What to Order & Avoid at Mellow Mushroom | |
---|---|
Most Nutritious Options | Least Nutritious Options |
5 Naked Oven-Roasted Wings (Munchies) | Pretzels with Butter and Salt, Whole (Munchies) |
House Salad, Lil’ (Greens) | Caesar Salad Regular (Greens) |
Veg Out on Gluten-Free Crust, Small Slice (Stone-Baked Pizzas) | Merry Prankster, Large Slice (Stone-Baked Pizzas) |
Cheese (Calzones) | Steak and Cheese Calzone (Calzones) |
Half Meatball Hoagie (Hoagies and Sandwiches) | Whole Steak and Cheese Hoagie (Hoagies and Sandwiches) |
Mel's Classic Burger (Burgers) | The Pizzaiola (Burgers) |
Gluten Free Brownie (Sweets) | Sugar Cookie Sundae (Sweets) |
Coke Zero (Beverages) | Barq’s Root Beer (Beverages) |
Most Nutritious Option
The healthiest options at Mellow Mushroom are the “Lil’” (small-size) salads; choose from house, Greek chef's, and spinach options,
All of Mellow Mushroom's salad dressings are free of gluten, flavor enhancers, and hydrogenated oil, and all are made with 100% all-natural ingredients. If you prefer a larger portion, the regular size house, Greek, and chef's salads contain between 190 and 340 calories per serving.
Munchies
Mellow Mushroom’s Munchies (appetizers) tend to be high in calories and fat. The most nutritious Munchies include the oven-roasted wings (depending on sauce), bruschetta, the meatball trio, and magic mushroom soup.
✓5 Naked Oven-Roasted Wings
A five-piece order of naked oven-roasted wings has 290 calories, 17g fat, 5g saturated fat, 6g carbohydrates, 27g protein, and 930mg sodium. Hot wings and jerk wings have a similar calorie count, but are far higher in sodium.
If you'd like a vegetable-forward appetizer, the magic mushroom soup is a good lacto-ovo-vegetarian option. It has 350 calories, 24g fat, 13g saturated fat, 15g carbohydrates, 18g protein, 1,040mg sodium.
✗Pretzels with Butter and Salt, Whole
A whole order of pretzels (6 total pieces) with butter and salt contains 2,120 calories, 70g fat, 30g saturated fat, 284g carbohydrates, 82g protein, and 16,980 mg sodium. That's several days' worth of sodium. If you prefer a carb option for an appetizer, bruschetta contains 340 calories and 910mg sodium.
Greens
The Mellow Mushroom salad offerings are available in “Lil’” and “Regular” size. The Lil’ is a side portion and Regular is an entrée size.
✓House Salad, Lil’
The small house salad has 90 calories, 5g fat, 1g saturated fat, 7g carbohydrates, 4g protein, and 270mg sodium. The regular house salad contains only 90 calories more per serving.
Choose the balsamic vinaigrette dressing for an additional 90 calories.
✗Caesar Salad Regular
The regular-size Caesar salad contains 840 calories, 76g fat, 24g saturated fat, 19g carbohydrates, 30g protein, and 1,840mg sodium. If you would like a regular size salad, the house, Greek, or chef’s salad have less fat and calories compared to the Caesar.
The most calorie-heavy dressings are the Caesar (160 calories) or signature Esperanza (150).
Stone-Baked Pizzas
Mellow Mushroom offers a selection of signature stone-baked pizzas and the option to build your own in small (10-inch), medium (14-inch), and large (16-inch) sizes. Choose your cheese and toppings from more than 40 different options.
The dough is made from unbleached wheat flour and spring water and contains no refined white sugar. Mellow Mushroom also offers a gluten-free crust made in a dedicated gluten-free facility to avoid any cross contamination.
Cheese is part-skim real mozzarella. Visitors who don’t consume dairy can order vegan cheese. Whether you order a small or large pizza slice, a serving of vegan cheese contains 20 calories, 1.5 g of fat, and no saturated fat. Or, skip cheese entirely.
✓Veg Out With Gluten-Free Crust, Small Slice
A slice of Veg Out signature pizza on a gluten-free crust comes topped with mozzarella, spinach, green peppers, mushrooms, onions, black olives and tomatoes and has 140 calories, 5g fat, 2g saturated fat, 17g carbohydrates, 5g protein, and 330mg sodium.
If you prefer a gluten-containing crust, a small slice of veg out pizza on regular crust has 280 calories and 15 grams of total fat.
✗Merry Prankster, Large Slice
A large slice of the Merry Prankster pizza comes topped with chicken, Italian sausage, garlic roasted red peppers, green bell peppers, mozzarella, Wisconsin aged white cheddar, and an herb aioli drizzle. It contains 610 calories, 36g fat, 12g saturated fat, 45g carbohydrates, 34g protein, and 1,280mg sodium.
Even ordering a small slice doesn’t save many calories. For a lower calorie and fat count, stick to slices with vegetable toppings. Or build your own pizza to completely control the calorie and fat content.
Calzones
Like pizza crust? Rather than a pizza slice, you can order a hearty pizza pocket. The calzone options include the cheese, veggie, steak and cheese, sausage, and a build-your-own. Choose vegan cheese if you prefer.
✓Cheese Calzone
The cheese calzone has 1,200 calories, 41g fat, 25g saturated fat, 143g carbohydrates, 58g protein, and 2,690mg sodium. All calzone options are high in calories and you could potentially share one to halve the calories and fat.
✗Steak and Cheese Calzone
The steak and cheese calzone has 1,400 calories, 50g fat, 28g saturated fat, 151g carbohydrate, 82g protein, and 2,760mg sodium. You can reduce the calorie and fat content by choosing vegan cheese.
Hoagies and Sandwiches
The hoagies at Mellow Mushroom come stuffed with vegetables, meats, specialty ingredients, and cheeses. Certain hoagies come vegan and are made with either tempeh or tofu for a plant-based protein. Choose French or multi-grain bread.
✓Half Meatball Hoagie
The meatball hoagie half sandwich provides 400 calories, 14g fat, 8g saturated fat, 46g carbohydrates, 22g protein, and 910mg sodium.
If you prefer a meat-free option, the avocado hoagie is vegetarian, but doesn’t include alternative proteins such as tofu and tempeh. It has 470 calories, 25g fat, 6g saturated fat, 48g carbohydrates, 13g protein, and 680mg sodium.
✗Whole Steak and Cheese Hoagie
The steak and chicken hoagie contains 1,670 calories, 111g fat, 50g saturated fat, 96g carbohydrates, 65g protein, and 1,910mg sodium. Ingredients include mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, provolone, ribeye steak, onions, mushrooms and green peppers.
Burgers
Mellow Mushroom offers four types of burgers: BYOB, the Ritz, Mel's classic burger, and the Pizzaiola. The BYOB allows you to customize your burger with two toppings in addition to the traditional lettuce, tomato, pickle, and onions. Extra toppings include mushrooms, avocado, a few cheeses, and bacon.
✓Mel's Classic Burger
The Mel's classic burger is simply a ground beef patty on a brioche bun. In total, it contains 820 calories, 48g fat, 16g saturated fat, 52g carbohydrates, 44g protein, and 700mg sodium. Choose veggie toppings like lettuce, tomato, and onion for additional flavor and fiber but few calories.
✗The Pizzaiola Burger
The Pizzaiola burger is a beef patty topped with red sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni and garlic aioli and served on a brioche bun. This burger has 1,400 calories, 92g fat, 35g saturated fat, 65g carbohydrate, 68g protein, and 2,180mg sodium.
Sweets
For patrons who like ending a meal on a sweet note, Mellow Mushroom offers brownies, sundaes, and cookies. Each can be topped with extras including vanilla ice cream, chocolate truffle sauce and whipped cream.
✓Gluten Free Brownie
This brownie has 360 calories, 19g fat, 10g saturated fat, 43g carbohydrates, 4g protein, and 150mg sodium. The gluten brownie, named Mary Jane’s triple chocolate brownie, has 550 calories and 31g fat.
✗Sugar Cookie Sundae
The sugar cookie sundae contains 1,020 calories, 57g fat, 35g saturated fat, 112g carbohydrates, 10g protein, and 250mg sodium.
Beverages
Mellow Mushroom has the standard beverage offerings of a typical pizza joint: lots of soda flavors, plus milk, fruit punch, lemonade, and iced tea.
Mellow Mushroom also has a separate alcoholic menu with popular “Liquid Karma Cocktails.” It also offers "Magic Mocktails and Enchanted Teas" for even more flavor and variety.
✓Coke Zero and Coke Zero Cherry
Coke Zero contains 0 calories, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, 0g carbohydrates, 0g protein, and 65mg sodium. However, soda offers no nutritional value and diet soda has artifical sweeteners, which some people prefer to avoid. Other options include water or 2% milk, which has 130 calories, 8 grams of protein, and about 300mg calcium per cup.
✗Barq’s Root Beer
Barq's Root Beer has 270 calories, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, 72g carbohydrates, 0g protein, and 90mg sodium.
Diet-Specific Options
Known for its fresh ingredients and use of mushrooms, Mellow Mushroom offers a number of gluten-free and vegan options, and you can also create a compliant low-FODMAP meal. However, other than the salads and a handful of appetizers, most items are high in sodium and fat.
Gluten-Free
Mellow Mushroom marks gluten-free items on the menu and also has a dedicated gluten-free section of the menu. You can order any stone-baked pizzas in the 10-inch pie with the restaurant’s gluten-free crust; these are baked using certified gluten-free safe procedures. Items on the gluten-free menu include:
- House special pizza
- Veg Out pizza
- Mighty Meaty pizza
- Kosmic Karma pizza
- Gluten-free brownie.
For the most nutritious option, order the Veg Out pizza on gluten-free crust.
Low-FODMAP
FODMAPs are short-chain carbohydrates and sugar alcohols that can cause gastrointestinal (GI) issues in people with some digestive conditions. The low-FODMAP diet eliminates certain fruits and vegetables, legumes, most dairy products, and some grains. Suitable options at Mellow Mushroom may include:
- Gluten-free pizza with vegan cheese
- Gluten-free pizza with olives
- House salad
- Naked wings
- Chef’s salad (omit cheese)
The house salad with naked wings provides a nutritious low-FODMAP meal.
Low-Fat
You can find heart-healthy low-fat items on the Mellow Mushroom menu by looking for entrées loaded with vegetables. These options contain no more than 30% calories from fat:
- Veg Out pizza (gluten-free or regular crust)
- Pacific Rim pizza (gluten-free or regular crust)
- Veggie Supreme calzone
- Cheese calzone
- Meatball hoagie
- House salad (omit Parmesan cheese, olives, and dressing)
- 3-piece cinnamon honey, butter and salt, or butter and herb pretzels
Choose the Pacific rim pizza for only 11g fat per serving (one slice), and pair with a house salad; when modified, it has no fat.
Low-Sodium
Although Mellow Mushroom is a pizza joint with high-sodium slices, it provides enough other offerings to allow you to stick to a low-sodium diet. These menu items have 500mg sodium or less per serving.
- Pizza: Cheese, Great White, Veg Out, Kosmic Karma, Mighty Meaty, or House Special on gluten-free crust (one small slice)
- House salad - Lil’ or regular
- Enlightened Spinach salad - Lil'
- Gluten-free brownie and Mary Jane's triple chocolate brownie
- Sugar cookie and sugar cookie sundae
- Oatmeal raisin cookie and oatmeal raisin cookie sundae
For a complete meal, try a slice of cheese pizza on gluten-free crust (300mg sodium) plus a house salad without cheese (170mg sodium).
Vegetarian
Mellow Mushroom makes it easy to stick to a vegetarian diet when visiting its restaurants. With the BYO option for multiple categories, you'll be able to create your own meal without any meat, and vegetarian options are clearly marked on the menu. They include:
- Pretzel bites and pretzels
- Bruschetta
- Spinach-artichoke dip
- Magic mushroom soup
- Enlightened Spinach Salad
- Greek salad
- House salad
- Great White pizza
- Veg Out pizza
- Kosmic Karma pizza
- Holy Shiitake Pie
- Veggie calzone
- Cheese calzone
- Avocado hoagie
For a nutritionally balanced meal, pair a small slice of Veg Out pizza with a house salad.
Vegan
You can order any pizza or calzone with vegan cheese, and Mellow Mushroom also has a dedicated vegan section its menu. It features:
- Vegan pretzels
- Vegan tempeh hoagie
- Vegan Veg Out pizza
- Vegan Enlightened Spinach salad
- Vegan Greek salad
The vegan tempeh hoagie features balsamic-marinated tempeh layered on top of lettuce, tomatoes, vegan cheese, grilled onions, mushrooms and green peppers. It provides 17g protein in a half sandwich.
Food Allergies and Safety
Mellow Mushroom takes several precautions to help make its restaurants safer for people with food allergies. You can check an allergen menu online, and customize your pizza, salad, or calzone to eliminate allergens.
Many restaurants offer foods that don't contain gluten ingredients, but at Mellow Mushroom the gluten-free pizza crust and brownies are baked using certified gluten-free safe procedures.
It's still important to let the restaurant staff know you have an allergy when you order so they can take extra care when preparing your food.
A Word From Verywell
Mellow Mushroom's menu makes vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free items easy to view, and you can use the interactive online menu to find appetizers and entrees that fit within your daily caloric intake and nutritional needs. Many items are available in several sizes to fit your appetite and preferences.
While it's best to eat high-fat, high-sodium foods like pizza in moderation, at Mellow Mushroom you can customize a meal that works for you. Or, plan ahead and enjoy pizza with the works for lunch, and a lower-fat, veggie-packed meal for dinner.
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