mimi's bakehouse

a very family-friendly cafe offering delicious cakes and treats; i recommend their pancakes with bacon and maple syrup, their red velvet cake, or just a yummy scone with all the cream and jam you can eat. the staff are great and are very used to adding extra chairs, moving things for buggies and will add a little candle i too of a cupcake for birthday celebrations.

i came to mimi's bakehouse because it had been strongly recommended to me by a few people.

it lived up to the hype, with their extensive range of creative baked goods and extensive drinks menu i found it difficult to choose just one thing. in the end, upon my lovely waitresses recommendation, i opted for a slice of the red velvet cake and a 'luxury hot chocolate' both were exquisite. the red velvet cake was moist and the frosting plentiful while the hot chocolate came was the closest a hot chocolate has ever been to luxurious, adorned with a mountain of whipped cream and plenty of marshmallows on the side.

if i had a faster metabolism and bikini season wasn't round the corner i would be a mimi's bakehouse regular.

i went to mimi's bakehouse for several tea times and cakes. the place is really cosy and it's a place where you want to go with your friends and family. you will always feel good. the design of the place is really original with sugary colours.
- the cakes i have tried so far were all delicious and i have to say that my favourite is the oreo cake.
- tea times are great and huge! but the good thing is that you don't have to prepare diner afterward and if you have to much cakes and sandwiches, you can ask to take them home. the regular teatime is always great but i was a little disappointed by the christmas tea time which was more expensive (£17,5 for the christmas/£14,5 for the classic) and some of the items were not up to what they usually do.
- they offer all kind of coffees and teas. i am a tea drinker and i appreciate that they offer tea pig teas.
overall a great experience! don't forget to book your table if you want to try their cakes during the weekend!

we visited mimi's for a couple of cakes to take home, whilst waiting for the cakes to be boxed up i took a little look around, every little detail in the café was perfect, mimi had clearly put a great deal of thought into the look and feel of the place. there were also a few non edible items for sale, these would no doubt make perfect gifts for any baking enthusiast. even the box for our cakes was cool, a really unusual design that tied in nicely with the cafe’s decor.

after what seemed like a lifetime to get home and tuck in we found that there was a slight mix up with our order, whilst the cheesecake was present we’d been given the wrong chocolate cake (no red velvet with white chocolate frosting, just plain milk chocolate). this was disappointing as we had made it clear which chocolate cake we wanted when ordering, we got over this mild frustration soon after our first taste of the cheesecake…

it was amazing, so smooth, not too rich and a buttery biscuit base that would satisfy even gregg wallace. whilst the chocolate cake was tasty and incredibly moist it just couldn’t live up to the standard of the cheesecake. i’ve eaten my fair share cheesecakes in my time and can say without a doubt that this is the best.

at first the price seemed a bit steep, it was around £8 for the two slices, however the portions were very generously sized.

mimi’s motto is “it’s all about the cake!” and with cake this good you don’t need anything else.

reviewed april 2013, read full review at:
http://www.edinblogger.com/2013/mimis-bakehouse/

every little detail in the café was perfect, mimi had clearly put a great deal of thought into the look and feel of the place.

it's all about mimi's. i live very near mimi's i've decided to update my surly review from january 2011. i've been back to mimi's many times and have found them incredibly friendly, the service excellent and the food, coffee and cakes of a very high standard. they care about food and their customers. as for some of the snarly reviews on here - nobody is making you visit mimi's - if you want french patisserie, get to france! as far as the pushchair army are concerned, can i suggest that while you are in france, you observe how children behave in cafes and restaurants - with decorum under parental supervision! stop thinking of your little rug rats as critters who should be pandered to - think of other customers, health and safety and a family who - in the midst of the worst recession - saw an opportunity, ran with it, provide an excellent local amenity and in many ways have helped to revitalise the shore in leith. i would now recommend mimi's as my no.1 destination of choice in leith. keep up the good work guys and get some bacon and french toast with maple syrup grooving...i'm on my way...again! x


-----30 jan, 2011-----

great place, terrible service. i've really been looking forward to visiting mimi's and finally found the time today after a busy week. understandably, given it's great cakes, location and interior it was stowed out.

i stood for several minutes waiting for someone to greet me when i came in and eventually went over to the servery and asked if i was supposed to just sit at a table, but i was told very abruptly not to by a surly member of staf who walked off leaving me standing.

i was then left for several more minutes until i was so pissed off i left. the staff could clearly see me waiting and throughout there was a table for two with a reserved notice, which i could easily have been placed at, even if it was just to wait until another table was clear.

probably the best cafe in leith. it would be a shame to ruin it with very bad service.

over-rated and rude management. i visited mimi's for the first time today with some friends and our children. we arrived early so the place was quite quiet. at first the service was good. the staff were very accommodating with highchairs etc. we hadn't been there long when a member of staff asked us to tell the children to sit down as there was hot drink around etc. completely fine. the mums were about to ask the 3 year olds to sit down anyway as it was starting to get busier. i really can not stress enough that my dissatisfaction has nothing to be with being asked to make the children sit down. it was the manner in which this happened. as the member of staff walked away he, rather rudely, went on to mutter under his breath that "this isn't a nursery you know..!"

this member of staff, it turned out, was the manager! he could not understand in any way why we found this to be rude or upsetting and came back to argue his point repeatedly. this turned what would have been a pleasurable get together, into a very awkward situation, and we asked for the bill. however, while paying, the manager approached us again to continue to argue and stated that "this place is for couples you know" ie not for children. our kids are completely normal and we, in no way, would ever let them cause a disturbance.

i would advise all parents to avoid avoid avoid. highly over rated. cakes completely average. prices completely average. the management made it clear today that kids were not welcome.

would never go back.

no chance on a return. after reading reviews i was expecting a beautiful range of patisserie style produce.. instead its a range of kid style cakes with mars bars and sweeties stuck inside! scone and coffee i had was below average, coffee was in my opinion awful! scone was so dry it fell apart simple as that! i was expecting from this "bakehouse" a range of fine baked goods but it really was quite average. if i was 12 years old i'm sure i would love the cakes but they just did not deliver on taste! anyone with a knowledge of basic cooking could do better that this.

overall the staff where ok but very slow, coffee was bad, cakes an 8 year old could make and decor something to be desired, i really felt the place has been well thought out compared to so many places in edinburgh but i doubt it will last if they don't up there game with the unexciting menu and over priced too sweet cakes.

i was lead to believe this is a fine bakehouse with masters of patisserie on what planet? this is no where near!

get a grip. while i'm sure the massive portions and over-use of food colouring appeals to a certain demographic, mimi's fails to deliver the experience i was expecting after all the hype. i was led to believe that i'd be tantalised by a "master baker" and all the delicate and luxurious treats that such a title usually promises, instead it was mediocre coffee and a massive slab of overly sweet and distinctly sickly cake that would cause any true cake lover to throw themselves into the water of leith outside in despair.

realism. let's have some realism. this is where changing rooms meets the greggs school of bakery. cakes in lurid colours that seek to indulge, but leave you questioning the point at which technique went so off-piste. delicate patisserie this is not. the staff were pleasant and adequately attentive in obtaining orders and carrying plates, but as is often the case, preferred to chat behind the counter rather than clear tables. i can see the 'girls afternoon tea' market that mimi's seeks to cater to, but the candy colours and 'burlesque' murals capture a theme that seems to have started to die-off along with the ubiquitous cup-cake.

i found mimi’s a very charming little place. they offer beautifully presented, freshly made delights. it’s a cake-lover’s nirvana

absolutely devine food - their made to order birthday cakes are to die for! definitely a guilty pleasure!

of late this blog mostly seems to have been about cake….ok ok, i hear you, it's been all about cake - so i thought i'd finish the 'ongoing theme' off nicely (for a while) with a review of mimis bakehouse , the new 'cake kid on the block' down in lovely sunny leith. what better way to spend a lazy sunday afternoon than with a pot of tea or two……. a slice of cake (or two?) and a good old chinwag with the ladies? we sure know how to 'act ourselves' as the lovely lancashire lad mr predictable describes our leisurely (read 'cake chomping') activities…. i've now visited mimis a couple of times with different cake-eating-partners and all have agreed that it's 'up there with the best of them' in terms of service (mum, aka mimi creating the cake masterpieces as well as other delectable delights, dad and daughters working front of house), the quality of the baking (high on my agenda) and the value for money. a pot of tea and a slice of the finest victoria sponge will set you back around

gorgeous yummy food! french toast, crispy bacon and maple syrup best i've ever had! loved it.

that was braw!. i went to mimi's for the first visit today -
and the title of my review says it all.

the wee man coming out as i went in - who smiled, patted his stomach and said to me'that was braw' got it absolutely right.

i had avoided a visit before xmas because it was so busy and i couldn't see any free tables.
it was much quieter today - but with 5 tables occupied wasn't empty.

there is a lovely couch at the back - but we opted for one of the smaller bistro tables at the window, overlooking the water of leith so we could watch the world go by.
they were comfortable and we both felt quite relaxed.
that is very important to me when eating out.

i had wonderful mushroom and leek soup with the tastiest bread ever.
my partner opted for the black pudding roll - which was enormous and delicious. what more could you ask for?
the large submarine roll had been lightly toasted and was crispy on the outside but soft inside - and the black pudding was best quality and three very generous slices.

tasty as everything was -
as we ate- we couldn't stop eyeing up all the cakes trying to pick one for afters.

they all looked so delicious and - traditional.
i mean that in the best sense of the word.
nothing quite like a huge victoria sponge to tempt you -
although we didn't choose it this time (next time, though).

i had wonderful sticky and flavourful banana bread with butterscotch and nut topping - partner had the lemon cheesecake.
we of course tasted each other's cakes - and couldn't decide who had made the best choice. both were fantastic.

the cakes taste like the best homemade ones (which they are) you would make if you were making them at home.

as the bus from my house stops right in front of mimi's door - i will be back rather regularly i think...