Mellow Mushroom Jacksonville - Avondale — Restaurant in Jacksonville

It’s so disappointing that I need to do this but the unprofessional display of disrespect and arrogance we just received from the manager Mario at this restaurant is unacceptable! I really hope the owners see this and respond.

To begin when I first arrived my waitress Lenor was very accommodating, she promptly came up and grabbed my drink order, when my drink and app showed up they were both delightful (ordered a margarita & bruschetta) My friends showed up shortly after and again Lenor came up quickly and get them drinks as well. One of my friends ordered the Sriracha wings and when they came out he had noticed a medium sized black hair on one of the wings. When the gentleman came back my friend showed him the hair on the food and asked him to remake the wings. When Lenor returned she asked what happened and we explained there was a hair on the wing and we asked the gentleman to remake the food and she apologized sincerely and we expressed to her it was ok not a big deal. A few moments later this gentleman approached our table very aggressively while we were all in conversation trying to enjoy the night this man rudely interrupted us and began to interrogate us about the hair and asking about another hair we found in a drink after. He very arrogantly said that there are only two types of hair among the staff and it didn’t match either of them, this man who never introduced himself, never told us his position at the company or even cared to show any respect to us as paying guest of his restaurant he seemed to be inspecting our heads and carried a major attitude as if he was looking for one of us to blame, this shocked and frustrated a couple of us as the man was walking away, and completely ruined everyone good time we had been having. A moment later our waitress Lenor came back to see how we were doing and we explained to her what had happened, we were speechless to learn that the man the disrespected our group was in fact the GENERAL MANAGER MARIO!! This is the most unprofessional thing I’ve ever experienced at a restaurant, Lenor felt very bad at what just happened and expressed her apologies for the way we were treated by her GENERAL MANGER!! It was not her responsibility to step up and calm the situation down but she stepped up and professionally showed she was more capable of a management then her own boss! Mario is a terrible and unprofessional manager he should be removed from his position and replaced by Lenor far more mature and professional than that arrogant young guy. Three of the people at our table owner their own business and we would never act that way to our customers, we never demanded anything or even asked for a discount we simply asked the wings be remade!

When we went to leave the building we exited through the bar area doors and when we went outside Mario was standing at the door near the pickup area with a broom staring at all of us as we were leaving, this felt like he was trying to make us feel threatened as if he was trying to be a tough guy!! Why would a GM act this way to guests that were inconvenienced by another persons hair in our? We did not get mad at this guy, we didn’t get disrespectful to him so why would he jump on us the way he did? Lenor was great and she really changed our feelings about this establishment. I really hope the owners see this and understand that they have someone unfit to carry that type of responsibility, your security cameras we show you your GM standing at the door as we left intimidating us and I really hope you guys do the right thing, as for now we will be recommending to our own customers they stay away from this place due to unprofessional management us less they want to feel belittle by your staff. I myself spent nearly $100 on food and drink to leave with a negative impression about...

So, I originally wasn't going to make a review, but after sharing this story with multiple people, it was recommended that I do, so here I am. I am giving this location 1 star. The food was actually pretty good. We did wait 1hr and 30 minutes for food and sat at a dirty table, but they were slammed and that's not really the issue. The issue with this location was that they essentially stole money from us.

When we arrived we were asked by our server if we had been to the restaurant before (we had not) and we were asked what drinks we wanted to start with. We told our server that we had not yet looked at the drink menu and so we decided to ask them if the establishment had any flavored teas. They said they had a peach tea and a lavender lemonade. We said that sounds great and asked for the lavender lemonade.

Each time our cup was empty the server would ask if we wanted a refill, of course, we said yes. When the bill came we were surprised to find it totaled over $100. We got two pizzas, an appetizer, and (what we thought) were normal drinks, but apparently, the drinks suggested to us by our server did not have free refills and this information was disclosed to us at no point during the initial order or the subsequent refills. We were charged $6 per drink (non-alcoholic btw) and had no idea. We made the server aware of this (politely) and she offered to get the manager.

When the manager came we again explained the situation (we were new, did not know the drinks, inquired about the drinks, and important information was not disclosed about a deviation from what is normal on the menu). The managers response was essentially, "I'm sorry that happened, but it is not in our policy to disclose to you that an item has an extra charge if you ask for information about said item. As the item is listed on the menu."

We took issue with this response for a few reasons: This is a common interaction in this industry. If we asked the server about the soup of the day (a menu item) it is reasonable to assume they would give that information. If there was a special (a menu item) and a customer asked about that special, it is reasonable to assume the server would give more information about said specials. If a customer were to ask about a seasonal drink (something very clearly on the menu), it is reasonable to assume the server would give them information about that special and DO. When we asked the server about the drinks she did tell us about the drink options.

The manager did not provide any proof of the "policy" stating they are not to disclose information about price when asked by the customer.

I'm sure many would agree that they have not encountered (frequently or at all) an establishment where they were not immediately told about the price of an item if they were to be charged extra for it.

I am pretty sure that's ILLEGAL to do in the state of Florida regardless of if the item is listed on the menu.

The manager did decide to comp 2 of the probably 6 drinks we had, but this location essentially stole money from us. We would not have bought those drinks if we knew they had charges for refills.

So, if you expect any kind of typical service interaction from this restaurant just know you won't get it. The manager at this location will be more than happy to take your money as their "policy" allegedly states that their servers are not required to have a basic understanding of deviations on the menu and are not required to inform you about a purchase you're about to make when you ask them for information on...

My Rating: 4/5 Class: Pizza shop

Restaurant Review: Mellow Mushroom - St. Johns Avenue, Avondale, Jacksonville, FL

My party of two decided to venture into the well-known Mellow Mushroom chain, located on St. Johns Avenue in Avondale. We were warmly greeted by the general manager, Marcos, who maintains a high level of cleanliness throughout the restaurant. It was a moderately busy Friday afternoon, and I thoroughly appreciated how Marcos engaged with customers, making everyone feel right at home. His hospitality was truly a highlight.

Our order included the vegetarian hoagie roll and a medium-sized custom-made pizza. After all, Mellow Mushroom is famous for their red sauce pizzas, and I couldn’t pass up the chance to put it to the test.

Our server was attentive and on point with everything—a testament to the exceptional service at this Mellow Mushroom location. Every table seemed to receive the same high level of attention, which I attribute to the excellent management. Thank you for that, Marcos!

When it came to presentation, the dishes were impeccably plated. The avocado slices on the hoagie were perfectly green and ripe, sliced to perfection. The hoagie roll itself was toasted just right, providing a satisfying crunch with each bite. As for the pizza, we opted for a combination of pepperoni, mozzarella, sharp Wisconsin cheddar, and yes, pineapple (sorry, Italians!). The pizza dough was the star of the show—Mellow Mushroom’s signature spring water sourdough crust was delightfully crisp, especially on the undercarriage, without being burnt. The fusion of cheese and red sauce was seamless, with the pepperoni and Parmesan adding that extra touch.

The pizza slices were perfect for folding, and as someone who folds my slices like a true New Yorker, I was pleased to find that the pizza wasn’t sloppy at all. No cheese sliding off, no mess—the slices held together beautifully, and the dough had just the right amount of sturdiness to support the toppings. I would easily give this pizza a five out of five!

I can honestly say it’s been a long time since I’ve had a pizza this good, and I would absolutely return to Mellow Mushroom for the overall experience. The attention to detail, quality of food, service, and top-notch management make this location stand out. I look forward to coming...