Daddy Mim’s Creole BYOB

Daddy Mims has closed — Chef has opened Carmines Creole Café Act II in Narberth

Quite good. Creative menu and OK ambience. I may have to say the dreaded term’ for the area’ there still is not a really fine Cajun place that I have found in West Chester/​Phoenixvile. If only Cajun Kate at Booth’s Corner was a real sit down…

Ordered take out for Braised Pork and sausage. Tasted too sweet. Kinda like BBQ pull pork. I wish they would have offer bread with it or told me it doesn’t come with anything else.

One of the better dining experiences we had in a while. Nice atmosphere in the new location at the Hotel Columbia. We were equally surprised that there was no mention of it on the website. They also only take reservations for larger groups, although it says highly recommended.
Friendly service. Food was good but mixed. The Chef’s menu was great, although the King’s cake dessert was forgettable. Blackened pork was on the salty side. Overall a good experience that will make us come back.

This place is first class all the way.
With $ 25 starting entrees, it’s a little pricier then I usually go for, but well worth it. Also loved that I was able to bring in my own wine.
When we entered we were immediatly greeted by the hostess. Our waitress was very attentive and professional. Probably the best service I had in a long time. The food came out fast but not so that we were rushing to finish. All the food was excellent, but the highlight for me were the shrimp and grits. Just Awesome. I split the appetizer with my date (which was still a big portion) but next time I go I will not be sharing.

First, I have to say that Phoenixville is ADORABLE! I hadn’t been there in about 10 years and back then, Bridge Street was a collection of vacant and run-​down store fronts and row homes. Now, it is one of the most vibrant and YOUNG main streets I’ve seen in the Philly burbs. Bravo Phoenixville.
Now to the food. Daddy Mim’s was a pleasant surprise. We got there at 6 and it was pretty empty, which always makes me nervous because I get scared that maybe it isn’t so great, but fear not! This place is fantastic.
From our salads, wedge salads with blue cheese, to my entrée, shrimp and grits (Louisiana Style) everything was fantastic. Well seasoned, perfectly cooked– delicious. My husband got steak that looked great. The low-​point of the meal was dessert. It was not that great. That’s the only reason I take off 1 star. Other than that, this is a solid place to eat. A little pricey for being a BYOB but the food is worth it for a special occasion.

Despite passing by countless times, I was reluctant to try this restaurant due to their lack of vegetarian options (as seen on their online menu). I was dying to take my dad here, knowing he would love the food. I called ahead to make a reso and they told me they can offer a chef created vegetarian dish, no problem.
It’s very rare that I find a well crafted vegetarian dish that I cannot go home and re-​create myself for way cheaper. The veggies, sauce, spices… I have no idea how he made this, but it was delicious! I have since moved out of the area and would be willing to drive back again and again for some veggie creole creations. A truly talented chef can take a handful of veggies last minute and create something wonderful, which is exactly what he did. Well done!
The service here was amazing as well. Friendly, attentive, and willing to answer any questions my meat-​eating companions might have– everything on the menu looks so damn GOOD!
Check Living Social/​Groupon for deals. Try a chef’s tasting menu. Bring a bottle of wine that pairs well with savory/​spicy dishes.

Quite possibly the best service I have ever had at a restaurant. I feel bad I cannot remember my servers name, but she was fantastic. We never wanted for water or any other amenity, and any time someone would get up she came by, cleaned that persons area and folded their napkin for them. I’ve received similar service at other restaurants, but this server also brought a tremendous amount of sincerity to her work; you could tell she really cared about being a professional.
The food was also very good. I’ve had creole in Louisiana before, and while it lacked the distinctive flair (and spice) of traditional creole food, it was a pleasant surprise to find anything close in Phoenixville, PA.
The prices are relatively expensive, but the portion sizes are large enough that you don’t feel ripped off. My only complaint is that a few of my scallops did not have the tendon removed, but otherwise everything was great.
Two final points: it is not dressy (they seated me in flip flops, shorts and a t-​shirt), but it is not casual either; also, it is BYOB.
I’d definitely recommend Daddy Mim’s to my friends.

I want to start off to say that I loved the funky ambiance of the restaurant. It’s actually bigger than I thought it would be inside too. Our waitress Kerri, I think her name was, was great and helpful with answering any questions we had about the menu. The Friday night we visited the had 4 different menus. Three were prix fixe menus and one was a regular a la carte menu you could choose from. My boyfriend and I aren’t super familiar with creole cuisine so we figured a tasting menu would make things nice and easy for us. I went with the Taste of New Orleans menu, 4 courses for $ 40 and by bf went with the Lobster prix fixe menu, 4 courses for $ 45. I definitely liked the Lobster menu better than mine, but oh well. The taste of New Orleans menu started out with a spicy gumbo which I loved, then came shrimp in a remoulade sauce. I’m not too familiar with this dish and i was a little put off that the sauce was cold on top of warm shrimp. I’m not sure if that’s the norm or not, but it wasn’t my favorite. For the entrée I had a jambalaya, which came with crawfish, shrimp, and sausage on a bed of rice, what I would think of with jambalaya, but then on the same plate next to it was I think pulled pork mixed with mashed sweet potatoes. The flavors created a great balance of salty and sweet, but I wasn’t really loving the overall mushy texture, but that’s just a weird personal preference. The desert was bananas foster and even though I don’t usually like bananas any way expect peeled right out of the skin, this was a nice end to the meal.
I forget exactly what was included in the Lobster tasting menu, but everything I tried was really delicious, so if we come back I’ll have to try that one.
We actually used an
voucher and had no problems with the redemption of it or even booking a reservation beforehand.
I’m not sure if I will return to Daddy Mim’s, just because we’re not usually in the area, but if you’re looking for a meal that is a less that ordinary, this might be a good option for you.
Oh and it’s a BYOB too! Yay!
One little weird thing that I did not care for was that it was a cold night and my boyfriend and my boyfriend dropped me off at the door and went to park the car up the street. When I checked in with out reservation, the hostess wouldn’t seat me until the entire party, my date, arrived. So I had to wait in a small waiting area until he parked the car. I think it would have been easier to seat people so they can at least order a soda or something, but oh well.

Actually, more like negative-​o stars if possible. Yes, a review without ever having a bite of their food. Never tasted, smelled or gotten close — keep reading.
So everyone’s been into groupon/​livingsocial deals, right? I bought one of these a month or so ago and tried to get a reservation for Feb and they said they were «completely booked» for anyone wanting to redeem the deal through the date they expire on ALL weekends. The deal expires at the end of March and Daddy Mims said they only have weekday reservations left. Umm… this was not on the fine print. ok fine, it said something subject to availability but for them to only allow a few people using the deal per night on the weekend is just crazy. Why offer a deal like this if your place can’t handle the business?! Did they expect me to make a reservation three months in advanced, apparently so. But don’t worry, those who aren’t using the deal can make reservations on «full» weekends. It’s just that they don’t honor their own deals.
I called the deal site and they were very upset by the restaurant’s policy and gave me an apologetic refund. humph.
I was interested in trying this place but I am never going to and I would discourage anyone from going seeing how they treat customers.
PS to the reviewer who said «it’s funny the bad reviews are from people who haven’t tried the food»…I issued the disclaimer in the first sentence. Further, people review places not only based on taste of food but quality of services :P

This meal has been the best food I’ve had since… Possibly ever. The food was amazingly prepared, the staff was super friendly and attentive. Service was perfect. I had the chef’s tasting menu and I HIGHLY recommend it! Lets you try a few different dishes that are on the menu, all of which were phenomenal.
Food: A++++
Atmosphere: B (slightly underwhelming, but I like that… it doesn’t puff out its chest so to speak and do any «peacocking»… it doesnt need to. minimalistic, but has a light creole/​jazz/​Orleans flair. Background music fits the restaurant very well and is at a perfect volume. The emphasis is on the food and honestly you could feed me this food in the middle of a trash dump and I would still give this place 5 stars…)
Service: A+ (very nice friendly knowledgeable. attentive but not in your face. i never felt annoyed with too much waitress interaction (aka «how is everything, do you need more water? blah blah blah». yet i was never in need of anything. Always had a full glass of water, dirty plates were taken away promptly… very nice)
The price is a little high (about $ 25) but honestly with out a doubt WORTH IT! Chef tasting menu was $ 35 — also very… VERY…worth it.

Came out here on a Living Social deal for the brother’s birthday. The experience was extraordinary. We were greeted promptly and were given a table by the window. We received several menus: Lobster tasting ($ 45 pp), Daily Chef’s tasting ($ 35 pp), and the regular menu. This place is no joke! So many choices to choose from! I chose the chef’s tasting which included 3 tapas plus a dessert, while my other dining partners chose the jambalaya, cajun style fish, seafood court bouillon, and a side order of collard greens. All solid choices! The dishes were rich and flavorful. Definitely a real treat.
My starter course was delicious! It was crabmeat set in a bloody mary-​style cocktail. Since I got the chef’s tasting, there was a wait before my friends were able to get their entrée, but I shared some of my course with them to calm their stomach pains. As I was getting dessert (praline cake!), there were fireworks right outside our window! It was a complete surprise, and we were told it was because it was First Friday. How cool was that?
I’d come here again to try the other choices. It’s cool that you can rent out the place for special events, and it’s BYOB! Strongly recommend making reservations. The place was crowded on A Friday night!

The menu @ Daddy Mims had me drooling before I even set foot into this «main st» little BYOB on Tuesday in celebration of CB’s special day. I can honestly say that I have never eaten Creole food and my dinner here last night gave me a superb base and big shoes to fill. The drive wasn’t too bad and we arrived bearing a very good French chenin blanc to accompany our food.
Our server was very nice and greeted us with bread and the in house made pesto for dipping. The pesto was unreal like nothing I had every tasted outside of Florence. A few pieces of the bread were hard on the exterior but once we got to the inner slices the crust was the only hard part. This was a great start to our meal.
I was torn between the gouda” cheesecake” with crabmeat and the crab bisque I wanted something for us to share so I opted for the cheesecake. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it sorta left me puzzled. The crab was sweet and flavorful and I love the idea of a savory cheesecake. I just don’t think I’d ever order it again (from anywhere). CB did the coconut shrimp 3 HUGE shrimp with a spicy /​sweet aioli came out and put every other coconut shrimp I’ve tried in my life to shame. He was gracious enough to share with me which is a rarity.
For entrees CB did the pasta with cream sauce, crawfish and shrimp. It was so good. I mean the sauce had just enough spice and the velvety cheesy sauce it came swimming in was so good I had about four bites. I did the butter poached sea bass with jasmine rice it was very good but I was more in love with that pasta. The sea bass was cooked to perfection and the ginger sauce that came on top was phenomenal. My only grip is that a «trinity» of peppers, carrots and onions came on top of the fish I felt it was very unnecessary and since I pushed it to the side I lost some of that great sauce along with it.
CB in his giant man fashion has quite an appetite so we did a side order of the cheese grits. By far some of the best grits I have ever had. Creamy, cheesy, melt in your mouth amazing id go back to Daddy Mims for the grits alone.
Dessert was a chocolate cake. I wanted to try the sticky bun bread pudding but was denied and since it wasn’t my special day I couldn’t argue. The cake was moist and flavorful. I felt there was a little too much chocolate (if that’s even possible) I think if it came with something to cut the fat like a scoop of ice-​cream or a tall glass of milk it would have been perfection. Still good though.
All and all this place is a great find especially for the area. There are at least 5 «new American» restaurants on main st so this one takes, people by surprise and a change is always good. Service was fantastic and though we were only 1 of 4 tables we never longed for water refills, clean utensils, or our plates to be cleared.
I think the price to food ratio is spot on and the atmosphere is casual/​chic.
Shout out to the girl drinking mikes hard lemonade in her wine glass… I loves me a classy broad.

Delicious.
This place is the real deal. I was very impressed. My friend and I came here on a Saturday night with no reservations and a bottle of wine. We managed to score a table near the prep area. The meal that followed was rather impressive.
We started with bowls of soup and the blacked shrimp appetizer. My bowl of chicken andoullie gumbo was legendary. The soup was velvety and rich and laden with chili powder. The roux was made perfectly. The blackened shrimp were pretty good but not outstanding.
For my meal, I got the blackened duck leg and short ribs. It was served with mashed sweet potatoes which are a favorite of mine. This entrée was awesome. The duck was perfectly cooked and incredibly flavorful. The short ribs were outstanding. I enjoyed them too much to even tell you what was in them.
For dessert, we split the chocolate pecan pie. Perfect end to the meal.
I want to go back to this place and try everything they make.

I’m not sure what to rate this restaurant against. If it were in New Orleans maybe it gets fewer stars, but here in the suburbs of Philly, it is good.
The chicken and andouille gumbo was extremely dark, the result of a good roux, and the flavors were rich. It could have had a tad more andouille and consequently more spice, but I still liked it.
The shrimp and grits were very nice, the grits had good texture, but my first shrimp had that didn’t-split-the-back taste, yeah you know, it wasn’t properly cleaned. So I had to look carefully at the rest of the shrimp.
Another visit might yield a 4^th star, but not this time.

Creole cooking is as much about the heart, soul, and culture of a people as it is the food and, outside of Lousiana, it is extremely hard to get it right.
Situated on the main drag of the town’s center, Daddy Mims’ concept is a welcome change to the dozen or so New American restaurants and bistros that have cropped up alongside it, but don’t expect to have a truly authentic Creole/​Cajun meal.
Chef/​Owner John Mims’ tasting menu shows an understanding of Creole cuisine but some of the dishes fail to coax out that slow, rich flavor for which The Gulf is famous. For instance, I would have loved it if the shrimp atop the boursin-​laden grits had been grilled – a nice char would have given the dish some much-​needed smokiness. The braised short ribs were deliciously tender but unncecessarily drowned in a chocolate molé that competed mightily with the maple-​infused sweet potato mash. The andouille quesadilla with chili aioli was spicy and flavorful but the sausage was a tad overdone. The savory crab cheesecake, however, was delicious.
After several decent tastings, I expected dessert to be a grand affair – warm beignets with café au lait, bourbon-​spiked anything, or at the very least a crêpe Suzette. Instead, we were served a brick hard triangle of a pedestrian poundcake ice cream sandwich with sliced strawberries and watery strawberry syrup. I felt let down – as if I’d gone to Mardi Gras and come away with no beads.

I love this place. Each time I return, I swear I am going to write a review, and then I find myself in food nirvana — and who wants to be bothered with the outside world when you are blissfully savoring the divine bites put in front of you.
Trust me. Just go there. But make a reservation before you do. And don’t stand them up.

Friendly staff, great food.
My wife and split a few items, and they took the time to split the dishes for us. I also recommend getting a reservation if possible, they seem to be pretty busy.
The jambalaya was amazing.

Armed with about 30 bottles of wine on a Tuesday night in Pheonixville, our small group of friends decided that a BYO would be our best option. This, after recieving blank stares from employees at Burger King, when we asked about their corking fee policy.
When the Creole spot, Daddy Mimms was mentioned, visions of N’awlins and the French Quarter were conjured up, which is odd because I’ve never been there but I think slide trombones and balconies are involved.
Daddy Mimms is a comfortable little spot on Bridge street in Pheonixville. And when I say comfortable, I mean it, I was almost disappointed that there was no wait because I didn’t get to sit on the nice sofa in the waiting area.
The coolness of the atmosphere offset the fact that it was a little stuffy in there, but not uncomfortably so. They made the mistake of sitting our rowdy group in the center of the room so hopefully our nasty ways didn’t put off any of the other patrons.
Since I was with amazing company (and much wine) the only thing I needed out of Mimms was a good meal… and Daddy didn’t disappoint. All the food we ordered looked and tasted amazing. The presentation and portions were spot on. I didn’t really feel like a traditional meal and opted for what my companions teased was the childrens menu. However grilled sausage and truffle fries are to hot dog and fries what The Phillies are to the Pirates. Maybe I just embarrassed them by asking for a happy meal toy.
It was certainly a happy meal. I started with a refreshing lettuce wedge, drowned in Bleu cheese and bacon goodness. The grilled sausage was mild and tasty, covered in an onion and mustard sauce. It was actually better than the sausage at Brauhaus Schmitt, who are known for their tubed meats. Basically, I’ll order truffled anything, so the fries were a no brainer and they didn’t disappoint, being among the best fries I’ve ever eaten.
I often skip dessert but the choices sounded too good to pass up. Pecan cake, cinnamon bun bread pudding, sweet tacos, and my choice, pecan pie. Sooooo goood! Amy one of those would be worth a visit.
I didn’t catch her name, but it should be noted that our server was far above average. She was knowledgeable, her timing was great, she was funny and personable and most importantly tolerant of our shenanigans.
We walked out into the cool fall air, stuffed and satisfied (as well as about 4 wine bottles lighter). Daddy Mimms did what any good restaraunt should do which is provide an enjoyable setting and a good meal by making the guests the center of attention and not itself. I hope to return soon and I suggest anyone in the vicinity check it out… and I’m not just saying that because they made a voodoo doll of me.” OUCH!”

Decided the try the latest addition to the Phoenixville BYO scene. There is much talk about this place on the food related sites, that seemed to spring up in record time.
The restaurant was barely occupied on a Wed at 6:30pm, which is not unusual for the area. We were promptly seated, provided with wine glasses and setup for dinner. John Mims was in the kitchen that night.
As Christa mentioned, they offer a $ 30 4 course menu, which is what I opted for, while my wife made some al a carte selections.
Overall, the food was good, but did not blow me away. A couple items like the butternut squash and ginger soup and shrimp croquette and crab claws stood out in a good way, while the crab bisque was too salty for our taste and the pecan pie was just pedestrian. The wild mushroom and smoked Gouda savory cheesecake sounded like a good idea and I have had something similar in New Orleans, but unfortunately this rendition let any subtle flavor of the wild mushrooms be overpowered by huge chunks of smoked Gouda in the cheesecake.
Service was friendly and professional and when we brought certain items to their attention, they were quickly addressed.
The associated pizza place which is going to open in the next few weeks will supposedly stay open from 11am-​2am.
Overall, it was a decent experience and another place that can be added to the growing list of Phoenixville favorites — Majolica… Black Lab… Thai L’Elephant.Bistro 101.Marlys.etc