Mellow Mushroom Pizza in Asheville, North Carolina

Continuing with awesome pizza places here in Asheville, North Carolina, I thought I would go on to talk about the greatness of Mellow Mushroom Pizza.

The restaurants came from the bohemian lifestyle of the '60s and '70s, and each serves to be a cosmic, comedic, psychedelic trip. Not much on the philosophy or the reason behind the restaurants is provided on the websites besides the love of pizza and microbrews.

The menu has pizzas, calzones, hoagies, salads, and appetizers, or as they call them, "Munchies". The ingredients list is nothing to laugh at, if you cannot find something you like, you must be strange, because with this long list, there is surely something there to cater to every taste. Here is the ingredient list straight from the menu on the website:

Anchovies, Artichoke Hearts, Bacon, Banana Peppers, Fresh Basil*, Black Olives, Broccoli, BBQ Chicken*, Chicken*, Cheddar, Extra Cheese, Feta Cheese, Fresh Mozzarella*, Garlic, Green Olives, Green Peppers, Ground Beef, Ham, Italian Sausage, Jalapenos, Jerk Chicken*, Meatballs*, Mushrooms, Onions, Pepperoncini Peppers, Pepperoni, Pesto*, Pineapple, Portobellos*, Roasted Red Peppers*, Spinach, Sun-dried Tomatoes*, Tempeh*, Tofu*, and Tomatoes.

See, I told you there was something you would like. All of these ingredients can be placed on a pizza, or in a calzone. Ingredients that are marked with an astrick count as two for pricing purposes. A few of these can even be added on to salads and hoagies too. Yummy! You can see with the extensive list of topping options that many different combinations can be made, so you can visit this place many times without ever having the same meal.

Until I wrote this article and visited the website for more information, I had no clue this restaurant was franchised. Located in the eccentric downtown area of Asheville, the wacky décor and bohemian motif fit right in, so I always thought it was a local jewel. The prices are a bit steep for food around here, but still affordable, however, I cannot speak for the rest of the locations, because I've never seen another one. After checking out the list of locations, I can see that they have not quite made it from coast to coast yet, but there are plenty of different locations to serve you. Check out the website and the awesome graphic to see if there is one near you.

Though I do not visit the restaurant often, partially for financially reasons, and partially because I do not spend much time downtown anymore, I know it's been here awhile, and I love it when I do get around to going there. I would certainly miss it if it were gone, and recommend it to all who can find one to try.