If an alien were to enter Macon’s Mellow Mushroom on any weekend night, he would say, “What recession?” The place is packed. Even on a Thursday at 5:30 p.m., it was beginning to fill.
Having been to the location on Lake Joy Road in Warner Robins, we knew the Mellow Mushroom in Macon would have an interesting architecture. But where the Warner Robins location is sleek and modern, the Macon one is a cross between rustic and industrial. Music paraphernalia adorn the walls, and a bar area to the right looks like a great place to either hang out with friends or all by your lonesome, as long as you don’t mind the decibel level.
The regular dining area and the covered outdoor area aren’t quite as loud, but it’s not the type of place you’d go for a quiet evening out. Our super-large booth was fun to climb into and would have been plenty of room for a group of six.
Everything we tried was of consistent quality — nothing was exceptionally good, but nothing was terribly bad either. We started with an item our server told us was not officially on the menu yet: a sampler platter of pretzel bits served with three different sauces. One third of the bits were plain, one third were cinnamon and the last third were Parmesan. The sauces were a yellow mustard, a hearty tomato sauce and honey. If you try them, eat them while they’re hot.
Next we tried the wings, which are oven-roasted. The Thai-chili sauce that covered them was different in a good way, and they passed the meatiness test. The cheese bread was pretty much cheese and bread.
Feeling the hippie vibe, we tried the tempeh hoagie next. This cousin of tofu has been marinated and grilled and is quite meat-like. Hoagies are $5.50 for a half or $8.50 for a whole, making them one of the more affordable items on the menu for hippies.
We can’t review a Mellow Mushroom without mentioning pizza, of course, but we were only able to afford one for this review. Most of the specialty pizzas are $12.95 for a small, $19.95 for a 14-inch medium and $23.95 for a 16-inch large. The Gourmet White that we had was sufficient but not astounding, but I’ve heard good things about the Philosopher’s Pie with steak and kalamatas and the vegetarian Magical Mystery Tour with two types of mushrooms (but not those types of mushrooms.)
If you choose to design your own pizza, you choose your base (red, pesto, olive oil and garlic, or barbecue), then you add your fruits and veggies for $1.25-$2.25 more, your fancy fruits and veggies for a bit more, your basic proteins for the same price, your fancy proteins for $2-$4.50 more, plus your plain or fancy cheeses.
If you’re pinching pennies, you can get cheaper pizza lots of places.
But if you’re trying to create an evening of music and munchies instead of MTV and a bag of Doritos, try Macon’s Mellow Mushroom.
Mellow Mushroom
Two and a half stars
Address: 5425 Bowman Road
Phone: 254-6789
Hours: 11 a.m-11 p.m.
Phone: 254-6789 Payment: Cash, credit
Smoking: No
Alcohol: Yes
Kids Menu: Yes
Noise Level: High
Wheelchair accessible: Yes
Health Rating: 100
Price range: $5.50-$23.95
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