By Natalie Weckstein
Mellow Mushroom – the stone-baked pizza bakers with more than 160 locations nationwide – opened its new Grant Park location at The Boulevard at Grant Park along the Atlanta BeltLine. This latest location represents a significant evolution for the brand, created in partnership with The Culinary Edge, who worked with Mellow Mushroom to envision a “fast-fine” prototype that combines guest-friendly technology, urban design, and inventive menu additions for a more efficient guest experience. The Grant Park design features hand-painted murals, counter service ordering, and classic food and beverage items alongside new flavors available exclusively at this location.
Mellow Mushroom Grant Park will serve to guide the brand’s menu, technology, and design evolution as it continues to find ways to enhance the guest experience. In addition to a mouthwatering lineup of stone-baked pizzas, munchies and sweets, the Beltline location will also debut “panizzis” – a brand new menu category exclusive to the Grant Park location featuring hand-held sandwiches made with Mellow Mushroom’s signature pizza dough, premium cheeses, meats and fresh veggies – alongside exclusive pizza flavors and ingredients, salads, specialty craft cocktails, and draft beer. The full Grant Park menu can be viewed at www.mellowmushroom.com/grantpark.
The new location has also rolled out new food and beverage menu items exclusive to this location only, including:
- Chicken Pesto Panizzi – Chicken, mozzarella, parmesan, garlic ricotta, roasted tomatoes, pickled peppers, garlic, arugula, pesto, and olive oil
- Steez Steak Panizzi – Steak, mozzarella, provolone, garlic ricotta, spicy pickled peppers, red onions, and bell peppers
- Cosmic Cheese Pizza – A hypnotic twist on the classic cheese pizza made with mozzarella and finished with pesto and vodka sauce swirl
- Fajita Steak Pizza – Ribeye steak, bell peppers, mozzarella, red onions, pickled jalapeños, pico de gallo, chives, and chipotle aioli swirl
- House Party Pizza – Italian sausage, bacon, ham, pepperoni, bell peppers, red onions, black olives, roasted mushroom trio, and mozzarella
- Green Garden Pizza – A garlic ricotta base topped with roasted mushroom trio, feta, mozzarella, red onions, bell peppers, kale, pickled peppers, and finished with a pesto swirl
- Magic Meatballs – Five beef and chicken meatballs covered in three sauces – red sauce, pesto, and vodka sauce
- Apple Monkey Bombs – Pull-apart dough bites layered with apple compote, caramel icing, and cinnamon sprinkles
Behind the bar, the restaurant will serve new mocktails and cocktails including the Java Lamp made with Tito’s Handmade Vodka, cappuccino, and chocolate syrup and the Orange Tango Mocktail made with Monin orange syrup, simple syrup, Natalie’s orange juice, Natalie’s lemon juice, and water, and topped with cold foam cream and an orange half wheel garnish.
Delivering a new restaurant model that’s unique from existing locations, Mellow Mushroom Grant Park is the first to unveil new guest-facing technologies including kiosk ordering, digital menu boards, a curated music program that changes by the time of day and season, new payment technology with a mobile wallet-ready system, table locator devices, and more. Back-of-house systems are also getting an upgrade with the addition of kitchen display systems for faster service that streamline operations, digital prep predictors to ensure precise preparation, reduce waste and improve efficiency, an all-in-one back-office system to streamline inventory, scheduling and reporting, and additional business intelligence solutions.
Centrally located on the corner of Boulevard and the Southside Trail of the Beltline, the 3,400-square-foot space anchors The Boulevard at Grant Park, a lively, upscale apartment community from Charleston-based developer Middle Street Partners. The Grant Park location also dons two outdoor, BeltLine-facing patios, perfect for al fresco drinking, dining, and soaking in city views throughout Atlanta’s extended patio season.
