Mellow Mushroom

Mellow MushroomMellow Mushroom
Mellow MushroomMellow Mushroom
Bar, Eatery

1309 W Main St
Charlottesville, Virginia, 22903-2825
United States

(434) 972-9366 | map
mellowmushroom.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.1
Reviews:
20
Ratings:
34
pDev:
7.56%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.6 by hophugger from Virginia

Feb 20, 2019
Photo of oldn00b
Reviewed by oldn00b from Virginia

3.74/5  rDev -8.8%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.75 | food: 3.75
Pretty standard place for the chain. Solid pizza is a highlight and definitely some good beers on tap. Generally has a good vibe being right on the corner in c-ville next to the main part of campus.
Aug 20, 2015
 
Rated: 4.09 by HookemHoos from Virginia

Mar 10, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by Iamjeff6 from Virginia

Dec 05, 2014
 
Rated: 4.84 by DawsonHoo from Virginia

Nov 17, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by jaymo18 from Virginia

Nov 06, 2014
 
Rated: 4.4 by Camjmorton from Virginia

Sep 09, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by DavidHume from Virginia

Aug 17, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by bcp5296d from North Carolina

Jul 29, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by atrocity from Virginia

May 20, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by HuntDaddy540 from District of Columbia

Apr 29, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by DubCo21 from Virginia

Apr 16, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Kegatron from Pennsylvania

Feb 25, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by JMFP from Delaware

Feb 23, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by seanchai from Virginia

Dec 31, 2013
Photo of BeardsOfAvarice12
Reviewed by BeardsOfAvarice12

3.78/5  rDev -7.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
Mellow Mushroom is widely known for their pizza and trivia night. While both of those are excellent, their beer selection tends to fly under the radar. There are of course the obligatory big brewery selections, but Mellow does a great job of offering craft brews at decent prices. They price their pints at $4, $5, and $6 a pint, with their happy hour price dropping the $4 and $5 pints to $2, at least on Tuesdays. They also have excellent pitcher deals on Wednesday nights which complement their trivia night well. Having a pitcher of local Starr Hill for less than $10 is an excellent deal not to be ignored. Their beer list is constantly being updated, and thus there is constant variety. In addition to their reasonable prices and decent selection, Mellow has a beer card that allows you to "sign off" on the number that corresponds to the beer on the menu, and if you complete the entire list you're rewarded with a custom glass. This is a great way in which they encourage craft brews to a larger market. This is especially excellent when many of the craft brews are $2 thanks to the happy hour special. Overall a recommended place to grab a pizza, answer trivia questions, and enjoy a modest selection of craft brews.
Oct 17, 2012
Photo of Seanibus
Reviewed by Seanibus from California

4.45/5  rDev +8.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
A great addition to the Corner, despite being stuck in the same walls as the hellish Red Roof Inn at the far end. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, the staff attractive and friendly. The food is great - excellent pizza. And of course, an extensive and well-considered beer list with the chain's usual attention to local and regional offerings. There are about two dozen draft selections with a couple of interesting bottles (hopslam today. Seriously). The drafts were divided into easy-to-comprehend categories and the offerings are worthy - a few imports, a nod to good national offerings (Founders, Left Hand, and Anderson, for example), with some nice locals - Starr Hill and an IPA each from Foothills in North Carolina and Terrapin in Georgia stood out. A family-friendly, cozy place that is well worth the trip to the less hip end of the Corner.
Feb 05, 2011
Photo of Gavage
Reviewed by Gavage from Nevada

4.4/5  rDev +7.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
This place was pretty crowded when we arrived so we grabbed a seat at the smallish 10 stool bar in the back. The bar overlooked an open kitchen where you can watch the cooks strecth and throw pizza dough. There are plenty of tables for dining here too. There are plenty of TVs to keep you up to date on latest sports news.

The beer is typical for a Mellow Mushroom - 39 taps of good micros with several local options. Several Starr Hill, Foothills, and a Blue Mountain offering allowed me to try some new beers. Smuttynose, North Coast, Sierra Nevada, Brooklyn, Oskar Blues, and Bells beers were also available during the visit. The beers we had were fresh and tasty.

Service was very good at the bar. Dinner was served quickly and beer refills were fast. The bartender knew the beers he was pouring. Food was good too.

This is probably the best option in Charlottesville. Definitely worth a stop.
Aug 14, 2010
Photo of Deuane
Reviewed by Deuane from Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +0.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Visited on the way home from the 2010 Sexual Chocolate release. Charlottesville was as far as we dared to push as we dealt with deteriorating road conditions in the wake of February '10 Blizzard---the redux!

The MM is a BUSY pizza joint in downtown C-ville. Located within stumbling distance of UVA it was PACKED with college kids--and since it was a "we can't drive to go anywhere" Saturday night I can't say I was shocked!

Despite the throng of patrons our group of six only had to wait approximately 30 minutes for a table. While we waited we hung out in the bar area and enjoyed a pint from one of their 39 taps! A special was on...if it is precipitating they have a "when it rains it pours" special and all pints are $3!! Wow--awesome! So--$3 for a pint of Terrapin Hopsecutioner, yes please!

After we got seated our service was quite swift as our co-ed waitress and the kitchen staff were on top of things, VERY unlike the Asheville location where, I think, the influence of a certain chemical seems to slow the staff to a glacial pace.

Filling, carb laden, grub all around with tasty garlic bread, hummus, and HUGE, loaded to the brim with toppings pizzas. Plenty to eat for all and plenty left over for breakfast!

With 39 taps it isn't hard to find something good. Nice local presence with Star Hill and Blue Mountain Brewing alongside of a plethora of craft breweries from far and wide.

Another quality locale in the MM empire. I would stop in here again without hesitation.
Mar 13, 2010
Photo of sholland119
Reviewed by sholland119 from Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +0.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
We pulled into Charlottesville as our pitstop on the ride home from Sexual Chocolate release, which coincided with the second blizzard of 2010. The east side of town, including our hotel, was suffering from a power outage. Fortunately, the Mellow Mushroom beckoned from the more fortunate western side of town. This was quite an enjoyable place to wait for the power company to do its thing.

As a pizza shop in a college town, the vibe was overwhelmingly collegiate. At 7pm on a Saturday this means the kids are just waking up and beginning their pre-game activites so things were pretty laid back.

Not sure if this place always shoehorns patrons into every available square inch or this was just a reaction to the crowd that was enjoying the snowy weather. But packed does not begin to describe the dining room.

Despite the crowd, the service was very friendly and the kitchen snappy once we sat down. Great garlic bread, good hummus, tasty $20 pizzas (too heavy on the toppings for me but you can always pick them off). Very nice.

About 30 taps I think. Lots of high quality stuff, including a couple locals (Blue Mtn. Full Nelson), good regionals (Terrapin) as well as Founders, Brooklyn BCS and other delicious options.

A very enjoyable stop, made even better by the fact that our hotel was back in business at the end of the meal.

HV
Feb 17, 2010
Photo of afausser
Reviewed by afausser from Montana

3.58/5  rDev -12.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
Mellow Mushroom is in the Corner area of Charlottesville, which means that it is for the most part crowded with undergrads everywhere, which can make getting a table a pain. But they've got wireless internet, great food, good beer selection (dollar off when it rains) and a very good trivia night Wednesday.

So, with the above said, the atmosphere isn't too great. It gets loud and there are drunken undergrads acting like, well, drunk undergrads. That said, it's quite a great place (though I've also found service to be lacking quite a bit in general). Let's get to the beer--there's plenty of taps and usually enough of a variety of craft beer that I actually have a choice of what I'd like to drink. I never really pay attention to the specific prices but they are definitely reasonable (we usually order a couple pitchers at trivia).

The food is excellent--great pizza and pretzels, and huge salads.
Feb 02, 2010
Photo of ams4k
Reviewed by ams4k from Massachusetts

4.41/5  rDev +7.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5
Best place in town to get a pint of good draft beer. Read the other reviews: large selection of craft beers, served at rock-bottom prices. Hard to believe that this place exists. It looks like a typical student pizza joint on the outside, but once you get a look at the bristling array of tap handles, you'll see what I mean. Michael's Tap House has more bottles & Belgians, and Beer Run has a more thoughtful selection, but this is the reigning champ. Sit at one of the outside tables and watch the the world go by from behind a cold Bell's Two-Hearted Ale for $3.50. Nice.
Jun 25, 2008
Photo of boston2bburg
Reviewed by boston2bburg from Virginia

4.2/5  rDev +2.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
I got away from work for Tuesday and Wednesday this week to attend the VAMLIS Conference for GIS professionals in Charlottesville, VA. I'd heard there was a Mellow Mushroom in town, so imagine my surprise and delight when I discovered my hotel sat on top of it.

I meandered over at around 5:15, after the conference let out, and found myself in the middle of their $2 a beer happy hour that ran from 4-6. With 39 beers on tap (yeah, I counted), and most of those quality microbrews, this was a luxury rarely experienced for me. To put it in perspective, Roanoke's largest quality tap selection is about 10 at Blue 5, and their beers are typically $4-5. Even when happy hour ended, standard price was $3.50 a pint (maybe 12 for a pitcher? happy hour pitchers: $9).

I was again impressed when I found that even some higher ABV beers like Ommegang Hennepin and Dogfish Head Raison D'Etre were the standard price. In fact, the only non-
standard beer on the menu was Leffe Blonde, which was $5 and served in a snifter. One last note about pricing, if it rains, you get a dollar off your beer. While it did sprinkle outside a bit after happy hour had ended, I didn't get the deal this time.

So I started with a Hennepin and a 10" Jerk Chicken pizza shortly after 5, and the next thing I know I looked up and it was almost midnight and there were 9 beers on my tab. Did I mention I was giving a presentation the next morning at 9am? Wooops! I hold responsible the quality and variety of the beer and the good company I met at the bar (though not having to drive home helps). Not to worry, the presentation went fine, and so was I; well, at least after stopping back in for lunch and a couple more pints the next day on my way home. After all, I'd forgotten my leftover pizza.
May 28, 2008
Photo of argock
Reviewed by argock from Virginia

3.7/5  rDev -9.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 4
This is my favorite happy hour stop as it's walking distance from work, has amazing $2 pints, and has upwards of 30 craft brew offerings anytime with a good rotation. It's very low key in the late afternoon with the service hit or miss and a bit sparse at times. Their beer selection includes beers from national and regional breweries such as Bell's, Rogue, Stone, Victory, North Coast, Brooklyn, Left Hand, among others. They are also ardent supporters of Charlottesville's local brewers Starr Hill and Blue Mountain. Their pizza is good with a soft, thick crust and is reasonably priced. They need to bulk up their starters menu with some more appetizers, but, all in all, MM does a solid job of serving great beer (although almost always too cold) and good pizza at nice prices.
May 16, 2008
Photo of Proteus93
Reviewed by Proteus93 from Virginia

4.1/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
Came in on a Saturday night, so this place was buuuusy. Fortunately, it was an easy going night out with the son, so there was no real rush

Nice, low light ambiance in the evening, though the front of the place could potentially get a little bright in the day as it's fairly open.

Service is pretty speedy, especially considering the amount of people dining. Waitresses/servers are cheery and helpful (well, willing to be helpful. My server asked what kind of beer I liked and I said I was in the mood for something hpoppy to which she said "Ooooh, the exact opposite of me," but I went with the Hop Rod Rye, so that was easy enough

Beer selection is nice for a restaurant setting that doesn't focus on beers... Bear Republic, Brooklyn Brown Ale, Humboldt, Dogfish Head, Rogue, along with the locals and a couple of German/Belgians... though Belgians are literally a couple (unless you include Stella Artois to make 3), so don't get your hopes up on those.

Food is pretty tasty, and the price is decent... maybe even a little on the low side, honestly. Pizzas were pretty standard pricing for an indie joint, and the beer prices are pretty good, as well. $3.50 per pint unless otherwise noted, and the only exceptions at the time were the Blue Mountain Full Nelson ($3.50 for a snifter, which seem an unusual serving, as it's just a standard pale ale), Hoegaarden ($4.50), Leffe ($5 snifter), and PBR ($1.50 / $5 pitcher). Having the snifters available shows that they will serve in proper glassware, as well - everything else is pretty much suited for standard pint glasses.

Regular priced drafts are apparently also $2.50 per pint when it rains, and $2 during Happy Hour, so if going with something like a Bear Republic, Rogue, Arrogant Bastard, etc... the prices can be great.

Overall, a pleasing experience, and something I will happily do again. I'd kinda like to check it out when things are a little slower to see how it is then, too. I imagine if it holds up this well when it is nuts, it would be amazing on a quiet day.
Apr 06, 2008
Photo of IBUnit63
Reviewed by IBUnit63 from Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +0.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Went here on a visit to my parents in C-Ville; Saturday early lunch with Mom.

Good, wide open atmosphere with large bar and several huge TVs to catch sporting events. Also, good room up front suitable for groups or families with kids. Surprisingly not too loud even though the place was relatively full.

Taps are plentiful (I saw over 20 at first glance) with a lot of quality names. The Hop Rod Rye out of the tap was very enjoyable. Nice spectrum of solid micro offerings.

Service was courteous, effective, prompt and friendly.

Food (ordered pizza) was very well-made - chihcken cordon bleu personal-size pizza may have been an odd choice but was very tasty.

Very reasonable pricing caps off an overall enjoyable outing. Would recommend for a wide range of patrons (college (of age) students, young families, anyone thirsty looking to catch a game on TV). Solid choice!
Mar 01, 2008
Photo of oelergud
Reviewed by oelergud from Virginia

4.7/5  rDev +14.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5
Little sandwich place in downtown Charlottesville. It has outside seating when the weather permits and a very nice layout inside consisting of dark wood furnishings. Lava lamps and a giant shroom decorate the place, there is a good view of the kitchen and a few television sets in addition to a huge flat screen to entertain the patrons.
The service is really good, courteous and prompt. the selection is great if you keep in mind that this is a sandwich place, not a steak joint. A dozen selections in sandwiches and as many choices for pizzas and maybe half a dozen salads and appetizers.
My wife and I had the parmasan pretzels for an appetizer, I had the Italian and my wife the steak and cheese calzone. All of it was great and tasted incredibly fresh. The servings are huge and the prices very reasonable. I had the Bear Republic Racer 5 which was served in an appropriate non-chilled glass.
This is a place I will visit again.

-Oelergud
Oct 29, 2007
Photo of Murph
Reviewed by Murph from Arizona

4.44/5  rDev +8.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5
Yet another great Mellow Mushroom. The atmosphere is pretty typical for a MM, huge fake mushrooms all over the place along with some psychadelic imagery. The kitchen is wide open and you can see right in on the right side, bar in the back and tables and booths everywhere else. There were quite a few more TVs than I'm used to for an MM but in a college town that is probably to be expected. The beer, both selection an quality, was great. About 30 beers on tap and not a dull one. I had Bells Two Hearted and Green flash IP along with Hofbrau Maibock. They had a couple other bells on tap along with Starr Hill, Dogfish, and several other national and regional micros. The service was good and the only downfall is that it was loaded with pretentious UVA students but it is relatively easy to ignore them.
Apr 16, 2007
Photo of ggaughan
Reviewed by ggaughan from Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev -0.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
Visited the Mellow Mushroom a few weeks back with my wife on a vacation trip to C'Ville. We were there right when UVA let out for fall break so the place was pretty empty with the exception of about 10 or 15 locals. The draft selection is pretty good and especially considering it is in the heart of a major college campus. There were about 30 taps when we got there and although a few were out due to a busy night the night before, what was there was very good. They had DFH Punkin, a few Legend beers, some Tuppers, Blue Glass and several other U.S. brews. The bartender was very helpful in making selections and give me a few samples of things he suggested without me even asking. Very cool. The prices were very reasonable, maybe $3.50 for a pint and if you go there on a day that it rains, you get $1 off pints. What a great promotion but unfortunately it didn't rain while we were there.
Dec 10, 2006
Photo of gosurfobx
Reviewed by gosurfobx from North Carolina

4.2/5  rDev +2.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
A bit on the pricey side for pizza, but its so good. Amazing selection of beer on tap, although they seem to be out of Arogant Bastard every time I'm there. Something like 40 beers or more on tap. The restaurant itself is very laid back and in a great location for those seeking to bar hop after diner. Being literarily across the street from arguably one of the best universities in the US, this place can get a little crowded. With the crowds the service slows a little, but is still pretty good. The beer prices are very reasonable, especially on triva night (wed) when they have $8 pitchers on some beers. Check it out when in Charlottesville.
Apr 27, 2006
Photo of spiffylubes
Reviewed by spiffylubes from Virginia

3.98/5  rDev -2.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 5
I go here just about every Wednesday for trivia (grad student!) which is always a blast. It can be kind of smokey, which never agrees with allergies or contact lenses, and for some reason some of the tvs don't get certain channels (ESPN in particular). Sitting under the air vent always sucks too, I've been there long enough for my face to get chapped. Aside from these fairly minor problems, its a nice enough place.

The food, I don't know what to say. I absolutely love the pizza crust, and the bbq chicken pizza is one of my favorites of all time. I could go on and on, but I've only had one pizza that ever rivaled it, and I've been through college, so that should say a lot. Service tends to be somewhat lacking, and pizza service is much slower than I would expect.

Onto the beer. The selection rotates a little bit from week to week (maybe month to month?) and to be honest, there's rarely anything that stands out. Everything is on tap. Delerium tremens is fairly common in the Cville area, as are the Brooklyn brews they carry. However, they did have the Weihenstephaner Dunkel on tap for a month (which is delicious), and they occasionally bring in a few different Stone brews (including Arrogant Bastard). Victory Storm King stands out in particular from the last few months. Overall, I would say the selection is good because they have 20-30 beers at a time, and there's always something that I would like to drink on tap. But again, not often something spectacular.

On trivia nights, they have specials on generally 5 different on-tap beers for $8/pitcher. Nothing macro, always a cider included. Arrogant Bastard was on this list once, as was the Storm King. Wednesday is by far the best night to go, if you enjoy a crowd and some nice trivia. Just get there 2-3 hours before trivia starts at 9 to guarantee yourself a table.
Jan 31, 2006
Photo of GCBrewingCo
Reviewed by GCBrewingCo from North Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +0.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
The Mellow Mushroom is a breeze to find just past the overhead RR tracks. It is a sit anywhere kind of place and we never figured out where smoking and nonsmoking were. We though we were in non till people arrived and lit up in front of us and behind.

The beers and food were very fresh and our young waitress was fairly attentive. Happy hour prices were $2 and we got in two before the time change. They had a nice tap list with only one micro spotted in the lot. With a list of some great IPAs (HopDevil, Hop Ottin, Smuttynose, Nectar) how could you go wrong. Also a few Belgians, Victory's Storm King and a few other premium priced pints. The selection was about 35 taps as others mentioned and the food was great and fresh.

I'll be back to the Shroom. There can be no doubt.
Jul 21, 2004
Photo of philipt
Reviewed by philipt from North Carolina

3.73/5  rDev -9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
A weekly standard for me. Fantastic pizza...best in Charlottesville.

The beer. The reason for the review. Good to great beer selection in the area. 40+ taps, nearly all quality beers. Delerium, Chimay and Dogfish Head are all on tap for example. I dont get the impression that the staff is very knowledgable in the beer area, but they are prompt and friendly.

One of my favorite places for beer and food in the area.
Nov 01, 2003
Photo of yidbeer
Reviewed by yidbeer from Maryland

4.28/5  rDev +4.4%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4
For a chain pizza place, Mellow Mushroom really does a hell of a job of keeping good, quality beer available in a wide variety. They have 40 taps, and except for the mandatory A-B crap (it is a college town), the variety is excellent. They have brews from several of the big micros, including Rogue, Dogfish, Flying Dog, but also some smaller ones. I especially enjoy some of the west coast beers they bring in that are hard to find in a small town in Central Virginia. At various times they've had Left Hand, Three Floyds and New Belgium.
The beermaster is great. We've spent hours talking to him and he always manages to find a secret stash of something good in the back. Last time it was a great Belgian I'd never had before.
The pizzas is really good and you can get just about anything on it.
The only downside is that this is still a college town, and there are still a lot of students who come there for cheap pizza and cheap beer. You can sit and drink and discuss the quality of the beer, just come early. It turns into a typical bar on late nights and weekends, with bands and crowds and noise.
Jul 28, 2003
Mellow Mushroom in Charlottesville, VA
Place rating: 4.1 out of 5 with 34 ratings