Mimi's Peruvian Cuisine Honolulu

Quick Answer

The Story Behind Mimi's Peruvian Cuisine

Mimi's Peruvian Cuisine was founded in 2009 by the Cargo Legrand family in Hawaii Kai, named after grandmother Martha "Mimi" Cargo Legrand. The name "Mimi" started as a nickname — back in the 90s, "Martha" didn't catch on with friends, family, or the kids running through the house — so everyone started calling her Mimi. The nickname stuck. The restaurant followed.

Johny is Mimi's grandson. He's also the chef.

Chef Johny Cargo Legrand — born in Peru, 1993. Grandson of Mimi (Martha), the woman this restaurant was named after.

He was born in Peru in 1993, came back and forth between Peru and Hawaii growing up, and after high school went to Kapiolani Community College for culinary. He's been cooking professionally since then — including a stint cooking on local morning TV. Now he runs the kitchen at Mimi's full-time, while Mimi (Martha) and his auntie handle inventory, shopping, and run the front of house.

This is a three-person family operation. Not a corporate chain. Not a "concept." A family.

The whole thing started in 2009 in their house in Hawaii Kai. Every weekend, the family would close down the house and throw a Peruvian dinner party — friends, family, neighbors, anyone who showed up. People kept telling them: you have to open a restaurant.

So they did. Mimi's started as a pop-up, bouncing through small venues and getting popular at the EatTheStreet events in Kakaako and around Manoa. Then they landed a brick-and-mortar at Restaurant Row near Aloha Tower. After a few years, they made the move to where they are now: Keeaumoku Street.

Inside Mimi's: a black-and-white Machu Picchu mural, Peruvian textile placemats, and Peru flags on every table.

Walk inside today and the whole story is on the walls. There's a massive black-and-white mural of Machu Picchu running across one side of the dining room. Each table is dressed with a real Peruvian textile placemat — the iconic red, gold, blue, and green woven stripes you see in highland Peru — and a small Peru flag standing in the center. A hand-painted sign on the back wall reads "Amazing Authentic Peruvian Food." Custom Peru-themed t-shirts hang on display.

The whole space fits maybe 30 people comfortably, which means you can hear the kitchen and the kitchen can hear you. That's not an accident. That's how family meals work.

The Pollo Saltado Chef Johny Made for Me

Quick Peruvian food primer before I get into this dish.

Lomo Saltado is Peru's national dish. It's officially registered. Beef stir-fried in a wok with red onions, tomatoes, soy sauce, vinegar, cilantro, and aji amarillo (Peruvian yellow chili). It's served with rice on one side and french fries on the other — yes, both. The fries soak up the sauce and become the best fries you've ever eaten. The dish was invented by Chinese immigrants in Peru in the 1800s, which is why it has soy sauce and wok skills baked in.

Pollo Saltado is the same dish, but with chicken instead of beef. It's right there on the menu as the chicken option of the Lomo Saltado.

I asked Johny what his personal favorite on the lunch menu was. He didn't hesitate. Lomo Saltado, beef cooked medium rare, juicy, never dried out. That's how he eats it. That's how he cooks it.

But on this visit, he made me a Pollo Saltado. Same wok-fired technique, same sauce, same cilantro and onion punch — chicken instead of steak. Lighter, but with all the soul.

"I love to cook for all the people that come to eat at the restaurant, because we get people from all around the world. And it's a really great feeling when you send out a dish that you make out of your own heart. You almost want to serve like family."— Chef Johny Cargo Legrand

That's not a line he rehearsed. That's how this guy actually cooks.

The wok hit. Real fire, real char.

The wok hit was real. You can taste the difference between a real wok char and a sauté pan — the smoke gets into the chicken, the onions blister but stay sweet, and the sauce reduces fast enough to coat without drowning. The fries do exactly what they're supposed to do: get involved, soak up sauce, and become the best part of the plate.

What Else to Order at Mimi's

Mimi's full menu — appetizers, ceviches, salads, drinks, and entrées.

Menu & Prices

Verified with the kitchen. Subject to change — call (808) 542-9019 to confirm.

What Most People Get Wrong About Peruvian Food

I asked Johny about the biggest misconception people have about Peruvian food. His answer surprised me. People think it's Mexican.

He told me a story about a customer who walked in, looked at the menu, and asked if he could just make them a burrito. Americans tend to lump all of Latin America into one cuisine. Peru is more than 3,500 miles south of Mexico. The food is built on different traditions, ingredients, and techniques.

Peru is in South America, between Chile, Brazil, and Ecuador — one of the few countries on earth with a Pacific coastline, the Amazon jungle, AND the Andes mountains all in one country. That diversity shows up in the food: ceviche from the coast, hearty potato and corn dishes from the Andes, tropical fruits from the jungle.

The bigger surprise is the immigration history. Over the last two centuries, Peru absorbed waves of Chinese, Japanese, African, Spanish, and Italian immigrants who all brought their cooking traditions. Lomo Saltado is the most famous example — Chinese stir-fry technique with Peruvian ingredients. There's a whole cuisine in Peru called chifa (Chinese-Peruvian) and another called Nikkei (Japanese-Peruvian). Three of the World's 50 Best Restaurants 2024 are in Lima, Peru.

Every Last Sunday of the Month: All-You-Can-Eat Peruvian Buffet (BYOB)

This might be the best-kept secret in Honolulu dining.

The last-Sunday buffet — 8 to 10 dishes, $45 per person, BYOB. Reserve ahead.

Every last Sunday of the month, Mimi's opens for an all-you-can-eat Peruvian buffet from 12 PM to 6 PM. They're normally closed on Sundays, so this is the only Sunday they open all month.

A buffet round: Lomo Saltado, Aji de Gallina, Seco de Carne, fried chicken, ceviche, Papa a la Huancaína, arroz chaufa.

There is nowhere else in Hawaii doing a Peruvian buffet. Not at this scale, not at this price, not with this food. If you've been wanting to try the cuisine without committing to one or two dishes, this is the move.

Where to Find Mimi's

Mimi's on Keeaumoku, next to King of Thai Boat Noodles. Spanish-tile roof — you can't miss it.

How to find it

Mimi's is inside Ke'eaumoku Plaza, recognizable from the street by its distinctive Spanish-tile roof. You'll see Mimi's right next to King of Thai Boat Noodles. From Ala Moana Center it's 5 minutes; from Waikiki it's a 10-minute Uber.

Parking

Parking on Keeaumoku is brutal otherwise. At Ke'eaumoku Plaza, parking is validated for one hour free when you bring your ticket inside. After the first hour, parking is roughly $6/hour or $12 for two hours. After 10 PM, validations are not accepted and the lot becomes paid parking until 8 AM with towing enforced.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Verdict: Should You Go?

If you've never had Peruvian food: yes. This is the easiest, friendliest, most welcoming entry into one of the world's great cuisines.

If you have had Peruvian food and you've been missing it: yes. This is the most authentic Peruvian cooking on the island and it's a family operation, not a concept restaurant.

Walk in. Order the Lomo Saltado or the chicken version. Ask for the Papa Rellena (the secret one). Try the Anticucho de Corazón if you want to go deeper. Drink the Chicha Morada or a Maracuya for the full experience. If it's the last Sunday of the month, bring a 6-pack and stay all afternoon.

A rainbow over Keeaumoku after lunch at Mimi's. Honolulu doing its thing.