Nostalgic chain born near Disneyland has one last location in the Bay Area

If you came of age in the 1980s or 1990s in California, you likely have a core memory tied to Mimi’s Cafe. Mine was located in Irvine and had the signature steep gabled roof, decorative chimney and stucco walls meant to evoke a French countryside cottage – a stark contrast to most shopping center restaurants of the time.

The vibe certainly worked on 12-year-old me and my friends. A trip to Mimi’s meant busting out my black beret, angled just so, and diving into the sugary bliss of its famous pain perdu, a custardy stuffed French toast. Perhaps you remember the rustic interior, with those romantic corner tables styled after Parisian cafes, or maybe the French onion soup. Between the big portions and the even bigger booths, Mimi’s was a place where groups like ours could feel francais and fancy on a budget.

At the chain’s height, it had 145 locations. Today, however, the Anaheim-born restaurant founded by a World War II airman has dwindled to just 38 storefronts, with the majority located in Southern California, where its brand recognition is strongest. In the Bay Area, there is just one Mimi’s Cafe left: in a Fairfield strip mall. On a recent Tuesday, my colleague and I went there for lunch, in search of those nostalgic ’90s eats.

Inside, Mimi’s was quiet, with about 15 diners spread out in a cavernous space designed to hold about 150. Over the course of my leisurely lunch, I met server Dania Ortiz, who called me “Love” and said she drives from Sacramento five days a week to work at Mimi’s because her regulars are so great. I also met one such regular, Tammy Ramos.

The last Mimi’s Cafe in the Bay Area is in Fairfield, Calif., on Sept. 22, 2026. (Lizzy Myers/SFGATE)

She called Mimi’s near and dear to her heart.

“When I moved here, I didn’t know anybody in this area, and I started going to church and an older lady there took me under her wing,” Ramos said, recalling how the woman helped her through trials in her life, including a divorce. They always sat at the same table under the striped Le Bistro banner. “For many, many years, she and I would come to Mimi’s Cafe, and we would sit at this table and split the cobb salad and a carrot raisin muffin.” The memory – and the muffins – kept Ramos coming back again and again for the past 25 years.

Much like the other nostalgic chains of my youth, Mimi’s Cafe has a large menu – I counted 75 items, not including seasonal specials – and brunch is a big part of that. You can have just about anything that qualifies as daytime food, including griddlecakes, chilaquiles, quiche, sandwiches, salads, burgers and a plethora of baked goods made on-site, including croissant beignets and those beloved muffins.

“Brunch is very, very popular, especially because of the mimosas,” Ortiz said, showing me the eight choices, including the tangerine Mimi-Mosa. “We get a lot of showers, birthdays and other celebrations.”

Overwhelmed by the volume and variety of choices – similar to the Cheesecake Factory, Mimi’s offers an eclectic array from hatch chile chicken flautas and Thai peanut stir-fry to a three-egg omelette and French pot roast – we settled on classics: the French Quarter Burger on parmesan sourdough, French onion soup, a medley of muffins and biscuits and, of course, the pain perdu.

The menu at Mimi’s Cafe has over 69 items in Fairfield, Calif., shown on Sept. 22, 2026. (Lizzy Myers/SFGATE)

Diners eat at Mimi’s Cafe in Fairfield, Calif., on Sept. 22, 2026. (Lizzy Myers/SFGATE)

For the uninitiated, Mimi’s pain perdu is made with brioche bread and filled with orange marmalade and cream cheese, then topped with berries soaked in strawberry puree. I put aside my triglycerides to cut into the 1,150-calorie dish, releasing the aroma of the citrus-soaked center and, with it, a million sweet memories. Middle-school me must have had the glucose tolerance of a nectar-eating bat because I felt my heart rate quicken after consuming just one small triangle.

The burger was a nice counter, with its crisp bacon, swiss cheese and garlicky sourdough. (I forgave the sad, underripe tomato.) But my favorite Mimi’s items were by far the muffins – carrot raisin, seasonal pumpkin and especially the buttermilk spice, which arrived warm, moist and covered in sheets of walnut and cinnamon crumble. Copycat recipes abound online, with some fans saying the crowd-pleasing flavor was the main reason they ever went to Mimi’s.

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Our waitress Dania Ortiz at Mimi’s Cafe in Fairfield, Calif., on Sept. 22, 2026. (Lizzy Myers/SFGATE)

French toast with mixed berries from Mimi’s Cafe in Fairfield, Calif., on Sept. 22, 2026. (Lizzy Myers/SFGATE)

That buttermilk spice muffin is a bestseller and was on the original menu when Arthur J. Simms and his partners opened the first Mimi’s Cafe near Disneyland in 1978, Marina Daniels, the vice president of operations for Mimi’s Cafe, told SFGATE. Daniels, who today oversees the brand, said that Simms named the restaurant after a woman he met while stationed in France during World War II.

“It was all about French-inspired comfort food,” she said. “The pain perdu, French pot roast, turkey dinner, are all original dishes.”

From Hollywood to Disneyland

Simms’ work in hospitality started long before Mimi’s. After moving to the area in the 1940s, he ran the commissary for MGM Studios and had partnerships in several Los Angeles businesses, including the Kettle, a historic 24-hour diner in Manhattan Beach. After Simms died in 2000, his son, Thomas M. Simms, along with corporate leadership, took over Mimi’s Cafe.

The brand changed hands a few times, including in 2013 when it was acquired by Le Duff America Inc., a subsidiary of the France-based conglomerate Groupe Le Duff. At the time, Mimi’s owned 145 restaurants in 24 states, including 57 in California.

Le Duff made several changes. It moved the company’s headquarters from Irvine to Dallas, closed low-performing stores and overhauled the menu, eliminating many of the chain’s classics while introducing a slew of traditional French dishes, such as Pommes Lyonnaise, Benedict bouillabaisse and others “people couldn’t pronounce,” Daniels recalled.

Mimi’s Cafe in Fairfield, Calif., on Sept. 22, 2026. (Lizzy Myers/SFGATE)

The interior of Mimi’s Cafe in Fairfield, Calif., on Sept. 22, 2026. (Lizzy Myers/SFGATE)

“In my 27 years with Mimi’s, that was our tough time,” she said. In 2019, Le Duff shifted course yet again, changing the name to Mimi’s Bistro and Bakery in order to strengthen its French connection and emphasize its bakery offerings. (Only nine restaurants made the change.) But, that, too, confused longtime customers. “It threw some people off,” Daniels said. “They thought it meant that we were a full-scale bakery.”

The rebrand had a silver lining, however: After years of customer backlash, Le Duff brought back the classics and removed many of the French dishes that did not resonate with the customer base.

“By 2020, we slowly started bringing back things like the turkey dinner, pot roast, pain perdu, grilled cheese, our soups, our muffins,” Daniels said. “I was so happy that I was able with my team to say, ‘We’re bringing back the favorites.'” The company also began franchising in 2020 to increase its market reach and build its brand, with the Fairfield location being among those owned by a franchisee.

But by then, the chain was in the thick of the pandemic and lost more locations, including the final few in the Bay Area. (There is still one other Mimi’s Cafe in Northern California, which is in Elk Grove.) Often, it was a matter of outdated leases and issues with landlords.

“Landlords can rent those spaces for much more than the leases we signed 40 years ago,” Daniels said. “Also, Mimi’s restaurants are 7,000-8,000 square feet. Landlords can rent those out to three different businesses.”

Daniels recalls the menu favorites as well as her team did because, once upon a time, she was a server at Mimi’s in Central California. Now, she’s the boss. (Her manager at the time encouraged her to pursue a career in hospitality management.)

Diners eat at Mimi’s Cafe in Fairfield, Calif., on Sept. 22, 2026. (Lizzy Myers/SFGATE)

The French Quarter Burger from Mimi’s Cafe in Fairfield, Calif., on Sept. 22, 2026. (Lizzy Myers/SFGATE)

One of several dining rooms at Mimi’s Cafe in Fairfield, Calif., on Sept. 22, 2026. (Lizzy Myers/SFGATE)

When asked how one balances history and the need to modernize when running a brand, Daniels said it’s imperative to stay committed to core values and what you’re known for. But following trends can pay off, as it has for Mimi’s, with limited-time menu items like pumpkin spice griddlecakes and a fried chicken and biscuit benedict. Executive chef Ruben Ramirez is playing with trendy flavors like ube, too.

“Mimi’s in the past was known for grandmas going in,” Daniels said. “Not really anymore.” Joining OpenTable has brought in “a full new generation to Mimi’s,” as have third-party apps like DoorDash. Mimi’s has had positive sales year over year for the past four years, she added.

In fact, despite the decline in locations, the chain’s future is hopeful: The brand is looking at growing via a smaller footprint, and Daniels hinted that the focus could be on breakfast, “our strongest time.”

“We’re calling it Mimi’s 2.0,” she said. “It’s more modern, but still has the feeling of walking into a Mimi’s.”

Unfortunately for the Bay Area, she said it would likely launch first in the Dallas area, where I expect legions of young fans to show up wearing their very best berets.

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This article originally published at Nostalgic chain born near Disneyland has one last location in the Bay Area.