Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers

The Facts:

Pizza: Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers

Business Category: Regional chain (locations in 17 states; based in Atlanta, GA)

Website: http://mellowmushroom.com/

Location: 305 S. Main St. in Anderson, SC

Date of Review Visit: January 21, 2013

What I Ordered: Small (12”) Mighty Meaty pizza with Mello Yellow to drink

Price: $14.73 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

The Micro:

Crust: The thick crust is crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside.  It also has a light brown color that I have not seen often on a pizza.  The flavor is quite good with or without the parmesan cheese they sprinkle on the crust.  Even better, the pizza is baked to perfection.  What’s not to like? Score: 10/10.

Sauce: The sauce is a thick, robust sauce, and the pizza is well-sauced in terms of quantity.  The sauce does contain some bits of tomato peel, a pet peeve of mine.  Overall, this is a good sauce.  Score: 8/10.

Cheese: The odd part about the cheese is that I hardly noticed it under all of the toppings, and that’s not because the pizza is under-cheesed.  The blend of cheese is a little bland without any parmesan cheese, but it really comes alive when you sprinkle on some extra parmesan.  Score: 9/10.

Toppings: This is where this pizza really stands out.  Not only is it loaded with toppings, but they are all of excellent quality.  The thick-sliced flavor-packed applewood smoked bacon is a real find.  Score: 10/10 (only because the scale goes no higher).

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The pizza looks like the robust yummy pizza it is.  The service here has always been excellent, and the atmosphere complete with old-looking brick wall and big-screen TV’s is first rate as well.  Score: 10/10.

Value: Yes, this is an all-meats pizza, and yes the quality is excellent, but it still hurts to pay $15 for a small pizza, and that is before the tip.  Mellow Mushroom is definitely good eats, but I can’t say it is good value. Score: 4/10

Taste: As you can probably guess from above, the taste is out of this world.  The toppings steal the show, but the crust, sauce, and cheese do their part to make for a flavorful experience. Score: 19/20

The Final Judgment:

I love eating at Mellow Mushroom, but I do not come here too often due to the price.  Value aside, this is a great place to come for that special pizza occasion.  Score: 70/80