Mellow Mushroom — Restaurant in Wilder

TLDR: My favorite local pizza and atmosphere - try this place!!

I have been going here for a long time, and it is my favorite local spot (as I am reflecting for this review, I am realizing that it is the place I go to and eat at the most). Recently, I was looking at its online menu (side note: you can look at the menu without putting in your zip code - I can't be the only one who appreciates such a little thing like that) because I couldn't remember the ingredients in their new Taco Pizza, and I was surprised by the lower rating than I think it deserves. Then I thought, perhaps that is because people like me, who have been going here forever and really enjoy eating and going to this place, take that for granted and don’t review it. So, here I am – reviewing it.

The food. Whether you want a traditional pizza or to pile on extra meat or want to be creative or are vegan or in the mood for a sandwich and salad or have kids with you - they have you covered! Someone tell me the secret to their crust! It is my absolute favorite. The perfect base to pile on as many (or as few) ingredients as I am feeling that day. They have a good balance of base items (items that stay on the menu and don’t change) and then new items that come and go (both in food and drink). I like this because I have my trusty favorites, but if I am feeling in the mood for something new, I can try something else.

The atmosphere and service. The vibe here makes it one of my favorite places. As far as seating, choose your own adventure: I have gone here with family in celebration (in the room with the fireplace), I’ve posted up at the bar - honestly, this is where I spend 99% of my time : ), or chilled out on the patio with my dog. In other words, this place is family friendly, dog friendly (patio), group friendly, or solo journey friendly. At this point, I would consider myself a regular, but I am not the only one. It is one thing to have great food, but the delivery must also be there. I have found that they are authentic in their friendliness. There is a genuine feel that they want you to have a good time and enjoy your food. Additionally, even though I have been going there for such a long time, I still need help from time to time with the menu (or deciding what I want and what will go well together), the staff never disappoint with their knowledge and helpfulness.

The cocktails and beer. I always find that there is a great selection of both. What is more – there is consistency. I think this is key to their overall success and really sets it apart. You know that it doesn’t matter what day you go in, you will get the same tasting and high quality drink (and food). And, in a world that can sometimes be full of unwelcome change blindsiding you, the stability is nice. They also have bar seats with backs on them. Again, the little things that add into the overall experience.

The cleanliness. I have always found the restaurant to be clean and tidy. I particularly like that you can see into the kitchen. It provides a sense inclusiveness as part of the process. But, in all honestly, I really like that I can see the cleanliness of the area where my food is being prepared.

The location. It is easy to get to - located right off the highway. It is also located next to a movie theater. They have a parking lot with plenty of parking spaces. It is accessible with two wide double doors and no stairs in the whole place (from entrance to seating to bathroom and back). The hostess area is literally right in front of you, when you go through the doors. If you are getting carry out, there are spots up front that you can wait (letting them know you are there), and they will bring your order to you.

Whether you are local, and just never gave it a shot, or from out of town (hotels nearby), I highly recommend trying it. I have been going to the Wilder location for about twelve years now, and I plan to continue to do so. Throughout that time, I have continued to be happy with it, and it has really upped its game for the better in the last like four...

New review since I visited recently.

Previously I extolled their virtues for having vegan options. Yesterday, I had a different experience.

Yes, their menu has vegan options and gluten-free options. They can make things from their menu to accommodate both together. Veg Out, kosmic Karma, or create your own. Plus a few other options. Things to beware. Their Pesto has dairy. The holy shiitake pizza's mushrooms are not vegan. They have a vegan cheeze. They have a gluten-free vegan crust.

Yesterday when we visited, our table ordered 4 items. A calzone, and 3 pizzas. One in our group Is vegan, one vegan and gluten free, and one gluten free, dairy free. After we placed our order, the server came back to inform us that the mushrooms weren't vegan (I had had them before and not been informed of this). So we changed that out for a pizza and a burger. Our food came in a timely manner. The calzone and burger were fine, but all 3 of the pizzas that were to be dairy free and gluten free had something wrong. We sent back one that had two cheeses on it so we knew that it wasn't dairy free and the other that wasn't on gluten free crust and had meat (because of the meat, I, the vegan, couldn't eat it). We did keep the One pizza that had vegan cheeze on a regular crust as i could eat that and planned to give my GF, vegan order to my girlfriend. The manager also came out and asked what was wrong with the order and we explained it. They offered to remake it as well and we accepted.

Round 2: When the kosmic Karma came back, on the right crust with the right cheeze, my girlfriend noticed that it had the pesto on it as she took a bite and remembered the pesto had been excluded the last time we had ordered this pizza. She asked the server about It and the server went to check. She came back and let us know that yes It does have dairy. The pizza for my gluten free, dairy free son came out correct. The pizza for me came out correct, but was still uncooked in the center, ~1/2 the pizza. We ate this pizza anyway because at this point, this was the first food my girlfriend could eat that had come out and she was tired and hungry. The manager came out to ask how everything was, and offered to comp us some of the price After hearing about the uncooked center and the pesto.

Round 3: This kosmic Karma pizza came out correct. Gf crust, vegan cheeze, No Pesto. Our Server was helpful and friendly throughout.

The reason I scored the service low had nothing to do with our server. This was entirely on the manager. After the complaint about the uncooked center, her attitude was only barely professional. When my girlfriend started feeling sick, She wanted to talk to the manager again to be clear that they needed to do more to be careful of allergies and the manager snatched the receipt out of my girlfriend's hand and comped the whole meal, while she had her credit card in hand to pay.

While I was inside waiting for my oldest son to come back from the bathroom, the manager approached me to let me know that She comped the bill and then said 'but you took those two items'. (The pizza with pesto as my oldest son can eat it and his leftover calzone). Me, having no clue why she's bringing that up, says, "do you want them back?" She says "no, i just want to make sure your girlfriend doesn't eat them and get sick again." This came across to me less as concern for well-being and more as thinly veiled accusation that we were screwing the restaurant over because of her tone.

I feel like the staff here needs more training on what's in their foods and better practice avoiding cross contamination. I feel like the manager needs more practice being patient and kind and not jumping to conclusions. Had she not snatched the bill, we would not only have paid, but left a well deserved tip for the server (we did not have...

My wife and I placed an order through GrubHub tonight and ordered several items. My wife's food was not in the bag when it arrived. I immediately called the restaurant and they promptly processed a refund and told me I would need to call GrubHub to ask them to send someone else to pickup the fresh food that they would make for my wife. I did so but GrubHub customer service was no help and basically told me I would have to place the order again to be recharged for it and then they would get someone to deliver the new order to us. I called the restaurant back and spoke again to John who was luckily a regional manager. He openly admitted that it was their fault and ended up driving the fresh made food out to us himself. Very stand-up job by John Jacobs and his crew at the Mellow Mushroom location in Wilder, KY. Also they were closing at 10pm for the night and John didn't get to our house in Independence until 9:45. Great job all around and I am VERY impressed with the customer service. You don't get that all the time anymore unfortunately. Thanks to all that...