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    Thomas' Smokey Pit Stop

    4.6 (156 reviews)
    Closed • Closed
    Updated 3 months ago

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    Manchester, CT
    Tom D.

    First Timer to Thomas' Smokey Pit Stop BBQ in Manchester, CT yesterday. I did the 2 plate meat w/ one side. Went with the Ribs & Brisket and collards. Place is smallish, but there's a counter with a few stools if you want to eat inside. Service was very friendly & efficient. Brisket was good -- tender and moist. Nice bark too. Ribs had a smokey flavor, I liked the rub they used. But a few were borderline tough. Collards were excellent. Overall, this is decent "northern Q", I would definitely come back again if I'm in the area. Thomas' Smokey Pit Stop BBQ is a solid 4 Star rating, IMO, and that's coming from a guy who consumed a lot of Q in northern Alabama when he lived down there.

    Not done yet
    Geoff G.

    Some good, some needs help. I want to be fair here about the good and the not so much. I love the idea of a cute, quick little take out spot to pick up BBQ on the way home from work. Great business model. The brisket was really good. Tender, juicy and well seasoned. Cornbread was quite good and moist while holding together well. Collard greens, 8/10. The ribs and the chicken need serious help though. The ribs were done enough to be safe to eat but barely. Very chewy. Needs more heat for longer. They don't need to be falling off the bone, but every bite should be a good one, and these weren't. I like mine brought up to 203-205 but these probably never saw north of 175. The chicken was way over done. Which is hard to do on drums and thighs! Dry and bland. Not just un-spicy for 'jerk' chicken, very little seasoning at all. I thick with more practice, and better quality control on the meats, this place could be really good. And the fixes that are needed are easy to implement.

    Menu
    Jason P.

    I keep a running mental list of nearby places that have high Yelp ratings, so I can visit when the opportunity arises. When I recently had an errand in Manchester, I remembered that @thomassmokeypitstop had a 4.6 overall rating and over a 100 reviews. Thomas's specializes in BBQ and Soul Food, and my family and I sampled the pulled pork, lean brisket, Mac, Collards, Yams, corn bread and potato salads. We liked everything, and highlights for me included the classic stretchy cheesy Mac, the brisket with the great bark, the pulled pork and the potato salad with the mustard and pickle flavor. If you're near Manchester, you should definitely check out @thomassmokeypitstop . They have some limited seating, but they're probably more of a takeout spot. They also have a food truck and cater. 4.25 Stars

    Catering van
    Philip J. H.

    Now the place so people least know will do catering & overall for BBQ this one is up there without a shadow of a doubt in my mind because a place I go to is celebrating a second anniversary & for what I had my stuff was filling (unknowingly I wasn't aware of it so if I had maybe I would've skipped supper) & you get good pulled pork, Andouille sausage (oh yeah that's hot), green beans & cornbread. I suspect if this is just that element I might want to investigate the dining establishment.

    1 Meat Plate Chopped Brisket, Collard Greens, Cornbread
    Blaze B.

    Fantastic food, reasonable prices, wonderful service, clean establishment. Easy in and out every time I pick up my to go order. Make sure to grab a slice of dessert when you go, it's always a hit.

    1 Meat Platter - Corn Bread, Dad's Baked Beans with Smoked Turkey, Mom's Baked Mac and Cheese, and Brisket
    Michael W.

    I have been in the mood for BBQ for weeks now so when I finally decided to get some I wanted to try and support a local business. Everyone is familiar with Bears so I hopped on yelp to find a different place up to 20 min from me and Thomas' popped up with glowing reviews. They offered online orders so I went for it. As others have mentioned, it is strictly take out. The shop is small but they had great music playing and everyone behind the counter seemed to be in a great mood. My food was ready and waiting. At first I thought portions were small but everything was just packed in really tight - this was a lot of food! The star of the show was definitely the brisket. Great smoky flavor, super tender, and not too much fat. Unfortunately the sides left me disappointed. The beans tasted like all ketchup. Not the rich and savory flavor I was expecting. The Mac & cheese seemed like it may have been sitting for a while. Didn't taste very fresh. Wasn't the worst I've had but definitely wasn't the best. The cornbread was ok but again, I have had better. Overall, I would consider returning to try some of the other meats they offer but I wouldn't order any of these sides in the future. Pricing also seemed fair compared to other BBQ places I have visited.

    Dan R.

    "When it comes to southern cookin' They know what it's all about They got some barbecue ribs and red beans and rice Make your tongue snap your eyeballs out" (Charlie Daniels) Man oh man oh man, did we have a fantastic experience at Thomas' Smokey Pit Stop! I really like ribs, but haven't had them in a very long time. Sometimes they are dry and overcooked. Not here. The ribs I had yesterday were among the very best I ever had. We ordered a one meat platter of pulled pork, mac and cheese and corn bread for $12 and a two meat platter of ribs, BBQ chicken, green beans and slaw for $18.25 plus a $2 rib upcharge. We loved every single bite of every dish. My ribs were amazing -tender and juicy and just perfect. And the boring old green beans were stellar too - must have been the smoked turkey they're cooked with. The BBQ was a drumstick and thigh cooked in a fantastic BBQ glaze. For extra measure, all dishes included a container of extra BBQ sauce. My wife's pulled pork platter looked fantastic and let me tell ya, there was a ton of pulled pork in her container. For dessert we split a delicious slice of coconut pound cake ($4). The food, the service, the pricing were all excellent.

    Jerk chicken, pulled pork, baked beans, and slaw

    Food is amazing! Move over Bears! Thomas' BBQ is so good! The service is super friendly as well. My bf and I had platters of the Jerk chicken, bbq pulled pork, and sliced brisket. The sides were also very good!

    Menu
    Stephanie M.

    Great food and service. I got the 2 meat platter with the smoked sausage, sliced brisket, green beans and cornbread. Mother got the brisket sandwich with coleslaw and yams. Everything was full of flavor and the cornbread was not dry. This is the first cornbread I've come across in a while where it didn't instantly suck the moisture out of my mouth. Good job! Before we left, we got some takeout for my stepdad and a slice of coconut cake and strawberry cake. Yum! I'll be returning with my father at a later date.

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    6 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    4 years ago

    They have the best BBQ pulled pork sandwich that I have ever eaten!! Delicious pork, fresh bun and tasty sauce!

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    5 years ago

    This place is fantastic, easily the best BBQ in Manchester. I would call ahead to pick up otherwise still very much worth the wait.

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    6 years ago

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    6 years ago

    Amazing Pulled Pork! And the candied yams are also delicious. Cant wait to sample the rest of the menu.

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    6 years ago

    Aaaaaahmaazing BBQ- I am blown away and will make this a regular stop when I'm in town.

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    6 years ago

    Ordered pulled chicken/pulled pork, smoked sausage, collard greens and slaw - outstandingly delicious ! Top notch, first rate.

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    5 years ago

    We loved the brisket! Nice smoke flavor, tender with good bbq sauce. The pulled pork was good as well. A great place if you love bbq!

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    6 years ago

    Dry brisket need a variety of sauces mac and cheese was dry was hoping a little better for the money

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    7 years ago

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    6 years ago

    wow ! i live in deep river about 40 miles away. this was some of the best eats i have ever had ! going back asap. this is a a must try.

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    Page 4 of 4

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    Soul Bowls

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    7.8 mi•South End

    Think of the "Famous Bowl" at KFC and then delete that thought from your mind. Soul bowl is…read moreabsolutely delicious. It's perfectly layered from top to bottom, bottom to top and hearty. My baby is 11 months old and she goes "Mmmm" when she tasted the spoonful of Mac & Cheese, soul rice and collard greens. Each item in the bowl stand out on their own and then compliment each other well when traveling to your tummy! I highly recommend it. PROS: Top notch customer service, flavorful, interactive self order kiosk, clean interior, great music and visually appealing wall art & food presentation. CON: Limited off street parking due to a small and busy commercial area, and I'd like to see a couple kiddie high chairs now that I'm a new mommy I notice the need. Great place! Try it and bring your family.

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    Inside

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    My bowl... chicken pieces with Mac n cheese and collard greens . 5 stars

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    4.3(202 reviews)
    6.0 mi•East Hartford
    •$$

    I'm back! Welcome to Carmine's! The restaurant is located on 389 Main St. in East Hartford. It's…read morecold in here! The temperature has got to be 55 degrees (the way Carmine likes it). I live the nice music in here. It's very livel! It's Happy Hour from 3-7 on weekdays (food) and all day for drinks on Monday! The kitchen here makes everything built fresh, from scratch, and all homemade. The appetizers, pasta, entrees and desserts combine old-world traditional Italian flavor with a modern flair for presentation, and the freshest ingredients around. Menu staples like calamari, chicken milanese, fettucine carbonara and ravioli are paired with unique recipes like pappardelle with sausage and tenderloin steaks. They have staffed their kitchen with a dream team of local chefs that ensure our quality does not waiver and our kitchen is always OPEN! Not every place can say that! For my first drink, I'm having the Manhattan's Creek made with Knob Creek bourbon, sweet vermouth, dry vermouth and Angostura bitters. Wait a minute! These are the same ingredients as a Perfect Manhattan! This is chilled, well balanced and nicely garnished. I like it! For my first food item, I'm having a House Salad (small, off-menu version). This is made with a spring mix including basil, tomatoes, julienned carrots, cucumbers and a red wine vinaigrette dressing. This is nice and fresh! I love the dressing! I like the nice cloth napkin as well as a disposable one. The bartender is the nicest one I've ever met. For my next item, I'm having the Rigatoni Marinara. The is made with rigatoni and house marinara sauce. It's low cholesterol and guilt-free (for me). This is steaming hot and delicious! Nice portion size too! For my next item, I'm having a cup of soup. This is broccoli cheddar with potato. Oh yeah! I love those oyster crackers! This is yummy! For my next drink, I'm having the Pratt n Whiskey made with Woodford Reserve bourbon, sweet vermouth, red wine and sour mix. I love it! It's shaken well and tastes great! For my next food item, I'm having the Carmine's Secret Tenderloins. These are actually pan seared caramelized CHICKEN tenderloins made with wine, olive oil, cracked black pepper, kosher salt, shredded Parmesan and a VERY special secret sauce. I can eat this with little regret. This should be interesting! This is quite good! I do like that creamy sauce! For my dessert, I'm having the Toasted Almond. This is soaked in Amaretto layered with light custard and topped with crushed almond. Oh yeah! Look at the presentation! This is fantastic! What a great meal here!

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    Carmine's - Bar area

    Bar area

    Carmine's - Steak Tacos

    Steak Tacos

    Carmine's - Steak tacos with salsa and garlic aioli

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    Thomas' Smokey Pit Stop - bbq - Updated September 2026

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