Mimi Forno Italiano, Laveen Village AZ

Best Italian food we've had in a long time! Everything was delicious. Highly recommend the Truffle pasta, gamberi pappardelle, and focaccia bread. Staff was super friendly.

This local Italian spot is by far one of or favorite spots. The food is always fresh. The atmosphere is great. I wish they added different things to their menu every once in a while.

This place is so yummy and authentic Italian! I love ALL their pizzas. I've had them all, and they are just so good. My favorite ones are the Regina, and the Pepperoni. Their Creme Brûlée is also very tasty.

Nice little place- food was pretty good, service was decent (we sat down and they got slammed), prices were on par with the food.
Only real negative thing I could mention would be that the seats are the most uncomfortable chairs I've sat in, guess I'm a little to wide in the thighs.if you are like me, ask to sit on the wooden benches along the wall or eat at the bar.

Gemstone of Laveen no more!

It is very rare when I downgrade a 5 star rating to 3, so it pained me when my latest visit to Mimi Forno Italiano on 10/17/2023 was a disappointment. I will tell you why, it was the food quality it is now extremely AVERAGE and that is me being overly nice. The place was also pretty empty, not like before when there would be a line out the door because the place was jam packed (even during covid, that's how amazing this place used to be). I cannot recommend this place anymore and the probability chance of me returning in the next 2 years is less than 1%.

I went with my mother and spent over $100, I ordered 2 lasagna's, a ravioli dish and a calzone. The review for each is as follows:

I started with the ravioli, once I spoke that you would get transported to the heavens, this time all I could notice was how thick the noodles were and how that overpowered the taste profile of the dish. The thickness of the noodles was the only thing I could focus on, but I was able to discern nothing but the noodle thickness seemed to be the difference between the last time I tried the dish and today.

The lasagna, this was another casualty of those wretched thick noodles. The lasagna once used to be a delicately constructed tower of ultimate deliciousness. Now the lasagna is double layered with these thick noodles and all you can taste is pasta, only pasta. Not the meat sauce, not the cheese, not anything else. Just noodles! It looked delicious, but the taste was far from that.

Finally the calzone, I personally did not eat this dish. My mom had it made to order so they scored some points on that one. However, she admitted to me as I dropped her off that the center of the calzone was lukewarm not hot. It left me utterly disappointed that they struck out on all three dishes.

The service was excellent, the ambiance was still pretty good, but the food no longer lives up to the high standard this place has setup for itself. This would explain why its now calm and semi-empty.

As I was leaving I heard the table next to us ask the waitress if they changed the chef. In my head I knew that any other Mimi Forno diehard will know something has changed and not in a good way.

My suggestion to anyone reading this is to pass on this one. It's truly a shadow of its former self. If thick noodles that overpower your dish at a high price tag is acceptable, sure dine here. Otherwise I suggest other establishments that earn your dining budget.

A note to the management: Fix the bloody noodles! Your establishment set the bar high with melt in your mouth delicate paper thin noodles that made your food taste robust on the flavor palette. These thick noodles are sacrilegious to the standard Mimi Forno Italiano used to have.

Here's hoping to if I ever come back I encounter the food quality of the Mimi Forno Italiano I once knew.

You can find my original 5-star review below (I never delete my reviews, so you know what changed) :
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Previous 5 star review:
I LOVE THIS PLACE!
Mimi's food is delicious, one bite and you get sent to a place where there are puffy clouds and liquid joy being served in a martini glass.
Their food is always delicious, fresh and goes above and beyond. The service is always great as well! You are tended and cared for by the wait staff but you can feel that when you are at Mimi's you are treated like family. <3

Service could have been a little better, but it was Fri and they were slammed. Food was sublime. LOVED the atmosphere. Wine that was ordered was unexpectedly delicious. DEFINITELY plan on coming back.

Lasagna tastes like trash. It has no flavor at all. And its too liquidity. Olive Garden has better Lasagna than this. I left a 5 star for service because they only charged me for the drink. I only got 1 bite into the lasagna and sent it back. The server seemed like a really cool and chill guy so I left him a tip for him.

Mimi's is our go to for drinks and appetizers. Tiffany and Wyatt are the best bar tenders and really make the atmosphere perfect. Haven't seen much of them lately and that worries me! Where are my favorite bartenders?

I had the rigatoni funghi tartufo, it was delicious. Probably more authentic than I've had before. It's a smaller restaurant and you're seated kind of close to other tables, I could see it being noisy if it was busier. All chairs and bench seating, one booth for a large group in the back.

With a $70000 pizza oven you would think Mimis could put out a pizza worth the oven. Soggy mess. The manager Tania is VERY VERY rude and told me if I did not like the pizza I should eat at Pizzaria Biancos. (I tried to explain to her how the crust at PB is crispy - all the way through and not burned on top and soggy on the bottom). When I asked her if I could speak to the person making the pizzas, I was informed no one in the kitchen speaks English. This is sad - Mimi's used to put out great food with a friendly staff. Mimi's you need an overhaul.

Delicious, reasonable prices and great service! Jose and Monika are the absolute nicest servers. Don't sleep on the weekend specials, they're always amazing!

PEPPERONI OVERLOAD! Large Party Service Charge - Check the bill before you pay. They add on a service charge. The restaurant has a pretty decor and high ceilings. The servers are really good. Bathroom is clean. Pizza is fabulous! I felt well taken care of.

Soggy inedible pizza. VERY very rude manager. The only saving grace was the bartender, Wyatt.

Save your money and don't bother coming to this place! There were flies flying everywhere which made it beyond difficult to enjoy my meal. The pasta wasn't that bad, except extremely dry! And when I asked for more sauce they charged me $4.90 for a small ramekin of sauce! Ridiculous! Pizza had a burnt bottom and all the toppings made the pizza soggy! Not to mention they charged me almost $2 for a side of butter, and nearly $4 for a quarter cup of "fresh" basil. The add on prices are Ridiculous and add up quickly. Management has poor communication skills. Save your money and pass on this place.

Excellent service and incredible food. Love the family atmosphere. Best Neapolitan style pizza that I’ve had in Arizona. Try the meatballs also

I had their pizza. It was very good. I went on the Blanco side of their menu and was delighted.

Really disappointed to pay 81 dollars for my food to be cold, bread to be stale and have to wait an additional 20 mins after waiting 30 mins to pick up my food.