Mimi’s Cafe

I have been going to Mimi’s in Monrovia for at least 15 years and have never had a complaint or bad experience. If the food was not made the way I like it, they always did their best to «make it right»; however, yesterday, was definitely an exception. The waitress we had was nice to begin with but, I feel, quite condescending. I am in my 70’s and do not feel it is right for the waitress to address me as «sweetie, honey» or any other term of so-​called endearment. Also, after waiting over 20 minutes, she informed me that one of the items I ordered was no longer available which tells me that my order had not even been started. When I mentioned that it seemed we had been here a long time, her comment was «oh, it hasn’t been that long». Really? Also, when my greatgrand’s waffle came, it had a big scoop of butter on it, which I didn’t ask for. By this time, I asked to speak to the manager and told him I would like a different waitress. He got us another waffle and another waitress. There are many other things I could say but it really would only sound like griping so I won’t.
I will say, though, that if you ever go to this restaurant ask to be served by Mindy who is exceptional and gets a 5 star rating on her own. She is attentive, respectful and has a great personality and makes sure the food is done right the first time.

I’ll make this quick.. 20 minute wait was actually 35. Was seated to find seven open tables. I understand that tables need to be bussed and reset, but it’s a busy Sunday morning. You should expect to be busy. (One being a larger table being held in case a party of six or more comes through) –see my my video
Ordered a Benedict and pancakes to share. The two plates looked nothing similar to the menu pictures. This was really disappointing
Received our food and bit into a big egg shell. that was enough to just leave.
Overall experience was just disappointing. I don’t mind the wait time, if you tell me 20 Mins.. Try to seat me in about 20 Mins. We watched six families leave before being seated.. Only to find all those empty tables. The food usually will not look exactly like the menu pics, I understand. But we shouldn’t bite into any eggshells! ! It’s poached eggs.

Never disappointed with either the food or the service. Have eaten here many times, usually for breakfast and an occasional lunch. The food has always been interesting and the service has always been prompt and courteous. Will continue to eat at Mimis.

Two stars indeed.
I’ve been to other Mimi’s Café locations and have had the better service.
This location is by shopping centers and other restaurants, so parking is limited.
Not just that but we had to wait 30+ minutes to be seated for a table for four, while there was two tables empty as we walked passing by to the restroom.
The restrooms were dirty, I almost told my niece to hold it. It was that bad.
This is what got me the most. The party I was with really wanted the chicken pot pie and our waitress told her it was all sold out. 30 minutes after our meal arrived, we started eating and the table next to us ordered a chicken pot pie and guess what? 15 min they brought one out.
So not cool!

Cute restaurant in Monrovia. Spinach artichoke dip was yummy!
French onion soup & the chicken cordon bleu was okay.
Service was slow because they were busy.
Defiantly going back for the meatloaf and mashed potatoes!!! Super yummy.

3:20pm on Monday since every other breakfast and diner spot was closed and I didn’t want to go to a IHOP or Denny’s I settled for this place regardless of the prior reviews.
They don’t have a large menu nor do they have a big selection for breakfast options it’s actually on the small side. They have more a mix of lunch & dinner items which I didn’t mind since I was pretty hungry. Our server was super friendly, attentive
and patient.
I ordered the Half Rotisserie Rosemary Chicken with their Rustic Potatoes instead of French Fries. Which was about ~$ 15 and the portion was large for the price.
The potatoes were great they were cooked in butter with a hint of garlic. The chicken had a crispy skin and the meat itself was moist and super flavorful.
The only reason I gave it ⁴⁄₅ stars was because of the limited breakfast options. Other then that I would come back here & I would recommend it to friends.
Summary: Disregard the previous reviews this place is good.

Went here for breakfast on Easter, and we were told by the manager there would be a wait for our party of 2. Even though we could visually see there were 8 tables set and unoccupied, we figured no big deal and we took a seat. The manager then told us they had a special menu for Easter, and were only serving from that today. I replied, «well if that’s all we have, then that’s all we have, and asked if we could see a menu while we were waiting.
About 10 minutes into our wait, a party of 3 walked in, at which time they were immediately seated. My husband then mentioned to the host /​waiter seating the party that he didn’t mean to step on anybody’s toes, but that we’d been waiting 10 minutes already. The waiter Andretti was kind enough to immediately seat us.
We then sat down and my husband immediately noticed food on the flatware I was given. We also noticed that while everyone around us was given cloth napkins, we were given silverware wrapped in a paper napkin like we were at a fast food restaurant. Hmm. What up with that?
Later, While not our first choice, my husband and I both each chose an item from
Easter brunch menu we were given by the manager. Once we received our food, my husband then noticed at the party at an adjacent table were each ordering from a regular menu. We looked around further, and noticed 2 other tables doing the same. This was somewhat annoying, considering WE were told we had to settle for ordering from your Easter brunch menu. We addressed this with the waiter Andretti, since he was kind enough to help us before, and he replied that the hosts are instructed to say one thing (ie. Only Easter brunch menu available) while waiters are told to tell customers they CAN order from the menu if they ask. Really? How about some consistency, instead of telling different staff members to give different answers?
Our impression? While the toast my husband received was burnt on one side, the rest of the food was ok. Overall? Our conclusion is poor management. A little consistency would’ve been nice in offering ALL guests the same menu, table settings, etc. Our advise? Get rid of the mgmt present on Easter morning, and promote this guy Andretti to management. Why? Because while the «manager» stood around staring with a blank look on his face, this guy Andretti took charge of the situation, and became the problem solver. Additionally, he was very nice, and professional about the whole thing.
There’s a reason this location gets an overall Unilocal rating of only 2 ½ stars, folks.

I really love going to Mimi’s Café it’s a great place with great food and I have always had great service. Today I went for lunch and the server Raquel was rude she wasn’t rude when she took our order but when we asked her for boxes two times because she kept forgetting she seemed annoyed. When it came time to pay I gave her my card and she snatched it out of my hand. I’m still going to continue coming to Mimi’s because I love the food which is why I gave it five stars. Other than that everything was great. Except for Raquel

First time here. The place was clean (so were the restrooms). We came for breakfast– this may be why they were clean. The server was really nice, no wait time. I had the cinnamon French toast. They were a bit over cooked (should’ve taken a picture) my Bacon was too cooked it actually crumbled. The only negative was the over cooked food but I guess that extremely important at a restaurant

How did I get here? Yes, that question keep popping in my head over and over while I was eating my food… you always read bad reviews but chances are your experience is different compared to someone else BUT no, that wasn’t the case. My Unilocalies were right… this is not the place to come when you’re very hungry. It took a long time for them to serve my food and they were not busy at all. Customer service 4 stars. Our waitress was nice. Food 2 stars. The french fries were cold and soggy; yiak. The chicken was okay but not much flavor. The salmon meh, not impressed. For the price they charge you, you expect to get something better. I’m sorry but that’s the truth. The restaurant itself might appear to be rustic and old fashioned. I didn’t mind. But i wouldn’t go back…

complete waste of money. service was a bit slow… seemed like it was the server’s fault. looked like there were enough servers to go around…
We were seated in an incredibly small booth, not entirely comfortable. I got the chicken pot pie and gf got the pot roast. our server never brought us bread until we asked for it… after our entrees had come out… I think they had different types of bread… our server never explained it. the one that was brought out to us was a zucchini nut ish bread which was okay. better than other parts of the meal… The chicken pot pie… not sure if i would even call it that. it just had a little baked dough cover on the top and was like a soupy inside. didn’t taste that great but at least it was nice and hot… meh. pot roast was okay. I liked it better. the gravy was strangely tart… unlike any gravy i’ve ever had…
strawberry short crêpe cake was meh. crepes were hard and too tough… felt like I was just eating semi baked dough with strawberry preserves… the cheap kind you’d find at a buffet.

Where is Chef Gordon Ramsay when you need him? Bad experience at Mimi’s Café, I had my food served at 9:10 AM but that was not so good considering that I arrived at the restaurant at 7:45 AM and was seating at the table five minutes later. We had our company Christmas breakfast here thinking we can be back at work to open the doors at 9:30 AM and some of the people in our party had to leave before finishing breakfast.
The restaurant employees were trying to make it a good experience for us but the food was not being served.

My husband and I were turned away on Thanksgiving evening at 7pm. The back room was empty and no one was waiting to be seated. They were clearly not that busy to turn away business. They didn’t accept walk-​ins, only reservation in case anyone else was curious. There was no sign or information posted in regards to only taking reservations. The hostess was point blank rude to us. Because of their poor business practices, I will not be back! EVER!

Mimi’s café has been here for a long time… Long time, like, I remember coming year in high school with my grandpa who died in the 90s.
During their immutable tenure on the corner of this large and unwieldy strip mall, where stores like Mervyn’s have come and gone the way of the dodo, Mimi’s has endured several different manifestations, albeit, always serving the same pseudo-​French influenced American cuisine.
Appealing to the casual octogenarian, Mimi’s provides good food at pretty reasonable prices… Maybe a few bucks more than Denny’s, and you don’t have to see someone take out his teeth and put it in a water glass while he gums his way through a «$ 1.99, are you out of your mind?» Grand slam breakfast.
But I digress. I think my favorite version of Mimi’s was when they went through their Mardi Gras phase. They got away from the French bistro look, and added a bunch of New Orleans style decorations and posters to the walls. Same salt-​bath French onion soup, mind you, but the place was certainly more colorful. I can only guess that the people who visited the restaurant who also happened to have been born during the Taft presidency, didn’t like all the flashy color… So they took it down and return to a more subdued décor.
From a stereotypical, gender-​specific, and somewhat chauvinistic attitude, there’s no meal in here on this menu that you order and think, «this is a manly meal!» Instead, there’s crepes, and quiche, and vegetable chowders, and bran muffins, and berry-​bejeweled, molasses– encrusted brown sugar delights. Still, I suppose I’m pretty confident with my masculinity, so I don’t worry about what the «old Crew from high school» might think, and I just order what tastes good… Which is most dishes on the menu. Hot coffee, and attentive service in my experience, although every now and then, the whole experience seems to take about twice as long as any other restaurant visit. Sure, sometimes an elderly couple looks with disdain at my three kids being… well, three kids… But just as often, they’ll comment how cute they are and to «enjoy these moments, ’cause they grow up so fast.»
In the words of the Waco Kid: «When?!?»

Tia is an excellent server. She gives the vibe as an all around awesome human being. It’s been nine years since I ‘be been here. All I remembered was the excellent carrot muffins, and you know what? They are still excellent.
It’s quaint in here. They achieve the touristy French bistro vibe with ease. I ‘m pretty sure a native French person would argue differently, but when are the French ever really agreeable? I like the ambiance.
The food was amazing considering I had the very «American» meatloaf, but it was damn good. Lulu had the chicken pot pie, which they used a puff pastry for the crust. It was creamy delicious goodness in a size able ramekin. The hand made guacamole and fresh chips were excellent, too. Over all this is a great restaurant and Tia was a great server. A pure delight all around a Mimi’s Café.
November 9, 2015 –So, pomme frittes here are not like pomme frittes at a real French bistro. Nope they are just regular fries. France called they want you to stop calling them frittes.

Okay so I would actually give the food 3 stars since its really not too bad at all. But what really ruins the dining experience is the WAIT. First you wait to be seated. Okay. I came with my mom on a Sunday around brunch hour so waiting for a table seems quite reasonable to me. But once we were inside HALF THE RESTAURANT IS EMPTY? Okay seriously what is up with that? Are they trying to LOOK popular by making patrons wait outside while empty tables sit there and look pretty? Are these tables reserved? (Which, come to think of it, is actually a really good idea. Pro tip #1: CALL BEFOREHAND either to make reservations or to ask about the wait time)
THEN after finally being seated and ordering, it is time for the agonizing wait for your food. Which may or may not be as bad as the wait for a table, except without the free coffee. Which leads me to pro tip #2: be shameless and don’t order coffee. Just keep getting it from the waiting area. ITS THE SAME COFFEE. If they can afford giving out free coffee to those waiting to be seated they can certainly afford giving out the same free coffee to those waiting for their food after having waited to be seated.
So the place is half empty, with people kept waiting outside on a VERY HOT DAY, and for some reason their kitchen is backed up because they cannot cook fast enough to accommodate for a half empty restaurant??? I can’t imagine how they manage with a FULL HOUSE. I was actually infuriated after a certain amount of time passed and still, nothing.
Anyway eventually our orders did finally come out and they were quite decent, though certainly not worth the long, unreasonable wait. We had the turkey, mushroom, and brie crepes which came with a side of potatoes, and the strawberries and crème waffle with a side of scrambled eggs and ham. The savory crepes were pretty good, but I wouldn’t get the waffle again. The waffle came with strawberry preserve rather than fresh strawberries and was a little soggy (I prefer crispier waffles. With fresh fruit).
I did a lot of philosophical thinking while I was waiting and I finally came to the conclusion that the primary reason for the ridiculous wait time is because Mimi’s is cheaping out on hiring enough staff to run the eatery. SO HIRE MORE DAMN PEOPLE MIMI’S SO YOUR PATRONS DON’T HAVE TO WAIT HANGRILY FOR YOUR MEDIOCRE FOOD.

Before I can even get «Mimi’s» out of my mouth my fiancé is rolling his eyes. Why does he hate this place so much??? It’s not as good as it used to be, but I still appreciate it. Bread, muffins, pancakes, strawberry lemonade, and corn chowder are just a few of my favs. It’s comfort food and like a meal from your Grandma. My Mama and I have been eating at Mimi’s since the 90’s. I always have an emotional attachment to places I’ve known/​visited since a child. Many staff members have been working here for yeeeaaaarrrsssss, which l like. Everyone is friendly, service is ok and can sometimes be extremely slow.

Apparently not all Mimi’s Cafes are the same! I’ve always been a fan of the chain because of their solid menu (extensive breakfast/​lunch/​and dinner), the décor, and have never had a bad experience with servers. This was a disappointing time! Came here with three others for a work team lunch and although there were not many seated in our area… drinks were forgotten (and I’m not sure we ever got refills), it took forever for the server to come back to take our orders, and the food was not impressive. In fact, none of us were impressed by the food. One thing I do like is that they offer lunch combos… soup/​salad or sandwich/​salad etc.
2 got the sandwich/​salad combos — fries were soggy and the guacamole on their sandwiches was way too spicy
1 got the pot roast — the meat was REALLY fat and she had to pick through it
I got the soup/​salad combo with a carrot raisin muffin — corn chowder was barely warm, they wasted a ton of dressing by putting it in a gravy boat when I asked for it on the side, and although I usually LOVE the muffins this time it was not very moist although they did heat it up (which was a nice touch).
Staff was nice though =P

It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten at Mimi’s Café. The one in City of Industry closed many years ago, and since I was very hungry after golf, I wanted to see if all the negative reviews about Mimi’s Café were cause for concern. My experience was extremely simple since I was a solo diner & able to eat at the counter. The servers can’t really hide from you when you sit at the lunch counter, so I had my iced tea refilled, and my server stopped by a few times. So no problems with the service.
The menu has changed a lot. They now have a mix & match lunch where you can pick a half sandwich, small size salad & another side dish for about $ 11. I got the chicken cordon blue half sandwich with a bacon/​blue cheese/​balsamic dressing salad and both were pretty good. I wasn’t sure how long the food was going to take, so I also got a carrot raisin muffin. It was good, but it was served hot. I know that’s generally a plus, but next time I’m going to ask for a room-​temperature muffin instead.
I am giving 3 stars for good food and good service, but I definitely feel for the Unilocalers who experienced so many problems at this location. Hopefully corporate is reading these?

Food wise, this place gets 2 stars. BUT… what waiting area offers complimentary coffee and pastries (in our case, corn bread) while you wait to be seated? (+1 star.)
=POTATO EGG CAKE BENEDICT=
Hickory-​smoked bacon, spinach, tomatoes, poached eggs, and hollandaise. I ordered it with a side of potatoes because I’m rarely in the mood to be healthy and order fruits. The potatoes were pretty good but… not amazing. Also, the benedict was kind of bland. Yes, even with the bacon, spinach and hollandaise. Perhaps I should have sprinkled some salt or pepper on it, or even spice it up with some tabasco I mean, it wasn’t as bad as I’m probably making it sound like, but I’ve had tastier egg benedicts before.
=SERVICE=
I think our server’s name was Anntrice (?). She was really nice, funny, and helpful. Our food came in good time, all our orders were fulfilled, and pretty much decent service all around.
=AMBIENCE=
Think Coco’s or Marie Calendar’s…warm cozy little cottage feeling, carpet on the floor, grandma coming over with warm bread from the oven… maybe not the grandma part, but you know what I mean.
=FINAL VERDICT=
This place is okay. They’ve got a bunch of other things on the menu that may be better than my order, so if I do come back, I’ll try the rest. There’s one thing I was confused about. Why is there complimentary coffee that you can get while waiting (and bring with you to your seat when you’re seated), but when you order another cup, you have to pay? It’s the same coffee.