I was deeply impressed with the ambience. Every detail starting from the outside of the store was carefully considered and makes you feel it's authentically French - for ones like me who are not experts on French style that's how it feels. The food, however, was portioned for Americans - Â huge plates loaded with goodies. May not be the finest prepared food I've had but definitely a great place for a relaxing weekend breakfast.
Review Source:On our drive up to San Diego, we stopped off in San Clemente for brunch. Â Cafe Mimosa is a small, french themed cafe in Old Town San Clemente. Â Most of the seating is in an enclosed patio. Â For a small space, service was pretty inconsistent. Â A nearby table seated later than us ordered over 10 minutes earlier and it took ages to flag someone down for more toast and the check. Â
John's egg and chorizo dish read as dry. Â Eggs had been scrambled with chorizo to leave little moisture with overly grilled tortillas. Â The dish was rather barren. Â I would have appreciated tomato, avocado, cheese, and certainly, it really needed a salsa and sour cream for moisture. Â
My dish, on the other hand, was out of this world. Â Overlapping slices of their house-cured gravlax was spread out in a layer over a plate, topped with an herb emulsion heavy with dill, a fresh cherry tomato salad with the bite of red onion, and grilled toasts. Â It had everything you needed for smoked salmon - dill, freshness, and a crisp vehicle for eating. Â This dish was so good that it made up for most everything else but I will say that there wasn't a lot else on the menu that interested me.
Tremendously disappointed - my wife and I got two breakfast dishes on a Monday morning (granted their slowest shift). Â My favorite Chorizo Scramble featured burned chorizo, poor flavor in the scramble as a result, and burned toast. Â My wife's Mimosa Omelette was heavy on the oil, light on the flavor, a taste more appropriate for a bad diner.
We're both long-time customers of Mimosa, having been there 10+ times over the last 3 years - never have we seen such poor quality in the food. Â And as much as we hate to say it, likely means it will be a long while before we try again.
Breakfast AND Dinner at Cafe Mimosa were swell. The ingredients were fresh, and delicious - definitely very French. Love.
OH. The banana bread. THE BANANA BREAD!! If you're there for breakfast/brunch and they offer the fresh baked banana bread, YOU DO IT. You don't hesitate.
I don't care much for sweet breakfast foods but sweet baby savior in a manger, the banana bread was SO great. It was served warm with creme fraiche over it. Do you have any idea what that tastes like?? Uh, I'll tell you: Heaven.
Service - excellent. Food - excellent. They have beautiful outdoor seating when the weather is nice and as a whole the place has a rather intimate feel to it. Of note though, seating is limited and there are very few vegetarian options.
It is a very small place. It looked like maybe a couple tables inside, and then the rest on the patio. You walk in and kind of question if you should walk back out, but don't! The food was very good! Everyone enjoyed their meals, but the potatoes were a little burnt. Other than that, it was great. Of course, the mimosas are tasty.
Review Source:The food and drinks here are amazing, especially the mimosas. However, the service was absolutely horrible!! My server (Heather) was impatient, snooty and just rude! I usually try to give people the benefit of the doubt, but this one waitress ruined my entire day! I will not be returning to Cafe Mimosa.
Review Source:I really wanted to like this place since we're new to San Clemente & we'd heard such great things about it.
We went on a Saturday for brunch after my son's swim lessons up the street. Great location. No wait which was even better. The inside is small but there is good patio seating.
Our server was nice enough, but we got the eyeroll from the hostess (or whatever she was) after I asked if they had child placemats. Really? What's so strange about that request? I also had to ask 3 times for extra napkins.
I had the elderflower mimosa and chicken panini and my husband had the chorizo scramble. We also ordered a plain chicken breast with a side of steamed spinach for my baby. Â One word = GREASY. Yikes. My panini was dripping with oil, the bottom of my husband's plate/bowl had a layer of thick orange grease, and my baby's chicken breast and spinach was swimming in olive oil. Â Not really my idea of well-prepared food. Â My mimosa just tasted like regular subpar champagne, couldn't taste the elderflower.
We had a $20 gift certificate from the restaurant as a "welcome to the neighborhood!" gift, which I thought was nice. Our tab was $43 before the certificate and before tip. Â So roughly $50. I didn't think it was worth that.
I was disappointed. Â We'll still give it another try though and request lighter on the oil. I'd love to be able to support small local business so hopefully next time we have a better experience.
Cafe Mimosa is a corner of culinary magic tucked away in the sleepy beach-city of San Clemente. French-inspired, the building is quaint and lovingly decorated and maintained.
The food is a little bit on the pricier side, but not without reason -- everything is so fresh and thoughtfully prepared, with whatever spices and seasonings are needed to make the plate positively sing. I like to go for brunch and get the Eggs Benedict, especially.
Any of their coffee or espresso drinks I've tried are also delicious...but really, how could you venture into a place named for their mimosas and not try one (or more)? They have flavors ranging from tame to the more exotic, such as elderberry. The servers here are very good at making recommendations, should you be stumped on which mimosa to try first.
I am not sure if it was the owner or chef whom I met with on one of my visits, but her knowledge and enthusiasm made me love this place all the more. My suggestion? Bring some friends and get silly over some mimosas for brunch or lunch, you won't regret it.
EGG WHITE FRITTATA was amazingly wonderful, MEXICAN OMELET was very good,  Large portions.  Coffee very rich and hot, many refills without asking.  Prices a little high but in line with a fancy oceanfront town.  Beautiful motif, nice soft  jazz music  We would definitely go back.
Review Source:Stopped by for some brunch during San Clemente's Fiesta street fair. I was expecting a wait, but with so many people interested in the street fair food, there was none. We were taken to our table immediately. I was being greedy and wanted to get more than one dish. Luckily, so did my friend. So we did what any great friends do. We split two dishes :)
Creme Brulee French Toast - dessert heaven for breakfast? Yes please! It was delicious. Sweet and maybe too much for brunch? Maybe. But totally worth every calorie that entered my mouth that morning.
Eggs Benedict - I think this was a special Benedict because the sauce was a chipotle hollandaise rather than a traditional, and there was an avocado on it. Super delicious. I had to have more sauce because it was that good. If it wouldn't have been frowned upon, I would have eaten the sauce straight from the ramekin it came in :)
Service was great and attentive. I am definitely going back.
This place is great (good pick Christie) the atmosphere, staffing, location, decorations, food, and of course mimosas were all great. Â We waited just under an hour and had a drink while we waited. Â Totally worth the wait - I would have waited two hours (if I wasn't really hungry of course)
Review Source:If you want to be treated like crap, please go here. Â Otherwise, steer clear.
My dear uncle was in town visiting and we wanted to have a fun brunch and catch up. Â This place (which is very cute in appearance) was recommended to us, so we went. Â I made the trek from Orange County, my sister from southern San Diego.
We were told our wait would be 30 minutes, by the handlebar moustached man behind the counter. Â After waiting over 45 minutes my sister asked him how much longer we might be waiting. Â (If you knew my sister, you would know it's virtually impossible for her to be rude or demanding) Â He responded curtly with, "I dunno, 30 minutes?"
My sister says, "But you told us 30 and we've been waiting 45."
His response, "What do you want me to say then?! Â 45? Â An hour? Â Perfect, how 'bout that. It's an hour more." Â
Um, exit stage left. Â No thanks. Â We walked down the street and ate at Nick's, where the food was delicious, and the staff was gracious.
Two thumbs down.
My wife and I stumbled upon Cafe Mimosa by accident, since we are not from the area and were just walking around looking for a breakfast/lunch venue. Â It looked somewhat eclectic so we figured we'd give it a shot. Â Good move on our part! Â We sat outside on a beautiful morning and got very attentive but not intrusive service. Â My wife loved the veggie omelet, and I had one of the most unique and delicious French Toast dishes I've ever had. Â It had a berry compote and a wonderful consistency.
My only (minor) disappointment was that when we sat down we were asked about drinks, and we figured we'd try the namesake of the restaurant. Â The drink was fine, but the waitress had never told us that there were about 15 different mimosa "flavors" to choose from. Â We would have liked to experiment a bit.
Putting that aside it was a great meal and Cafe Mimosa gets a big thumbs-up.
Due to all the hype, we had to try this place out before heading down to the pier. Â I ordered the french toast, which tasted ok, but not as good or unique as Rialto's in Fullerton. Â It was actually a bit messy and the strawberries made the bread mushy. Â I looked at other tables and the french toast looked more presentable - one toast was stacked on top of the other with the cascading strawberries. Â Mine were laying side by side with strawberries on top of only one of them. Â Perhaps the cook was rushing my order? Â Oh well. Â My husband's chorizo was too salty, but he finished it since it was quite pricey. Â Be careful not to take a big bite into the red pepper, it is spicy! Â It was a disapppointment, especially for the high price. Â The servers were excellent, however. Â They were very busy, but were very attentive and made sure the two little girls at our table were cared for.
Review Source:the pork belly is the best!! I love mimosas and everything about it especially the guy with the curly mustache. Which by the way is the owner. Just left there completely satisfied great start to a fabulous day. Heading to ocean festival. The true san Clemente locals can appreciate good food and great service when they get it. Mimosas is my favorite breakfast spot! highly recommended and I would give them 10 stars. ps side of avocado is $5 for each order I ask for it everytime. Love it!
Review Source:As a native of San Clemente, I can't say enough good things about Cafe Mimosa. I love the variety of different mimosas and the food is also very yummy! I've had the croque madame and the chicken pesto sandwich. Both were fantastic!
The atmosphere and interior are beautiful but make sure you sit on the patio - especially if it's a nice day!
Delicious! Go early or wait in line.
Mimosas - top notch!
Creme Brûlée French Toast - should be the cover recipe on the next Bon Appetit!
Everything else on the menu - 5 stars
Not impressed with the cappuccino I ordered so I am giving it 4 stars. But, I am bit if a espresso snob so my review would otherwise be a 5.
Making this my regular weekend breakfast spot!
This is an excellent restaurant. The food is very tasty. David is a great chef. The wine selection is a little weak for a French restaurant but the teas, juices and coffees are some of the best. They even have real pomegranate juice. The deserts are very good as well. A small, charming and quaint restaurant, great place for a date.
Review Source:I love this place!!
Ended up at Cafe Mimosa on Mother's Day at about noon.  Yes, there was a wait but it was totally worth it!  One of the waiters put our name on the list for the patio and said cheerfully, "We have no idea how long it will take".  She was so cheerful and friendly that it didn't matter to us either.  We waited, perhaps 15 minutes  ... equals no wait really. Â
We had a mimosa and it was so yummy and so strong that you really didn't care about the wait anyway. Â
We were seated, read the menu, decided... and had our food in under 15 or 20 minutes! (My husband had a chorisso scramble breakfast and I had an omelet.) The waiter (waitress) was friendly, helpful and efficient and never bothersome. Â
The food was deliciously simple and so tasty. Â The coffee was some of the best I've ever had. Â The place has the feel (and the chairs) of Paris which was lovely too.
I will definitely be going back to this place. Â The patio was just perfect for the sunny day too. Â
It's a small restaurant so plan when you are coming. I overheard there was about a 3 hour wait earlier in the day on Mother's Day!! Â Not surprising. Â I think it's such a great place!
Everything about this place is classy and friendly... really a perfect brunch today!
Super cute mom & pop type of shop located just a few blocks from San Clemente pier and beach. Â It's located at the end of a row of cute little shops and restaurants on Avenida Del Mar. Â Looks like a 2 story house and once you walk in, it's very cozy and comforting. Â
My friend and I got there and wanted to wait for an outside seating so as we were waiting, we ordered some mimosas. Â To my surprise, the waitress asked me what flavor of mimosa I wanted. Â Who knew they have more than just champagne with orange juice flavor! Â I ended up getting the pomegranate mimosa (simply delicious). Â
I ordered the Eggs Benedict Florentine. Â I was actually dissatisfied with my dish. Â Although it sounded and looked great, I was not a huge fan. Â The potatoes on the side were good but some seemed overcooked. Â My friend ordered the Chorizo Scramble and I tried it and that was pretty tasty. Â I would recommend that dish as opposed to the Eggs Benedict. Â
I must go back so I can try another dish and raise my rating on this place. Â I must give them 4 stars for the mimosas and a definite 5 stars for the decor.
Simply some of the best meals I have ever had- anywhere. Never been disappointed with anything. Not once, not ever. This is an incredible kitchen/chef and the owner is an awesome, mellow guy.
I've never had breakfast here but I can say that the Red Snapper is the best fish I have ever had. The veggies are to die for and I dream about the rare surf and turf nights here.. My girlfriend dreams about the "Pork with a 1,000 garlic cloves".
Check this out. NOW!
Youngest daughter took me, my wife and two of our grandkids to Cafe Mimosa, using my birthday as the launching pad. It was a very nice Sunday brunch style meal. We got there a bit early, gave our name at around 1115a, and waited about 40 minutes. There was a little time to stroll the Sunday farmer's market on Del Mar before being called.
I love the building, both outside architecture and the cozy interior. When I walked inside, I was surprised at the small but cozy interior. And looking around at the number of total seats in the restaurant, if it weren't for the outside covered dining, the place would be more appropriately identified as a "cozy, small, neighborhood pub and grub." We were seated inside, in the Southeast corner. If I had been given a choice... that's precisely where I'd have asked to be seated.
We clocked in with traditional eggs benedict, veggie fritata, french toast and scrambled eggs entree, with two mimosas and a coffee. Our total bill hit just under $100, which tells you that their pricing is "beach front real estate appropriate." Being involved in specialty coffee, I was impressed to see a decent size and well maintained 3 group heat-exchanger espresso machine. BTW... their orange juice? Fresh squeezed! That was a nice touch that made a good impression.
Considering that this is a family run restaurant, our server was great, a family member was on-sight managing and handling reservations and seating, and the food was good... I felt OK with my birthday meal. And yes, I'd return for a "non-Bday" meal too.
I love French food and to find great French food in San Clemente is awesome. Â I have been meaning to go for years and just have not. Â But finally went for the first time with family from Texas and loved it!
Now I took my 6 year old and she enjoyed it, but she loves to try new things and does well in these places. Â Not for kids who are restless or need games/tv to eat at a restaurant.
The staff was great as well, laid back, but attentive. Â Going back, wish it was tonight! Â Maybe for my bday on Saturday!
Some friends of ours took us to Cafe Mimosa for brunch, and we were delighted by the ambiance, food, and service. Â The cafe itself is very cute and quaint, and the service was top notch. Â We ate outside on the patio, and it was a little chilly. Â Our waitress opened up the curtains to block the breeze and she brought me a mug of hot water to warm me up. Â I thought this was very thoughtful, and service like this goes a long way.
We opted to eat fairly healthy, so we ordered the gravlax (smoked salmon and a tomato salad) and cold oatmeal with berries and dried fruit. Â We also had the almond croissant. Â Everything was delightful. Â Very simple food but very good. Â I wish we had the chance to order the french toast and the bread pudding as they looked absolutely delicious on the table next to us. Â Next time! Â We will be returning here.
This place will get business irrespective of reviews, as it's in a great location on a popular street. But...should it? Well, just know what you're getting before you go.
Atmosphere is very cute - like a small French cafe. Indoor and outdoor seating. Â
Service was good, as well - very prompt and friendly.
However...the food and the prices of the food leave something to be desired. Â If this were a review for food only, it's 2 stars. Â Food, atmosphere, and service is about 2.5 stars, but I upped to 3.
This menu offers fancier takes on classics - - eggs benedict with crab, or a breakfast sandwich on whole wheat with spiral sliced ham. Â Problem is, the "twists" on old classics don't merit a +$5 price tag vs. other competing breakfast places. Â For $12, someone in our party got a basic eggs, bacon, potatoes and toast. Â For $14, another got a breakfast sandwich with hash browns. And for $12 or $14, another had a frittata. For VERY buttery and somehow flavorless food, the price wasn't warranted. Â
It's cute and you most likely won't hate it, but know that the fancy can't make up for the lack of flavor or the prices.
My gal pal decided to join me during my summer visit with my brother this past August. Â I have been here before for brunch and several different types of mimosa (MMMMmmmm!), Â but never for dinner. Â How can I resist trying a different type of meal??
We decided to start with the fall baby lettuce salad (greens, dried fruit, pumpkin seeds, and a crostini) and a glass of wine (each, of course!). Â So tasty and perfect for an August evening. Â Also, our server gave up some warm bread and whipped butter to accompany the salad. Â How can one pass up some tasty carbs??!? Â Onto to the seared salmon with zinfindel cream sauce and chive whipped potatoes and chicken dijon with a slightly spicy mustard sauce and chive whipped potatoes. Â Oh yeah, some seasonal veggies too. Â Again, the food was super fresh. Â I swear they caught the salmon a few minutes prior to our meal. Â
As for the decor, reminded me of a small cafe in Paris (I want to go back!). Â And, the was contemporary French music playing in the background. Â We decided to sit outside so we can people watch.
This is a must in San Clememte!
Cafe Mimosa is one of the higher rated and more reviewed restaurants on Yelp, so I had to try it.
I figured I try one of their many mimosa's because, hey, it's on the name, so I better try it. Well, I had the pomegranate mimosa - which was good but way too small for the price.
For lunch I ordered the burger and fries. OMG the burger was soooooo good! I asked for it medium rare and I got it back too raw but according to the server, that's what a real medium rare looks like. I guess I'm just used to restaurants overcooking the meat. Either way, it was a delicious burger and the fries were super good too! Â
We parked at the beginning of Avenida del Mar and just walked down to Cafe Mimosa. There is plenty of street parking and it's a nice easy walk to the cafe, with plenty of cute shops to stop in!
It looked charming from the outside, but that's where it ended. Two stars for food quality and service.
I ordered the Mimosa Salad which was not terrible, but it didn't blow my hair back either. The sliced chicken had obviously been made WAY before the salad; it was cold and dry. Salad was topped with dried fruit, fresh strawberries and raspberries, gorgonzola cheese, and slivered almonds in a balsamic vinaigrette. No bread served with it. For $12 they could do better.
My date ordered the chorizo scramble and a side of toast, and it was AWFUL. Toast burnt. Main entree was lukewarm, not scrambled with eggs like we thought it would be. Just chorizo and potatoes. Bland, tasteless - it looked like hash on a plate. He did not finish the entree... which is good, because he spent the rest of the afternoon burping and feeling sick from what he did eat.
Flavored mimosas are made with cheap juice and cheaper champagne.
Oh, and the service? ATROCIOUS. The waitress was more interested in chatting up the dudes at the next table and ignored us completely. We had to get up and get our own salt and pepper, she never re-filled our waters, and she also did not checked back on us to see how the food was. We told her the chorizo scramble was not good when we paid our bill at the register, and she just said, "Oh, sorry to hear that."' And then charged the full price of our meals.
We will NEVER go back nor recommend this place.
This morning I tasted the Bilbao Chorizo Omelet; Crab Cakes Eggs Benedict & the Pork Belly w/eggs. Â HUGE portions, good value and great flavors but my pork belly was charred & slightly burnt on the bottom. Â Fresh raspberry mimosa made up for the charred pork belly. Â
I have dined here on numerous occassions and I am always pleased with the service & high quality of the ingredients. Â My plan is to return to try dinner dishes. Â I highly recommend Cafe Mimosa. Â Cheers!
Ahhh...sunday brunch. The halibut salad was delicious. Good portion halibut with a fabulous dressing. The special braised beef with poached eggs was good also.
The wait at 10:25am was about 20 minutes, but as we were leaving around noon there must have been a dozen people waiting. Moral of the story, order the specials and come early
oooohhhhh snap... I was so excited to go to this place after looking up brunch places in San Clemente, especially after finding out brunch is my favorite meal of all time.
The wait was a bit long... about 20 - 25 minutes. Â We took this time to look at the menu and start on our mimosas, which was great. Â I still didn't know what to order!! That is how great everything sounded.
Mimosas - yummy and strong, again, I'm an Asian girl who doesn't need much to get done so take it like that. Â I drank 2 and was well on my way to drunkville.
Pork Belly - hell to the yes. Â I got this and it was divine. Â The potatoes underneath were aight, the eggs with bacon were great, and the pork belly on top was cooked PERFECTLY. Â That ish was melting in my mouth, amazing.
Lobster Eggs Benedict - the BF got this one and he was in heaven. Â The amount of lobster surprised me, this was super legit. Â I was a big fan of the sauce it came with, just order it.
Overall: I would DEFINITELY come back for a crack at their french toast
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