First, I want to say that I genuinely like Mellow Mushroom. I have had great food and excellent service at both the Hilton Head and Asheville locations. Unfortunately, when it comes to the Aiken, SC location, the experience continues to fall short. I have given this location multiple chances, and at this point, shame on me for expecting this visit to be different. We waited approximately 25-30 minutes to be seated, which I can understand when a restaurant is busy. What I cannot understand is being seated and then sitting at the table for more than 20 minutes without a single employee acknowledging us. No greeting, no waters, and no drink order. I finally went back to the host stand, and a few minutes later the host came over and offered to take our drink order. At that point, we had invested nearly an hour between waiting for a table and waiting for someone to acknowledge us. Having managed multiple restaurants during and after college, what concerned me most wasn't simply that a server was behind. Restaurants get busy. Servers get overwhelmed. People call out. Mistakes happen. The bigger issue was the apparent lack of active floor management. A restaurant manager should be managing the tempo of the restaurant, not simply reacting when a customer finally complains. A good manager should be circulating through the dining room, watching ticket times, monitoring newly seated tables, checking on guests, helping run drinks and food, clearing tables when necessary, and immediately recognizing when a server is overwhelmed. If a table has been sitting for 10-15 minutes without being greeted, management should notice it before the customer has to walk to the host stand. This is especially important in a pizza restaurant. Pizza itself takes time to prepare and cook, so the front-of-house operation should be designed to get guests greeted, drinks delivered, and orders entered quickly. If the kitchen is backed up, tell the customer. Most reasonable people will accept a longer wait when someone communicates with them. What frustrates customers is sitting there wondering whether anyone even knows they exist. Servers also need to work their sections efficiently. In restaurant terminology, every trip should have a purpose. If you're walking through your section, scan your tables. Pre-bus a plate. Refill a drink. Drop off napkins. Check on the table you just served. Pick something up on the way back. Run another server's food or drinks when possible. Good service is about constantly prioritizing multiple small tasks rather than completing one task, returning to the server station, and then deciding what to do next. When a restaurant gets slammed, teamwork becomes even more important. Hosts, servers, bartenders, food runners, bussers, and managers should be working together. A guest shouldn't have to care whose "table" they are sitting at. If you see a customer who needs something, either help them or immediately communicate it to the person responsible. The same applies to management. A manager who sees the floor struggling should be in the middle of it--running food, greeting tables, helping the host stand, filling drinks, clearing tables, and directing traffic. Leadership means recognizing where the bottleneck is and putting yourself where you are most needed. In my current career, time, accountability, teamwork, situational awareness, and taking initiative are extremely important. Obviously, restaurant service isn't life or death, but the basic principles of a high-performing team are surprisingly similar: know your responsibilities, pay attention to what's happening around you, communicate, help your teammates, anticipate problems, and take ownership when something isn't working. Customers are routinely expected to tip around 20% for good service, and I have no problem doing that when the service warrants it. But with that expectation should come a reasonable standard of service--starting with simply acknowledging a customer after they have been seated. I like Mellow Mushroom and know from visiting other locations that the company is capable of providing a much better experience. That's what makes the repeated problems at the Aiken location so disappointing. This location doesn't need employees to move at a frantic pace. It needs attentive servers, teamwork, communication, urgency, and managers who actively manage the floor. When those fundamentals are in place, customers notice. Unfortunately, when they're absent, customers notice that too. read more

A lot of empty tables and about a two hour wait. I am not sure they are worth the time. It took 15 minutes for someone to come and talk to us to tell us the wait time. It is really noisy here. The restraunt is not very clean. The bathrooms were disgusting. Looking for another place to eat. We finally got a table. I don't think it was worth the wait. We ordered water and a beer. It took about 20 minutes for them to bring it out. I ordered 10 garlic parm wings. When they came out, they were room temp. The sauce tasted like ranch with a little garlic added then sprinkles of parm put on top. I will not order them again. Best part of the meal was the band that was playing in the alley. The best thing may be salad or pizza because they can both be eaten cold. read more

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We were in the mod for pizza and, having never visited a Mellow Mushroom before we decided to give it a try. We had a great experience. We had one order in mind until we spotted the lunch specials and went for that - it is a really good deal. Two slices of pizza and a small salad for 10$. What we didn't know if that the two pieces of pizza were ginormous! We could have easily done the one piece w/salad, but as it happened, we had dinner with the leftovers. The pizza is quite good, thin crust got nicely crispy and super flavorful. The pepperoni was good - not cup char good but pretty darn good. The small caesar was good - it was perfectly dressed so we kind of wondered why there was extra dressing on the side - but no big deal. We sat outside, and our server was fabulous - attentive without being overly so. It was quite a mellow lunch (pun intended!) read more

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Had a great meal at Mellow Mushroom. The shaved ribeye pizza was surprisingly good -- super flavorful and different from the usual pizza options. Cool atmosphere and good service. Definitely worth trying if you're in the mood for pizza read more

Mellow Mushroom Aiken - Pizza Near Me - Aiken, South Carolina

Came here with the kids and family which happened to be on their Tuesday trivia night. So fun! The trivia questions were interesting (all pop culture) and gave the restaurant a nice vibe. The restaurant itself is interestingly decorated, definitely family friendly. We ordered a ceasar salad and the shitake and a meat pizza. There was an error in our shitake order and the waitress was so great in following up and fixing the issue. The shitake pizza was especially delicious. Size portions are still smaller than a carry out pizza spot in Chicago - but this was more of a gourmet type pizza, so that was expected. My son ate 5 pieces (a large pizza here is 8 pieces), I think he could've eaten more if there was more left! read more

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I love how all the lights on the wall change colors. The pizza is always good. I love their pizza. The waitstaff is eh. They are always slow, often forgetful, but polite. read more

I went to Mellow Mushroom in Aiken tonight with my two sons and we ordered a cheese pizza and a hamburger. The pizza was delicious, but we never got a hamburger for some reason. read more

They added caramelized onions to the pacific rim pizza, even though when we called it in the person on the phone specifically told us that it did not have any. This has happened for the last 3 times I have gotten pacific rim pizza from here. read more

Fun, cute spot downtown Aiken to grab some interesting pizza. Waitress was great, point off for how loud that restaurant was.

If you're eating here sit on the patio because inside you won't have the people watching to keep you occupied while you wait and wait and wait for service. I've tried the place on a few occasions over the years but the last time was just that. The restaurant needs a staffing overhaul. read more

Where does it begin? We ordered 3 pizzas. Out of the 3 pizzas only 2 came out at a decent time but both were incorrectly made and cold on arrival. The 3rd took over 30 minutes from the time the initial 2 pizzas to come out after being asked about it multiple times. The restaurant was not busy as there was only 2 separate tables seated outside of ours the entire over 2 hour visit. Each time we asked about the 3rd pizza we were told everything from "oh we just got a lot of online orders" to as far as "if we comp a pizza we are not allowed to it give to you, it's the restaurant policy." I'm truly baffled with this experience as I usually love Mellow Mushroom. I hate to write bad reviews but this was easily a top worst experience. read more

Hi, my name is Octavia, and my husband ordered from you today. I wish I could upload my picture so you can see my holy shitake pie is very burnt underneath, and I can taste it in my bite. I call back and come plain. She said the thin crust came out crispy; there's a difference between burnt and crispy. Working at Pizza Hut for 20 years, I know the difference. My husband's calzone was big and very sloppy-looking, and my daughter's calzone had maybe two pieces of spinach. What's wrong, Mellow Mushroom? We love your business, but this time was a great disappointment. read more

What can I say first of all the best drinks around, you are getting a punch for your bucks and it's usually top shelf. Okay enough about the booze the food is amazing one of the best wings and burgers I've had in the area burger was juicy and well seasoned wings were crispy and tasty. Of course the pizza is also delicious a place you don't want to miss a must try!!! Great vibes and such cute waitresses (they really dress up and stand out) read more

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This is at least the third time I have waited an hour or more for a simple meal, like a pizza. Service was good though strained. Pizza came and it was just crappy. The pizza was buried in about a pound of cheese making it unappetizing and inedible. This franchise has had management problems for years. For a consistently better experience try the Mellow Mushroom in Augusta which is consistently good. BTW my experience tonight was not alone. I saw at least 6 other tables experiencing the same problems. Poorly run, poorly staffed and consistently poor. read more

Tea was not good so I requested to change it to diet coke. I had only taken a sip of the tea and it was bitter. I get it happens but I wasn't going to drink it and get sick. So I get the diet Coke and was charged for 3 drinks ( my husband was with me) I told the waitress I didn't understand why I was being charged for 3 drinks. Refills are free and worst case scenario is it could have been considered a refill. She told me the manager told her to charge it as an extra drink. I've never been back and don't plan on it. read more

Meatball Trio appetizer: 5 stars The balls are good and the presentation is nice. The dish is balanced. It lacked a slice of bread to better deal with the sauce. Also, a tad of sugar on the sauce it would have elevated its flavors. Will I order this again? Yep :) read more

Mellow Mushroom Aiken - Meatball Trio - Pizza Near Me - Aiken, South Carolina

Maybe another night might have been different, but this one was not good. No gluten-free apps, so I got the free pizza bites for everyone else. Gluten-free pizza was made on a regular crust, so I had to wait for it to be re-made, while everyone else happily enjoyed their meal. My GF pizza arrived as everyone else was finishing. The GF pizza was not hot (how'd THAT happen?), and the pizza had a hair in it. I didn't bother reporting it, as no one would want to wait another 30 minutes for a replacement. read more

Mellow Mushroom Aiken - Stone Baked Pizzas - Pizza Near Me - Aiken, South Carolina

Awful and rude. Terrible service and they obviously don't want business. People ordered drinks and salads that never came. Hostess was so rude read more

The pizza was amazing! We had kosmic karma and mowie wowie!! The service was better than I ever had and because it was a celebrated birthday with family and I requested a picture the server went above and beyond and took a picture of me and my family together! I would highly recommend this spot for anyone trying it out. This was my first experience at mellow mushroom and my first experience at this location! The ambiance was very chill and family oriented! Had a wonderful time!! read more

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It's just ... mediocre at best. I went there to try out their gluten free pizza as I have Celiacs. The server was very confused about it even though I simply ordered a gluten free pizza with mushrooms. She said it came with vegan cheese, which I definitely did not want (it's hard enough eating GF) and wasn't actually correct. She asked me what size and there wasn't multiple sizes listed for the GF crust so I kind of had a suspicion she really didn't know what she was doing. The good part was that she knew enough to grab her manager. With that being said, if options are offered in regard to allergens, the staff should really be educated. Nonetheless, the pizza was not tasty at all. My husband didn't care for the hot pretzel bites he had. The ambiance was really geared for the hipster crowd. For us, it was lackluster all around and we won't be returning. read more

The holy shiitake pie is delicious every time, and service is great. Sit on the patio if you can!

Mellow Mushroom has got to be my favorite chain restaurant of all time. As a kid I loved the colorful hippie-tastic atmosphere and as an adult I never fail to gush over the food. I've never had a bad mellow mushroom experience, and I always try to visit them when they are in towns I'm visiting. My favorite go to is the Holy Shitake Pie- it's incredible- especially if you love shitake mushrooms and aoli. Their magic mushroom soup is INCREDIBLE. I've scoured the internet to find a dupe recipe, but it's not to be duplicated, you just have to go in person and try it out. The quality is consistently excellent, at all the locations I've been to, and the atmosphere is always going to be bright, quirky, and creative. I highly recommend. read more

Sunday afternoon. Not very busy at all in here. Walked in through the back and asked the host for a booth. Was surprised to hear the lady had to go check. There were a million booths available in the back, then realized she was seating us in the front of the building. Server was quite slow to come to us and there were a quite a lot of flies wizzing around us at the table. Maybe because the floor looked like it could do with a sweep. What with slow service and the flies we decided to leave before the waitress had even asked us what we wanted to drink. Would I go back - not any time soon read more

The food was amazing. The service was good, and it was your typical pizza place atmosphere. I love small town places with big city flavor. We ordered the spinach dip (AMAZING), pretzel bits (Bomb), wings (full of flavor), pepperoni pizza (great classic pizza flavor), hubs got a really delicious pizza too. I loved all the vegan and vegetarian options on the menu. When we come back home to visit, we'll be back. read more

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Absolutely love the oven roasted barbecue wings outpurchased. Even on a Saturday it wasn't entirely busy so I was able to get my food without any issue or hassle. Great place in in Aiken for wings. Next time I'll be bringing friends :) Awesome experience at Mellow Mushroom read more

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My son, a friend and I came to MelloMushroom Pizza on this cold winter evening, not expecting a lack of service garnished with a prissy attitude. We walked in and the hostesses immediately greeted us and sat us. It wasn't that busy, but we were glad to be out of the cold. We waited about 10 minutes and nobody greeted us at our table not even the servers in passing. The same servers passed our table numerous amounts of times. My friend had to get up and go to the hostess stand for us to get service. Finally, after 3 minutes, our server comes over and says hello, and takes our drink order. My friend asks if they have Crown Royal and she wasn't sure and directed him to look at the drink menu. Another minus there, know the menu even liquors, beers, and wine. I asked for split checks at the beginning. I wasn't sure if I wanted to eat but told my guests to order. The pretzel bites and small pizza arrived drenched in Grease. Not her fault. We still enjoyed what we ordered. She came back and I ordered meatballs. We never saw the server after that, about 10 to 12 minutes went by. We had to get up again and ask another server where the Meatballs were and to send the server over. Strike 2. By then the table maintenance was unacceptable. And she then passed by and asked how my meal was, and it was great. But she still did not clear away any of our unused or dirty plates, all put to the side. Full hands in, Full hands out! I figured she was in the weeds. Finally, another 10 to 12 minutes went by and we never saw our server, not even in passing. We asked another server for our server, strike 3. By then I was disappointed. And she came over and I honestly stated that all the plates needed to be cleared away! This is terrible table maintenance. She then says, "ok well can you hand me the plates?" With the utmost bitchy attitude as if I'm not paying her, and her hands were empty, and she displayed having attitude by saying that comment and it was a little out of line. I looked at her and stayed silent until she grabbed the plates to maintain the table maintenance for her guests. My son ordered a Cookie with ice cream, which was a mistake. It took another 20 minutes and still hadn't reached our table, we then got up again and asked another server to locate the dessert, and eventually, it came. It was very good my son enjoyed it, except for the fact that the cookie was rock solid hard, and took a lot of soaking up of that ice cream to even be edible. By now I am completely unsatisfied. We asked for the check and she didn't split it but then caught herself and brought us 2 incorrectly split tabs. I will not go back to Mello Mushroom in Aiken. My suggestion to our Server Madison is to brush up on her customer service skills and interaction. She ignored me twice when I said excuse me and ignored our table the entire dining experience. And had a horrible attitude when I asked her to clean the table we are eating at, Madison needs to quickly learn to ask for help even if you only have 2 tables, and learn that when something goes wrong at a table you want to try to redeem yourself and kill the guest with kindness, and as much as it may be bothersome appease the customer because you're representing MellowMushrooms Name/brand and adding to their restaurant reputation. I will never step foot into Mellomushroom in Aiken or any Mellowmushroom after tonight. The lack of customer service, integrity representing Mellowmushroom, and the prissy attitude pretty much ruined the brand for me. My friend was stunned by how Madison acted toward paying customers and the lack of service she gave us. And after all that, Madison did not even mention it to her manager so maybe her manager could help her out or help her redeem the table. Because no manager came to our table at all. And if they did, they did a horrible introduction of saying who they are and sorry. We never got a sorry! I still tipped her out 20% because 1) as servers we live off our tips and 2) I hope this was a HUGE learning experience for Madison and maybe this Yelp review will help remind her how serious her job is. I was in the food and beverage industry in my hometown on the Westcoast for 12 years before I moved here to South Carolina for a career transition. As servers we are supposed to be CREATING BRAGWORTHY DINING EXPERIENCES, at least that's the mentality I kept In my mind 24/7, we learn to ask for help, and we learn to redeem ourselves when something goes wrong and we learn to appease our guests, no matter what. In the end, I did not request a manager because I was giving the server a chance to redeem herself but never did and the lack of was already so far gone. I wanted to pay and get to bed. But I will let other Yelpers know to spare themselves from this agony, and hit up a locally-owned restaurant or Pizza Joint. This is by far the worst service I've gotten in South Carolina, let alone in Aiken. Mellomushroom DT lost my business. read more

The service was good and was a family friendly atmosphere, friendly customer service. The pizza was very fresh to order and the steak and cheese Calzone was very good the perfect portion of steak and cheese with a crispy crust baked to perfection! This was my first visit and won't be the last! read more

Really bad experience last week. It started with ordering a draft beer, which when delivered after a long wait, was the wrong one. After another delay the correct beer was delivered, but to my disappointment it was in a very small glass, resembling a wine glass, draft beer is 16 oz not 8. Next ordered the "Elevated Cobb" salad, but it was not as described, there was no avacardo. This was a very small salad, lettuce, tomato and a small portion of chicken. Apparently the avacardo was over ripe so not included, however upon ordering I was not advised of this, also Cobb's always include a hard boiled egg. To call this an " Elevated Cobb" is insulting, this salad was really pathetic. As an observation, this always comes down to management. read more

Great area, big bar, good food. The bartender was nice and chatty. We went when it was slow so we were in and out quickly.

The House Pizza was good but the crust was NOT thin as ordered ~ 2nd time in-a-row that's happened ~ disappointed. Steve read more

This is my go-to pizza place in Aiken. I love the thick crust and meaty pizza options offered at Mellow Mushroom. The staff is always so friendly and the vibe of the location is fun. The only thing that takes away from the experience is the long wait for the pizza and calzones. I once waited about 30 minutes for a take-out order. But, for what they lack in speed they make up for in taste. It's definitely worth the wait, which is why I keep going back. read more

Mellow Mushroom Aiken - Pizza Near Me - Aiken, South Carolina

They lost our large cheese pizza, by the time we got it - it was cold... it had been sitting there for 10 minutes. Everthing else were great, meatballs, salads, and desserts. read more

Consistency is the name of the game with this pizza chain. I had a personal pan sized pepperoni pizza that hit the spot for a late night craving. The staff was pleasant and attentive. read more

My wife and I had delicious pizzas with reasonable fast service and the atmosphere was good with outdoor musical event starting in the alley. read more

Several times the food has been just been OK and food from the kitchen slow, but last night it was delish! Had the veggie calzone - it was hot and packed full of cheese and vegetables. We sat at the bar and the service was great! read more

I love the outdoor dining area and the fact that it's dog friendly but I wish MM could get its act together. It's just never consistent. Ever. Our appetizers were the meatballs and the bruschetta. Husband said the meatballs were good. The bruschetta was not the same as I've had in the past here. The crostini was much smaller and the 2 slivers of basil on the entire plate was a huge disappointment. I will say their feta is amazing. It's 100% sheep vs a goat and sheep mix but it is creamy and not as sharp as typical feta. It pairs really well in this dish as I didn't overwhelm it. My husband ordered the Funky Chicken and I ordered The Merry Prankster. We were both disappointed. His was bland and overcooked. Mine wasn't the pizza I ordered and I thought I had made the mistake until I thought more about it. I only ate one piece. Here's how the Merry Prankster is described on their menu- The Merry Prankster Take the trip less travelled. Starts with an herb aioli base layered with chicken, Italian sausage, garlic roasted red peppers, green bell peppers, mozzarella, Wisconsin aged white cheddar, and finished with an herb aioli drizzle. One look at my pic shows that's not what I got. The heavy "drizzle" on mine was some kind of disgusting mayo concoction. There was no herb aioli base, the amount of sausage was laughable and it was seriously lacking in cheese. The pizza- both actually- were extremely dry. I had to ask for a knife as the pizza wasn't cut through, the crust was tough and chewy and the kitchen cut it dumb. One tiny piece and a huge piece... I just don't get it. I can't comment on the service. We had 3 different servers and ran out of tea so there's that. 2 1/2 would be more appropriate. read more

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My wife and I have called 17 times today over 5 hours and they don't have a voicemail nor have they answered at any point during our 17 calls. Just trying to ask questions or make reservations. Think we will go to somewhere else. read more

Ambiance A+, Service C, Price B Have been coming here since we moved into Aiken 2 years ago, and they have improved much over the last 6 months. Maybe post Covid help . The pizzas are good with a nice variety on the menu. Can be very busy and we use takeout usually now. Love their holy shiitake Pizza but often need to order extra cheese because they get a little skimpy. read more

Apparently the mellow Mushroom in Aiken has forgotten how to cook. My wife picked up an order for all of us and it is not what we are used to from them. Yes, I will attempt to eat it. I drive 1 1/2 hours home, so I'm hungry. This is/was our favorite sandwich but I don't know any more. Plus they argued with my wife that this was their normal avacado sub..... Could not eat it. Trashed the whole order. $30 wasted. read more

Mellow Mushroom Aiken - Supposed to be the Avacado sub. - Pizza Near Me - Aiken, South Carolina

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Efficient service, a good custom made medium pizza with fresh ingredients, an affordable kid's menu with games and a free pretzel bites appetizer with a Yelp check-in! This business has an A food rating. A shaded patio is available. It was easy and free to park in downtown Aiken. read more

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