Alicia Harman had always dreamed of owning a restaurant with its own distinct flavors.
“My parents, they had a restaurant in Mexico,” she says. “I know there’s a lot of Mexican food around here, but I wanted to introduce my salsas.”
Now, her dream of fresh-made salsas and sauces, plus the rare offering of Mexican breakfast, has come true. MIAA Mexican Bistro, owned by Alicia and her husband, Paul Harman, is quickly becoming a Palmyra staple for its commitment to fresh tastes and personable service.
Freshness is so ingrained into MIAA that the restaurant’s walk-in freezer is almost empty. Any ingredients that don’t meet quality standards don’t make it to the tables.
Foods that are fresh and juicy allow tastes to mingle and seasonings to take hold, says Alicia.
“And because I’m on the grill, I know,” she says.
In 2001, Alicia and Paul met as coworkers at Verdelli Farms, now Fresh Express. For Paul, it was love at first sight. They overcame language barriers, got married and blended their own families—each had two children—before having two children together.
For 17 years, Alicia worked in restaurants, but clung to her dream of a restaurant of her own. Around 2022, the couple put the gears in motion. Seeking support, they knocked on a lot of doors and got a lot of rejections.
“Somebody had to take a chance on us, and somebody did,” Paul says. Breakfast was the difference maker.
“Most people don’t associate Mexican food with breakfast,” he says. “My wife is trying to introduce the Mexican breakfast, and it’s delicious. It’s the flavors.”
Naturally, the breakfast menu features staples such as eggs, omelets and pancakes, but at MIIA, the flavors go beyond that. They’re embedded in the chorizo of the Mexican skillet, the creamy-sweet tres leches French toast and the tangy red sauce of the chilaquiles, a scrumptious dish of fried corn tortillas topped with eggs.
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And that’s just breakfast. You can also come for lunch or dinner (dinner served Wednesday through Saturday), and feel like you're enjoying a meal straight from Mexico. Traditional Mexican dishes, including burritos, quesadillas and street tacos, are kicked up a notch by Alicia’s salsas.
They’re the secret sauce of MIAA, based on old family recipes that bring spiciness without overwhelming the flavor.
The tomatillo salsa pairs beautifully with the diverse menu of tacos but can also work on the Bistro burrito. The zesty salsa verde is integrated into the chicken verde burrito. A special sauce perfectly complements the birria but can go on anything. Even the soft corn tortillas wrapping the tacos are sauteed in red sauce, for a distinctly MIAA taste with every bite.
“The sauces are for the tacos, the eggs, everything,” Alicia says.
At MIAA Mexican Bistro, every dish is prepared to order. The beef for the popular birria, a house specialty straight from Alicia’s stock of family recipes, has undergone two days of marinating and seasoning before it arrives at your table. Meats come from a local butcher, and as MIAA’s first summer approaches, the Harmans hope to take advantage of Dutch Country produce.
Paul’s favorite entree is the molcajete: a piled-high medley of chicken, steak, shrimp, chorizo, cheese and mushrooms in a pumice stone bowl. Pouring Alicia’s tomatillo sauce into the bottom of the hot bowl brings out the special flavors, and cheese is melted over that. The finished molcajete steams and bubbles on its way to the diner, or diners, about to enjoy it.
The Harmans found the spot for MIAA when a restaurant in Palmyra became available. The lease was signed at the end of September 2023, and for the next month, Alicia and Paul—with help from their kids—worked nonstop on renovations. As they painted, hammered and cleaned, people from neighboring businesses stopped by to offer support.
“People from Palmyra have really welcomed us,” Alicia says.
The dining area reflects Alicia’s vision of serenity. Walls of soft blue-gray are adorned with framed tiles from Mexico and green hangings. As upgrades continue, pictures from Alicia’s hometown in Mexico’s Jalisco state will serve as dividers.
Since opening in November 2023, many regular customers have become more like family. Paul credits that development to Alicia’s talent for customer service.
“Sometimes, I’ll be helping the cook at the grill, and she’ll say, ‘I’ll be right back,’” he says. “Thirty minutes later, she appears. She’s been out wandering around, talking to everybody.”
Alicia says it’s her chance to get to know the customers and answer their questions.
“And I like to joke around with them,” she says.
“She likes to joke,” Paul confirms. They agree that a shared sense of humor keeps them working comfortably side by side. It has helped Alicia’s ideas become reality in a cozy, welcoming space where she sometimes looks around and thinks, “Oh my gosh.”
“I’ve been dreaming and wanting and wanting, and finally, it’s here,” she says. “It’s what I want. It’s not easy, but it’s here.”
MIAA Mexican Bistro
615 E Main St, Palmyra, PA
717-473-5626
