Mellow Mushroom v. Fellini’s
Decatur Metro | March 30, 2011 | 1:39 pmYes, I’m aware there are millions of other pizza preference options out there, but that’s another thread.
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Nice change of pace from the never-ending Varasano’s vs. Antico debate among Atlanta pizza nerds.
But in this particular matchup, Fellini’s by a country mile.
ditto on Fellini’s
Does anyone make Fellini’s a destination for anything other than late-night dining? Or does anyone go there intentionally for the food? I could see the advantage of the outdoor patio (particularly compared to MM Decatur) but otherwise it seems like comparing a high quality restaurant to a run-of-the-mill carnival food stand.
Fellini’s is much better and doesn’t stop slice service after 4PM
Agree and like!
Both vary by location, IMO.
But generally speaking, Mellow Mushroom. Better variety of toppings/specialty pizzas.
I’ve had better service at Mellow Mushroom, and there;s a bit more variety. Fellini’s might make the better pizza though.
IMO MM in Decatur tends to burn the bottom of the pizza crusts.
YES! That’s my experience too — and one of the reasons I don’t go there (the other is b/c Android Mert makes the best pizza in town downstairs in our kitchen!).
Fellini’s veggie toppings, sauce, and cheese on MM crust. That would be divine.
Mellow Mushroom. Fellini’s is like getting a pizza with a salad on it.
I will admit that I’ve only been to the Decatur MM location once, but I’ve eaten at many, MANY other MM locations around town over the years and the food just never hooked me. I think a big part of that is that the cornmeal/whole wheat crust just seems wrong to me. More often than not it comes out tough and dense in my experience. I do like that they offer some unconventional toppings, and I occasionally find myself wishing Fellini’s would offer one or two more items, but I just think Fellini’s turns out a much better, more focused product overall because of that limited menu.
And people are saying MM has a better vibe, but I’ll take the airy, spacious, clean design of Fellini’s over the dark, trippy hippy dippy decor of MM any day.
Mellow mushroom has a better atmosphere in general (sad that this is about the Decatur location), is farther reaching across the country, has better crust and specialty pizzas in general, and the pretzels are amazing.
Fellinis is open later, has a more laid back style to it, has self-refill beverages, and their pizza with feta cheese, meatball, and fresh garlic is amazing (seriously, try it sometime). The crust is not as good as MM and they don’t put the effort into their decorations that MM does, which makes their atmosphere and character suffer as a result.
Ultimately, it comes down to how you weigh these pros and cons, but in my opinion, MM by an urban mile (we are in Atlanta, after all).
i’m a mellow fellow–better dough/crust
mm’s white pizza is one of the better things you can put in your mouth.
I prefer Fellini’s if only because MM’s whitewashed psychedelic hippie decor is enormously irritating to me. Even if their food is quite lovely, I’d rather not have to stare at murals out of Sid & Marty Krofft’s waking nightmares.
Overall, both are pretty mediocre…but if I’ve only these two to pick from, Mellow Muchroom. Fellini’s sauce is sooooo bland & too much on the sweet side for my taste– it’s like they’re catering to kindergarteners’ palates. On the odd occasion we eat there (usually when there’s nowhere else open or when friends want to go), I feel like announcing: “ATTENTION!!! It’s PIZZA sauce, folks…it’s SUPPOSED to have garlic in it!!!”
Going by number of piercings, it’s a tie. For the pizza: Fellini’s
I know this sways off selection, but for me it’s: Zucca.
Mellow Mushroom. Love that crust and the philosopher’s pie pizza is awesome. I agree, though, that the decor is a little over the top and I like the fact that Fellini’s doesn’t have TVs. But when it comes down to pizza, Mellow Mushroom is better.
Wish you had included Avondale Savage in the mix…
Mellow Mushroom is the winner!!! The dough and the Mega Veggie are the best – it’s turns me into a vegetarian every time I go there.
They are both gross. Being a good Northeasterner, my vote is for Zucca.
Neither. I hate cheese.
Everybody’s does a pretty good cheese-less pie.
This statement frightens and confuses me.
Yeah, Mrs. Token considers me deeply flawed in this respect.
Can’t say as I blame her…I mean, Republican AND a cheese-hater? I dunno, mate…
You’re just a caveman, after all.
Well done, good sir. Well done.
I missed this earlier. You hate cheese? I don’t understand this. I am very confused. WHO THE HELL HATES CHEESE?
See. Nellie is also frightened and confused.
I’m sure there’s a bass player in tight pants out there that can straighten her out.
Me. I used to eat cheese and then one day I realized I ate it because EVERYone eats it, and I really just didn’t like it. And that I had NEVER liked it. Since my revelation, I’ve discovered I’m not the only one…there are other oddballs out there that hate cheese too. We’re few, but we’re proud.
Savage pizza, and they now deliver to Decatur!
Avellios!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry, in my hunger for their pizza, I dropped a letter.
Avellinos!!!!!!!!!!!
Another vote for Avellino’s.
Another write in vote for Avellinos. Good pizza and they deliver !
If I must choose I’d take Mellow Mushroom. I don’t mind Fellinis in Little 5 but every time I’ve tried the Decatur place, the pizza was super greasy.
Mellow is far more likely to support local events by buying ads in, for example, a festival program, so they get my gratitude. And their location works better for me.
Fellini’s pizza tastes like cardboard.
Fellini’s
Dirt cheap and tastes ok. Mellow Mushroom is too expensive and tastes ok.
Ick to both. MM for its beer selection.
No brainer. Savage pizza.
Fellini’s pizza over Mellow Mushroom’s plus I have never had anything but painfully slow service at MM.
I prefer the atmosphere at Candler Park Fellini’s over Decatur’s. Somehow the stark Greyhound bus station aura has not completely worn off.
Avelllini’s and Savage pizza’s are awesome but the former lacks sufficient seats and the latter is just slightly beyond our Decatur-centric scope of operations.
OK, here goes all my ITP cred, but what they heck, I’m from New Jersey. The Varasano’s/Antico debate bores me because neither is anything like the pizza I grew up with. When I get homesick, I travel about 15 miles OTP to Italian Pie in Lawrenceville (Hwy 29, just past Ronald Reagan Parkway). If you want some real NY style pizza, take a ride out there and say hi to Rafael for me. He and his wife also bought the Mexican place next door and have reopened it as Mexican Pie. I haven’t tried that yet but have heard great things and, now that I’m thinking about it, I know what I’m doing for dinner tomorrow!
Speaking of New York style pizza (not that I eat it due to the icky cheese), I’ve always been curious. What defines New York Style? Or Chicago style? Or any other style? I often see these references, but have no idea what they mean.
Since I’m from the land of Pizza Hut I feel more than qualified to answer this: NY style is that thin, flimsy, cheesy messy wide slice type of pizza, and Chicago is the thick, rectangular type pizza–also, for some reason, called Sicilian.
New York is thin and crispy. Kind of like most New Yorkers.
Chicago is thick and chewy. Kind of like, well, a lot of Chicagoans.
That is awesome!
true Chicago style isn’t the square type. It’s truly is almost a “pizza pie,” where it’s quite tall (really, imagine it almost like a quiche in shape, though very different). Do a google image search for “chicago style pizza” and you’ll get the idea. It really is a different experience than NY style (though it’s massively filled with cheese).
For terrific Chicago-style pizza around here, try one of Nancy’s deep dish varieties (although I still have fond ’80s memories of Evanston’s food truck favorite, Rollin in Dough).
As for Mellow Mushroom versus Fellini’s, I’d have to choose MM. Not too many places let you create a fantasy pizza with artichoke hearts, avocados, and marinated tempeh.
Fellini’s calzone > MM calzone
Fellini’s is reliable for slices, but MM is better for whole pies (which is all they have at dinner, which is annoying). Has anyone noticed that Zucca smells like a pet store?
Terrifying
The Decatur Fellini’s is one of the few that does not have a La Fonda Latina on the same block. It was great living in Candler Park and being able to wander over in the general direction of Fellini’s/La Fonda and decide at the last second between Pizza and Paella.
LOL @HistoryJoe. I like Mojo but since that is not a choice Mellow.
The Candler Park Fellini’s is so thick with rugrats they may as well dress the servers in costumes and buy a whack-a -mole machine; call it Chucky-Cheese; and be done with it.
I blame the breeders.
Mellowmushroom because they also have sandwiches and better beers.
I haven’t eaten at either one since I stopped dating guys in bands.
HA! Good one, Nell.
And it’s true….
Nelliebelle wins the thread. I declare it so.
I for one miss Oz Pizza.
In their last year or so the food was terrible.
I am on board with the Avellino’s votes, but come with money because its expensive. In addition to Avellino’s, we are huge fans of Urban pie in Kirkwood. Its real thin crust pizza and its affordable ($10 for a large). They deliver, and if you make the trek its BYOB!
Check out the extensive menu for Savage. I thinlk it beats MM.
http://savagepizza.com/
Fellini’s!
And I can’t believe people are defending Savage. They have gotten really sloppy and gross over the years (including the original and new location), and chintzy on toppings. I give up on them.
savage being sloppy and gross? have you even been to the one in avondale? it has got to be one of the cleanest restaurants i’ve ever been in. and the pizzas are works of art out of the oven. you need to get your eyes checked. and the rest of decatur needs to make the 1.5 mile out of their little bubble to try what REAL pizza tastes like!
It’s not in Decatur, but as long as we’re just talkin’ about pizza, I wanted to declare my love for Rosa’s on Broad St. downtown. Their lunch special of two one-topping slices and a drink for just over five bucks is great. And they’re the giant NY-style slices, really generous with the toppings. It is not the greatest pizza I’ve ever had, but it’s really satisfying.
+1
+2. Forgot about Rosa’s. When my office was downtown, I ate there at least once a week.
Love Rosas! Miss the Broad Street scene since left downtown work …..
Savage and Avellino’s. I don’t like the fake healthy cheese at Fellini’s and I while I use to frequent Mellow Mushroom weekly, I received too many bad meals and servers who didn’t seem to care and I stopped going.
What’s this fake healthy cheese? Is it new?
Mellow Mushroom is the best pizza that we have in this city. Trust me, I’m an expert.