These folks know how to make a good pizza. Â I had a Holy Shiitake pizza, and holy shiitake, was it divine. Â Two months later, I'm still dreaming about it.
The menu is diverse, and there's something to please just about every palate. Â Even gluten-free folks have pizza options here. Â The selection of beer is fantastic, and the servers are always entertaining and speedy. Â
It's a little pricey, but you get what you pay for, and in this case, that's some of the best pizza in Columbia.
First off, I LOVE the atmosphere at Mellow Mushroom! Â Great place to hang out and get beer.
Secondly, that's about all I love. Â The food is way too expensive for the quality/quantity... Â $20 for a medium greasy pizza???? Â Honestly?
I have switched to a mostly vegan diet recently, and it's pretty hard to come by vegan friendly restaurants in town, so last Saturday my boyfriend and I decided to try the "vegan" pizza offered at MM - do NOT try it for your own sake. Â It tasted horrible and the bf and I both ended up sick as dogs... Â ended up paying over $50 for the worst food I've ever eaten.
Back when I was a cheese eater, I would still steer clear of MM simply because it's too darn expensive! Â And the pizza has always been just mediocre.
Mellow Mushrooms has my favorite pizza ever: the Kosmic Karma. If you love pizza, but hate the grease, this is the place for you. Lots of variety, including make your own. Salads and subs for the non-pizza fans. Good drinks and service. The drawbacks: parking is limited and it's freaking loud in there. Weekdays are fine, but if you go at night or during the weekend, the echoes make decent conversation impossible. Still, the food is amazing.
Review Source:Went for lunch with a co worker this past week and the experience was ok. Â To start off with the parking situation frankly, is horrible. Â The parking lot right next to the restaurant is ridden with NO PARKING OR WE WILL TOW YOU signs so unless you find metered parking on the street you will be walking from a back lot somewhere. Â
It was a chilly day and we were sat right at the front which is just inside the door so it was mighty chilly while we ate. Â It is a well decorated Mellow Mushroom with the typical decor that you find in most locations with just a hint of local flavor.
Food was OK. Â I had the you pick 2 lunch and chose a chef salad which wasn't very "cheffy" and had 4 small slices of ham that didn't make it's way to a pizza, a lot of cheese, those salty a** olives and not much else. Â Honey Mustard dressing was ok. Â The slice of pepperoni that I got was very overdone and not flavorful like normal Mellow pizza. Â I realize that I didn't order a whole, fresh made pie but it was lunchtime and I feel it is Mellow's duty to give me a slice just like if I ordered a pie during lunch.
Not sure what to think, I used to be a Mellow fan and have visited numerous locations lately and have been less and less impressed. Â Not sure if something has changed corporately but they need to get back to basics which include great ambiance and awesome pizza!
I'd been wanting to try MM's tempeh sandwich for a while, and last night I finally did.
I'm not sure if something went horribly wrong, but it was beyond awful.
The tempeh, which I usually like very much, was dark brown(?) ,crumbly and unpleasantly damp. Â It had evidently been floating in a jar of extremely strong vinegar for weeks. Â I cannot imagine why anyone would do that to tempeh. Â It was inedible.
Big bummer.
Pros: Pizza is VERY filling and they have creative topping options, especially for vegetarians (Kosmic Karma--GET IT). The decor is pretty awesome--lots of whimsical/hippie/stoner-esque statues and paintings that is unique to the Columbia location.
Cons: Expensive and busy. We didn't get our food for 30 minutes and paid $60 for 5 of us, though 2 were sharing a pizza and 1 got a side salad...not cool.
I would come again for a single slice, which they only serve during certain hours throughout the day, mainly because the prices are so high.
This is one of my favorite places to eat in Columbia. I'm not really a pizza person and find theirs a little average, but the salads and sandwiches here are great. I love (and often crave) the Greek or chef salad with Esperanza dressing and the Italian Sub with pesto mayo.
The atmosphere here is pretty laid back mid-week but I avoid the weekends because it turns into a family restaurant and becomes kind of a zoo.
The service here, as with most places in Columbia can be pretty hit-and-miss. One visit you might have a very attentive, friendly, upbeat waitress, and the next you get a fumbling mess of a waitress that you can only hope its her first day(or her last).
Overall the food speaks for itsself. Its craveable which isn't always easy to find in Columbia. Good food fresh ingredients.
On a Tuesday night, parking is easy, Pints are $2.50, and the medium-thin crust pizza is pretty good. Â This isn't the deep dish Chicago style or the paper thin NY style, but in between, and its pretty good. Â A 16 inch combo will set you back $25 but it has a lot of different toppings and tastes good. Â The 14 inchers at about $20 were interesting non-tomato alternatives. Â Both a bit pricey, I feel. Â Service was friendly and efficient in the half full restaurant, so come on a non-weekend day. Â Beer selections are deep if you include bottles.
Review Source:OK, so I skimmed the more recent reviews first and see a couple of really negative ones. Â I know this place is a chain, but having never been to any other locations I only know this one.
First off, the service was very friendly, and considering we were a party of 8, the 5 minute wait was pretty alright.
The drinks were cold and strong, there were crayons and paper for the kids, the appetizers came out quick and I thought the menu choices were pretty creative and my wife loved the option for a gluten free crust.
We opted for one with a variety of sauted mushrooms and carmelized onions with truffle oil and aioli. Â Anyone who compares that with Little Ceasars is pretty much a (insert colorful metaphor).
We had a great time, spent about 40 bucks for a family of 4, and thought the food was great.
We will be back!
Wanna be California pizza Kitchen catering to out-of-town yuppies, hippies, hipsters, and people with more cash than good sense, Mellow Mushroom offers glutton free, taste-free prices for big spenders and wankers alike.
I had hoped looking at the menu that I would have a CPK experience, but it was more like a Little Caesar's one at that. After a 35 minute wait to be seated, the menu looked promising. My group ordered their top-end pizzas. I decided to just go with a simple cheese pie, and if it was any good, I would return the next day for a BBQ chicken pie. My logic is sound, if you can't get a cheese pizza right, you're never going to get any thing else made correctly.
Sure enough, the dough was flat and bland. The sauce appeared to be garden variety Ragu, and the cheese was so uninspiring that I can't recall what it tasted like, which makes me assume that they just used a sheet a paper.
Where's the creativity, the taste? I suppose one would have to be already high of the mushrooms to find it. Needless to say, I was not bothered to return for a follow up, the next day for the BBQ chicken pizza. The tastiest thing on the menu was a cute little Koren waitress working the the section behind ours. If the pizza were good, I should have to make such a comment.
Skip this one, and try for real pizza, not over-hyped overpriced yuppie food.
Two floors. Any kinda pizza you could want. Beers beers beers. Sports on TV. For a New Yorker, y'all can do pizza alright, even if it is a chain. Well done!
I'm reading that parking is a pain. If you love pizza, there ain't no walking that will stand in your way to get it. I recall crossing a large, empty pay lot to find street meter parking, but it was no big deal whatsoever.
Great toppings and crust but a little too doughy for me. Their combinations and creations are exciting and always interesting. Beer selection is awesome but you'll have to wait as they are slow as a snail.
Casual atmosphere in a great location but don't come here wanting fast service.
Order two beers at a time and just chill. If you do that, you will be happy.
Gluten Free Pizza, Who Knew That ?
Also Gluten Free Beer, Hard Apple Cider and other adult beverages, wonderful to have a pizza place that cares about their guests with food allergies. Â Not to mention, the Pizza & service was wonderful !
This location was and it's view was fantastic, just below the state capitol with a spectacular window shot of the Capitol Grounds, Very Near the University of South Carolin and Gamecocks stadium.
This psychedelic spot located on the east end of The Congaree Vista has become a staple in the downtown Columbia area. With two levels that also includes a bar, this establishment allows for family night outs during the evening or a casual nightlife during the late night. Parking can be an issue since this is a popular spot on weekend nights and weekdays during lunch, so I recommend dropping in for lunch on the weekend.
Mellow Mushroom goal is to provide the freshest quality ingredients for their pizza, salads, hoagies, and calzones. My wife and I had the jerk hoagie and the mushroom club hoagie, respectively. They both were very delicious and filling for a $5-$6 sandwich.
Parking can be tough at this location. Be ready to walk for a few blocks.
Pizza is very good if you like the more doughy hand tossed pizza. Good beer as well.
Now if you read the other reviews you know what is coming.
The service is terrible. I have been to a few other MM's and the service was fine. It must just be the management and training here.
If I lived downtown or Shandon I might call in a pickup order but I dont plan on eating there again any time soon.
Definitely a MM fan here! Yes, the service can be hit or miss...but it's a pizza joint people. You're not gonna have career waiters and waitresses at pizza joints.
The pizza is great and the beer selection is too. I love the atmosphere as it's a great place to bring a group of people to laugh it up and converse. Never had a bad experience with the food at any MM location.
Try: The jerk-chicken pizza
Avoid: The salads (Aren't you the same guy that orders chicken at a steakhouse?)
Mellow Mushroom will hit that warm ooozy spot that you crave when you're in a splurge mood. Believe me, when you eat here, you will definitely leave filled up!
Their pretzels are doughy softness and delicious. The mega veggie pizza is hearty goodness. I LOVED the banana peppers, sun dried tomatoes and feta in it, incredibly mouthwatering! I had a glass of their Riesling and it was sweet and soft. Their brownie with vanilla ice cream was just the perfect way to wrap up our meal. They accidentally made an extra dessert so we got lucky and people went crazy when the second one was brought out! Â Btw, portion sizes are LARGE. A 10 " small pizza can easily feed 2-3 people. Â Dessert is also easily sharable, it's rich.
Oh and one more thing - they have trivia on Wednesday nights and it's LOADS of fun. They give you a whole song's worth of time to solve the questions. They cover a broad range of topics like sports, movies, landmarks, pop culture, etc. Â If you happen to be there on trivia night, it does get loud on the second floor and it is busy, but you'll enjoy yourself!
Very casual and enjoyable. Â Stuffed Portabella Mushroom was great and the Magical Mystery Pizza was too! Â Boys had huge Calzones that were also well prepared. Â
Climate up stairs was way to hot for a restaurant. Â Several walked out because of it. Â Others moved downstairs where it was better. Didn't ruin our experience, but it did Spoiled the rating a little
Defiantly a great Pizza joint!
Pizza with fresh hand tossed dough, a great beer list, this place has it going on! This is a place where you can get a "specialty" pizza that's really, really good!  Just the right  amount of dough, sauce, and ingredients that come together perfectly!
We order the "Cosmic Karma" pizza, at the request of my wife- Â sun dried tomato, spinach, feta, fresh tomatoes, and pesto- This turned out to be mucho goodo! The feta popped and made the pizza perfect! we also ordered a jerk chicken calzone that was just as good! Â Also, we tried the hummus with warm pita that was very good. And - no that's it couldn't eat any more...at this sitting-
This will be a regular for us- the place is very good!
After reading all the reviews, I had high expectations of Mellow Mushroom, but unfortunately, I was disappointed. Â The pizza was just okay, the crust was a little grainy and there was a weird sweetness to the overall pizza that I didn't care for too much. Â I thought that maybe I just didn't order a good one but when I looked around, the other pizzas didn't look too appetizing either, way too many toppings (which I guess some people like), but sometimes more is just.. more.
Review Source:whoa, i must be highing!
I gotta say, I'm really picky about pizza outside of NY, but i had their "magical mystery tour" pizza which is pesto, jalepenos and some other stuff..and it was great! Just a great combination of ingredients. I loved it.
Also, the whole stoner decor with framed beatles photos..u can't beat that. Loved it!
I want to like this place. The location is ideal. The menu sounds interesting. The atmosphere is casual and laid-back. The beer list is great.
But the service is horrible. And the pizza is never as good as I hope it will be. Not bad, but not great. I go with great expectations, but leave disappointed. Needless to say, I don't go much anymore.
One great thing about this place is the beer list. Any place that carries Rogue: Dead Guy is immediately added to my short list of places to consider for dinner.
I've had every one of their Specialty Pizzas, and have to say that there are two I'd recommend. The White Pizza and the Cosmic Karma. These two are AWESOME. I actually prefer them more after they've sat in the refrigerator overnight. Haha
I'd suggest Mellow Mushroom to anyone in their early twenties looking for a good beer, a cool atmosphere, and some pretty good pizza.
Mellow Mushroom has some of the best pizza in town. It's easily in the top 3. The only negative to them is the service is VERY hit or miss. A few years back I actually knew most of the wait staff, so I could get great service from any of the ones that I knew. Now that I'm like anyone else who walks in, and cannot get preferential treatment, I've had some service that left a lot to be desired. However, I will say that for a restaurant of it's type, they're only going to get college students who are willing to work as a waiter/waitress, so sometimes it can be quite difficult to find good help in that realm.
Anyway, the pizza and sandwiches are great. If you go to a restaurant to eat good food, you'll enjoy Mellow Mushroom.
I see a lot of reviews that echo what I'm about to say.
The pizza is just awesome, but the service is slow, perhaps why they call it "mellow", who knows. Â everytime I go here, they take about 2 hours to get you your pizza, so if you go, make sure you eat a tad bit. Â But the pizza is worth it if you get a healthy pizza. Â If you're going to get something basic like a pepperoni pizza, then go to little caesers.
We usually go here when we have group events, small groups, about 5-8 people, but like I said, the bigger your group, the longer the wait, so try to do an RSVP as well.
Slow hostess. Slow service. Slow food. Slow checks. Slow... Mellow is an understatement. With all this said... the pizza is AWESOME. Unless you get a piece of gravel in it. A friend of a friend cracked a tooth and lost it due to a piece of gravel in their pizza. That is enough to make me not want to eat there again. It is one thing to have a "mellow" atmosphere (read: pothead) but to treat customers like they are irrelevant and serve them gravel... I work 2 blocks away and I nor anyone in my office will eat there anymore, nor do I personally recommend it to anyone.
Eat there if you dare... to fall asleep while you wait for your gravel laced food.
Interesting place with relatively good food. Â Relatively, meaning, at least they're using a lot of vegetables that seem to be pretty fresh. Â And, it's definitely vegetarian friendly, and seems to be pretty fresh ingredients. Â
Stay downstairs, I think it's non-smoking.
The decor is funky, and would probably be a little overwhelming if the place was more magical. Â The t-shirts were pretty interesting too, but the best weren't for sale.
This restaurant would be so FITTING for Santa Cruz's tree hugging, pot smoking residents. Â Not that this restaurant has pot to offer but there's sure enough insignia to make you believe so. Â
Mushrooms everywhere! Â I was actually in South Carolina visiting a friend who went to school in the area and it was so awkward being the only Asians in... the entire town.
The pizza here is awesome though! Â My favorite was the Gourmet White (olive oil, minced garlic, sun dried tomatoes, provolone, mozarella, fresh tomatoes & onions). Â I'm normally not a fan of feta but this was so good!! Â It wasn't overpowering at all. Â
The sweet tea here is awesome. Â Service is great too except the food took a little long.
It's an ideal location for a restaurant in downtown and the atmosphere inside the restaurant is not lacking. that's for sure. Â Unfortunately first impressions are everything, and the hostess seemed in no hurry to seat us, while our waiter completely lacked in personality. Â
The pizza was good, but nothing incredible, I wouldn't try the chicken pizza again.  I loved sitting on the 2nd floor, felling the breeze with the windows open, and  watching pedestrians along Gervais Street.  Cool place to get together with friends.
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