the biscuit and GRAVEY seemed not «HomeMade» maybe mix? Not the best I’ve had Better…
Disappointing…The chicken pot pie and other items are only served on certain days and waffles are stopped being served at 11am but other then that this place is a great mom and pop restaurant

I honestly don’t know how anyone can give this place more than 1 star. If frozen chicken filets thrown on a grill is good to you, then more power to you.
My family and I went to Big Bear for the day this past Saturday and ate at Thelma’s for dinner, on our way out of town. I checked Unilocal reviews for a good place and only chose Thelma’s because BJ’s was closed. Reviews were good so we expected something very different than we experienced. When we walked up to the hosted table no one was there. We stood there for at least 5 minutes while several servers passed by multiple times without saying a word. There was a sheet on the counter and I commented to the other patron «Are we supposed to sign ourselves in». She said yes, she figured that out herself because she had been standing around for a while before us. We finally got someone’s attention and they were extremely rude.
We signed in and then sat in the waiting/​lobby area by the main entrance. We waited for about 30 min and finally said something because half the restaurant was now empty. One of the waitresses said, (with surprise) «oh yeah go ahead and pick any table». I wonder how long we would have actually waited until they recognized there were still people waiting to be seated.
Once we sat down the 2 ladies that helped were being especially nice because of our long wait. We finally ordered and got our food. My brother in law and I got the French Dip with fries and a salad, my sister got the grilled chicken sandwich, and my 4 yr old and 20 mo old nephews shared the spaghetti. The food was TERRIBLE. The French Dip seriously had NO FLAVOR, the fries were way over done, my sisters chicken was something that you’d get out of a bag from the frozen section of the grocery store and my nephews spaghetti tasted like canned sauce. What happened to the homemade cooking? The only thing that was good was their homemade ranch dressing.
I saw other patrons food and honestly, it all looked like it came from a box. Who knows, maybe they have decent breakfast but their dinner menu is awful and the food tastes even worse.
If you’re just visiting Big Bear, stay away because you will truly be disappointed.

Our first time here and probably our last. First off they are cash only so we had to pool our cash since most of our group uses credit cards. The food was okay but not great. The staff hustled but seemed to be overworked probably need to hire another server. The bathrooms were fair but had an odor less than pleasant. The tip was included which I know is common for large groups but it annoys me. I am a good tipper and probably would have tipped more.

My girlfriend and I stopped here for breakfast ok New Year’s Day. Everywhere else looks crazy busy but we were able to walk right in. Our waitress was very friendly, and I kid you not our food came out in 5 minutes. The food was 10/​10, and I’d say the service was the same! I don’t remember he waitresses name but she was very attentive. We will definitely be back!

I have eaten here twice now… The first time my fiancé got food poisoning I thought it was maybe a coincidence… Today I came in again and I had a hair in my food… They refused to not charge me for my plate which was 14 $ fettuccini Alfredo that already tasted like water and had a brown hair in it… I would not recommend taking your family here… The food is overpriced and they are clearly unhygienic after two horrible experiences…

Great place. The food is good and homemade and the menu and selection is great. The people here are very friendly and it’s a very inviting place. Everyone is very friendly and accommodating. I really enjoyed eating here.
You can’t go wrong with this place.

A good selection on the menu and friendly service. We started coming to Thelma’s for breakfast 25 years ago and the menu and facility has expanded a lot. A consistent place to go for a filling meal.

So disappointed… $ 60 dollars later and a sour stomach. The dessert menu says it all. Sad. We will not be returning… ever!

Awesome orange juice. Great chicken fried steak. Good service even when they are busy.

Just a quick update — my wife and I went in this past Sunday and had an excellent breakfast. Melissa was our server and as always, she was amazing. I had the Denver Omelet and my wife had Oatmeal (pictures attached). We’ll continue to be back!

What a jem of a restaurant :) The breakfast will be bringing us back for years to come! Not only was the food out of this world, Susan was just the cherry on top! What a beautiful woman! Thank you guys so much for a wonderful morning on your beautiful patio. We can’t wait to come visit in February!

This place was great! Food was delicious and service was perfect! Melissa was our server and I have never had better service!!! We had a huge party, food came out on time and together!
This will be our new must go to each time we are in town!

I ordered Thelma’s apple dumplings for our Thanksgiving dessert after trying one for breakfast a few weeks ago. Calling, ordering and speaking with the cheerful bakery chef was friendly and efficient. They were ready on time with a smile. My husband and I have already busted into them and they are delicious. Thank you Thelmas! We are never disappointed when we visit your restaurant. :)

Thelma’s is always consistently good. Kind of like an upgraded Denny’s on the hill.
I have enjoyed food here with my family for many many years and almost always stop in for a meal while we are enjoying the beauty that is Big Bear.
Breakfasts here are always filling and tasty and the dinners are no exception, most everything is made in the kitchen so you know you are getting good food.
The atmosphere is very laid back, family style, and there is a nice patio when the weather permits or you enjoy the cold.
The servers here always have a big smile and go the extra mile for you so you enjoy your food and have a good experience.
If you’ve never dined here, check it out. It’s comfort food at its best and on a cold or snowy day it is most welcome.

Standard breakfast faire. Griddle section, omelette section, eggs plus section and then the steak stuff.
I shared the Paul Bunyan breakfast and chocolate pancakes with my fiancée. She enjoyed the biscuits and gravy. I felt the gravy was made from a mix.
Took a while to get our order in, but it was ready fairly quick.
Overall, second to Grizzly Manor.

My wife and I spent a great weekend in Big Bear. Thelma’s came highly recommended. The patio for a late Sunday morning breakfast is fantastic!
Food: I ordered the Irish Eggs Benedict, which is two English muffins topped with corned beef hash, two poached eggs & hollandaise sauce, which I ordered on the side given some of the other reviewers saying their orders came out with too much gravy. I ordered the side of home fries. This was a great breakfast! The eggs Benedict & Hash were amazing, and the home fries were crispy. My wife ordered the special which is a waffle, two eggs and bacon. No complaints about her meal.
Ambiance: The patio seating area is great. Lots of dove and umbrellas to keep the sun off. They have a local radio station playing in the background. I think the only complaint here is the same as other posts, the table cloths are old, worn & dirty.
Service: Great service! Very attentive, asked us at least 3 times if we needed anything.
Tip: There is a lot to enjoy at Thelma’s. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner menus all have something for everyone. Just remember that this is Big Bear, not Newport Beach.

THEY DONT ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS!!! My wife wanted chicken pot pie but they «ran out»… Chicken fried steak was ok
Good gravy good home fries. Get with the time and accepts cards!!!

This place is probably the most under-​rated pa and ma restaurant on the street. It’s probably a local’s favorite, so I do recommend that tourist should swing by if they want more of a hometown feel and get out of the downtown area (aka: The Village).
My boyfriend and I walked there from our cabin around brunch time. So, when we got there we were ready to eat. The place is self-​seated, so don’t wait for the hostess to help you on your seating.
What I ordered was their Irish egg benedict with their biscuits and gravy and my boyfriend ordered their cinnamon french toast. So, their Irish egg benedict is quite unique, instead of the traditional Canadian bacon, it’s with corn beef hash. (And for you’re a corn beef hash lovers, it is handmade!!! Not the can stuff!) Lastly, the hollandaise sauce was delicious!!! (…and not the powder stuff.) If you love corn beef hash made from scratch, this is the place to be! As for the biscuits and gravy… it was divine! The biscuits were fluffy and the gravy was super fatty and creamy. As for my boyfriends cinnamon french toast, he liked it. It was a bit more on the eggy side, however it was good.
The service was standard, which is great because the food spoke for the restaurant. I do recommend people to come by this pa/​ma restaurant. It looks like a burger joint on the road but it’s so much more when you come in. The experience was great! I wished I came there for dinner. Their chicken pot pie looks amazing, which means I’m coming back for dinner.
Happy Eats Everybody!

The rating of only 3 stars is based on our overall dinner experience.
We all ordered the Chicken Pot Pie with salads. Let me start of by saying the owner or lead guy makes you feel like… he’s either to busy to deal with you and or you are just being a bother by coming in to eat! Now, about the food… the salad had really fresh greens and good choices of dressing.
As for the pot pie, I noticed one difference between each one. One had more gravy than the others, «but» on the other hand, my wife’s had a lot more chicken in it. They were pretty good though, but lacked consistency in ingredients; making me feel like someone didn’t care. I think next time I’ll opt for the Chicken Fried Steak.
Last, but not least… our oldest son had the Veggie Pita with a side of mixed veggies. The Pita was really loaded with lots and lots of veggies… even alfalfa sprouts topped this masterpiece off. The fresh? side of mix veggies tasted more like from frozen.
At the end… we where full and it was just an OK dining experience!