#69 of 197 Destin Restaurants

Mimmo’s Ristorante Italiano

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Mimmo's Ristorante Italiano - Vibrant Italian Eatery with Authentic Tastes
Local Expert's Rating:
4.5 / 5
The Bottom Line:

Mimmo's Italian Restaurant has an expansive menu, wine list, and cocktail list, so there's something to please everyone at this upscale restaurant, which is popular among Destin residents and visitors. Come for the comfort Italian food and the unique setting, return for the great service, great food, and warm welcome you'll always get at Mimmo's.

- The FloridaPanhandle.com Local Expert Team

Mimmo’s Italian Restaurant offers the Italian classics you come to expect, but so much more than that. From the minute you walk into the restaurant, taking note of the natural stone and wood accents, gleaming marble bar, and terra cotta walls, you expect a touch of class. This isn’t just a red sauce joint with spaghetti and meatballs. While the menu does include the classic dishes, like bolognese and alfredo,it also offers traditional Italian fare rarely found at larger chain restaurants.

The menu is expansive and portions are large, so there’s sure to be something for everyone. For this reason, Mimmo’s Italian Restaurant is a great pick when you’re coordinating a birthday dinner, retirement party, family reunion, or other large gathering. Even the picky eaters in your group will find something they can enjoy! The kids in your group will enjoy their own dedicated menu with kid favorites including chicken fingers, cheese pizza, and spaghetti with meatballs.

Mimmo’s is open for lunch and dinner. As you might expect, the lunch menu is smaller. It includes a selection of their more requested pastas, brick oven pizzas, calzones, sandwiches, salads, and appetizers. 

The elegance is not simply a building design. Rather, it continues through to table service, which is attentive and friendly even when the restaurant is crowded. Servers are happy to walk you through the expansive menu and make substitutions to accommodate a dietary need. 

There’s a full bar and an impressive list of traditional Italian cocktails, such as negroni, aperol spritz, and prosecco-based drinks. For wine, you can take a chance on an Italian wine and expand your palette or go with a trusted California cab or chardonnay. 

The restaurant is named for Mimmo, the Italian chef who patrols the dining room floor saying hello to patrons. Mimmo cares about quality and authenticity of every dish, and that feeling is palpable when you bite into a perfectly al dente piece of pasta or take in a bubbling thin crust pizza. 

A few of our dinner menu favorite at Mimmo’s Italian Restaurant included:

Garlic Knots
While bread is served with the meal, the soft baked garlic knots are a decadent favorite, loaded with pungent garlic and dripping with butter. There’s an option to add ham and cheese to the garlic knots. 

Caesar Salad
For a healthier choice or as a starter consider the Caesar salad, a customer favorite with romaine, shaved parmesan, and crunchy croutons. While the homemade Caesar dressing doesn’t include anchovies, there’s an option to add them if you’re after that authentic Italian flavor. 

Veal Parmesan
Mimmo’s Italian Restaurant gets this Italian comfort classic exactly right, with veal that’s tender inside with a crispy crust, and a tomato sauce that gets the balance of sweet and tart just right. 

Eggplant Parmesan
Vegetarian diners will be more than happy with the eggplant parmesan, which has the same authentic tomato sauce as the meat versions, combined with silky breaded eggplant and layers of bubbly, creamy mozzarella cheese.  

Pizza Margherita
It’s all about balance with this simple classic thin crust pizza topped with tomatoes, fresh basil, and fresh mozzarella. The crust is so thin it shatters and the balance of toppings is exactly right, so Mimmo’s Italian Restaurant really knocks it out of the park with this one. 

Insider Tips:
-Vegans, take note: The tomato sauce includes butter. 
-If you don’t have reservations, try Mimmo’s as a lunch spot — the wait time is lower with small crowds.