Mimi Garden Dumplings & Bao
Perhaps the closest approximation in south Orange County to Din Tai Fung or Paradise Dynasty
Two international chains have become locally synonymous with Chinese xiao long bao soup dumplings: Taiwan’s Din Tai Fung set the bar for ultra-delicate noodle pouches, while Singapore’s Paradise Dynasty tripled-down on soup dumpling flavors and colors, each spawning daily lunch and dinner crowds that haven’t abated. So it’s unsurprising that competitors have popped up with similar formulas, including Mimi Garden, which now offers south Orange County residents a Din Tai Fung-like experience. Starting with a 2024-vintage Rancho Santa Margarita restaurant and continuing with 2025 Lake Forest and Newport Beach locations, Mimi Garden distills Din Tai Fung into a plaza-ready format, offering a similar menu alongside the spectacle of chefs prepping dumplings and other items in a glass open kitchen.
Although Mimi Garden has been open for nearly two years as of the time of writing, its menu is apparently in the process of transitioning ahead of the Lake Forest location’s April opening. Multiple items we attempted to order, including distinctively jet black cuttlefish dumplings and a stir-fried black pepper beef entree, appear on printed and online menus but are unavailable to order – permanently gone, our server said, much to our disappointment. What items remain are a mix of Taiwanese classics: pork dumplings, beef rolls, steamed buns, wontons, fried udon and standard noodles, sauteed vegetables, and stir-fried entrees, plus a few desserts and two handfuls of drinks.
Most of the items we tried were “fine.” Mimi’s xiao long bao soup dumplings, made here with kurobuta pork, weren’t particularly delicate in wrapping or strong in flavor, benefitting from soy, vinegar, and chili sauce dips provided to each table. Beautifully presented lace doily-style pan fried pork dumplings were on the oily side, but otherwise tasted pretty good, while a Dan Dan-style spicy noodle bowl with sesame sauce and peanuts was simultaneously small, not particularly strong on flavor, and underwhelmingly appointed with meat.
Other items were up and down. Crispy beef rolls were a little on the dry side inside, but helped by included hoisin sauce and an atypically generous portion size for the $12.50 price. Similarly, we were pleasantly surprised by both the inexpensive $2.50 pricing and perfect-for-one sizing of a cup of hot and sour soup, which arrived piping hot and full of vegetables and shredded pork, but too modest on either sour or spicy flavors. Pineapple beef ($14.50), the entree we ordered to replace the deleted black pepper beef, arrived with an overly thin sauce, wan pineapple and vegetables, a decent portion of meat, and no rice – bland enough that we regretted ordering it.
It’s worth noting that Mimi Garden also offers larger noodle soups, both savory and sweet steamed buns, fried items including calamari, chicken, and sesame balls, and cold items including sliced cucumbers, radish, and wood ear mushrooms. Since almost everything on the menu is priced from $11 to $15, with some appetizers at lower prices, a meal here is likely to be at least a little less expensive than one at either Din Tai Fung or Paradise Dynasty.
While we wouldn’t recommend Mimi Garden over its rivals on culinary quality, it’s a decent approximation of the experience – with notably better service – and has the potential to become more distinctive after its menu is updated. Largely because we’re curious about that point, we may give it another shot when the Lake Forest and Newport Beach locations open; if we do, we’ll update this with additional (and hopefully more positive) impressions.
Stats
Price: $$
Service: Table
Open Since: 2024
Addresses
30451 Avenida de las Flores Suite E
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688
949.264.6094
23624 El Toro Rd. Suite D
Lake Forest, CA 92630
(Opening April 2025)
3142 W. Balboa Blvd.
Newport Beach, CA 92663
(Opening 2025)
Instagram: @mimigarden_ca