I've been wanting to come here for years and I finally had a chance to thanks to my dear friend who took me out for my birthday. Such a lovely vibe as we sat outside. They also have indoor seating but the fresh air and hear lamps made it cozy. Food was excellent. Total hidden little gem that you must check out. read more

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Delicious food and very friendly service. It was kind of empty on a weekday but the ambience is really nice. It feels like a family round table dinner spot or a cute date spot. We had the seafood soup and the fish main dish which was very delicious. The flourless chocolate cake was very delicious but I wish it was served with ice cream instead of whipped cream which kinda made it heavier. Overall, a solid spot and I'm excited to go back to try other dishes! read more

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Went here during world cup season AND graduation season, so thought it would be packed, thank god it wasn't (yet)! This place was so yummy it got me saying "grazie" in a French restaurant. We were seven people and fit comfortably inside and the workers were too nice even though our eclectic mix of cultural backgrounds might have made things awkward. Love this place, the food, and the memories made. This place may be Petit, but it's spirit is "Grand" read more

Oh my goodness, this is just the cutest spot ever and I think my favorite spot on the westside for an elevated home cooked meal vibe. The restaurant looks like it could've been someone's home and the owner, Mimi, was actually sitting at the front of the restaurant chatting with anyone that stopped in. Beautifully decorated. The food was very well cooked. Nothing was over the top and you could actually taste all of the ingredients. My favorites were the onion soup, steak and frites and the creme brulee. The sauce that the steak came in was so tasty that I ended up using it as dip for my fries. We also ordered the mushroom salad, which came with a very fresh and tasty dressing, and the steamed mussels which were also very tasty. No matter how full you get, you MUST get the creme brulee. It's small but so good that I wished I had gotten my own. read more

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What a nice and cozy restaurant. The kitchen is nestled kind of in the middle of the restaurant which makes room for sitting areas kind of around the perimeter of the room. My group say I'm the back and I liked it for it's more secluded feel. The food overall was really good, except for the shrimp in the bouillabaisse which was pretty overcooked. But the muscles, flavor, temperature were all spot on. The other dish we tried was the fish and it was perfectly cooked with a pleasant sauce and carrots. The mashed potatoes were a little boring but overall a great dish. The dessert we had the flourless chocolate cake and it was so good! I think it would pair well with ice cream but that's not what it comes with. I think it is too much to eat for one person since it's so rich. Better as a sharable dish otherwise you will be taking some home to enjoy later. Definitely would come back again ready for more! read more

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I was invited to brunch at this charming petit bistro & the experience was perfect from start to finish. the gentleman who confirmed our reservation was so friendly & gave me the option of patio or inside dining. we selected an inside table to experience the full french ambiance & decor. we were greeted by mimi herself as we entered. what a treat! the menu was a mixture of breakfast & lunch options. I ordered the traditional ham & cheese crêpes & couldn't have been happier. my guests both opted for the quiche lorraine. both came with a simple, refreshing salad. we shared a basket of warm & crispy pomme frites along with glasses of the most heavenly mint lemonade. the service was impeccable & we enjoyed every minute at chez mimi. rest assured, this is my new favorite brunch spot. merci beaucoup, mimi!! read more

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Went to this restaurant for date night because we both hadn't eaten French cuisine in a hot minute. Super charming spot! If the weather were warmer, we would have opted for the outdoor seating, which was lit up nicely and very welcoming. Inside was very cozy. Walking in, we were immediately greeted by the staff. The staff were all fantastic from the beginning to the end of dinner. Very attentive, knowledgeable, and friendly. We ordered the onion soup, escargots, frog legs, steak au poivre, and the sanddabs meunière. Honestly, they were all tasty! I especially liked their mashed potatoes. My favorites out of the dishes were the appetizers - the onion soup, escargots, and frog legs. No complaints about the food. This restaurant has more of a comfort food vibe, which I prefer. By the end of our meal, we were stuffed!!! We originally ordered another special, but the waiter already knew that we would be too full based on our current order and warned us. For dessert, we went for some coffee with their strawberry shortcake, which was the perfect end to our meal. Will definitely visit this restaurant again to try some of their other dishes. read more

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This place is so special! Incredible food, great service, and it's so cozy. We come here every week! Wish it was open during week for lunch. read more

Le Petit Chez Mimi - French Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Hands down the best crème brûlée in the states!!!!!! I frequented Paris when I lived overseas and this is the closest I've come to tasting my first bite of crème brûlée that had me addicted. Thank you for giving me a moment to relive this. The service was great. The restaurant was clean. The prices were good. read more

This is not just a restraunt or place to eat, this place has a beautiful soul, history and amazing commitment of the owner who has almost 50 years of experience of delivering culture and recipe thru food, service, love and atmosphere straight to your brains reward system :) To put it simple, one of the best restraunt in LA! read more

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Our family's favorite French restaurant in LA! The food is simple, authentic, and consistently outstanding. Every dish is thoughtfully prepared with fresh, high quality ingredients. The service is warm and welcoming, and the cozy atmosphere makes every visit feel special. We have been here many times and it never disappoints. Highly recommend for anyone looking for excellent French food in Los Angeles. read more

Lovely charming bistro. Casual elegance. Fine food exceptional service aiming to please. Come here with that special person or a good friend or a loved family member. It's too special a restaurant to have a business meal. read more

This is definitely one of our new favorite restaurants. Le Petit Chez Mimi is so charming and beautifully decorated, with so much detail and care. Each time we've eaten here it has been the most perfect dining experience. Service is very friendly and the servers are all extremely knowledgable. A bonus in service is that the owner, Mimi, is there to greet you and to make sure your meal is delicious. Some of our favorite dishes include French onion soup, onion tart, chilled cucumber soup, filet mignon, rainbow trout, roasted chicken, tarte tatin, and creme brulee. We keep coming back because everything about this restaurant is A+! read more

Very good outdoors dinning... efficient servers... enjoyable tasty food... will be back. Thank you Mimi read more

100% authentic in all ways. All craft and refreshingly void of contrivance. My new favorite LA resturant. read more

The classic French onion soup was rich and covered in nicely melted cheese. I also ordered the steak frites and the meat was incredibly tender. read more

The food, the ambience and the service were all great! We've been coming here quite often, but after not being there for the past few months recently we noticed they jacked up all the prices. I get that things are more expensive now, but the dishes used to hover around the $30 mark and now it's around $50 which seems overpriced for a place like this. The owner is super nice though. If it wasn't for the price hike, it would be five stars. read more

For years, my boyfriend and I enjoyed dining at Mimi's restaurants in Venice and later Beverly Hills. Every visit was memorable--the food was consistently outstanding, from the appetizers to the entrées and desserts. Each dish was prepared with care and perfection, always leaving me looking forward to my next visit. After many years, I was delighted to discover that Mimi had relocated to Santa Monica. I had often told my son about her restaurant and the incredible French cuisine, so I recently took him there for dinner. Walking in felt like reconnecting with an old friend. Mimi greeted us with the same warm smile and kindness I remembered, making us feel genuinely welcome. The service was excellent, and the food was every bit as superb as I remembered--beautifully prepared, flavorful, and truly authentic. It was a joy to share this special place with my son, and I am happy to say that it exceeded all expectations. I highly recommend Le Petit Chez Mimi to anyone looking for exceptional French cuisine and a warm, inviting atmosphere. I cannot wait to return. P.S. The Roasted Chicken with green beans and corn soufflé, is an excellent dish as well as the Seasoned Steak and Sauce... I hope you will love and appreciate this lovely restaurant as much as we do! Thank you Mimi to you and your team. read more

A tiny but delicious French bistro in a sleepier part of Santa Monica. I'm a huge fan of French cuisine and I've pretty much been to all the other options in Los Angeles but for some reason I missed this place. Everyone at our table was really happy that we chose this location because we all had a great meal and great service. Our server was very polite and all of our items that we ordered came out very quickly. The owner was also there and gave a very sweet goodbye when we were leaving. The menu is not very large, but it has all sorts of bistro classics that you would expect and everything that we ordered really had a great taste and a fair price. They also have a large free parking lot attached, which is a huge bonus, especially for Santa Monica. The restaurant size is really tiny but done well and it really feels like the French countryside. It almost feels like you are dining in someone's house, but with professional service. Being our first time we wanted try some of the classics on the menu. We both started off with the French Onion Soup and thought it was fantastic. It wasn't overly salty, there was loads of cheese, and great overall flavor. For my entree I ordered the Sanddabs Meunière because I love those flavors and sand dabs are a California classic fish. Only found on the West Coast so I order them anytime I get the chance. Everything was very light and buttery and it just had tremendous flavor. I was honestly sad when I finished it. We wanted to order a dessert, but by the end of the meal, we were just too full and decided to save that for next time. Overall a fantastic bistro and I would recommend to any fan of French cuisine or anyone searching for a great dinner option. read more

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We had a lovely experience. The meal was delicious, the staff were kind and also efficient. The outdoor space with heaters felt special but comfortable too. We'll be back! read more

My French class went to dinner together at this absolutely wonderful restaurant. It was my first visit, and I will definitely be back. The atmosphere is charming, the service is excellent, and the food is delicious. I was so happy I had the chance to meet the very gracious owner so I could thank her (in French!) for the wonderful experience of dining in her superb restaurant. read more

I've been coming here since she started 45 years ago in Venice, the French food is amazing. The Customer Service is great and the ambience is great too love to come for Sunday brunch on the patio. The food is amazingly delicious. And Mimi, the owner is very sweet and makes you feel like Home. The chocolate cake is a plus her own recipe. Definitely recommend. read more

suggestion to improve pear walnut salad ( please put more walnuts and blue cheese ) would improve salad so much. Thank you read more

Amazing food, service, and ambiance at this little delicious French bistro! Couldn't have had a sweeter Valentine's Day date if we tried. read more

Le Petit Chez Mimi - French Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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This is possibly one of the best restaurants in LA.. I was introduced to Chez Mimi by my father.. the food is outstanding, the restaurant is gorgeous and the service is exemplary. You can do no wrong when at Chez Mimi.. Seriously.. enjoy! read more

Food very well presented! Tasty, well balanced. Carrot soup had lovely garlicky flavor. Calves Liver with lemon sauce and caramelized onions with carrots and mashed potatoes was delicious. Service was very attentive. I was told all the specials of the day. Beautiful ambiance well lit, but not over so. Acoustics make having a conversation pleasant. Nice Christmas lights and garland strewn about for the holiday. Amanda my server was very gracious. Wonderful experience overall! read more

Le Petit Chez Mimi - The bill - French Near Me - Santa Monica, California

We have been coming to the various iterations of Chez Mimi (Chez Hélène, Le Petit Chez Mimi) for over 40 years and still love it! Mimi's food is delicious, plentiful, thoughtfully prepared, beautifully displayed, in an adorable setting that makes you feel as if you have gone to someone's home for dinner. Service was wonderful. Don't miss this little gem! read more

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Went for Sunday brunch (10am to 2:30pm) for the first time. The place is cute, we sat outdoor on the patio. It was a nice day and glad it is covered (shaded) with some kind of turf on the ground. So it's comfortable. Dog friendly on in the patio area. And their were like 4 dogs there with their owners at different tables. I did not get a chance to go inside but I will next time. I ordered a mimosa around $15 bucks and the quiche Lorraine around $16.50. Came out as a slice with a mixed green salad. Small portion but just enough for a bite to eat lunch. My guest had the house salad with requested olive oil as dressing but it seemed lack luster. He is vegan so not too many options there for him. I plan on going back to try something else and I hope the portions will be bigger and satisfying for dinner. The staff was nice and attentive. Bonus is that w they have parking next to it so that's always a plus when you don't have to pay for parking or drive all around looking to park. The area is nice, quieter on the weekend. Mostly office buildings and some older Santa Monica one level style homes off the street. Going towards Colorado avenue by the Santa Monica College Stewart street campus and the STARZ office building. Nicely shaded by trees so it feels welcoming. Like a neighborhood little spot for a meet up. read more

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Excellent cuisine and ambience. Will hope to return often. Mimi and team are exceptional and the food is beautifully served.

The word spectacular comes to mind in the food. From Bouillabaisse to Muscles in a cream sauce, And what she does to her mustard chicken. Her desserts are just a delight, That's not including her Sunday brunch. Which includes eggs Benedict salmon Benedict, There are pancakes for the kids The service is first class, The waiters are all class and make you feel like you're having a wonderful experience. There's a tent outside for beautiful days and nights and the inside is like going to a French countryside bistro! read more

This lovely restaurant has excellent French food with terrific, attentive service. We eat here often and have always enjoyed. Highly recommended read more

Disappointing Experience at Le Petit Chez Mimi April 2025 - Santa Monica, CA In April, my friend and I visited Le Petit Chez Mimi on Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica. The place itself looked charming and clean, with a pleasant atmosphere--but unfortunately, the service left a lot to be desired. We ordered a steak, roasted chicken, and a bottle of champagne. Our server was a blonde woman who took our order. The champagne arrived first, and the food followed about 20-25 minutes later, which was reasonable. My friend said the steak was fine, but my "roasted chicken" was clearly not roasted--it looked and tasted like it had just been boiled in water. I had specifically asked for it to be well-roasted, so I asked the waitress to take it back and actually roast it. I then had to wait another 20 minutes. That was frustrating, especially since I felt she didn't understand what a properly roasted chicken should be. Another unpleasant moment happened at a nearby table, where a party of five was seated and also ordered champagne. Their server, a man with a darker complexion, clearly struggled with the bottle. Either it wasn't cold enough or he didn't know how to open it properly, but when he did, it spilled all over the floor--and some of it even splashed onto us. The prices didn't match the quality or service: the champagne was around $140, and the steak was about $48 the roasted chicken (upper and lower leg) was $38 dollars I think that was just too much. For those prices, we expected more professionalism and food that was prepared correctly the first time. While the restaurant has potential and a cozy feel, the staff didn't seem properly trained, especially in basic food knowledge and service etiquette. For a family-owned restaurant, they should take more care in choosing and training their servers, especially when guests are paying top-dollar prices. Sadly, it was not a good experience. I would not recommend it based on our visit. read more

Fabulous food. Great service. A very nice outdoor area that can be used year-round because it is in kind of a fancy tent with cute picket fence around the inside. Plenty of heaters. Inside is nice too. read more

Chez Mimi is classic French fare served by an excellent and attentive wait staff in a pleasant enough environment. Purposely erring on the delicate and nuanced style of French cooking, a few dishes could use a tune up - perhaps a tad more seasoning or salt - while others were just fine as they were. My steak au povre had to be sent back at first as I ordered it medium rare and it arrived well done. The one I ate (and photographed) was better, the meat just the right amount of pink to correspond with a tender consistency and the sauce a right and measured amount. Still, there was a considerable amount of fat to chew around... Appetizers like the onion soup and onion tart were real standouts whereas the Caesar, while created to be nuanced and delicate, was really just a bore and needed a more flavorful dressing; the added anchovy filets I requested helped to jazz it up some. The lemon tart we shared was quite nice though served room temperature or even a tad warm, which struck me as being something of a mistake as I like it to be a tad chilled, if anything, to be more refreshing. Overall, Chez Mimi is a welcome addition to the slim offerings of French restaurants in Los Angeles. Better than most. Quaint surroundings, positively top-notch service, some things shining and others just narrowly missing, but worth your own investigation. read more

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Always excellent food, served beautifully! Love the outside patio area. Great service and very 'French!' read more

Delicious & adorable French restaurant right in Santa Monica!! Owner is lovely too! Definitely a must !!! Everything is fresh & hot!! read more

I've been a fan of Mimi's cuisine since the days of Chez Helene. I've followed her from Beverly Hills to Santa Monica to Pacific Palisades and now she's back in Santa Monica with a new restaurant called Le Petit Chez Mimi. I came here on the second night of the soft opening back in September 2020 and everything was as amazing as I remembered. All of Mimi's restaurants have always been charming and cozy. This location also has lots of character. Even though we were seated outside on the adorable patio (due to COVID requirements) I did manage to sneak a peek inside, and I can't wait to dine in the lovely dining room with its French cottage inspired decor. Mimi has always delivered 5-star quality food with 5-star quality service and everything about our meal that evening lived up to those standards. The cuisine is inspired by her French-Canadian roots. I've tried just about everything on the menu and enjoyed each one. The Moules Mariniere are full of flavor. The Bouillabaisse is excellent. The Filet is cooked to perfection. I'm always torn between starting with the Mushroom Salad or the Eggplant Salad. My favorite desert is the Caramel chômeur. A classic desert from Mimi's childhood. This dish is so unique you must try it at least once. I also love the Flourless Chocolate Cake and her award-winning Tarte Tatin. While we were dining, former clients drove by to see if the restaurant was opened and peaked in to say, "Hello." Mimi was definitely missed. I'm not the only one glad that she is back serving delicious food. There is free parking in the lot and on the streets nearby. read more

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Delicious food with lovely personal and warm service. Very low-key and relaxing ambience very quiet

The food, Service and ambiance are all above par. Dinner and brunch are both amazing. This is the best French onion soup & eggs Benedict in LA read more

tried for the first time tonight, we live nearby and will be back often for date night. staff so kind, ambiance is romantic/authentic, and food was delicious! the vegan plate was so flavorful which was amazing compared to other usual vegan options. such a special place! :) read more