Didn't realize this place was a chain, Ive been to one in Tampa before. My female and I decided to stop here for breakfast before I left for a business trip. The waitress was so nice and patient with us (I can be a pain in the ass), the food was good and came out quickly. But it was really the staff who made the experience that much more enjoyable. I cant comment on lunch or dinner here, but the breakfast was good so I recommend it
(4)
Bethany M.
We checked this place out last week for breakfast and it was amazing. Lemon poppyseed pancakes with strawberry rhubarb butter ... what?! My husband had an omlette that was delicious as well. AND they have coupons for free entrees, which is way better than the usual $5 off or 10% off like most place give you. We went back yesterday for dinner and was still pleasantly surprised. The server was fantastic- something that you don't find at many places these days. The chicken pot pie was above average, but my husband's steak was bland. But the deviled eggs appetizer was delicious! We'll definitely be back!
(4)
Jennifer K.
I've been here a few times for brunch and today was rather disappointing. I ordered the French Pot Roast and my boy friend ordered the breakfast combo which came with pancakes, eggs, fruit cup and a choice of bacons or sausage links. He wanted both so we got a side order of sausages on the side. Pancakes were good, bacon wasn't cook all the way, sausages were very plain. It didn't have flavor and just wasn't good at all. Fruit bowl really upset me because half of it was all rotten. It's very clear as you can see from the photo, they were gross. I can't even believe they actually brought those out. My French pot roast was good, it's similar to American pot roast and very fulfilling. We were seated by the hostess and guy number one came by to take our drink order and to let us know our waitress will be coming by to serve us. We got our drinks, waited around for our waitress to show up but she never came. Guy number two who seems to be the waiter and was waiting on other tables near us, noticed and came over to take our order after 10-15 mins or so. Someone else we haven't seen came to deliver the food, and guy number two came back to refill our drinks. As we started eating, who seemed to be our waitress that we have not yet seen, finally stopped by, not to introduce herself but to say "is everything ok?" and when we said yes she walked away. She wasn't attentive at all and it was very confusing as we dealt with so many people while we were there for an hour. Check arrived and as expected the last waitress name was on the receipt. Service was really disappointing and I just can't get over the rotten grapes. I could've brought it up to someone but then I didn't even know who was suppose to serve us so didn't even bother. God knows how many managers or acting managers are there and time I may have to wait to get a new one. Muffins are delicious, four for $8. Not cheap but they are good so no complaint there. However I am not sure if I would want to return here again.
(1)
Michael A.
This a very average restaurant bordering on mediocre. I had roasted chicken and "frites," which is French for fries. The chicken was okay; the breast meat was a bit drier than I normally prefer but it was eatable. The frites, on the other hand, were limp and soggy. It surprises me that a chef is unable to prepare a proper French fry. It doesn't take genius; but merely competence, which was obviously lacking. My lunch companions complained the Cobb salad was too dry and the salad ordered on the side was overly sauced. I hardly recommend this joint (can't you tell?). Seems like many reviewers feel the same.
(2)
Shannon M.
So this place is not very good at all! My bacon avocado omelette arrived with the bacon still oinking! It was literally near raw. The omelette had no cheese inside and was not even a french styled fluffy type where the cheese is on top. A waste of time and money! Ill go to Joes next time.
(1)
S M.
1) FYI - in case you don't know already, I don't think the pagers work outside. They told us 30 minutes, and at 40, we went inside. The hostess sat us right away. Other people were also waiting outside that left shortly before we got up. 2) Service was a bit slow. 3) Once we got sat, everything was perfect. Our waitress was wonderful. Food was excellent.
(4)
Ray B.
The food was amazing. We went for the first time last weekend and are total fans!!! Go for breakfast at least. It was super yummy
(5)
Victoria L.
My sisters and I took my dad here for Father's Day brunch and we had a great surprise for him by seeing Brian Orakpo at brunch with us. Never dined near a "celebrity" before and my dad is a Skins fan so it worked out. Thanks Brian ;) Anywho, the wait was about 35 minutes but I would assume it'd be busy on weekends anyways. Its located right in the line of restaurants in front of the mall, which isn't too hard to find. Service was not memorable, our waitress Julian was forgetful with alot of things. She only had 4 tables but we would ask her for something and never came back with it until we reminded her again. She forgot to bring things out that came with our meal and we had to remind her. She wasn't very attentive at all. She did not even ask how the food was, how were doing, the only time she came to our table was when we had to ask her for something. Luckily, the food was good. I enjoyed my potato cake eggs benedict which had bacon, spinach, poached eggs and a delicious hollandaise sauce. The bacon was crispy, eggs were perfectly poached and I could drink the hollandise. I had a bite of my sister's corn beef hash benedict and I thought it was good. They gave a good amount of corn beef hash under the egg and the roasted potatoes with savory, thyme and basil made it tasted heavenly. I also had a delightful and refreshing sparkling strawberry which is freixent sparking wine with strawberry lemonade. I do have to say that the buttermilk spice muffin was incredible! It was soft and fluffy on the inside but the perfect crispy muffin top. I loved it! I recommend getting a muffin or one of their bakery items before you leave. I hope to come back next time with better service, which really makes the experience better. However, seems like at this restaurant its either good food or good service. I need both darnit!
(3)
Barbara L.
Hubby and I were looking to try a new place for breakfast so we chose Mimi's due to its convenient location for us. The restaurant was clean and the service was friendly and mostly efficient. She forgot a few things and brought me coffee when I asked for a coke but we'll forgive her for that. :-) We're all human after all. Anyway, I was so very torn between Orange Crème French Toast or the Cinnamon Roll French Toast. I wish I had gone with the Cinnamon Roll French Toast but noooooo....I had to try something different. Not sure what I was expecting but when I ordered the Orange Crème French Toast, she asked me about my eggs and which meat I wanted. I'm not used to getting anything with french toast so I ordered the scrambled eggs and bacon. I was so excited to try this new french toast! The presentation was lovely but when I think of french toast, I think of DRY french toast. The Orange Crème French Toast is WET..very, very wet and not my kind of french toast at all. I couldn't eat it. My husband ate it and said it had the texture of bread pudding...wet and mushy gooeyness. If I had wanted Bread Pudding, I would have ordered it but I wanted french toast. Wah. Thankfully it came with an order of tasty scrambled eggs and delicious bacon! Hubby felt bad for me and gave me his fruit bowl while he gorged on my french toast. I also took a few bites of his delicious pumpkin muffin. So it all ended well. He ordered Hickory-Smoked Ham & Cheese minus the onions. Naturally, I 'tasted' his omelet and it was quite yummy. It came with a side of potatoes roasted with savory, thyme & basil. Let me tell you, I'm a potato whore. I'll eat any kind of potato; that and bread are my weaknesses in life. These potatoes...I would never, ever taste/eat again; rather steal off his plate again. The seasoning was like eating thyme right out of the McCormick's jar! He said, smother it with ketchup, it'll taste better. The man knows nothing about potatoes. I passed on his suggestion. Will I be back? Yes. Will I get the Orange Crème French Toast or their potatoes? Oh, *bleep* no. I'm even a little afraid to try their Cinnamon Roll French Toast. What if that comes out wet and soggy?!?!?!? Pray for me, y'all.
(3)
Louis J.
Food was decent, but waited an hour for it. Server asked if I wanted bread, I said yes, and she never brought it. By the time my food came I was starving. Not returning here. Plus, it seems to be a hangout for old people.
(2)
S R.
Amazing breakfast choices Cappuccino tastes better than starbucks Great service Highly recommend getting their muffins
(5)
Brittney M.
Let me start by saying I have been here several times and each time the service/ food quality has slowly declined. The service is HORRIBLE. We arrived, had 3 seperate waitresses walk past multiple times without stopping after 15 minutes and nearly walking out we finally got service.
(2)
Abeer H.
Very enjoyable experience!! Staff is super friendly and the food is fantastic!! Had breakfast there with a friend and we both can't wait to go back!!
(5)
Larissa M.
Love Mimi's Cafe. There food is the best homemade food that is that I have ever had. I few friends came into town & haven't ever been to Mimi's Cafe. So my momma and I took them to Mimi's. & they adored the food. U have to try the food & u will come back over & over again.
(5)
Maya M.
This is the first time I try this restaurant. I liked their outdoor seating. I tried the santa fe omelette and my husband tried the salmon Benedict, and we really enjoyed our meal. The food display was nice as well. But we got disappointed when we tried their french brioche. It wasn't fresh at all. The maple syrup was the sugar based and not the real 100% maple syrup. We also ordered orange juice and didn't like it's taste. So we asked the waitress to get us another cup of good oranges squeezed. She told us that they use boxed juice. So we exchanged our orange juice with an apple juice. When we ordered our check, the waitress brought us 2 free muffins as well and said that the restaurant wants to give us these muffins because it was our first time trying their restaurant. That was nice of them. But the muffins were very very oily :( I will come back again but just order from their main meals. I won't try any of their desserts again.
(4)
Natasha G.
Two of us came here recently as we were in the area and looking for a brunch/breakfast place. Upon walking in, it was awkward - no one greeted us at the door, so we stood there weirdly because we couldn't tell if we could grab a table ourselves or if we should wait for someone. This was around 10am on a Sunday, so I thought it would be crowded and we would be attended to quickly. Plus, the parking lot was so full! It was odd. Anyway, we were seated at a nice booth. I'll tell you what, the decor here cannot be beat - it feels very homey and cozy. You almost forget that you're in VA! We ordered the strawberries and cream waffles, cinnamon roll pancakes, coffee, and freshly-squeezed orange juice. The waffles were interesting, but there was too much filling, so the outside part got soggy quickly. The flavor was pretty one-note, which was disappointing. We were looking forward to the orange cream, but it was very faint and was overpowered by the strawberries. The cinnamon roll pancakes were fine. The fresh fruit was only grapes and oranges - I think that's kind of lame. When I said I wanted no meat, it's too bad that I couldn't get toast or something instead. Furthermore, the scrambled eggs were well-salted, but they were those flat kind, so they didn't seem real to me. Lastly, the orange juice, though freshly-squeezed, was translucent and reminded me too much of grocery store OJ. When I squeeze oranges, I get a clearer, dark orange juice. Our waitress was a tad slow. We got our drinks when we were halfway through the meal. I'm not sure if that's the kitchen's fault or the waitress's. Bottom line: this place isn't all that worth it. I was expecting more.
(2)
Amanda G.
i have no idea how i haven't found this place before now but it's absolutely going to become part of my weekend regime! the white peach mimosa is amazing, as is the iced mocha (THANK YOU MIMI FOR HAVING ICED MOCHA, BUT EXTRA BIG HUGE THANKS FOR MAKING IT DELICIOUS AS WELL!!!) i went out of my usual brunch range and got quiche lorraine....spectacular! i'll be back this weekend :)
(5)
Alan M.
Now I have had their breakfast before, and their omelets are pretty good. Their muffins are also badass. Today I went for Lunch, and ordered the Turkey Entre. It's like getting Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, and steamed broccoli. Very generous portion. It was only okay though. The mashed potatoes were good, but the gravy wasn't anything to write home about. If you want amazing gravied up mashed potatoes, it's hard to beat Popeyes, seriously. The stuffing must have been leftovers from the night before. Even if it wasn't, that's the impression that I got. Turkey was good though, and so was the broccoli, and cranberry sauce. Good portions, so-so flavor. I'll come back... for breakfast :)
(3)
Musa S.
Better than Cracker Barrel because the food seems fresher. Nice setup so you don't feel crowded. Generally a good experience overall.
(4)
Mellie B.
Very unsatisfactory today and normally I find them pretty decent. Here's why: 1. Ordered the Santa Fe Omelet. Asked for a side of fruit (in addition to the meal). The cup of fruit was almost $3 and consisted of no more than grapes with 4 teeny, tiny slivers of orange. Was expecting mixed fruit like they served in the past but they stopped serving mixed fruit cups a few weeks ago as I learned after the fact. I returned the "grapes" as I wasn't going to pay $3 for a handful of grapes. 2. I asked for an English Muffin but waitress forgot to bring it. So one of the managers brought it but didn't think to bring any jelly with it. 3. The waitress didn't bring any ketchup for the breakfast potatoes so had to ask for that. 4. The omelet was to have guacamole but only a teaspoon was on it so I asked if I could have a bit more since that's one of the featured ingredients. Waitress forgot to bring it so had to ask again. 5. For a 3 egg omelet it was the tiniest omelet I had ever seen plus it was overcooked and brown along the edges. No garnishment with the dish and stuff stuck on the side of the plate. 6. It's $2.99 for a glass of ice tea and no one bothered to refill so that was a waste too. This place used to be a madhouse to get into on Sunday at 12:30 but I got a table right away. For amost $11 for an omelet plus $3 for an ice tea, I would have expected better food and better service so it was a bit disappointing when they used to be so good. That picture here on Yelp where it shows you their Eggs Benedict and a cup of delicious, fresh mixed fruit is no longer available. The Eggs Benedict is but not that fruit cup.
(2)
Melissa N.
If my husband says it was one of the best experiences he's had, then five stars it is....if Mimi's Cafe impressed, then it must be a great place to stop and have a meal. It takes a LOT to impress him. Parking lot was full, and the outdoor patio was full, we were hesitant to walk in thinking that we would have to wait to be seated....wrong. Greeted at the door and was seated immediately, and no sooner being seated that our hot cups of wonderful coffee arrived...didn't have to wait for our food to arrive and it was wonderful! Husband had the fried chicken and waffles enough to to feed two people, I had the egg white vegetable omelet YUM! The Buttermilk muffin was the BOMB...that could have been breakfast in itself. While it may be 4 miles out of the way from Dulles Airport, Mimi's Cafe is totally worth the drive to have a pre flight meal instead of eating in the airport.
(5)
Joann B.
***Breakfast review*** This is your standard chain that can sometimes be good and sometimes be bad. I've been to this location three times and thankfully, they were all good. Pablo was our server and he made sure that we always had enough water, coffee, and whatever else we needed. On this visit, we shared the quiche lorraine (I love quiche), blueberry muffin, and cinnamon roll french toast. Although I think Mimi's quiches are small, they can still be filling - to the point that you might be able to squeeze in a dessert if you aren't splitting other dishes with your spouse! The quiche also came with a small ramekin of fresh fruit (strawberry, honey dew, cantaloupe). The quiche's crust was crumbly and well cooked. None of it was mushy. The blueberry muffin came piping hot and it was so soft/fluffy. Mimi touts this muffin to be lowfat. I'm not sure how low in fat, but you can definitely taste the sugar substitute in this. It's not bad, I love Mimi's muffins, I'm just saying it tasted like a sweet n low muffin. That is all. The cinnamon roll french toast was gooey goodness. It's sweet enough to not need any syrup at all. With the french toast, my husband ordered a side of corned beef hash. I love me some hash, but this version was uneventful and kind of bland. My husband said ketchup made it better, but I like my hash sans 'sauce.' Their coffee is good and it's nice to come here for a big, yummy muffin. I don't come here often, but I do usually think of their muffins fondly. Granted, I CAN go to Costco or Sam's Club and just pick up a box o' muffins, but it's just not the same. I have a soft spot for the Mimi's chain.
(4)
James M.
Not a stranger to Mimi's Cafe. 1st discovered Mimi's in Ca and delighted they are here in Virginia. The Dulles Town Center Mimi's continues the superb food selections, personalized 1st rate service at very reasonable prices. You should really treat yourself to a dinner or lunch and find your own reason to return to this great hidden gem of a restaurant! Shhh don't tell, walk right in for a quiet extremely enjoyable meal and pleasant clean atmosphere. Easily 5 stars.
(5)
Ashley B.
The atmosphere is pretty charming, the service was excellent and the food was the best. I had a lot of fun on my first visit and I intend on coming back with my boyfriend. I strongly recommend getting the brownies for dessert if you like chocolate!
(5)
Tisha B.
I've enjoyed a few last minute brunches with my two besties here. I really enjoy their Caesar Salad and even when I want to try something else, I find myself going for this instead. I try to avoid carbs as much as possible which is really a challenge because they are definitely known for their muffins. My little guy really enjoyed their pumpkin muffins and the carrot raisin ones as well. I allow myself to indulge in about a quarter of a muffin with a warm honey butter dollop and I am in heaven. Solid 3 Stars because their wait times have occasionally caused us to have to leave and go elsewhere because its not reasonable to make little ones wait 40 minutes for food. If this location finds a way to improve this, we might become even more regulars/
(3)
Donald F.
So today my wife and I decided to try out Mimi's cafe based on a recommendation of one her colleague. So the first thing that we found out is that this place also sales breakfast during dinner hours. They don't advertise it so if you are in the mood for breakfast you will have to specifically ask for the breakfast menu. Although I had that opportunity I decided to go with the dinner menu because I personally wasn't feeling like breakfast. Also we discovered that they offer happy hour Monday - Sunday from 4pm - 6pm which allows you to get some domestic beers, wines, and a few appetizers at a cheaper price. I ended up getting their beef sliders ($5 instead of $7.49) and I must say those things were delicious. They were a little on the greasy side but because they were so good I was willing to ignore that. They were one of the best sliders I have ever tasted. It didn't dawn on me to take a picture because they were very well presented. I ordered the three course meal for $13.99 and I got the Chicken Medeira (may have spelled that wrong....i was never good at spelling...lol) Crepes, Ceasar Salad, and Apple Cinnamon Crisp for my desert. Let me just say, everything that I ate was good. My wife also enjoyed her meal as well I don't remember what she ordered but she enjoyed it. With your meal you are also served different kinds of bread to eat. I felt the bread could have been warmer but they were still okay. Our server was very good and we didn't have any issues with him him thus we left him a pretty decent tip on a $40 meal. So when my wife and I were finished eating we had to ask for boxes because we still had so much food left over. As we were getting ready to depart after having that delicious meal, paying the check, and leaving the tip, the manager came over and introduced himself, he talked with us for a little bit and told us that because it was our first time at Mimi's he presented us with some complimentary muffins that they bake fresh daily. LIke a few of the other Yelper's have stated in their reviews and what you can see form the photos these muffins are big so of course my wife and I had to take them home. I can't speak for any of the other Yelpers that went to this restaurant but all I can say is that I enjoyed Mimi's and I will most definitely be going back and I recommend this place to anyone near the restaruant that needs a place to eat. Maybe the next time I'll try out one of their breakfast items.
(4)
Jeremy F.
Food was good but it took way to long! Sign on the door says help wanted, that is the truth. I've been to this place before and the food is great but this trip wasn't the best.
(2)
Tammy R.
I'm a flight attendant who decided to have a nice Easter dinner before starting my trip since I couldn't be with my family. I definitely picked the right place... this restaurant had a lovely dinner and the service was wonderful! I had never been here before and I'm not from the area but I stayed at a hotel nearby which I do frequently because I backup my trips, but I will definitely be coming back to this restaurant! Thanks for making my Easter a beautiful day
(5)
Danielle N.
Came here with my hunnie for a Valentine's Day breakfast and I enjoyed it! The Parisian atmosphere was perfect for the occasion. The food was good, nothing crazy but the mango mimosas definitely made up for that. I would recommend it if your in the mood for a fancy pantsy breakfast or brunch.
(4)
Matt C.
What a breakfast I didn't have! Arrived at 10am with my wife for breakfast. We were seated right away. Then that was it. After 10 minutes got our drinks and ordered. Then we waited....and waited. Everyone in our section of restaurant had drinks and no food. Nobody had any food!!! We left. Mimis has gone downhill in a big way.
(1)
Melissa K.
I ordered the tuna melt and it was tasteless. I haven't been here in a year and it has gone downhill. My daughter ordered the grilled cheese sandwich and the cheese tasted stale. Both of our sandwiches had this Parmesan crusted bread which really awful. The only good thing was the spiced muffin.
Very mediocre I just had the most mediocre meal at Mimi's Cafe. I used to love this unique restaurant for breakfast now it's not worth the time. Mimi's use to start the meal off with a really good warm muffin served with soft butter. The muffin I got today was served cold and had no flavor. An Easy Bake oven could do a better job. The omelet had a good flavor but looked terrible and the side of "mixed seasonal fruit" was a bowl of grapes. I won't go out of my way to go back to Mimi's anytime soon.
(2)
mark w.
I go here for breakfast with friends - they love this place. The service is great, the people are really friendly. The food is awful - I have tried pancakes (dry, tasteless), quiche (dry salty), scrambled eggs and sausage (dry eggs, manufactured precooked sausage, tasteless potatoes), cinnamon roll french toast (dry, better than the others), omelette (edible, nothing special). I recommend they get a morning cook with some expertise in frying eggs, making pancakes, etc.
(2)
Ana M.
Excellent customer service. Delicious food. Generous portions. Great warm and fresh bread and great selection of mimosas. Recommend to everybody
(5)
Lowell H.
Decent food. It's hard to pin down exactly what they are going for with the decor, but it's probably one of those pseudo-French bistros that has been Americanized. Weird, but nice. The food was tasty, the French onion soup was great, and the chicken pot pie that I ordered tasted like the one my mom used to make. The time before that, I had a great meatloaf sandwich that didn't seem to be on the menu the next time I came through. Definitely good, and if I was in the area I'd go back. Probably wouldn't go out of my way though.
(3)
P T.
Love their brunch !
(4)
Joshua D.
Well, it's kind of nice that Mimi's puts the calorie counts on the menu, now if only they had dishes under 1,000 calories! Strangely enough, the steak is one of the few options that won't set you back 10 lbs. Weird. So I ordered the steak, even though I'm not much of a beef eater. However, when a good steak is cooked right, I do love it once in a while. I ordered my steak medium... and it came out with a little stick in it that even said "MEDIUM." How anyone in the kitchen seriously could've stuck that in there with a straight face, I don't know. Not only was this tiny little steak basically a hockey puck, but also when I cut into it -- completely grayish brown. Not even a tiny hint of pink that could've qualified for medium well, much less the juicy, delicious medium steak I'd hoped for. My server acted like I was crazy for insinuating that the steak was well done. Lesson learned, they have no idea how to cook meat here. The only saving grace is the bread you get before your meal -- really good. Finally, I'd just like to say... Mimi's has a thing called a "baby baker" on the menu, which I am pretty sure is a womb.
(2)
Gary B.
I have been here a few times now and find my overall experience to be good. I find it odd that people post a review after one visit and or one bad experience. All businesses will have a bad day and you should give them another chance before writing such bad reviews. Pros Food is good especially during breakfast Good atmosphere Friendly servers and very attentive Good front of the house manager, checking on customers and fixing any issues, this is lacking across the food service industry Clean bathrooms Con's Little pricey, food is sold as a more fancy breakfast but an omelette is an omelette .
(4)
Marie N.
We went in today for lunch and I must say there were hardly any people at all so I was a bit surprised that it took a while before the server appeared. We immediately ordered our drink and meal at the same time. Muffins are fantastic - my table had the Carrot Raisin Nut and the Honey Bran. Both were served warm and were delicious! We all had salads. The bacon & bleu cheese salad was delicious - I did not get any meat with the salad. My friends had the Cobb salad and the Chopped Chicken salad and both really enjoyed them. For me there is something about this restaurant - it's not one of my top restaurants and I don't run to go there and I'm not sure why. Sometimes I feel like it's dirty, but it's not that I can see any dirt. Again not sure why. I usually enjoy when I'm there so I'm not sure why I don't go more often.
(3)
Elise M.
Food was so-so. Overpriced for what it was. Small portions. I would say this place was like an expensive and pretentious Cracker Barrel. Unless you're starving and already at the mall, I would look elsewhere.
(3)
Brenda M.
I have been here 3 times and everytime the food and service has been excellent!!! I can say it's one of my favorite breakfast places!!
(5)
Jessica C.
I've been there a few times for breakfast with family but was disappointed every time. After a while we stopped going and went for Chick-fil-a instead. I still have 2 stars because the service was decent most of the time.
(2)
Davies M.
I was reminded of the my recent trip to Orlando Florida when I stumbled upon this gem, here, i mean here in the DC metropolitan area in my sterling backyard in Dulles town center. Maybe it's just me but I have not seen a mimis Cafe anywhere near here except of course, you guessed right.. Florida. Well, I took a look at menu and the favs plus the most ordered items, like every food chain, that varies by locale. The food was great and the wait staff where in a joyful and cheerful end of year mood. I however, was overly excited maybe because it was mimis in DC or the feel of Florida had enveloped me even though It felt like 29 outside. For once I will be biased, the food was good, clean place happy people all perfect.... Ok I demand a rain check.... I will back for a more detailed description of all that counts without this 2014 end of year hoopla woopla... My reviews on mimis have always been positive and I owe it to them, great breakfast and lunch dinner chain, real competition for ihop and local diners. Welcome to DC and have a crowded 2015.
(4)
Megan C.
I agree with a handful of other Yelpers that Mimi's is really hit-or-miss. I am not a fan of chain restaurants, but sometimes on a weekend, it's just the easiest way to score some breakfast/brunch without waiting hours at the local non-chain spots. I also normally end up here because the fiance has a "thing" for their muffins and bread, so if that's your thing too, so be it. Service is extremely spotty and don't expect rapid refills or for your order to be filled correctly. Between the food runners and random managers bringing food, it's hard to actually get everything you ordered. Seems to be a good place for kids and families based on the consistency with which you will hear screaming and high chairs. It's not the easiest spot to be satiated if you're a semi-health nut or want to avoid super high sodium or want spicy food. However, I've found my middle ground here with the "Five Alarm Santa Fe Egg White Omelette" which is actually decent an includes jalapenos and a tasty chipotle sauce, and no cheese/meat (although there is a non-egg white version that does include cheese). Usual cons: spotty service, bizarre servers, lots of kids, sticky tables, lack of healthy options Usual pros: convenient when there's not a wait, free muffins for the muffin fans, acceptable coffee, reasonable prices
(2)
Jordan K.
Love the quality of the food here. Something a bit different from surrounding options. Home cooked feel, and great staff.
(5)
Lorilynn R.
This is a great place for breakfast and the staff is super friendly. Great food however $5 for a bowl of oatmeal is a bit much. It's a huge restaurant and seating is easy, at least on a Sunday morning. Very cool in the Jazz/N'orleans theme.
(4)
Noel B.
I come to the one at Dulles Towne Center every time I am here on business. I sit at the bar, have a glass of wine and some dinner. Food is very good. Service is very good. Value is excellent. I always come back even though I am not a huge fan of chain restaurants-- this one is pleasantly predictable. I will keep coming back!
(4)
Jack K.
Eh, not so hot this time. The waitress disappeared for extended periods of time and we had to wait for our check. My wife's avocado and bacon omelet was excellent, but my cinnamon bun french toast was stale. The portions were surprisingly small and my coffee went un-refilled.
(2)
Colleen M.
The Mister and I first went to Mimi's on a Wednesday night after very long work days for both of us. We were served quickly and enjoyed the meal. The raspberry sweet tea wasn't overly sweet. The complementary bread was tasty and warm. The French onion soup was served in reasonable portions and had a lovely amount of cheese on top of it. I had the chicken pot pie, which was so huge I had it for dinner the following night as well. The Mister enjoyed - and finished - his chicken cordon bleu. The bill was surprisingly low and we enjoyed the experience. Reviewing it then, I would have given it four stars. But I like to go to a place more than once before I Yelp it. We went back for brunch this Saturday and it was like a completely different restaurant. We were seated immediately, but it was a solid ten minutes before a server came over. She seemed very confused that we were ready to order. The waitress was completely out of it the entire time. She eventually returned with our drinks. The orange juice was fine. The grapefruit juice was more of a fruit cocktail. The coffee was terrible - required two creams and a sugar to make it at all tolerable. We waited a very long time for our food. Eventually, the waitress came back and started a conversation with the table next to us, who appeared to be very good personal friends of hers. She spent a solid five minutes gossiping with them, her back to us. And we sat there, positive that our food was going to be stone cold. About three minutes after she finished her conversation, another server dropped our food off. My French toast was dried out and it, as well as my eggs, were at room temperature. The turkey sausage was a few degrees warmer. The Mister's French dip was bland, cold and had more gristle than meat. The waitress swung by again for another 5-7mn session with the table next to us. It was incredibly frustrating to get crummy service and cold food while our waitress took the opportunity to catch up with old friends. A table a few feet away from us with the same waitress clearly complained about their own food being cold and terrible, as a manager showed up and loudly, profusely apologized while replacing and comp'ing their food. I thought about complaining, but I was hungry and I just wanted out of there. I didn't want a gift card because I didn't really want to go back. Brunch was terrible. Dinner had been good. If you want to try Mimi's, I recommend avoiding a rush. Maybe your food will be better then.
(2)
Wells M.
Let me start off by saying the service was great. However the food was just okay and overpriced in my opinion.
(2)
Ellie R.
Only go here if you've been in the desert for a week with no food. The food here is a GIANT disappointment. It's all the cheapest quality imaginable. I ordered the chicken pot pie, which tasted okay, but I'm not convinced it wasn't Stouffer's. My son had spaghetti with marinara. It tasted like someone had a convulsion and dumped the entire jar of garlic powder in his spaghetti sauce. Horrid, with no flavor besides, oh yeah, melt-your-face-off garlic. My husband had a burger, which was dry and awful. Again, no flavor. When I mean poor quality food, I mean it's like they microwave everything. Also, I don't know what's up with the "ambiance" in there. I was disturbed. It's like New Orleans mated with a French poodle and then exploded all over the dining room. The decorations are strange and not cohesive, the menu is all over the map, the food is TERRIBLE and the service was sub-standard. Also, it was dinnertime, and we were the only people in there besides one other family. It was like a mausoleum in there. That never bodes well for fresh food... Mimi's - avoid at all costs.
(1)
Greg M.
Mimi's roped us in several times for their decent breakfasts. We're constantly on the hunt for good breakfast places in NoVA - there seems to be a real dearth of them. Our standout among few is the First Watch chain. Here's the bottom line on this copy of the popular Mimi's Chain - good food, high prices, very spotty service. My favorite is always a meaty omelet or scramble with lots of veggies. My mouth is already watering thinking about it. My problem is that most breakfast foods are relatively cheap to produce - leaving the restaurant overhead and profit to account for the rest of the price - so seeing the prices charged here always makes me wince - you're paying for convenience, but that's about it. The service at this copy is extremely spotty - I believe this last time was due to an overloaded waitress, which is certainly the restaurants' fault - if you don't have enough staff at that time; you ought to close down tables. However it is always packed here. That is why we've chosen to remove Mimi's from our rotation. Good food, but at the price and with shoddy service, just can't justify it. The rookie servers at First Watch with better food at better prices is where you'll find me for breakfast out.
(2)
Vampy J.
Love the breakfast and brunch came for dinner...it's good. The Brie appetizer pretty darn good and I don't like Brie. Really good solid food taste good but like I said usually come for brunch and breakfast which is why I gave 4 star dinner is 3 but I eat brunch here more.
(4)
Charlie R.
Went to Mimi's today with family. Did'nt wait that long to be seated since it was'nt too busy. Did have to wait a little more than usual to get out waiter to take our drink order. I go often to Mimi's and the service is either hit or miss, I can tell you that there are some waiters that have some sense of urgency, while others you will have to ask for what you want and remind them to refill drinks. Food is really delicious, their muffins are some of the best I've tasted. So if you don't mind being a little patient I think it's worth giving it a try.
(3)
Cindy E.
Love this place. Had them cater out Thanksgiving & everyone was so happy. Their bread is amazing! Their brunch is my favorite. :)
(4)
Alicia K.
We went after church and it was pretty crowded but service was still timely and the food was spot on. I loved that they serve a small roll with the salad. Very good menu and prices!
(5)
Mike B.
This is one of those places that has decent food, but they are just so busy and the staff does not seem to care about taking pride in the work. The menus are covered in grease and the tables are never really clean. The nice cloth napkins had a long hair mixed in the with silverware.
(2)
Ron W.
Big fan- stumbled upon Mimis on my way to work. I travel constantly so I never know what's good nearby! Inside the restaurant feels like a much more expensive establishment, but you can get a solid breakfast for 8-12$. Great coffee and every visit I've had has had very friendly and quick staff.
(5)
Mark L.
My wife and I came here looking for a regular place we could frequent. This is definitely not a place we will ever return to. My biggest complaint is after we were seated, we were never acknowledged by a server and ended up walking out 15-20 minutes after no one came to take our drink order. Ok, I understand it was semi-busy, but not even being acknowledged by a waiter saying "Ill be with you in a moment" would have sufficed. There was no question that the restaurant was understaffed. I was a waiter throughout college and I notice things like that. The managers were doing way more work than they are supposed to be doing. Other tables around us looked pretty impatient. The odd thing was, the restaurant wasn't even that busy. There was an entire section closed off, and we were seated right away. For anyone trying to dine out at a chain on a Saturday night in Northern, VA knows that a wait is certain. I gave this play 2 stars instead of 1 for the benefit of the doubt since we didn't end up eating here. I would say only eat here for breakfast or brunch and be expected to have to wait.
(2)
Bhavna C.
Horrible food! Untrained waiter. Awful taste of food icludinng mashed potatoes tasted like sh*** Kids hated food there.. over fried chicken and tasteless salad. Stay away from this place:(
(1)
Jason D.
Love this place and would eat here more often BUT service is awful. They don't speak English and then talk in another language laughing which makes me uncomfortable. It's happen so many times I'm going to write the company. I can't even call and place a to go order because they can't understand me. The girl that took my order called back to ask if I wanted the sandwich or the meal even though I had specifically asked her about the mashed potato and gravy. Evidently they made the sandwich because when I arrived 15-20 mins later I had to wait 15 more minutes to get my food then had to check it and ask for bread. They were so unconcerned. I won't be back for a long time if ever again. It's just like pulling teeth to place a to-go order which I hate and have no time for. It should be easy and the food should be ready. It's ashame because it's a cool place and good food for the most part. I'm leery now though.
(1)
Brian S.
Its my favorite eatery...
(5)
Tina M.
I was warned by a friend, this place was not good, when I told her my parents wanted to go there for a family dinner. I thought... how bad can it be if I get something like a hamburger. Blech... sorry I wasted calories and $100. :( I had a hamburger, which I asked for no pickles or thousand island dressing. Guess what it came with. I picked it off and put aside the 'contaminated' bread. The server asked to have it re-fired, but I said not to bother. A discount on the check would have made this slightly more bearable, but nope... none of that. The burger was not good. The only thing really edible was the avocado. We had ordered calamari as an app. I've never had such bad calamari. Clearly it's mass produced frozen junk... and it tasted worse than it looked. I ate 1 piece. I'm no fan of chain restaurants by any means, but really, they don't need to be THIS bad! And the cost of the food is a joke! I could have gotten MUCH better food going to a chain like Sweetwater. Heck... Chilis is better. Sorry... but avoid at all cost. There are much better options for less, even if you're into the chain type restaurants.
(1)
Chris K.
This place is hit or miss. The menu items are a little more interesting than an average diner, but the execution falls short. Pros: interesting menu when done right, the food can be pretty good. okay for kids Cons: slow service (as others have said, food frequently comes out cold) menu not good for people who want to eat healthy In short, worth a visit if you're not in hurry, are willing to load yourself up on empty carbs, and are feeling lucky.
(2)
Steve T.
Never knew this place existed until yesterday. It was decently priced foods with generous portions. I got the 3 course special, which was for $14-15 or so. It comes with soup or salad, entree, and a mini-dessert. I made the mistake of trying every piece of bread when it came out. Probably one of the best bread selections I've ever had. I was full before my corn chowder soup came out. Whenever I see a 3 course special, I get worried that it'll be such a smaller portion that it wouldn't be filling. This was definitely not the case. The butternut squash and shrimp ravioli was so filling to the point that I was giving it away to others at the table. After sinning all night with gluttony, the mini-dessert is the perfect nail in the coffin. Small enough so it looks doable to finish, but big enough to make you regret finishing it off. The wait staff was great too. This is a great place to get a solid dinner at a reasonable price. The only reason why this place doesn't get 4 stars is it's a family-style restaurant, so you'll probably hear a crying baby in the background.
(3)
Phyllis S.
I have been to Mimi's many times but the last three times were memorable for bad coffee, too much noise and generally food which was substandard. I do believe it started going downhill just in the last 4 months as prior to today, I had no complaints at all. The coffee tasted burnt, eggs were overdone, sausage was not done enough. The one good thing I can say was that our wait staff (Flor) was attentive and apologized when we had to ask for hot tea to replace the awful coffee. I Guess Mimi's is now off my list of places to eat breakfast on a weekend and lunch on any other day. Sorry guys!!
(1)
Sue G.
Our server kept filing our water glasses so I'm giving it 2 stars instead of 1. The food was not acceptable. I had a quiche - the crust was soggy, the quiche was barely warm, and the only flavor it had was flour. No flavor of cheese - just flour. I barely ate half and my server asked if I wanted a box. I said no thanks, it tasted pretty terrible, and she said okay and walked away. Some woman walked the tables and said hello to us but didn't identify herself as a manager and nor did she ask how our meal was. If she had, I would have told her. My friend had a sandwich on a not-very-fresh roll. Very disappointing for the $ charged.
(2)
Eastie T.
It was a long time i've been there... but felt this restaurant is worth writing a review. We had the hand breaded chicken tenders for appetizer, they were pretty soft and delicious a few drinks ... and for Entree Crispy parmesan crusted chicken.. the portions were heavy and we did take back some home.. the seafood fettucini was nice... they maintained a good flavor on the pasta on the whole.. I really liked the ambience, the sound level was low and the music was nice... The service was good, but they got us a table in front of the Kitchen door, which made us feel a little discomforted..
(4)
Juicy G.
Before writing this review, we tried Mimi's Cafe twice - Once for breakfast, and once again for dinner. Our first visit was for breakfast. The place wasn't crowded, and all and all it was very cozy, and quiet. Our server was polite, attentive, and relatively fast. When she first came to our table, she asked if we had ever been to Mimi's before. When we told her, "No," she took the time to highlight some of their menu features such as the fresh baked muffins, and seasonal pumpkin pancakes. Overall, our only complaint about the food was the potatoes. They were a mix match of cooked and slightly raw ones, which didn't make for a very tasty combination. At the end of our meal the manager actually came to the table and informed us that she was made aware that this was our first time to Mimi's, and presented us with two complimentary fresh baked muffins to go. When she asked how everything was, we told her about the potatoes, and she said she would talk to the kitchen to ensure it didn't happen again. We returned a few days later to try them for dinner. For me, dinner was fabulous. I had a tasty pasta dish - Artichoke Asiago Chicken Spaghettini, that had a very creamy, and very delicious sauce, as well as a nicely fried chicken breast. My friend ordered a burger that she didn't particularly enjoy. This was mainly due to what appeared to be fried bread being used as opposed to just a regular bun. Service was slightly slower than during breakfast, but in the server's defense, it was also busier in the restaurant. I was happy with my meal, and will gladly return to Mimi's for a third meal. I saw several other items I would like to try, and certainly wouldn't mind having some more of the pasta I ate. My friend on the other hand may take some convincing. ***UPDATE*** Tried Mimi's again for breakfast over the holiday. Potatoes were raw again. Won't be going back for breakfast anymore.
(3)
Desiree P.
I completely love Mimi's!!! The mimosas are amazing. You get your own personal bottle of champagne, so they don't skimp on what makes a mimosa a mimosa. The muffins here are to die for....they're always seasonal, hot, and delicious. Mimi's takes a bit of a french style New Orleans approach to their food. I usually get the crab cake eggs benedict (which is available until 2 pm on weekends). My husband and I always take our parents here when they come to visit. It's a sure thing to please everyone. The service is always amazing. They do tend to have a wait (because they're so good), but you can make a reservation which I'd recommend. Go if you get a chance!
(5)
Ben M.
We've visited this establishment every weekend for many years and have always loved the food and service. After a year of not visiting we came back today for a late lunch with our 3 year old and asked for her usual side of fruit with just cantelopes because that's all she eats. The GM had to personally refuse to do that because it was their "policy". When I indicated we had been coming here for years and have always done this, he said that since the menu was changed a year ago, the fruit is all pre - packaged and so he can't do anything. I have no issue for a legitimate reason (this isn't one in my opinion but I could have understood if explained politely). This guy was just plain rude. So, if you want to have a great meal, go here. If you want a great experience, avoid the GM. My suggestion to the org is to keep him away from customer interaction!
(1)
William R.
My wife and I decided we try Mimi's for breakfast since we hadn't gone out for breakfast in a long time. When we arrived, shortly after 9 AM on Sunday, the place was crowded, and we had to wait about 10 minutes, which wasn't too bad. The large crowd may be partially to blame on recent severe storms that shut-down other competing restaurants in the area because of no power. After we were seated, we were served drinks and coffee promptly. However, it took about 10 minutes before the waiter returned to take our order. The wait for the food was a little longer than desired, approximated 25 minutes from the time we ordered, but I just chocked that up to the restaurant being busy. THE ONE STAR - The biggest disappointment was the food. It was cold, cold eggs and my whole wheat toast was stale, hard as a brick, like it was prepared the night before. Wife's scrambled egg meal was equally cold. Not sure what happen, possibly the server forgot about us while our food sat ready in the kitchen. Anyway, we won't be going back to Mimi's anytime soon for breakfast, though I've had lunch at Mimi's twice and it's been pretty good.
(1)
Ruth C.
Service was friendly and decor was on par with a chain restaurant, complete with a small bar with TV. The Creole style jambalaya was filling, and the celery, peppers, and onions all tasted fresh. Their variation substituted rice with penne pasta, which was cooked al dente and paired well with the tomatoey medley. With so little sauce I was pleasantly surprised that the pasta didn't dry itself out. Chicken was a bit dry but the sausage, shrimp, and pork were done just right. Portioning was big enough for me to split it into two meals, but honestly I've had better jambalaya out of grocery store delis. I was more impressed by the inclusion of table bread in the takeout bag, though I wish there had been more savory slices than sweet. If I came back I'd be happy to buy their baked goods.
(3)
Jennifer M.
If we want to go out and spend some time chatting over breakfast, brunch, or lunch, Mimi's is the place we always go. Especially if we have guests. Decor is nice, yet casual, lending to a very unassuming and comforting atmosphere. And there's always enough chatter not to have to worry about your own conversation volume. We love that Mimi's offers more controlled portions and healthier food options. Their muffins are huge (big enough to share) yet moist. I usually get the Quiche Lorraine or the Chicken Pot Pie. Both always come out piping hot! I once got the petite citrus salmon lunch special and it definitely was not up to my usual standards, definitely a diet menu item. My usual is more than good enough to keep me content. Once, there was a strange piece of chicken (bitter and dark) in my pot pie. It took a while to get the attention of the waiter (I finished my pot pie besides that strange piece of meat) because it was sooooo busy and we were hidden in the corner table. However, he was nice enough to comp my pot pie and gift us with a pack of their fresh baked muffins.They have great service. They have pretty good coffee and I also love their fresh orange and grapefruit juice. Yummy.
(3)
Alexa M.
Been here twice now and the food is very good, the service is OK. The first time I went our waiter got backlogged due to a large party which was sat right after us. Our food came out much later than theirs and his attention was mainly focused on them. That said, the food was good and the atmosphere is nice. (Although it was bitterly cold on a blustery January day. ?) The second time we went the food was again good, waitress seemed on top of things, manager even came over to great us and offer us muffins (?). We got home though and the food we had ordered to go for a member of our party who was at home looked literally like dog food. It had been mutilated by the kitchen staff and was unedible. We called back this gregarious manager and he promised to refund us for the manhandled food. This was a week ago. No refund yet. We will be following up. In any event, who knew you should check separately ordered to-go items prior to leaving? Like ordering from a fast food place, I guess, one must "double-check" the order one is taking to-go so as to make sure it is not wrong or worse, unedible. This all said, the food is really quite good. The "deals" on week nights regarding 1/2 price wine bottles, $2 off starters, $2 off beer and wine glasses can make for a nice evening. Highlights: blackened chicken blue cheese quesadillas, hummus starter, French Quarter sandwich, wedge salad, kids meals Avoid (IMHO): jambalaya, pasta dishes, flatbread pizza
(3)
Julie S.
Ewwww...went back to Mimi's last night after about a year hiatus of not being there - no real reason other than other places were higher on the list to go to. Mimi's just did a HUGE menu change effective 11/1/13 according to our server because of a corporate buyout/new owner. As soon as we pulled into the now deserted parking lot, that should have been our clue to NOT stop. They took away numerous menu offerings and increased the prices. Gone are the quiche for dinner and specialty deals (like salad/meal/mini dessert for a decent price. Prices were $10.99 - $18.99 per meal with a 2.00 fee for a salad or cup of soup. I actually asked our server where the rest of the menu was since there were only a few offerings and some dinner salads/sandwhiches/burgers, and that's how we got the story of the change. It appears they want to move to a more "upscale" type menu (also meaning higher prices) because everything on this menu was named something in french except their turkey dinner (whereas previously there were a few french named items.) We had the Coq au Vin and the Pasta Carbonara à la Mimi's. The Coq au Vin was tasty. The Pasta Carbonarra was very salty and the sauce was like a gravy NOT a cream sauce...weird. I doubt we will be back and actually don't think that the chain will make it (at least in this area)....the NEW menu just isn't a hit for us. Definitely check it out online before you go....http://www.mimiscafe.com/Dinner.aspx Hubby enjoyed his meal, I did not. It gets 2 stars because the food came out quickly and the service was good, but we are not fans and won't be going there again.
(2)
Rob L.
We recently returned to Mimi's after taking a 10 year hiatus from our first experience. We were surprised to find that it is a "French" menu and maybe that is common knowledge but surprised us a bit. No biggie. The service started out great but ended on such a sour note that I'm still puzzled and dismayed by it. More on that in a minute. First the food. Our son's kid's meal was plain bad. He got chicken fingers and fries, typical kids meal that you can't mess up right? wrong. The fries were fine but his chicken was so overcooked he could barely chew through it and it got so bad we forbade him from eating the last chicken "finger" which was no bigger than my pinky. I had the beef dip "LeBuff" style with onions, peppers and cheese. Had this come out when it was ready it probably would have been great, but it obviously sat a long time before being served to me. The bun was completely soggy and the fries were colder than cold and wrinkly (fries on my son's meal were warm and crisp). This was disappointing to say the least. It did come with ample roast beef and the au jus was just fine. But the sogginess of the bun made it just fall apart and difficult to eat, not to mention who wants to eat a soggy bun? (before I intentionally make it soggy in the au jus!). My wife's meal was chicken breast over mashed potatoes with a very dark sauce and peas (not sure what this is was called). The chicken she said was super tender and good but the sauce was just too rich, too strong for her. The waiter checked on us and refilled drinks as expected. It wasn't until we were finished did things fall apart here. Our table was never cleared when we were done and we waited for quite a while to get the bill. Once the bill came he returned to get the credit card and we waited some more. He then brought bread to 3 other tables. Took orders at those other tables. Still waiting. He then left the floor for a few minutes and returned with more food for a table. Took another order. Refills for someone else. We were beginning to think he forgot about us. It just kept going on and we're just left here staring at our dirty plates! I was just getting ready to stand up when he finally emerged with our cc and bill to sign. What happened? Service was great until that point! As it turns our our 10 year absence from Mimi's wasn't long enough. We'll try it in another 10.
(2)
Corey H.
Good food, they recently changed their hours they close at 9 on weekdays and 10 on Friday Saturday
(4)
Pooja K.
My Mexican inspired eggs were very good and big enough portion. It came with a lemon poppy seed muffin which was good bc it came right out of the oven. Our server was very nice and kept refilling our coffee..which would have been a good thing, however, the coffee was terrible.. not the way I like to start my morning ! We were seated immediately and noticed that for patrons waiting to be seated, free carrot cake squares were available for them to snack on. Prompt service for a sunday morning, def recommend ( besides the coffee part, which i assume is a hit or miss at tons of places) .
(4)
A E.
My family went here Friday afternoon for dessert and coffee. We did not know this is a chain store, but something pulled us. It was interesting interior - New Orlenes/Jazz related. Since in-between time(lunch and dinner) we could have a table very quickly. We ordered a three small desserts in one plate and chocolate fudge cake. Both of them were so tasty and we fell in love instantly. Server was very friendly. Price was not so bad. Bathroom was very clean. We are planning to go back there very soon.
(4)
Carolyn B.
We love Mimi's! Always on the hunt for a good breakfast restaurant, we stepped into Mimi's on their opening weekend two years ago. We've been back nearly every Saturday since. While we have been to Mimi's for dinner and I do occasionally get there for lunch, I really feel that Mimi's Cafe is at its best for breakfast. The breakfast menu is far larger than any other I've seen in the area and that means there is something for everyone. The Eggs Benedict Florentine is my definite favorite but on the rare instance that I'm feeling especially decadent, the Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs is a real treat. The prices are decent and the portions are huge. Most meals come with a choice of fruit or potatoes, choice of juice and a muffin in addition to your meal. If you go home hungry from Mimi's it is definitely all your fault. Last but not least we feel that the wait staff at Mimi's are some of the best in the area with just the right combination of "friendly and professional". Viva Mimi's!
(4)
Lily H.
MUFFINS!!! Mimi's Cafe is an awesome place to start the day as some of the breakfast entrees have a free muffin and small juice included. Even if a muffin isn't included, I'll still order one because it's the highlight of my meal. The muffins are served fresh and warm, firm on the tops and soft and fluffly on the inside...perfect. I just wish Mimi's Cafe wasn't so far from me... On other note, the staff was friendly and the service was great.
(4)
Amanda B.
I had a very pleasant time at Mimi's and the manager was very welcoming. The person that took our drink orders was rushing, it was obvious he was about to be off the clock because moments later a waitress came. She was very friendly and talked to us about a few of the meals. I got the 3 course dinner, Cesar salad, chicken covered w/mushrooms and mash potatoes, and a brownie w/ice cream for $13.99. The chicken was delicious but I was full off the bread they brought before hand which was good too! lol My boyfriend took the survey on the receipt and we ended up getting 2 free muffins. In addition to that because it was our first time there, the manager gave us two more. I thought that was so cool. I get so use to going out to eat and being rushed in and out and I felt like I had the restaurant to myself, very relaxing-chill type environment. lol The muffins were good, I wouldn't say the bomb but maybe I'm not a muffin kind of girl. Although my boyfriend said, the carrot cake flavor was GREAT but the low fat blueberry wasn't good at all.
(3)
Chris B.
I've only eaten lunch and dinner here. One of the best things about this place is that it is far better than the one-dimensional chains that surround it. Good overall selection from a somewhat varied menu. Most of the food I've had has been above average. The chicken and pasta dishes are usually very good. The beef and sandwiches are ok. The prices are good for what you get. The service I've had has been very good, although I've never been there on a really busy night. Two bad items. First, the salads, especially side & caesar, are weak. Second their version of "beignets" are seriously bad. Skip them.
(3)
Rhonda C.
Not good for dinner! We went last night. Food was terrible, plain dry meat, no flavor at all. (a little spice with pepper taste & garlic they said was there) I had the sirloin steak on special menu (comes with salad or soup. And ice cream for dessert. Ask for salad with dressing on side, too much put on top!) and I added the crab cake for $2 more. Crabcake greasy, small fried nothing. Like a potato pancake. Not worth a penny!! My husband had pot roast. Same plain, no taste. He didn't even eat the dry mashed potatoes and usually he loves them elsewhere. This place made logans & texas roadhouse look like premium steak houses!! They are so much better then here. Don't waste your money at Mimis. Atleast not for dinner! Wish we had not eaten here, not worth what we paid at all. Only good thing, my daughter had chocolate chip pancakes that looked ok so maybe good for breakfast only? And good fruit came with it. Also great bread also comes before meal. Some desert type breads too. But we paid too much just for good bread. ($40 with tip) Maybe just carry out bread in future. That is all I would eat here!! Not going back again. Atmosphere very nice, so we thought food would be good. Oh well.
(1)
Christine H.
Been here a few times...probably was my last...service was rushed, drinks were not refilled...food is/was generally ok, what do you expect for chain resto food, 1 step above shoney's...what annoyed me this time was my sister signed up for the 2 breakfast for 1 special via email...when we asked our server if we could use it, she rolled her eyes and said, it starts on TUESDAY?! It says it on the email...and she never followed up once she took our order... Look, I guess chicks with scrunchies who work at Mimi's feel entitled to talk to non-scrunchie chicks like that...uh no thanks.
(1)
RJ S.
I don't feel I can give this a thorough review - since we've eaten here, we've been on a healthier diet... so we tend to always order the same "healthy" meals. But that being said, I'm thrilled they have healthy options. The dinner's we've had have tasted good, seem consistent and again - healthier options. I was very leery to try them for breakfast, because we had a bad experience at the Mimi's in Arizona (when we lived there) but because breakfast places are few and far between here in Sterling we decided to try them for breakfast, and so glad we did. Again they had a healthy option for a omelet and it was delicious! They are known for the muffins and they are soooo good - though we split one to keep the calories down. It's one of our regular places to eat, we're always promptly seated, the service has been great, the food has been good.
(3)
Tom T.
Great bread!!! Came here for dinner and was impressed, will come again
(4)
Mark S.
Cheaper than IHOP, you get a fresh baked (LARGE!) muffin with almost every meal and you get free orange juice. IHOP gives you pancakes.. but a large fresh muffin (of your choice) and orange juice is what i prefer. Also the servings seem pretty big.
(5)
Bam S.
I have driven by this place so many times and always said I want to go there! I finally did and, oh boy! Not good. I had the french onion soup to start, not good. I didn't even have to blow on it to eat it. The cheese was not they way it should have been and I almost needed a knife to cut the piece of bread that was in there. The taste was actually okay though. Next I had some artichoke chicken spaghetti. The picture looked great in the menu and the description sounded great! It was a thin overly breaded and over cooked piece of chicken smothered in artichoke on top of spaghetti with asparagus tips and ends. For desert I had the Cinnamon benyays filled with something. Way too much Cinnamon on these tiny things they call benyays. The dipping sauces they had was a nice touch. I don't know. I had such high hopes for this place and left sadly disappointed. I'm still curious though and will maybe hold out for breakfast one day.
(2)
Krsna V.
My tryst with suburbia continues. Someone save me from this "world" and get me out of here. Weird place with weird service. I was taken to Mimis by family who said I have to try their muffins. Wha? They serve muffins for lunch? Come again?? Who serves muffins along with your lunch? That should have been a warning to stay away from this place. But, I relented and hopped in the suburban mobile (a SUV) for a ride. And mind you, I hate muffins. So, being a team player, I joined the rest to make my mom-in law happy and we all went to Mimis. The wait wasn't too bad, it may have been 10 minutes. All 6 of us were seated in a booth that is fit for 4 people. We were not going to rescind our seating and wait for another 30 minutes 'cos every single one of us was starving by that time. So, we all cram in to the booth. Our waiter, Brandon, was a character....and I do not mean that in a good way. He sounded and acted like he was a theater actor...too animated, and dramatic. By the end of his "speech", my partner was looking at him with a stunned expression on his face. We order different items and they are nothing worth talking about. MY father-in-law and I had the enchiladas which were devoid of any flavor. My partner had an Asian pear salad which was OK, my mom-in-law had a quiche Lorraine which came with a lot of fruit on the side, my sis-in-law had a walnut salad with dried fruits, and my brother-in-law had the French onion soup. We were also served buttermilk spice and pumpkin spice muffins. My partner took a bite out of the pumpkin spice muffin and pushed the plate away. The butter milk spice muffins were OK. My brother-in-law asked for bread along with this french onion soup that never arrived. Our waiter Brandon did not bother to check on us even once after serving our food...he was too busy talking to other people and being a character. He comes in the end, after our plates were cleared by another waiter to ask if we want the check and any drink refills. I mean, come one now....did you finally find time to get away from amusing other people and ask if anyone of us need another glass of water or ice tea? Get it together dude! Overall, below average food with above average prices and crappy service. Stay away!
(2)
Jenny Y.
Came here on a Thursday for a farewell luncheon for a co-worker (about 10 people). Arrived around 11:30am. None of us had been there before and were originally going to Olive Garden but changed plans at the last min since this location was closer to work. We were promptly seated and placed our orders soon after. Then we played the waiting game. Granted, a lot of the tables were occupied but it seemed no one in the restaurant had their food. Don't know if the kitchen was short-staffed but restaurants need to be prepared for this type of rush. What was supposed to be a 1-1.5 hour lunch turned into 2 hours. I am a pasta lover so I ordered the Petite Seafood Fettuccine (one of their signature dishes - $10.49) Sorely disappointed. The portion was small and the sauce was oily. I only ate it b/c I was hungry and eating for two (8 months pregnant). I was not impressed by the looks of my co-workers dishes: Slow Roasted Turkey Breast, BBQ Pork Sliders. They said the food was "just okay." Our whole table was complaining about the slow service the whole time. They never refilled my drink. We said we'd never come eat here again. I tipped 15% when I usually tip 20%... and I only gave that much b/c I was a waitress in high school and feel bad for giving lousy tips.
(1)
Stuart V.
After not coming here for over 5 years, I went here with family and friends and my experience here the second time was much better than first. I got the bloody mary, corn chowder, and fish & chips. All were very tasty. Service was polite and attentive.
(4)
Autumn W.
This restaurant was a favorite when they opened but lately it's been a disappointment. The wait staff seems poorly trained, the management has been argumentative with customers, and the food is frequently underwhelming. It's one of the few places that offers brunch and so I hope things will turn around.
(2)
Gary S.
Mimi's is a restaurant without an identity. Most restaurants have one or two dishes where you just say to yourself, wow, this is this restaurant's specialty or signature dish. There are many, many items on the menu at Mimi's, but nothing that I would call anywhere close to spectacular. It's as if this restaurant is attempting to cater to everyone, but failing miserably by attempting to do so. I also don't know where the the French cuisine tie-in that they attempt to sell, as nothing that I saw on their menu was anything close to authentic French cuisine. We stopped going to Mimi's for dinner a few years ago after my wife ordered the chicken cordon bleu and I made the mistake of ordering a steak. Their take on chicken cordon bleu was nothing short of an abortion and the steak was tough and had so much spices on it, that it was inedible. However, we still do frequent Mimi's a few times a month for breakfast (how badly can you screw up breakfast?) as the service is usually efficient and as many have stated below, the muffins are just fantastic. All in all a better place for breakfast, but nothing ground breaking for the dinner crowd.
(2)
Amy L.
Although the service is spotty, I really like their food. I had four cheese quiche with sun dried tomatoes & bacon - yummy! Their muffins are amazing & you can't go wrong with any except the low-fat blueberry which tastes like chemicals. I had today's seasonal flavor, pumpkin, a real winner.
(4)
Lester K.
No, it's not run by Mimi from the Drew Carey Show. I looked around. Twice. Didn't see her anywhere in sight. I chose to get the French Onion Soup, Spinach and cheese dip, and meatloaf for lunch with some co-workers. I didn't find the food remarkably memorable nor do I remember what my co-workers got as it was that non-memorable. I do, however, find the price to be higher than I'd like to spend on lunch and I do remember the portions not matching up to the size I'd expect for the price. The soda was bubbly. After my first foray here, I turned down an invitation to go back for someone's good-bye lunch here. I don't see any trip here in the near nor far future.
(2)
Matt V.
to the tall, tall, tall young male host that sat us LEARN HOW TO MOVE YOUR MOUTH....ENUNCIATE YOUR WORDS SO PEOPLE CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT THE F**K YOU ARE TRYING TO SAY. that being said, our waiter rocked...great suggestions, attentive friendly service. I'd come back for that alone
(3)
Rohan L.
I've been here only for the Sunday Brunch. Its a good place but very crowded for the Sunday brunch. Casual ambiance, chatty. Almost everything on the menu is good. Fresh muffins are definitely a highlight. Tip: 1. if going for sunday brunch, make sure you have enough time on hand. waiting times are usually frm 15 to 40 mins. 2. If food becomes too heavy, there is a mall next door to walk the food off :)
(4)
Amie B.
I've been to Mimi's often. Usually for brunch. The food has always been delish! There was only one very bad experience there, where the food took forever to come out and my boyfriend's came like 15 minutes before mine. I told the manager and my meal was gotten out to me in like 5 minutes, and comped. Other than that, their breakfasts are amazing and their portions are great. They have very good varieties for each meal and their muffins are AWESOME! Sometimes the service is a bit slow, but you can expect that in any restaraunt... Overall, this is a great place to go if you just want to relax and have a meal over some good conversation with friends! I would recommend it to anyone in the area.
(4)
Dave P.
Their smaller size meals are pretty much the only reason to go here. The rest of the food that I've had isn't spectacular. Their giant muffins don't suck either, and you can get them in 4-packs to go. Too bad there isn't a half star step, because this is really a 2.5 star rating, not a 2 star rating.
(2)
Wai T.
Strange strange strange... we came here for late breakfast on a week day, so I'm only giving a review for the breakfast part of it. As indicated by other reviewers, they serve muffin for breakfast. This is probably the best muffin I've ever had (I hate muffins and even I find it more than edible). We ordered a glass of OJ for our daughter, and we ended up drinking it all, as well as ordering a full size grapefruit juice. They taste like fresh squeeze. Wonderful juice. We ordered a 2-egg breakfast with spicy cajun sausage, and an order of egg benedict. They are all done perfectly. It's a little on the pricey side, but I find the good quite tasty. As we were waiting for our meal (we had to wait at least 10 minutes for the food), I saw another server walk by with french onion soup au gratin. It smelled so good we have to order it. Having grown up in Montreal, I would rate this a B (better than La Madeline, of course), but my wife said the soup is absolutely divine. They were super generous on the breakfast side fried potato, which also tasted good but was too much for us to devour it all. We'll have to get back for lunch or dinner to see if it's just as good, but as for breakfast, it definitely in on the short list. The most strange part about this whole experience is that it looks like we went to the wrong place... the average age for customer must have been like 70... we were the only 3 people in the restaurant that do not qualify for old age security... sigh
(4)
Nycole K.
I know this is a chain place, and I'm not usually a fan on chains, but Iove this place. First of all, it's really cute inside. Sort of french chalet meets french quarter. The staff is usually really good. You can get breakfast all day, you just have to ask for the breakfast menu after 11am. The muffins that come along with salads are huge and yummy. I usually take it home for breakfast the next day. They have great "smaller prices, smaller portions" and a 3-course dinner deal for (I think) $12.99. One of my favorite places.
(4)
Amita R.
This place by far as the strangest menu I have ever seen. All the food on the menu is food that you would expect for any given restaurant. But not all on the same menu. The restaurant is supposed to be New Orleans inspired. However, looking at the menu, you're not really sure where the inspiration comes from. From enchiladas to pasta to burgers to fish to salads w/ muffins, there really isn't any cohesion to the menu. In any case, I ordered the black & bleu quesadillas, which were okay. There was a lot more Bleu cheese in them than I expected. My boyfriend ordered the Cobb Salad, which was huge, and said that was okay as well. The salad came with a muffin, which was actually pretty good. It was warm and fresh. Overall, the decorations in the place are cool to look at, but I don't think we'll be going back to this place anytime soon.
(1)
Welby S.
We had a good meal here. Their French Onion soup was good on one of the coldest days of the year at that point. I had what was essentially a a french dip but on sourdough baguette. The au jus could have used a little more spices, but the roast beef was piled on high. The only real complaint was the restroom was cold enough to hang meat in.
(4)
Jim R.
I've been to this New Orleans themed restaurant three times since they opened in September '07. My first experience wasn't all that fantastic. This restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. We arrived for lunch at about 11:30 AM on a Saturday morning so they seemed to be in between breakfast and lunch and didn't seem fully prepared for lunch yet. I had ordered the meatloaf as I had heard from a friend that it was very good. Our waiter was a young teenager whom I suspect did not have much work experience as this restaurant had recently opened. I asked him what the soup of the day was and said he wasn't sure and never offered to check for me. I was flabbergasted but played along. Our lunch finally arrived a full 45 minutes after we had ordered it. So far Mimi's wasn't impressing me too much. The meat loaf arrived and was supposed to be accompanied by a bread basket. Our waiter never brought the bread and I gave up on asking and just ate my meat loaf. The meat loaf itself wasn't the greatest, but it wasn't all that bad either. One of the members in my party had one of the pumpkin spice muffins and I have say that I found it to be delicious! This first visit wasn't the greatest so I decided to come again at another time of the day a few weeks later to see if things had improved. This time we came in for dinner. This time I had the chicken pot pie and it was actually very good. The service had improved tremendously. I looked around for our previous server and he was no where to be found today, which was probably a good thing for Mimi's! The third and final time I visited Mimi's we came in for breakfast. We were promptly seated and served. I ordered an omelet and was generally pleased. The coffee was good but the orange juice was extremely pulpy. Overall, not a bad place. It seems as though the first experience we had with the service could likely be attributed to the restaurant recently opening and was the exception and not the rule. I've only visited three times. I'll update if I visit again and the service changes from recent experience.
(3)
Laura R.
Good Breakfasts. But a word of warning, you get massive amounts of food with each order.
(4)
Theo P.
We came here on a Wednesday night and had a good experience. The waiter was very responsive and paid closed attention to detail. We both ordered a pasta dish and it was enough for the next day. A little more pricey than your olive gardens or chili but its worth it. I would visit Mimi's again.
(4)
Pablo G.
I would have rated Mimis higher if not for several EXTREMELY bizarre experiences we've had there. The food is not terrible, in fact it's half-way decent for a chain (I hate chains). Order a burger for lunch/dinner and odds are you'll be fine. That being said, we had one experience that was so bad we called the manager over and informed them we would be leaving immediately and not paying for our food. You see, my wife ordered the pork chop, which appears on the menu as "grilled or with honey mustard glaze". She asked for the glaze, quite clearly. The waiter seemed confused, so she took out the menu and pointed exactly to the part that says honey mustard glaze. He said ok. When the food arrived, sure enough, no glaze. She sent it back. 10 minutes later, it came back, yeah, you guessed it, WITHOUT THE GLAZE! Don't worry, it gets worse, much worse: She sent it back again, and sure enough, it came back, A THIRD TIME WITHOUT GLAZE. We got a menu, called several waiters over, and pointed this out to them. They finally understood, and finally brought the fourth chop back with the proper glaze. But wait, there's more: When they brought the fourth chop, it was brought by the manager. She repeatedly apologized, and right as she offered to comp my wife's meal, I bit into my burger and got a mouthful of a 12" black hair, literally cooked into the meat. I am bald, my wife has very short hair, and the hair was clearly cooked in to the meat. The manager was horrified, and I was furious. I stood up and told her "i'm sorry, I really am, but we cannot continue to eat this meal, and we're going to walk out right now" Stunned, the manager had no option but to let us go. I've never walked out or failed to pay for any meal in my life, but I cannot stress how upsetting this was. The food isn't bad, it really isn't. But the wait staff is incompetent and we cannot ever eat there again.
(2)
Kim M.
Tried the new pesto croissant breakfast sandwich...yummy! I've been here several times and the service has been great.
(3)
Blaire R.
The first time I went to Mimi's was last summer for lunch with my sister-in-law; it was fine, but we weren't terribly impressed. Last night I went for dinner with my husband. We had a great experience! The service was awesome and the food was delicious. We'll definitely be back.
(4)
Martha P.
This would be a 3 if not for the Cobb Salad, which is consistently lovely. Service is inconsistent; atmosphere can be varaible as well.
(4)
Adri Q.
Great place for brunch! They serve fresh muffins and juice with most breakfast options. Their breakfasts are very tasty and well priced. Only downside is they won't substitute the muffin for something else if you're gluten intolerant. That's the only reason I gave it 3 and not 4 stars.
(3)
Fly_Gu Y.
The decor, food, and attentiveness of the wait staff were all great! We especially enjoyed the fried zucchini!
(5)
Daniel G.
Muffins were amazing and breakfast was good overall. A few bumps on the service side, but a place we will definitely return to. French toast was amazing and the check was quite reasonable.
(4)
Alexandra M.
went here the other day for lunch, just because it was close to shopping and i was hungry and i hadnt tried it. we ordered the fried pickles. which i actually loved. the portion was HUGE. we ended up taking them home. i got the broccoli quiche which was just okay, nothing special. the mini ones i heat up at home are just as good. it came with a salad, fresh fruit and a muffin. basically a huge meal for lunch, i took 1/2 of it home. my boyfriend got the reuben which was again, just okay. huge, again. do they eat this much in Louisiana? agree with vamsi, it is a weird place. the menu seems sporatic, from cajun favorites to american food, its weird. whats weirder is i would go back -- but only for the fried pickles.
(3)
Vanessa T.
I'm sorry to see all the negative reviews on this one, because Mimi's is actually my new favorite place for brunch (I can't speak about any other meals). My past experiences have been great - service was good and they give you a ton of food. The mimosa's were ok - a bit expensive for the quality. The place was packed on a Sunday morning (but the wait wasn't long), so they must be doing something right! The decor was cute, and the big booths were kid-friendly for my friend's little daughter who was with us. I'll be going back!
(4)
T M.
Best breakfast in the area! Great staff of people that work there and the food is always good. I can't see any reason to order lunch or dinner as their breakfast is always great. One word. Bacon. 'nough said.
(5)
Jim M.
I've now eaten three times at Mimi's Cafe by the Dulles Mall, and think I can finally characterize it. This place just isn't consistent. Not sure if they're using different food suppliers or just different chefs, but I'd rather roll craps in Vegas than take a chance here again. One time was excellent, one was barely satisfactory, and today was just plain horrid. Horrid started with obviously old and bitter coffee, was followed up by virtually ice cold potatos, and fatty/grissly ham on eggs benedict that looked like it had been hanging around a room temperature for about a month. The service has always been good and tried to take care of the issues so I can't fault them. The manager did the right things when told of the issues, but appeared half-hearted as I expect she has to apologize quite frequently. Sorry, there are just too many other places to eat than to take a chance here again.
(2)
Melissa G.
I was pleasantly surprised by this chain restaurant. It was recommended to us by our hotel and I'm so glad they did. They have a great menu and the decor is nice and comfortable. We went for breakfast but they look like they have a nice lunch and dinner menu too. Breakfast was big and hearty so you will not leave hungry. What a diverse menu - they had several types of Eggs Benedict dishes, crepes, quiche, pancakes, eggs, omelets, breakfast sandwiches, I could go on and on. What they offered were not just your everyday omelets but with ingredients like avocado or Cajun sausage. I ordered a very hearty egg sandwich on a flatbread and it came with home fries, juice and a giant muffin. I believe they might be known for their muffins which were quite good. The staff is really nice and very attentive. Our waitress asked us at the end of our meal how it was and we happened to mention it was our first time there then a few moments later the manager came by to speak with us and gave us a box of muffins to go! We were shocked. I will definitely be back and I want to go for lunch and dinner because if it is half as good as breakfast, I will be a happy camper.
(4)
Laura W.
Food was decent, but the service was awful. Another reviewer attributed the poor service to the restaurant recently opening. Well, there's no excuse now that it has been open for several years. I would go back if I was guaranteed not to get the same waiter again. First, he asked for our drinks and then never brought them. When we asked about them, he had the wrong order. Then we ordered our dinner (which thankfully he wrote down) and waited about 25 mins. for our food. When it came time for the check, it took him WAY too long to bring it ... and dessert? That was just alltogether too complicated. My boyfriend and I felt a little better to know we weren't the only ones having problems: everyone around us was missing food, drinks, bread, too! Too bad the poor service way overshadowed the food, which was pretty good. Best of luck to anyone who goes here.
(3)
Diane W.
We have eaten breakfast here many times, as well as dinner on occasion. Compared to other places, Northern Virginia is sorely lacking in decent breakfast places or diners. The portions are generous, moderately priced, and the atmosphere better than a Dennys, While I thought their omletes a little overcooked for my taste, everything arrives at the table hot and tasty. If you're not into muffins, they serve really nice wheat toast as well. Plus they provide you with coffee and coffeecake while you're waiting for your table.
(4)
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Address :21015 Dulles Town Cir,Ste 120
Sterling, VA, 20166
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Breakfast Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Kyle C.
Didn't realize this place was a chain, Ive been to one in Tampa before. My female and I decided to stop here for breakfast before I left for a business trip. The waitress was so nice and patient with us (I can be a pain in the ass), the food was good and came out quickly. But it was really the staff who made the experience that much more enjoyable. I cant comment on lunch or dinner here, but the breakfast was good so I recommend it
(4)Bethany M.
We checked this place out last week for breakfast and it was amazing. Lemon poppyseed pancakes with strawberry rhubarb butter ... what?! My husband had an omlette that was delicious as well. AND they have coupons for free entrees, which is way better than the usual $5 off or 10% off like most place give you. We went back yesterday for dinner and was still pleasantly surprised. The server was fantastic- something that you don't find at many places these days. The chicken pot pie was above average, but my husband's steak was bland. But the deviled eggs appetizer was delicious! We'll definitely be back!
(4)Jennifer K.
I've been here a few times for brunch and today was rather disappointing. I ordered the French Pot Roast and my boy friend ordered the breakfast combo which came with pancakes, eggs, fruit cup and a choice of bacons or sausage links. He wanted both so we got a side order of sausages on the side. Pancakes were good, bacon wasn't cook all the way, sausages were very plain. It didn't have flavor and just wasn't good at all. Fruit bowl really upset me because half of it was all rotten. It's very clear as you can see from the photo, they were gross. I can't even believe they actually brought those out. My French pot roast was good, it's similar to American pot roast and very fulfilling. We were seated by the hostess and guy number one came by to take our drink order and to let us know our waitress will be coming by to serve us. We got our drinks, waited around for our waitress to show up but she never came. Guy number two who seems to be the waiter and was waiting on other tables near us, noticed and came over to take our order after 10-15 mins or so. Someone else we haven't seen came to deliver the food, and guy number two came back to refill our drinks. As we started eating, who seemed to be our waitress that we have not yet seen, finally stopped by, not to introduce herself but to say "is everything ok?" and when we said yes she walked away. She wasn't attentive at all and it was very confusing as we dealt with so many people while we were there for an hour. Check arrived and as expected the last waitress name was on the receipt. Service was really disappointing and I just can't get over the rotten grapes. I could've brought it up to someone but then I didn't even know who was suppose to serve us so didn't even bother. God knows how many managers or acting managers are there and time I may have to wait to get a new one. Muffins are delicious, four for $8. Not cheap but they are good so no complaint there. However I am not sure if I would want to return here again.
(1)Michael A.
This a very average restaurant bordering on mediocre. I had roasted chicken and "frites," which is French for fries. The chicken was okay; the breast meat was a bit drier than I normally prefer but it was eatable. The frites, on the other hand, were limp and soggy. It surprises me that a chef is unable to prepare a proper French fry. It doesn't take genius; but merely competence, which was obviously lacking. My lunch companions complained the Cobb salad was too dry and the salad ordered on the side was overly sauced. I hardly recommend this joint (can't you tell?). Seems like many reviewers feel the same.
(2)Shannon M.
So this place is not very good at all! My bacon avocado omelette arrived with the bacon still oinking! It was literally near raw. The omelette had no cheese inside and was not even a french styled fluffy type where the cheese is on top. A waste of time and money! Ill go to Joes next time.
(1)S M.
1) FYI - in case you don't know already, I don't think the pagers work outside. They told us 30 minutes, and at 40, we went inside. The hostess sat us right away. Other people were also waiting outside that left shortly before we got up. 2) Service was a bit slow. 3) Once we got sat, everything was perfect. Our waitress was wonderful. Food was excellent.
(4)Ray B.
The food was amazing. We went for the first time last weekend and are total fans!!! Go for breakfast at least. It was super yummy
(5)Victoria L.
My sisters and I took my dad here for Father's Day brunch and we had a great surprise for him by seeing Brian Orakpo at brunch with us. Never dined near a "celebrity" before and my dad is a Skins fan so it worked out. Thanks Brian ;) Anywho, the wait was about 35 minutes but I would assume it'd be busy on weekends anyways. Its located right in the line of restaurants in front of the mall, which isn't too hard to find. Service was not memorable, our waitress Julian was forgetful with alot of things. She only had 4 tables but we would ask her for something and never came back with it until we reminded her again. She forgot to bring things out that came with our meal and we had to remind her. She wasn't very attentive at all. She did not even ask how the food was, how were doing, the only time she came to our table was when we had to ask her for something. Luckily, the food was good. I enjoyed my potato cake eggs benedict which had bacon, spinach, poached eggs and a delicious hollandaise sauce. The bacon was crispy, eggs were perfectly poached and I could drink the hollandise. I had a bite of my sister's corn beef hash benedict and I thought it was good. They gave a good amount of corn beef hash under the egg and the roasted potatoes with savory, thyme and basil made it tasted heavenly. I also had a delightful and refreshing sparkling strawberry which is freixent sparking wine with strawberry lemonade. I do have to say that the buttermilk spice muffin was incredible! It was soft and fluffy on the inside but the perfect crispy muffin top. I loved it! I recommend getting a muffin or one of their bakery items before you leave. I hope to come back next time with better service, which really makes the experience better. However, seems like at this restaurant its either good food or good service. I need both darnit!
(3)Barbara L.
Hubby and I were looking to try a new place for breakfast so we chose Mimi's due to its convenient location for us. The restaurant was clean and the service was friendly and mostly efficient. She forgot a few things and brought me coffee when I asked for a coke but we'll forgive her for that. :-) We're all human after all. Anyway, I was so very torn between Orange Crème French Toast or the Cinnamon Roll French Toast. I wish I had gone with the Cinnamon Roll French Toast but noooooo....I had to try something different. Not sure what I was expecting but when I ordered the Orange Crème French Toast, she asked me about my eggs and which meat I wanted. I'm not used to getting anything with french toast so I ordered the scrambled eggs and bacon. I was so excited to try this new french toast! The presentation was lovely but when I think of french toast, I think of DRY french toast. The Orange Crème French Toast is WET..very, very wet and not my kind of french toast at all. I couldn't eat it. My husband ate it and said it had the texture of bread pudding...wet and mushy gooeyness. If I had wanted Bread Pudding, I would have ordered it but I wanted french toast. Wah. Thankfully it came with an order of tasty scrambled eggs and delicious bacon! Hubby felt bad for me and gave me his fruit bowl while he gorged on my french toast. I also took a few bites of his delicious pumpkin muffin. So it all ended well. He ordered Hickory-Smoked Ham & Cheese minus the onions. Naturally, I 'tasted' his omelet and it was quite yummy. It came with a side of potatoes roasted with savory, thyme & basil. Let me tell you, I'm a potato whore. I'll eat any kind of potato; that and bread are my weaknesses in life. These potatoes...I would never, ever taste/eat again; rather steal off his plate again. The seasoning was like eating thyme right out of the McCormick's jar! He said, smother it with ketchup, it'll taste better. The man knows nothing about potatoes. I passed on his suggestion. Will I be back? Yes. Will I get the Orange Crème French Toast or their potatoes? Oh, *bleep* no. I'm even a little afraid to try their Cinnamon Roll French Toast. What if that comes out wet and soggy?!?!?!? Pray for me, y'all.
(3)Louis J.
Food was decent, but waited an hour for it. Server asked if I wanted bread, I said yes, and she never brought it. By the time my food came I was starving. Not returning here. Plus, it seems to be a hangout for old people.
(2)S R.
Amazing breakfast choices Cappuccino tastes better than starbucks Great service Highly recommend getting their muffins
(5)Brittney M.
Let me start by saying I have been here several times and each time the service/ food quality has slowly declined. The service is HORRIBLE. We arrived, had 3 seperate waitresses walk past multiple times without stopping after 15 minutes and nearly walking out we finally got service.
(2)Abeer H.
Very enjoyable experience!! Staff is super friendly and the food is fantastic!! Had breakfast there with a friend and we both can't wait to go back!!
(5)Larissa M.
Love Mimi's Cafe. There food is the best homemade food that is that I have ever had. I few friends came into town & haven't ever been to Mimi's Cafe. So my momma and I took them to Mimi's. & they adored the food. U have to try the food & u will come back over & over again.
(5)Maya M.
This is the first time I try this restaurant. I liked their outdoor seating. I tried the santa fe omelette and my husband tried the salmon Benedict, and we really enjoyed our meal. The food display was nice as well. But we got disappointed when we tried their french brioche. It wasn't fresh at all. The maple syrup was the sugar based and not the real 100% maple syrup. We also ordered orange juice and didn't like it's taste. So we asked the waitress to get us another cup of good oranges squeezed. She told us that they use boxed juice. So we exchanged our orange juice with an apple juice. When we ordered our check, the waitress brought us 2 free muffins as well and said that the restaurant wants to give us these muffins because it was our first time trying their restaurant. That was nice of them. But the muffins were very very oily :( I will come back again but just order from their main meals. I won't try any of their desserts again.
(4)Natasha G.
Two of us came here recently as we were in the area and looking for a brunch/breakfast place. Upon walking in, it was awkward - no one greeted us at the door, so we stood there weirdly because we couldn't tell if we could grab a table ourselves or if we should wait for someone. This was around 10am on a Sunday, so I thought it would be crowded and we would be attended to quickly. Plus, the parking lot was so full! It was odd. Anyway, we were seated at a nice booth. I'll tell you what, the decor here cannot be beat - it feels very homey and cozy. You almost forget that you're in VA! We ordered the strawberries and cream waffles, cinnamon roll pancakes, coffee, and freshly-squeezed orange juice. The waffles were interesting, but there was too much filling, so the outside part got soggy quickly. The flavor was pretty one-note, which was disappointing. We were looking forward to the orange cream, but it was very faint and was overpowered by the strawberries. The cinnamon roll pancakes were fine. The fresh fruit was only grapes and oranges - I think that's kind of lame. When I said I wanted no meat, it's too bad that I couldn't get toast or something instead. Furthermore, the scrambled eggs were well-salted, but they were those flat kind, so they didn't seem real to me. Lastly, the orange juice, though freshly-squeezed, was translucent and reminded me too much of grocery store OJ. When I squeeze oranges, I get a clearer, dark orange juice. Our waitress was a tad slow. We got our drinks when we were halfway through the meal. I'm not sure if that's the kitchen's fault or the waitress's. Bottom line: this place isn't all that worth it. I was expecting more.
(2)Amanda G.
i have no idea how i haven't found this place before now but it's absolutely going to become part of my weekend regime! the white peach mimosa is amazing, as is the iced mocha (THANK YOU MIMI FOR HAVING ICED MOCHA, BUT EXTRA BIG HUGE THANKS FOR MAKING IT DELICIOUS AS WELL!!!) i went out of my usual brunch range and got quiche lorraine....spectacular! i'll be back this weekend :)
(5)Alan M.
Now I have had their breakfast before, and their omelets are pretty good. Their muffins are also badass. Today I went for Lunch, and ordered the Turkey Entre. It's like getting Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, and steamed broccoli. Very generous portion. It was only okay though. The mashed potatoes were good, but the gravy wasn't anything to write home about. If you want amazing gravied up mashed potatoes, it's hard to beat Popeyes, seriously. The stuffing must have been leftovers from the night before. Even if it wasn't, that's the impression that I got. Turkey was good though, and so was the broccoli, and cranberry sauce. Good portions, so-so flavor. I'll come back... for breakfast :)
(3)Musa S.
Better than Cracker Barrel because the food seems fresher. Nice setup so you don't feel crowded. Generally a good experience overall.
(4)Mellie B.
Very unsatisfactory today and normally I find them pretty decent. Here's why: 1. Ordered the Santa Fe Omelet. Asked for a side of fruit (in addition to the meal). The cup of fruit was almost $3 and consisted of no more than grapes with 4 teeny, tiny slivers of orange. Was expecting mixed fruit like they served in the past but they stopped serving mixed fruit cups a few weeks ago as I learned after the fact. I returned the "grapes" as I wasn't going to pay $3 for a handful of grapes. 2. I asked for an English Muffin but waitress forgot to bring it. So one of the managers brought it but didn't think to bring any jelly with it. 3. The waitress didn't bring any ketchup for the breakfast potatoes so had to ask for that. 4. The omelet was to have guacamole but only a teaspoon was on it so I asked if I could have a bit more since that's one of the featured ingredients. Waitress forgot to bring it so had to ask again. 5. For a 3 egg omelet it was the tiniest omelet I had ever seen plus it was overcooked and brown along the edges. No garnishment with the dish and stuff stuck on the side of the plate. 6. It's $2.99 for a glass of ice tea and no one bothered to refill so that was a waste too. This place used to be a madhouse to get into on Sunday at 12:30 but I got a table right away. For amost $11 for an omelet plus $3 for an ice tea, I would have expected better food and better service so it was a bit disappointing when they used to be so good. That picture here on Yelp where it shows you their Eggs Benedict and a cup of delicious, fresh mixed fruit is no longer available. The Eggs Benedict is but not that fruit cup.
(2)Melissa N.
If my husband says it was one of the best experiences he's had, then five stars it is....if Mimi's Cafe impressed, then it must be a great place to stop and have a meal. It takes a LOT to impress him. Parking lot was full, and the outdoor patio was full, we were hesitant to walk in thinking that we would have to wait to be seated....wrong. Greeted at the door and was seated immediately, and no sooner being seated that our hot cups of wonderful coffee arrived...didn't have to wait for our food to arrive and it was wonderful! Husband had the fried chicken and waffles enough to to feed two people, I had the egg white vegetable omelet YUM! The Buttermilk muffin was the BOMB...that could have been breakfast in itself. While it may be 4 miles out of the way from Dulles Airport, Mimi's Cafe is totally worth the drive to have a pre flight meal instead of eating in the airport.
(5)Joann B.
***Breakfast review*** This is your standard chain that can sometimes be good and sometimes be bad. I've been to this location three times and thankfully, they were all good. Pablo was our server and he made sure that we always had enough water, coffee, and whatever else we needed. On this visit, we shared the quiche lorraine (I love quiche), blueberry muffin, and cinnamon roll french toast. Although I think Mimi's quiches are small, they can still be filling - to the point that you might be able to squeeze in a dessert if you aren't splitting other dishes with your spouse! The quiche also came with a small ramekin of fresh fruit (strawberry, honey dew, cantaloupe). The quiche's crust was crumbly and well cooked. None of it was mushy. The blueberry muffin came piping hot and it was so soft/fluffy. Mimi touts this muffin to be lowfat. I'm not sure how low in fat, but you can definitely taste the sugar substitute in this. It's not bad, I love Mimi's muffins, I'm just saying it tasted like a sweet n low muffin. That is all. The cinnamon roll french toast was gooey goodness. It's sweet enough to not need any syrup at all. With the french toast, my husband ordered a side of corned beef hash. I love me some hash, but this version was uneventful and kind of bland. My husband said ketchup made it better, but I like my hash sans 'sauce.' Their coffee is good and it's nice to come here for a big, yummy muffin. I don't come here often, but I do usually think of their muffins fondly. Granted, I CAN go to Costco or Sam's Club and just pick up a box o' muffins, but it's just not the same. I have a soft spot for the Mimi's chain.
(4)James M.
Not a stranger to Mimi's Cafe. 1st discovered Mimi's in Ca and delighted they are here in Virginia. The Dulles Town Center Mimi's continues the superb food selections, personalized 1st rate service at very reasonable prices. You should really treat yourself to a dinner or lunch and find your own reason to return to this great hidden gem of a restaurant! Shhh don't tell, walk right in for a quiet extremely enjoyable meal and pleasant clean atmosphere. Easily 5 stars.
(5)Ashley B.
The atmosphere is pretty charming, the service was excellent and the food was the best. I had a lot of fun on my first visit and I intend on coming back with my boyfriend. I strongly recommend getting the brownies for dessert if you like chocolate!
(5)Tisha B.
I've enjoyed a few last minute brunches with my two besties here. I really enjoy their Caesar Salad and even when I want to try something else, I find myself going for this instead. I try to avoid carbs as much as possible which is really a challenge because they are definitely known for their muffins. My little guy really enjoyed their pumpkin muffins and the carrot raisin ones as well. I allow myself to indulge in about a quarter of a muffin with a warm honey butter dollop and I am in heaven. Solid 3 Stars because their wait times have occasionally caused us to have to leave and go elsewhere because its not reasonable to make little ones wait 40 minutes for food. If this location finds a way to improve this, we might become even more regulars/
(3)Donald F.
So today my wife and I decided to try out Mimi's cafe based on a recommendation of one her colleague. So the first thing that we found out is that this place also sales breakfast during dinner hours. They don't advertise it so if you are in the mood for breakfast you will have to specifically ask for the breakfast menu. Although I had that opportunity I decided to go with the dinner menu because I personally wasn't feeling like breakfast. Also we discovered that they offer happy hour Monday - Sunday from 4pm - 6pm which allows you to get some domestic beers, wines, and a few appetizers at a cheaper price. I ended up getting their beef sliders ($5 instead of $7.49) and I must say those things were delicious. They were a little on the greasy side but because they were so good I was willing to ignore that. They were one of the best sliders I have ever tasted. It didn't dawn on me to take a picture because they were very well presented. I ordered the three course meal for $13.99 and I got the Chicken Medeira (may have spelled that wrong....i was never good at spelling...lol) Crepes, Ceasar Salad, and Apple Cinnamon Crisp for my desert. Let me just say, everything that I ate was good. My wife also enjoyed her meal as well I don't remember what she ordered but she enjoyed it. With your meal you are also served different kinds of bread to eat. I felt the bread could have been warmer but they were still okay. Our server was very good and we didn't have any issues with him him thus we left him a pretty decent tip on a $40 meal. So when my wife and I were finished eating we had to ask for boxes because we still had so much food left over. As we were getting ready to depart after having that delicious meal, paying the check, and leaving the tip, the manager came over and introduced himself, he talked with us for a little bit and told us that because it was our first time at Mimi's he presented us with some complimentary muffins that they bake fresh daily. LIke a few of the other Yelper's have stated in their reviews and what you can see form the photos these muffins are big so of course my wife and I had to take them home. I can't speak for any of the other Yelpers that went to this restaurant but all I can say is that I enjoyed Mimi's and I will most definitely be going back and I recommend this place to anyone near the restaruant that needs a place to eat. Maybe the next time I'll try out one of their breakfast items.
(4)Jeremy F.
Food was good but it took way to long! Sign on the door says help wanted, that is the truth. I've been to this place before and the food is great but this trip wasn't the best.
(2)Tammy R.
I'm a flight attendant who decided to have a nice Easter dinner before starting my trip since I couldn't be with my family. I definitely picked the right place... this restaurant had a lovely dinner and the service was wonderful! I had never been here before and I'm not from the area but I stayed at a hotel nearby which I do frequently because I backup my trips, but I will definitely be coming back to this restaurant! Thanks for making my Easter a beautiful day
(5)Danielle N.
Came here with my hunnie for a Valentine's Day breakfast and I enjoyed it! The Parisian atmosphere was perfect for the occasion. The food was good, nothing crazy but the mango mimosas definitely made up for that. I would recommend it if your in the mood for a fancy pantsy breakfast or brunch.
(4)Matt C.
What a breakfast I didn't have! Arrived at 10am with my wife for breakfast. We were seated right away. Then that was it. After 10 minutes got our drinks and ordered. Then we waited....and waited. Everyone in our section of restaurant had drinks and no food. Nobody had any food!!! We left. Mimis has gone downhill in a big way.
(1)Melissa K.
I ordered the tuna melt and it was tasteless. I haven't been here in a year and it has gone downhill. My daughter ordered the grilled cheese sandwich and the cheese tasted stale. Both of our sandwiches had this Parmesan crusted bread which really awful. The only good thing was the spiced muffin.
(3)Emily G.
There was warm bread when we sat down which was a nice start. Both the bouillabaisse and mussel pasta were good entrées with strong flavors. We had the sweet ensemble of apple crisp, brownie, and bread pudding for dessert. The brownie was almost too chocolatey although very good. The bread pudding was great and I'd recommend that highly. The apple crisp tasted like mushy apples with cinnamon and some either ice cream or whipped cream on top (it was too melted to identify). My husband ordered a Sam Adams which came out warm and metallic tasting like it was poured in to a hot glass and had been sitting in the tap. The service was good. I drink a lot water and my cup was never empty for long. It was a fairly satisfying meal but I wouldn't go out of my way to come back.
(3)Michael O.
Very mediocre I just had the most mediocre meal at Mimi's Cafe. I used to love this unique restaurant for breakfast now it's not worth the time. Mimi's use to start the meal off with a really good warm muffin served with soft butter. The muffin I got today was served cold and had no flavor. An Easy Bake oven could do a better job. The omelet had a good flavor but looked terrible and the side of "mixed seasonal fruit" was a bowl of grapes. I won't go out of my way to go back to Mimi's anytime soon.
(2)mark w.
I go here for breakfast with friends - they love this place. The service is great, the people are really friendly. The food is awful - I have tried pancakes (dry, tasteless), quiche (dry salty), scrambled eggs and sausage (dry eggs, manufactured precooked sausage, tasteless potatoes), cinnamon roll french toast (dry, better than the others), omelette (edible, nothing special). I recommend they get a morning cook with some expertise in frying eggs, making pancakes, etc.
(2)Ana M.
Excellent customer service. Delicious food. Generous portions. Great warm and fresh bread and great selection of mimosas. Recommend to everybody
(5)Lowell H.
Decent food. It's hard to pin down exactly what they are going for with the decor, but it's probably one of those pseudo-French bistros that has been Americanized. Weird, but nice. The food was tasty, the French onion soup was great, and the chicken pot pie that I ordered tasted like the one my mom used to make. The time before that, I had a great meatloaf sandwich that didn't seem to be on the menu the next time I came through. Definitely good, and if I was in the area I'd go back. Probably wouldn't go out of my way though.
(3)P T.
Love their brunch !
(4)Joshua D.
Well, it's kind of nice that Mimi's puts the calorie counts on the menu, now if only they had dishes under 1,000 calories! Strangely enough, the steak is one of the few options that won't set you back 10 lbs. Weird. So I ordered the steak, even though I'm not much of a beef eater. However, when a good steak is cooked right, I do love it once in a while. I ordered my steak medium... and it came out with a little stick in it that even said "MEDIUM." How anyone in the kitchen seriously could've stuck that in there with a straight face, I don't know. Not only was this tiny little steak basically a hockey puck, but also when I cut into it -- completely grayish brown. Not even a tiny hint of pink that could've qualified for medium well, much less the juicy, delicious medium steak I'd hoped for. My server acted like I was crazy for insinuating that the steak was well done. Lesson learned, they have no idea how to cook meat here. The only saving grace is the bread you get before your meal -- really good. Finally, I'd just like to say... Mimi's has a thing called a "baby baker" on the menu, which I am pretty sure is a womb.
(2)Gary B.
I have been here a few times now and find my overall experience to be good. I find it odd that people post a review after one visit and or one bad experience. All businesses will have a bad day and you should give them another chance before writing such bad reviews. Pros Food is good especially during breakfast Good atmosphere Friendly servers and very attentive Good front of the house manager, checking on customers and fixing any issues, this is lacking across the food service industry Clean bathrooms Con's Little pricey, food is sold as a more fancy breakfast but an omelette is an omelette .
(4)Marie N.
We went in today for lunch and I must say there were hardly any people at all so I was a bit surprised that it took a while before the server appeared. We immediately ordered our drink and meal at the same time. Muffins are fantastic - my table had the Carrot Raisin Nut and the Honey Bran. Both were served warm and were delicious! We all had salads. The bacon & bleu cheese salad was delicious - I did not get any meat with the salad. My friends had the Cobb salad and the Chopped Chicken salad and both really enjoyed them. For me there is something about this restaurant - it's not one of my top restaurants and I don't run to go there and I'm not sure why. Sometimes I feel like it's dirty, but it's not that I can see any dirt. Again not sure why. I usually enjoy when I'm there so I'm not sure why I don't go more often.
(3)Elise M.
Food was so-so. Overpriced for what it was. Small portions. I would say this place was like an expensive and pretentious Cracker Barrel. Unless you're starving and already at the mall, I would look elsewhere.
(3)Brenda M.
I have been here 3 times and everytime the food and service has been excellent!!! I can say it's one of my favorite breakfast places!!
(5)Jessica C.
I've been there a few times for breakfast with family but was disappointed every time. After a while we stopped going and went for Chick-fil-a instead. I still have 2 stars because the service was decent most of the time.
(2)Davies M.
I was reminded of the my recent trip to Orlando Florida when I stumbled upon this gem, here, i mean here in the DC metropolitan area in my sterling backyard in Dulles town center. Maybe it's just me but I have not seen a mimis Cafe anywhere near here except of course, you guessed right.. Florida. Well, I took a look at menu and the favs plus the most ordered items, like every food chain, that varies by locale. The food was great and the wait staff where in a joyful and cheerful end of year mood. I however, was overly excited maybe because it was mimis in DC or the feel of Florida had enveloped me even though It felt like 29 outside. For once I will be biased, the food was good, clean place happy people all perfect.... Ok I demand a rain check.... I will back for a more detailed description of all that counts without this 2014 end of year hoopla woopla... My reviews on mimis have always been positive and I owe it to them, great breakfast and lunch dinner chain, real competition for ihop and local diners. Welcome to DC and have a crowded 2015.
(4)Megan C.
I agree with a handful of other Yelpers that Mimi's is really hit-or-miss. I am not a fan of chain restaurants, but sometimes on a weekend, it's just the easiest way to score some breakfast/brunch without waiting hours at the local non-chain spots. I also normally end up here because the fiance has a "thing" for their muffins and bread, so if that's your thing too, so be it. Service is extremely spotty and don't expect rapid refills or for your order to be filled correctly. Between the food runners and random managers bringing food, it's hard to actually get everything you ordered. Seems to be a good place for kids and families based on the consistency with which you will hear screaming and high chairs. It's not the easiest spot to be satiated if you're a semi-health nut or want to avoid super high sodium or want spicy food. However, I've found my middle ground here with the "Five Alarm Santa Fe Egg White Omelette" which is actually decent an includes jalapenos and a tasty chipotle sauce, and no cheese/meat (although there is a non-egg white version that does include cheese). Usual cons: spotty service, bizarre servers, lots of kids, sticky tables, lack of healthy options Usual pros: convenient when there's not a wait, free muffins for the muffin fans, acceptable coffee, reasonable prices
(2)Jordan K.
Love the quality of the food here. Something a bit different from surrounding options. Home cooked feel, and great staff.
(5)Lorilynn R.
This is a great place for breakfast and the staff is super friendly. Great food however $5 for a bowl of oatmeal is a bit much. It's a huge restaurant and seating is easy, at least on a Sunday morning. Very cool in the Jazz/N'orleans theme.
(4)Noel B.
I come to the one at Dulles Towne Center every time I am here on business. I sit at the bar, have a glass of wine and some dinner. Food is very good. Service is very good. Value is excellent. I always come back even though I am not a huge fan of chain restaurants-- this one is pleasantly predictable. I will keep coming back!
(4)Jack K.
Eh, not so hot this time. The waitress disappeared for extended periods of time and we had to wait for our check. My wife's avocado and bacon omelet was excellent, but my cinnamon bun french toast was stale. The portions were surprisingly small and my coffee went un-refilled.
(2)Colleen M.
The Mister and I first went to Mimi's on a Wednesday night after very long work days for both of us. We were served quickly and enjoyed the meal. The raspberry sweet tea wasn't overly sweet. The complementary bread was tasty and warm. The French onion soup was served in reasonable portions and had a lovely amount of cheese on top of it. I had the chicken pot pie, which was so huge I had it for dinner the following night as well. The Mister enjoyed - and finished - his chicken cordon bleu. The bill was surprisingly low and we enjoyed the experience. Reviewing it then, I would have given it four stars. But I like to go to a place more than once before I Yelp it. We went back for brunch this Saturday and it was like a completely different restaurant. We were seated immediately, but it was a solid ten minutes before a server came over. She seemed very confused that we were ready to order. The waitress was completely out of it the entire time. She eventually returned with our drinks. The orange juice was fine. The grapefruit juice was more of a fruit cocktail. The coffee was terrible - required two creams and a sugar to make it at all tolerable. We waited a very long time for our food. Eventually, the waitress came back and started a conversation with the table next to us, who appeared to be very good personal friends of hers. She spent a solid five minutes gossiping with them, her back to us. And we sat there, positive that our food was going to be stone cold. About three minutes after she finished her conversation, another server dropped our food off. My French toast was dried out and it, as well as my eggs, were at room temperature. The turkey sausage was a few degrees warmer. The Mister's French dip was bland, cold and had more gristle than meat. The waitress swung by again for another 5-7mn session with the table next to us. It was incredibly frustrating to get crummy service and cold food while our waitress took the opportunity to catch up with old friends. A table a few feet away from us with the same waitress clearly complained about their own food being cold and terrible, as a manager showed up and loudly, profusely apologized while replacing and comp'ing their food. I thought about complaining, but I was hungry and I just wanted out of there. I didn't want a gift card because I didn't really want to go back. Brunch was terrible. Dinner had been good. If you want to try Mimi's, I recommend avoiding a rush. Maybe your food will be better then.
(2)Wells M.
Let me start off by saying the service was great. However the food was just okay and overpriced in my opinion.
(2)Ellie R.
Only go here if you've been in the desert for a week with no food. The food here is a GIANT disappointment. It's all the cheapest quality imaginable. I ordered the chicken pot pie, which tasted okay, but I'm not convinced it wasn't Stouffer's. My son had spaghetti with marinara. It tasted like someone had a convulsion and dumped the entire jar of garlic powder in his spaghetti sauce. Horrid, with no flavor besides, oh yeah, melt-your-face-off garlic. My husband had a burger, which was dry and awful. Again, no flavor. When I mean poor quality food, I mean it's like they microwave everything. Also, I don't know what's up with the "ambiance" in there. I was disturbed. It's like New Orleans mated with a French poodle and then exploded all over the dining room. The decorations are strange and not cohesive, the menu is all over the map, the food is TERRIBLE and the service was sub-standard. Also, it was dinnertime, and we were the only people in there besides one other family. It was like a mausoleum in there. That never bodes well for fresh food... Mimi's - avoid at all costs.
(1)Greg M.
Mimi's roped us in several times for their decent breakfasts. We're constantly on the hunt for good breakfast places in NoVA - there seems to be a real dearth of them. Our standout among few is the First Watch chain. Here's the bottom line on this copy of the popular Mimi's Chain - good food, high prices, very spotty service. My favorite is always a meaty omelet or scramble with lots of veggies. My mouth is already watering thinking about it. My problem is that most breakfast foods are relatively cheap to produce - leaving the restaurant overhead and profit to account for the rest of the price - so seeing the prices charged here always makes me wince - you're paying for convenience, but that's about it. The service at this copy is extremely spotty - I believe this last time was due to an overloaded waitress, which is certainly the restaurants' fault - if you don't have enough staff at that time; you ought to close down tables. However it is always packed here. That is why we've chosen to remove Mimi's from our rotation. Good food, but at the price and with shoddy service, just can't justify it. The rookie servers at First Watch with better food at better prices is where you'll find me for breakfast out.
(2)Vampy J.
Love the breakfast and brunch came for dinner...it's good. The Brie appetizer pretty darn good and I don't like Brie. Really good solid food taste good but like I said usually come for brunch and breakfast which is why I gave 4 star dinner is 3 but I eat brunch here more.
(4)Charlie R.
Went to Mimi's today with family. Did'nt wait that long to be seated since it was'nt too busy. Did have to wait a little more than usual to get out waiter to take our drink order. I go often to Mimi's and the service is either hit or miss, I can tell you that there are some waiters that have some sense of urgency, while others you will have to ask for what you want and remind them to refill drinks. Food is really delicious, their muffins are some of the best I've tasted. So if you don't mind being a little patient I think it's worth giving it a try.
(3)Cindy E.
Love this place. Had them cater out Thanksgiving & everyone was so happy. Their bread is amazing! Their brunch is my favorite. :)
(4)Alicia K.
We went after church and it was pretty crowded but service was still timely and the food was spot on. I loved that they serve a small roll with the salad. Very good menu and prices!
(5)Mike B.
This is one of those places that has decent food, but they are just so busy and the staff does not seem to care about taking pride in the work. The menus are covered in grease and the tables are never really clean. The nice cloth napkins had a long hair mixed in the with silverware.
(2)Ron W.
Big fan- stumbled upon Mimis on my way to work. I travel constantly so I never know what's good nearby! Inside the restaurant feels like a much more expensive establishment, but you can get a solid breakfast for 8-12$. Great coffee and every visit I've had has had very friendly and quick staff.
(5)Mark L.
My wife and I came here looking for a regular place we could frequent. This is definitely not a place we will ever return to. My biggest complaint is after we were seated, we were never acknowledged by a server and ended up walking out 15-20 minutes after no one came to take our drink order. Ok, I understand it was semi-busy, but not even being acknowledged by a waiter saying "Ill be with you in a moment" would have sufficed. There was no question that the restaurant was understaffed. I was a waiter throughout college and I notice things like that. The managers were doing way more work than they are supposed to be doing. Other tables around us looked pretty impatient. The odd thing was, the restaurant wasn't even that busy. There was an entire section closed off, and we were seated right away. For anyone trying to dine out at a chain on a Saturday night in Northern, VA knows that a wait is certain. I gave this play 2 stars instead of 1 for the benefit of the doubt since we didn't end up eating here. I would say only eat here for breakfast or brunch and be expected to have to wait.
(2)Bhavna C.
Horrible food! Untrained waiter. Awful taste of food icludinng mashed potatoes tasted like sh*** Kids hated food there.. over fried chicken and tasteless salad. Stay away from this place:(
(1)Jason D.
Love this place and would eat here more often BUT service is awful. They don't speak English and then talk in another language laughing which makes me uncomfortable. It's happen so many times I'm going to write the company. I can't even call and place a to go order because they can't understand me. The girl that took my order called back to ask if I wanted the sandwich or the meal even though I had specifically asked her about the mashed potato and gravy. Evidently they made the sandwich because when I arrived 15-20 mins later I had to wait 15 more minutes to get my food then had to check it and ask for bread. They were so unconcerned. I won't be back for a long time if ever again. It's just like pulling teeth to place a to-go order which I hate and have no time for. It should be easy and the food should be ready. It's ashame because it's a cool place and good food for the most part. I'm leery now though.
(1)Brian S.
Its my favorite eatery...
(5)Tina M.
I was warned by a friend, this place was not good, when I told her my parents wanted to go there for a family dinner. I thought... how bad can it be if I get something like a hamburger. Blech... sorry I wasted calories and $100. :( I had a hamburger, which I asked for no pickles or thousand island dressing. Guess what it came with. I picked it off and put aside the 'contaminated' bread. The server asked to have it re-fired, but I said not to bother. A discount on the check would have made this slightly more bearable, but nope... none of that. The burger was not good. The only thing really edible was the avocado. We had ordered calamari as an app. I've never had such bad calamari. Clearly it's mass produced frozen junk... and it tasted worse than it looked. I ate 1 piece. I'm no fan of chain restaurants by any means, but really, they don't need to be THIS bad! And the cost of the food is a joke! I could have gotten MUCH better food going to a chain like Sweetwater. Heck... Chilis is better. Sorry... but avoid at all cost. There are much better options for less, even if you're into the chain type restaurants.
(1)Chris K.
This place is hit or miss. The menu items are a little more interesting than an average diner, but the execution falls short. Pros: interesting menu when done right, the food can be pretty good. okay for kids Cons: slow service (as others have said, food frequently comes out cold) menu not good for people who want to eat healthy In short, worth a visit if you're not in hurry, are willing to load yourself up on empty carbs, and are feeling lucky.
(2)Steve T.
Never knew this place existed until yesterday. It was decently priced foods with generous portions. I got the 3 course special, which was for $14-15 or so. It comes with soup or salad, entree, and a mini-dessert. I made the mistake of trying every piece of bread when it came out. Probably one of the best bread selections I've ever had. I was full before my corn chowder soup came out. Whenever I see a 3 course special, I get worried that it'll be such a smaller portion that it wouldn't be filling. This was definitely not the case. The butternut squash and shrimp ravioli was so filling to the point that I was giving it away to others at the table. After sinning all night with gluttony, the mini-dessert is the perfect nail in the coffin. Small enough so it looks doable to finish, but big enough to make you regret finishing it off. The wait staff was great too. This is a great place to get a solid dinner at a reasonable price. The only reason why this place doesn't get 4 stars is it's a family-style restaurant, so you'll probably hear a crying baby in the background.
(3)Phyllis S.
I have been to Mimi's many times but the last three times were memorable for bad coffee, too much noise and generally food which was substandard. I do believe it started going downhill just in the last 4 months as prior to today, I had no complaints at all. The coffee tasted burnt, eggs were overdone, sausage was not done enough. The one good thing I can say was that our wait staff (Flor) was attentive and apologized when we had to ask for hot tea to replace the awful coffee. I Guess Mimi's is now off my list of places to eat breakfast on a weekend and lunch on any other day. Sorry guys!!
(1)Sue G.
Our server kept filing our water glasses so I'm giving it 2 stars instead of 1. The food was not acceptable. I had a quiche - the crust was soggy, the quiche was barely warm, and the only flavor it had was flour. No flavor of cheese - just flour. I barely ate half and my server asked if I wanted a box. I said no thanks, it tasted pretty terrible, and she said okay and walked away. Some woman walked the tables and said hello to us but didn't identify herself as a manager and nor did she ask how our meal was. If she had, I would have told her. My friend had a sandwich on a not-very-fresh roll. Very disappointing for the $ charged.
(2)Eastie T.
It was a long time i've been there... but felt this restaurant is worth writing a review. We had the hand breaded chicken tenders for appetizer, they were pretty soft and delicious a few drinks ... and for Entree Crispy parmesan crusted chicken.. the portions were heavy and we did take back some home.. the seafood fettucini was nice... they maintained a good flavor on the pasta on the whole.. I really liked the ambience, the sound level was low and the music was nice... The service was good, but they got us a table in front of the Kitchen door, which made us feel a little discomforted..
(4)Juicy G.
Before writing this review, we tried Mimi's Cafe twice - Once for breakfast, and once again for dinner. Our first visit was for breakfast. The place wasn't crowded, and all and all it was very cozy, and quiet. Our server was polite, attentive, and relatively fast. When she first came to our table, she asked if we had ever been to Mimi's before. When we told her, "No," she took the time to highlight some of their menu features such as the fresh baked muffins, and seasonal pumpkin pancakes. Overall, our only complaint about the food was the potatoes. They were a mix match of cooked and slightly raw ones, which didn't make for a very tasty combination. At the end of our meal the manager actually came to the table and informed us that she was made aware that this was our first time to Mimi's, and presented us with two complimentary fresh baked muffins to go. When she asked how everything was, we told her about the potatoes, and she said she would talk to the kitchen to ensure it didn't happen again. We returned a few days later to try them for dinner. For me, dinner was fabulous. I had a tasty pasta dish - Artichoke Asiago Chicken Spaghettini, that had a very creamy, and very delicious sauce, as well as a nicely fried chicken breast. My friend ordered a burger that she didn't particularly enjoy. This was mainly due to what appeared to be fried bread being used as opposed to just a regular bun. Service was slightly slower than during breakfast, but in the server's defense, it was also busier in the restaurant. I was happy with my meal, and will gladly return to Mimi's for a third meal. I saw several other items I would like to try, and certainly wouldn't mind having some more of the pasta I ate. My friend on the other hand may take some convincing. ***UPDATE*** Tried Mimi's again for breakfast over the holiday. Potatoes were raw again. Won't be going back for breakfast anymore.
(3)Desiree P.
I completely love Mimi's!!! The mimosas are amazing. You get your own personal bottle of champagne, so they don't skimp on what makes a mimosa a mimosa. The muffins here are to die for....they're always seasonal, hot, and delicious. Mimi's takes a bit of a french style New Orleans approach to their food. I usually get the crab cake eggs benedict (which is available until 2 pm on weekends). My husband and I always take our parents here when they come to visit. It's a sure thing to please everyone. The service is always amazing. They do tend to have a wait (because they're so good), but you can make a reservation which I'd recommend. Go if you get a chance!
(5)Ben M.
We've visited this establishment every weekend for many years and have always loved the food and service. After a year of not visiting we came back today for a late lunch with our 3 year old and asked for her usual side of fruit with just cantelopes because that's all she eats. The GM had to personally refuse to do that because it was their "policy". When I indicated we had been coming here for years and have always done this, he said that since the menu was changed a year ago, the fruit is all pre - packaged and so he can't do anything. I have no issue for a legitimate reason (this isn't one in my opinion but I could have understood if explained politely). This guy was just plain rude. So, if you want to have a great meal, go here. If you want a great experience, avoid the GM. My suggestion to the org is to keep him away from customer interaction!
(1)William R.
My wife and I decided we try Mimi's for breakfast since we hadn't gone out for breakfast in a long time. When we arrived, shortly after 9 AM on Sunday, the place was crowded, and we had to wait about 10 minutes, which wasn't too bad. The large crowd may be partially to blame on recent severe storms that shut-down other competing restaurants in the area because of no power. After we were seated, we were served drinks and coffee promptly. However, it took about 10 minutes before the waiter returned to take our order. The wait for the food was a little longer than desired, approximated 25 minutes from the time we ordered, but I just chocked that up to the restaurant being busy. THE ONE STAR - The biggest disappointment was the food. It was cold, cold eggs and my whole wheat toast was stale, hard as a brick, like it was prepared the night before. Wife's scrambled egg meal was equally cold. Not sure what happen, possibly the server forgot about us while our food sat ready in the kitchen. Anyway, we won't be going back to Mimi's anytime soon for breakfast, though I've had lunch at Mimi's twice and it's been pretty good.
(1)Ruth C.
Service was friendly and decor was on par with a chain restaurant, complete with a small bar with TV. The Creole style jambalaya was filling, and the celery, peppers, and onions all tasted fresh. Their variation substituted rice with penne pasta, which was cooked al dente and paired well with the tomatoey medley. With so little sauce I was pleasantly surprised that the pasta didn't dry itself out. Chicken was a bit dry but the sausage, shrimp, and pork were done just right. Portioning was big enough for me to split it into two meals, but honestly I've had better jambalaya out of grocery store delis. I was more impressed by the inclusion of table bread in the takeout bag, though I wish there had been more savory slices than sweet. If I came back I'd be happy to buy their baked goods.
(3)Jennifer M.
If we want to go out and spend some time chatting over breakfast, brunch, or lunch, Mimi's is the place we always go. Especially if we have guests. Decor is nice, yet casual, lending to a very unassuming and comforting atmosphere. And there's always enough chatter not to have to worry about your own conversation volume. We love that Mimi's offers more controlled portions and healthier food options. Their muffins are huge (big enough to share) yet moist. I usually get the Quiche Lorraine or the Chicken Pot Pie. Both always come out piping hot! I once got the petite citrus salmon lunch special and it definitely was not up to my usual standards, definitely a diet menu item. My usual is more than good enough to keep me content. Once, there was a strange piece of chicken (bitter and dark) in my pot pie. It took a while to get the attention of the waiter (I finished my pot pie besides that strange piece of meat) because it was sooooo busy and we were hidden in the corner table. However, he was nice enough to comp my pot pie and gift us with a pack of their fresh baked muffins.They have great service. They have pretty good coffee and I also love their fresh orange and grapefruit juice. Yummy.
(3)Alexa M.
Been here twice now and the food is very good, the service is OK. The first time I went our waiter got backlogged due to a large party which was sat right after us. Our food came out much later than theirs and his attention was mainly focused on them. That said, the food was good and the atmosphere is nice. (Although it was bitterly cold on a blustery January day. ?) The second time we went the food was again good, waitress seemed on top of things, manager even came over to great us and offer us muffins (?). We got home though and the food we had ordered to go for a member of our party who was at home looked literally like dog food. It had been mutilated by the kitchen staff and was unedible. We called back this gregarious manager and he promised to refund us for the manhandled food. This was a week ago. No refund yet. We will be following up. In any event, who knew you should check separately ordered to-go items prior to leaving? Like ordering from a fast food place, I guess, one must "double-check" the order one is taking to-go so as to make sure it is not wrong or worse, unedible. This all said, the food is really quite good. The "deals" on week nights regarding 1/2 price wine bottles, $2 off starters, $2 off beer and wine glasses can make for a nice evening. Highlights: blackened chicken blue cheese quesadillas, hummus starter, French Quarter sandwich, wedge salad, kids meals Avoid (IMHO): jambalaya, pasta dishes, flatbread pizza
(3)Julie S.
Ewwww...went back to Mimi's last night after about a year hiatus of not being there - no real reason other than other places were higher on the list to go to. Mimi's just did a HUGE menu change effective 11/1/13 according to our server because of a corporate buyout/new owner. As soon as we pulled into the now deserted parking lot, that should have been our clue to NOT stop. They took away numerous menu offerings and increased the prices. Gone are the quiche for dinner and specialty deals (like salad/meal/mini dessert for a decent price. Prices were $10.99 - $18.99 per meal with a 2.00 fee for a salad or cup of soup. I actually asked our server where the rest of the menu was since there were only a few offerings and some dinner salads/sandwhiches/burgers, and that's how we got the story of the change. It appears they want to move to a more "upscale" type menu (also meaning higher prices) because everything on this menu was named something in french except their turkey dinner (whereas previously there were a few french named items.) We had the Coq au Vin and the Pasta Carbonara à la Mimi's. The Coq au Vin was tasty. The Pasta Carbonarra was very salty and the sauce was like a gravy NOT a cream sauce...weird. I doubt we will be back and actually don't think that the chain will make it (at least in this area)....the NEW menu just isn't a hit for us. Definitely check it out online before you go....http://www.mimiscafe.com/Dinner.aspx Hubby enjoyed his meal, I did not. It gets 2 stars because the food came out quickly and the service was good, but we are not fans and won't be going there again.
(2)Rob L.
We recently returned to Mimi's after taking a 10 year hiatus from our first experience. We were surprised to find that it is a "French" menu and maybe that is common knowledge but surprised us a bit. No biggie. The service started out great but ended on such a sour note that I'm still puzzled and dismayed by it. More on that in a minute. First the food. Our son's kid's meal was plain bad. He got chicken fingers and fries, typical kids meal that you can't mess up right? wrong. The fries were fine but his chicken was so overcooked he could barely chew through it and it got so bad we forbade him from eating the last chicken "finger" which was no bigger than my pinky. I had the beef dip "LeBuff" style with onions, peppers and cheese. Had this come out when it was ready it probably would have been great, but it obviously sat a long time before being served to me. The bun was completely soggy and the fries were colder than cold and wrinkly (fries on my son's meal were warm and crisp). This was disappointing to say the least. It did come with ample roast beef and the au jus was just fine. But the sogginess of the bun made it just fall apart and difficult to eat, not to mention who wants to eat a soggy bun? (before I intentionally make it soggy in the au jus!). My wife's meal was chicken breast over mashed potatoes with a very dark sauce and peas (not sure what this is was called). The chicken she said was super tender and good but the sauce was just too rich, too strong for her. The waiter checked on us and refilled drinks as expected. It wasn't until we were finished did things fall apart here. Our table was never cleared when we were done and we waited for quite a while to get the bill. Once the bill came he returned to get the credit card and we waited some more. He then brought bread to 3 other tables. Took orders at those other tables. Still waiting. He then left the floor for a few minutes and returned with more food for a table. Took another order. Refills for someone else. We were beginning to think he forgot about us. It just kept going on and we're just left here staring at our dirty plates! I was just getting ready to stand up when he finally emerged with our cc and bill to sign. What happened? Service was great until that point! As it turns our our 10 year absence from Mimi's wasn't long enough. We'll try it in another 10.
(2)Corey H.
Good food, they recently changed their hours they close at 9 on weekdays and 10 on Friday Saturday
(4)Pooja K.
My Mexican inspired eggs were very good and big enough portion. It came with a lemon poppy seed muffin which was good bc it came right out of the oven. Our server was very nice and kept refilling our coffee..which would have been a good thing, however, the coffee was terrible.. not the way I like to start my morning ! We were seated immediately and noticed that for patrons waiting to be seated, free carrot cake squares were available for them to snack on. Prompt service for a sunday morning, def recommend ( besides the coffee part, which i assume is a hit or miss at tons of places) .
(4)A E.
My family went here Friday afternoon for dessert and coffee. We did not know this is a chain store, but something pulled us. It was interesting interior - New Orlenes/Jazz related. Since in-between time(lunch and dinner) we could have a table very quickly. We ordered a three small desserts in one plate and chocolate fudge cake. Both of them were so tasty and we fell in love instantly. Server was very friendly. Price was not so bad. Bathroom was very clean. We are planning to go back there very soon.
(4)Carolyn B.
We love Mimi's! Always on the hunt for a good breakfast restaurant, we stepped into Mimi's on their opening weekend two years ago. We've been back nearly every Saturday since. While we have been to Mimi's for dinner and I do occasionally get there for lunch, I really feel that Mimi's Cafe is at its best for breakfast. The breakfast menu is far larger than any other I've seen in the area and that means there is something for everyone. The Eggs Benedict Florentine is my definite favorite but on the rare instance that I'm feeling especially decadent, the Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs is a real treat. The prices are decent and the portions are huge. Most meals come with a choice of fruit or potatoes, choice of juice and a muffin in addition to your meal. If you go home hungry from Mimi's it is definitely all your fault. Last but not least we feel that the wait staff at Mimi's are some of the best in the area with just the right combination of "friendly and professional". Viva Mimi's!
(4)Lily H.
MUFFINS!!! Mimi's Cafe is an awesome place to start the day as some of the breakfast entrees have a free muffin and small juice included. Even if a muffin isn't included, I'll still order one because it's the highlight of my meal. The muffins are served fresh and warm, firm on the tops and soft and fluffly on the inside...perfect. I just wish Mimi's Cafe wasn't so far from me... On other note, the staff was friendly and the service was great.
(4)Amanda B.
I had a very pleasant time at Mimi's and the manager was very welcoming. The person that took our drink orders was rushing, it was obvious he was about to be off the clock because moments later a waitress came. She was very friendly and talked to us about a few of the meals. I got the 3 course dinner, Cesar salad, chicken covered w/mushrooms and mash potatoes, and a brownie w/ice cream for $13.99. The chicken was delicious but I was full off the bread they brought before hand which was good too! lol My boyfriend took the survey on the receipt and we ended up getting 2 free muffins. In addition to that because it was our first time there, the manager gave us two more. I thought that was so cool. I get so use to going out to eat and being rushed in and out and I felt like I had the restaurant to myself, very relaxing-chill type environment. lol The muffins were good, I wouldn't say the bomb but maybe I'm not a muffin kind of girl. Although my boyfriend said, the carrot cake flavor was GREAT but the low fat blueberry wasn't good at all.
(3)Chris B.
I've only eaten lunch and dinner here. One of the best things about this place is that it is far better than the one-dimensional chains that surround it. Good overall selection from a somewhat varied menu. Most of the food I've had has been above average. The chicken and pasta dishes are usually very good. The beef and sandwiches are ok. The prices are good for what you get. The service I've had has been very good, although I've never been there on a really busy night. Two bad items. First, the salads, especially side & caesar, are weak. Second their version of "beignets" are seriously bad. Skip them.
(3)Rhonda C.
Not good for dinner! We went last night. Food was terrible, plain dry meat, no flavor at all. (a little spice with pepper taste & garlic they said was there) I had the sirloin steak on special menu (comes with salad or soup. And ice cream for dessert. Ask for salad with dressing on side, too much put on top!) and I added the crab cake for $2 more. Crabcake greasy, small fried nothing. Like a potato pancake. Not worth a penny!! My husband had pot roast. Same plain, no taste. He didn't even eat the dry mashed potatoes and usually he loves them elsewhere. This place made logans & texas roadhouse look like premium steak houses!! They are so much better then here. Don't waste your money at Mimis. Atleast not for dinner! Wish we had not eaten here, not worth what we paid at all. Only good thing, my daughter had chocolate chip pancakes that looked ok so maybe good for breakfast only? And good fruit came with it. Also great bread also comes before meal. Some desert type breads too. But we paid too much just for good bread. ($40 with tip) Maybe just carry out bread in future. That is all I would eat here!! Not going back again. Atmosphere very nice, so we thought food would be good. Oh well.
(1)Christine H.
Been here a few times...probably was my last...service was rushed, drinks were not refilled...food is/was generally ok, what do you expect for chain resto food, 1 step above shoney's...what annoyed me this time was my sister signed up for the 2 breakfast for 1 special via email...when we asked our server if we could use it, she rolled her eyes and said, it starts on TUESDAY?! It says it on the email...and she never followed up once she took our order... Look, I guess chicks with scrunchies who work at Mimi's feel entitled to talk to non-scrunchie chicks like that...uh no thanks.
(1)RJ S.
I don't feel I can give this a thorough review - since we've eaten here, we've been on a healthier diet... so we tend to always order the same "healthy" meals. But that being said, I'm thrilled they have healthy options. The dinner's we've had have tasted good, seem consistent and again - healthier options. I was very leery to try them for breakfast, because we had a bad experience at the Mimi's in Arizona (when we lived there) but because breakfast places are few and far between here in Sterling we decided to try them for breakfast, and so glad we did. Again they had a healthy option for a omelet and it was delicious! They are known for the muffins and they are soooo good - though we split one to keep the calories down. It's one of our regular places to eat, we're always promptly seated, the service has been great, the food has been good.
(3)Tom T.
Great bread!!! Came here for dinner and was impressed, will come again
(4)Mark S.
Cheaper than IHOP, you get a fresh baked (LARGE!) muffin with almost every meal and you get free orange juice. IHOP gives you pancakes.. but a large fresh muffin (of your choice) and orange juice is what i prefer. Also the servings seem pretty big.
(5)Bam S.
I have driven by this place so many times and always said I want to go there! I finally did and, oh boy! Not good. I had the french onion soup to start, not good. I didn't even have to blow on it to eat it. The cheese was not they way it should have been and I almost needed a knife to cut the piece of bread that was in there. The taste was actually okay though. Next I had some artichoke chicken spaghetti. The picture looked great in the menu and the description sounded great! It was a thin overly breaded and over cooked piece of chicken smothered in artichoke on top of spaghetti with asparagus tips and ends. For desert I had the Cinnamon benyays filled with something. Way too much Cinnamon on these tiny things they call benyays. The dipping sauces they had was a nice touch. I don't know. I had such high hopes for this place and left sadly disappointed. I'm still curious though and will maybe hold out for breakfast one day.
(2)Krsna V.
My tryst with suburbia continues. Someone save me from this "world" and get me out of here. Weird place with weird service. I was taken to Mimis by family who said I have to try their muffins. Wha? They serve muffins for lunch? Come again?? Who serves muffins along with your lunch? That should have been a warning to stay away from this place. But, I relented and hopped in the suburban mobile (a SUV) for a ride. And mind you, I hate muffins. So, being a team player, I joined the rest to make my mom-in law happy and we all went to Mimis. The wait wasn't too bad, it may have been 10 minutes. All 6 of us were seated in a booth that is fit for 4 people. We were not going to rescind our seating and wait for another 30 minutes 'cos every single one of us was starving by that time. So, we all cram in to the booth. Our waiter, Brandon, was a character....and I do not mean that in a good way. He sounded and acted like he was a theater actor...too animated, and dramatic. By the end of his "speech", my partner was looking at him with a stunned expression on his face. We order different items and they are nothing worth talking about. MY father-in-law and I had the enchiladas which were devoid of any flavor. My partner had an Asian pear salad which was OK, my mom-in-law had a quiche Lorraine which came with a lot of fruit on the side, my sis-in-law had a walnut salad with dried fruits, and my brother-in-law had the French onion soup. We were also served buttermilk spice and pumpkin spice muffins. My partner took a bite out of the pumpkin spice muffin and pushed the plate away. The butter milk spice muffins were OK. My brother-in-law asked for bread along with this french onion soup that never arrived. Our waiter Brandon did not bother to check on us even once after serving our food...he was too busy talking to other people and being a character. He comes in the end, after our plates were cleared by another waiter to ask if we want the check and any drink refills. I mean, come one now....did you finally find time to get away from amusing other people and ask if anyone of us need another glass of water or ice tea? Get it together dude! Overall, below average food with above average prices and crappy service. Stay away!
(2)Jenny Y.
Came here on a Thursday for a farewell luncheon for a co-worker (about 10 people). Arrived around 11:30am. None of us had been there before and were originally going to Olive Garden but changed plans at the last min since this location was closer to work. We were promptly seated and placed our orders soon after. Then we played the waiting game. Granted, a lot of the tables were occupied but it seemed no one in the restaurant had their food. Don't know if the kitchen was short-staffed but restaurants need to be prepared for this type of rush. What was supposed to be a 1-1.5 hour lunch turned into 2 hours. I am a pasta lover so I ordered the Petite Seafood Fettuccine (one of their signature dishes - $10.49) Sorely disappointed. The portion was small and the sauce was oily. I only ate it b/c I was hungry and eating for two (8 months pregnant). I was not impressed by the looks of my co-workers dishes: Slow Roasted Turkey Breast, BBQ Pork Sliders. They said the food was "just okay." Our whole table was complaining about the slow service the whole time. They never refilled my drink. We said we'd never come eat here again. I tipped 15% when I usually tip 20%... and I only gave that much b/c I was a waitress in high school and feel bad for giving lousy tips.
(1)Stuart V.
After not coming here for over 5 years, I went here with family and friends and my experience here the second time was much better than first. I got the bloody mary, corn chowder, and fish & chips. All were very tasty. Service was polite and attentive.
(4)Autumn W.
This restaurant was a favorite when they opened but lately it's been a disappointment. The wait staff seems poorly trained, the management has been argumentative with customers, and the food is frequently underwhelming. It's one of the few places that offers brunch and so I hope things will turn around.
(2)Gary S.
Mimi's is a restaurant without an identity. Most restaurants have one or two dishes where you just say to yourself, wow, this is this restaurant's specialty or signature dish. There are many, many items on the menu at Mimi's, but nothing that I would call anywhere close to spectacular. It's as if this restaurant is attempting to cater to everyone, but failing miserably by attempting to do so. I also don't know where the the French cuisine tie-in that they attempt to sell, as nothing that I saw on their menu was anything close to authentic French cuisine. We stopped going to Mimi's for dinner a few years ago after my wife ordered the chicken cordon bleu and I made the mistake of ordering a steak. Their take on chicken cordon bleu was nothing short of an abortion and the steak was tough and had so much spices on it, that it was inedible. However, we still do frequent Mimi's a few times a month for breakfast (how badly can you screw up breakfast?) as the service is usually efficient and as many have stated below, the muffins are just fantastic. All in all a better place for breakfast, but nothing ground breaking for the dinner crowd.
(2)Amy L.
Although the service is spotty, I really like their food. I had four cheese quiche with sun dried tomatoes & bacon - yummy! Their muffins are amazing & you can't go wrong with any except the low-fat blueberry which tastes like chemicals. I had today's seasonal flavor, pumpkin, a real winner.
(4)Lester K.
No, it's not run by Mimi from the Drew Carey Show. I looked around. Twice. Didn't see her anywhere in sight. I chose to get the French Onion Soup, Spinach and cheese dip, and meatloaf for lunch with some co-workers. I didn't find the food remarkably memorable nor do I remember what my co-workers got as it was that non-memorable. I do, however, find the price to be higher than I'd like to spend on lunch and I do remember the portions not matching up to the size I'd expect for the price. The soda was bubbly. After my first foray here, I turned down an invitation to go back for someone's good-bye lunch here. I don't see any trip here in the near nor far future.
(2)Matt V.
to the tall, tall, tall young male host that sat us LEARN HOW TO MOVE YOUR MOUTH....ENUNCIATE YOUR WORDS SO PEOPLE CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT THE F**K YOU ARE TRYING TO SAY. that being said, our waiter rocked...great suggestions, attentive friendly service. I'd come back for that alone
(3)Rohan L.
I've been here only for the Sunday Brunch. Its a good place but very crowded for the Sunday brunch. Casual ambiance, chatty. Almost everything on the menu is good. Fresh muffins are definitely a highlight. Tip: 1. if going for sunday brunch, make sure you have enough time on hand. waiting times are usually frm 15 to 40 mins. 2. If food becomes too heavy, there is a mall next door to walk the food off :)
(4)Amie B.
I've been to Mimi's often. Usually for brunch. The food has always been delish! There was only one very bad experience there, where the food took forever to come out and my boyfriend's came like 15 minutes before mine. I told the manager and my meal was gotten out to me in like 5 minutes, and comped. Other than that, their breakfasts are amazing and their portions are great. They have very good varieties for each meal and their muffins are AWESOME! Sometimes the service is a bit slow, but you can expect that in any restaraunt... Overall, this is a great place to go if you just want to relax and have a meal over some good conversation with friends! I would recommend it to anyone in the area.
(4)Dave P.
Their smaller size meals are pretty much the only reason to go here. The rest of the food that I've had isn't spectacular. Their giant muffins don't suck either, and you can get them in 4-packs to go. Too bad there isn't a half star step, because this is really a 2.5 star rating, not a 2 star rating.
(2)Wai T.
Strange strange strange... we came here for late breakfast on a week day, so I'm only giving a review for the breakfast part of it. As indicated by other reviewers, they serve muffin for breakfast. This is probably the best muffin I've ever had (I hate muffins and even I find it more than edible). We ordered a glass of OJ for our daughter, and we ended up drinking it all, as well as ordering a full size grapefruit juice. They taste like fresh squeeze. Wonderful juice. We ordered a 2-egg breakfast with spicy cajun sausage, and an order of egg benedict. They are all done perfectly. It's a little on the pricey side, but I find the good quite tasty. As we were waiting for our meal (we had to wait at least 10 minutes for the food), I saw another server walk by with french onion soup au gratin. It smelled so good we have to order it. Having grown up in Montreal, I would rate this a B (better than La Madeline, of course), but my wife said the soup is absolutely divine. They were super generous on the breakfast side fried potato, which also tasted good but was too much for us to devour it all. We'll have to get back for lunch or dinner to see if it's just as good, but as for breakfast, it definitely in on the short list. The most strange part about this whole experience is that it looks like we went to the wrong place... the average age for customer must have been like 70... we were the only 3 people in the restaurant that do not qualify for old age security... sigh
(4)Nycole K.
I know this is a chain place, and I'm not usually a fan on chains, but Iove this place. First of all, it's really cute inside. Sort of french chalet meets french quarter. The staff is usually really good. You can get breakfast all day, you just have to ask for the breakfast menu after 11am. The muffins that come along with salads are huge and yummy. I usually take it home for breakfast the next day. They have great "smaller prices, smaller portions" and a 3-course dinner deal for (I think) $12.99. One of my favorite places.
(4)Amita R.
This place by far as the strangest menu I have ever seen. All the food on the menu is food that you would expect for any given restaurant. But not all on the same menu. The restaurant is supposed to be New Orleans inspired. However, looking at the menu, you're not really sure where the inspiration comes from. From enchiladas to pasta to burgers to fish to salads w/ muffins, there really isn't any cohesion to the menu. In any case, I ordered the black & bleu quesadillas, which were okay. There was a lot more Bleu cheese in them than I expected. My boyfriend ordered the Cobb Salad, which was huge, and said that was okay as well. The salad came with a muffin, which was actually pretty good. It was warm and fresh. Overall, the decorations in the place are cool to look at, but I don't think we'll be going back to this place anytime soon.
(1)Welby S.
We had a good meal here. Their French Onion soup was good on one of the coldest days of the year at that point. I had what was essentially a a french dip but on sourdough baguette. The au jus could have used a little more spices, but the roast beef was piled on high. The only real complaint was the restroom was cold enough to hang meat in.
(4)Jim R.
I've been to this New Orleans themed restaurant three times since they opened in September '07. My first experience wasn't all that fantastic. This restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. We arrived for lunch at about 11:30 AM on a Saturday morning so they seemed to be in between breakfast and lunch and didn't seem fully prepared for lunch yet. I had ordered the meatloaf as I had heard from a friend that it was very good. Our waiter was a young teenager whom I suspect did not have much work experience as this restaurant had recently opened. I asked him what the soup of the day was and said he wasn't sure and never offered to check for me. I was flabbergasted but played along. Our lunch finally arrived a full 45 minutes after we had ordered it. So far Mimi's wasn't impressing me too much. The meat loaf arrived and was supposed to be accompanied by a bread basket. Our waiter never brought the bread and I gave up on asking and just ate my meat loaf. The meat loaf itself wasn't the greatest, but it wasn't all that bad either. One of the members in my party had one of the pumpkin spice muffins and I have say that I found it to be delicious! This first visit wasn't the greatest so I decided to come again at another time of the day a few weeks later to see if things had improved. This time we came in for dinner. This time I had the chicken pot pie and it was actually very good. The service had improved tremendously. I looked around for our previous server and he was no where to be found today, which was probably a good thing for Mimi's! The third and final time I visited Mimi's we came in for breakfast. We were promptly seated and served. I ordered an omelet and was generally pleased. The coffee was good but the orange juice was extremely pulpy. Overall, not a bad place. It seems as though the first experience we had with the service could likely be attributed to the restaurant recently opening and was the exception and not the rule. I've only visited three times. I'll update if I visit again and the service changes from recent experience.
(3)Laura R.
Good Breakfasts. But a word of warning, you get massive amounts of food with each order.
(4)Theo P.
We came here on a Wednesday night and had a good experience. The waiter was very responsive and paid closed attention to detail. We both ordered a pasta dish and it was enough for the next day. A little more pricey than your olive gardens or chili but its worth it. I would visit Mimi's again.
(4)Pablo G.
I would have rated Mimis higher if not for several EXTREMELY bizarre experiences we've had there. The food is not terrible, in fact it's half-way decent for a chain (I hate chains). Order a burger for lunch/dinner and odds are you'll be fine. That being said, we had one experience that was so bad we called the manager over and informed them we would be leaving immediately and not paying for our food. You see, my wife ordered the pork chop, which appears on the menu as "grilled or with honey mustard glaze". She asked for the glaze, quite clearly. The waiter seemed confused, so she took out the menu and pointed exactly to the part that says honey mustard glaze. He said ok. When the food arrived, sure enough, no glaze. She sent it back. 10 minutes later, it came back, yeah, you guessed it, WITHOUT THE GLAZE! Don't worry, it gets worse, much worse: She sent it back again, and sure enough, it came back, A THIRD TIME WITHOUT GLAZE. We got a menu, called several waiters over, and pointed this out to them. They finally understood, and finally brought the fourth chop back with the proper glaze. But wait, there's more: When they brought the fourth chop, it was brought by the manager. She repeatedly apologized, and right as she offered to comp my wife's meal, I bit into my burger and got a mouthful of a 12" black hair, literally cooked into the meat. I am bald, my wife has very short hair, and the hair was clearly cooked in to the meat. The manager was horrified, and I was furious. I stood up and told her "i'm sorry, I really am, but we cannot continue to eat this meal, and we're going to walk out right now" Stunned, the manager had no option but to let us go. I've never walked out or failed to pay for any meal in my life, but I cannot stress how upsetting this was. The food isn't bad, it really isn't. But the wait staff is incompetent and we cannot ever eat there again.
(2)Kim M.
Tried the new pesto croissant breakfast sandwich...yummy! I've been here several times and the service has been great.
(3)Blaire R.
The first time I went to Mimi's was last summer for lunch with my sister-in-law; it was fine, but we weren't terribly impressed. Last night I went for dinner with my husband. We had a great experience! The service was awesome and the food was delicious. We'll definitely be back.
(4)Martha P.
This would be a 3 if not for the Cobb Salad, which is consistently lovely. Service is inconsistent; atmosphere can be varaible as well.
(4)Adri Q.
Great place for brunch! They serve fresh muffins and juice with most breakfast options. Their breakfasts are very tasty and well priced. Only downside is they won't substitute the muffin for something else if you're gluten intolerant. That's the only reason I gave it 3 and not 4 stars.
(3)Fly_Gu Y.
The decor, food, and attentiveness of the wait staff were all great! We especially enjoyed the fried zucchini!
(5)Daniel G.
Muffins were amazing and breakfast was good overall. A few bumps on the service side, but a place we will definitely return to. French toast was amazing and the check was quite reasonable.
(4)Alexandra M.
went here the other day for lunch, just because it was close to shopping and i was hungry and i hadnt tried it. we ordered the fried pickles. which i actually loved. the portion was HUGE. we ended up taking them home. i got the broccoli quiche which was just okay, nothing special. the mini ones i heat up at home are just as good. it came with a salad, fresh fruit and a muffin. basically a huge meal for lunch, i took 1/2 of it home. my boyfriend got the reuben which was again, just okay. huge, again. do they eat this much in Louisiana? agree with vamsi, it is a weird place. the menu seems sporatic, from cajun favorites to american food, its weird. whats weirder is i would go back -- but only for the fried pickles.
(3)Vanessa T.
I'm sorry to see all the negative reviews on this one, because Mimi's is actually my new favorite place for brunch (I can't speak about any other meals). My past experiences have been great - service was good and they give you a ton of food. The mimosa's were ok - a bit expensive for the quality. The place was packed on a Sunday morning (but the wait wasn't long), so they must be doing something right! The decor was cute, and the big booths were kid-friendly for my friend's little daughter who was with us. I'll be going back!
(4)T M.
Best breakfast in the area! Great staff of people that work there and the food is always good. I can't see any reason to order lunch or dinner as their breakfast is always great. One word. Bacon. 'nough said.
(5)Jim M.
I've now eaten three times at Mimi's Cafe by the Dulles Mall, and think I can finally characterize it. This place just isn't consistent. Not sure if they're using different food suppliers or just different chefs, but I'd rather roll craps in Vegas than take a chance here again. One time was excellent, one was barely satisfactory, and today was just plain horrid. Horrid started with obviously old and bitter coffee, was followed up by virtually ice cold potatos, and fatty/grissly ham on eggs benedict that looked like it had been hanging around a room temperature for about a month. The service has always been good and tried to take care of the issues so I can't fault them. The manager did the right things when told of the issues, but appeared half-hearted as I expect she has to apologize quite frequently. Sorry, there are just too many other places to eat than to take a chance here again.
(2)Melissa G.
I was pleasantly surprised by this chain restaurant. It was recommended to us by our hotel and I'm so glad they did. They have a great menu and the decor is nice and comfortable. We went for breakfast but they look like they have a nice lunch and dinner menu too. Breakfast was big and hearty so you will not leave hungry. What a diverse menu - they had several types of Eggs Benedict dishes, crepes, quiche, pancakes, eggs, omelets, breakfast sandwiches, I could go on and on. What they offered were not just your everyday omelets but with ingredients like avocado or Cajun sausage. I ordered a very hearty egg sandwich on a flatbread and it came with home fries, juice and a giant muffin. I believe they might be known for their muffins which were quite good. The staff is really nice and very attentive. Our waitress asked us at the end of our meal how it was and we happened to mention it was our first time there then a few moments later the manager came by to speak with us and gave us a box of muffins to go! We were shocked. I will definitely be back and I want to go for lunch and dinner because if it is half as good as breakfast, I will be a happy camper.
(4)Laura W.
Food was decent, but the service was awful. Another reviewer attributed the poor service to the restaurant recently opening. Well, there's no excuse now that it has been open for several years. I would go back if I was guaranteed not to get the same waiter again. First, he asked for our drinks and then never brought them. When we asked about them, he had the wrong order. Then we ordered our dinner (which thankfully he wrote down) and waited about 25 mins. for our food. When it came time for the check, it took him WAY too long to bring it ... and dessert? That was just alltogether too complicated. My boyfriend and I felt a little better to know we weren't the only ones having problems: everyone around us was missing food, drinks, bread, too! Too bad the poor service way overshadowed the food, which was pretty good. Best of luck to anyone who goes here.
(3)Diane W.
We have eaten breakfast here many times, as well as dinner on occasion. Compared to other places, Northern Virginia is sorely lacking in decent breakfast places or diners. The portions are generous, moderately priced, and the atmosphere better than a Dennys, While I thought their omletes a little overcooked for my taste, everything arrives at the table hot and tasty. If you're not into muffins, they serve really nice wheat toast as well. Plus they provide you with coffee and coffeecake while you're waiting for your table.
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