Thomas' Smokey Pit Stop - Manchester

First time here and I mostly enjoyed it. Staff were friendly and nice. Part of my order, Mac and cheese ???? was missing. I called and they had one waiting for me and provided extra due to accommodating my having to come back. Best thing is I arriveda few minutes after they closed, but they had it ready for me. The staff were very nice. Now the food ????: Mac and cheese???? was delicious. I enjoyed the candy yams also. The meat ???? is charcoal black where some may not like it, but the ribswere fall off the bones. I could be wrong but the collards had a pickle after taste or maybe it was just me. Otherwise themeal was perfect and my family and myself are overly stuff. The potato salad was perfect and really tasty. Overall it was avery good meal and I ate way too much. Thank you ???? for providing more soul food East of the River.

Brisket sandwich with melted cheese and an amazing barbecue sauce. Coleslaw was on point. Had it for an early lunch and was able to run with it until a late dinner.

First visit was a great experience. Small location, super friendly and knowledgable staff. Menu had a few specials/dailys rotating both for deserts and mains. Got the chance to try a few staples on this visit: Brisket, ribs, and chicken. The choppedbrisket was the star, and one of the greater BBQ briskets I've had in CT, on par with Bear's but a few steps away from BT's. Theribs were great as well, cooked perfectly with a light crust, and I loved the extremely boozy and savory BBQ sauce they gavewith it despite me not typically liking sauces. I thought the chicken needed some work, maybe more brining prior or something toseason the thicker sections of meat. The smaller more fatty thigh meat was great but the larger leg had some large unseasonedchunks inside. Will be back for more, there's no other legit options like this nearby so it's nice to have some people doingthings so well in the BBQ scene. Also loved their slaw <3

This BBQ was good, decent even but not great. Place has 3 seats and is mainly Togo with plenty of parking. Cornbread was kinda dry, the macncheese was more of a mixin/ingredient then a standalone. I think the sandwiches are the play not the platter. Beans and pudding were good. Free mini pancakes.

First off, brave souls opening right as Covid hit, and cheers to a pretty solid BBQ joint in CT! It 's a small place seating provided for a few people mostly take out. It was awesome to see their history love of barbecue on the walls via photos! BBQ and soul food is family, and they clearly love each other and their craft.Service was friendly prompt. Asked for the BBQ 'naked ' aka without sauce so I could taste the true nature of their cook but got sauce anyway. No biggie because their signature sauce is really quite good! They call it a Carolina sauce but I 'm not sure *which* Carolina b/c North Carolina sauce is heavy vinegar based with ketchup added in the West of the state, but not the Eastern part. South Carolina is known for their mustard based sauce. From my geographical living and eating experiences over the years, I honestly feel they 'd be true to tag their sauce via TN. Tennessean BBQ sauce takes a bit of sweet from Kansas City and the heat vinegar from NC sauce to create a masterful sauce which is what Thomas ' serves. It 's excellent. Bottle that stuff. Yesterday!Food wise, I 'd eat their collards all day long. Man, they 're good and TRUE soul food. SO GOOD! Their coleslaw (also tagged 'Carolina slaw ' is delicious but again, I 'm not sure which Carolina they 're referring to? It tastes mostly vinegar based like a Texas slaw and it 's a fantastic palate cleanser but if they 're referring to NC, it 's definitely not a NC slaw. NC slaw is finely chopped and either laced with ketchup (West or mayo (East . Still, their slaw is solidly delicious. As is their mac cheese. It 's what you would crave at grandmas house, expect at a church potluck, and WISH you knew how to make.Their brisket is spot on. The pulled pork, on the other hand, maybe needed more time on the smoker. I have no doubt they know what they 're doing just so happened my pork on this particular day was tough and stringy and extra fatty (meats were measured by a scoop. I didn 't care to get a good portion of my pork with inedible fat. That was disappointing . Things happen and smokes are never 100%, 100% of the time. I get that, which is why I would totally give Tomas ' another try. I can see them being a solid, long term BBQ joint. Kudos, CT!