Dallas’ pizza scene is light-years ahead of where it was just a few years ago. The addition of Zoli’s, Zalat and Cane Rosso finally means that Dallasites (and transplants from places with actual pizza) can enjoy a decent slice that doesn’t make them want to hop the next plane to Chicago. The Mellow Mushroom, a hippie-inspired chain that started in the 1970s, hopes to bring their unique “Southern-style pizza” into the fray.
REBusinessOnline reports that the Atlanta-based chain will open its seventh Dallas-Fort Worth location on Henderson Avenue, taking over the former Hacienda on Henderson space. Mellow Mushroom has already built a solid presence in the suburbs, with locations in Flower Mound, Rockwall, Southlake, Fort Worth and Frisco. Now, though, they’re looking to bring their refined version of the chain pizza joint to Dallas proper.
An Instagram account for Henderson Avenue (sentient streets on social media!) posted a rendering of the new Mellow Mushroom, and it doesn’t look much like that old Hacienda building at all. Instead, it’s a slightly more sophisticated take on the Mushroom’s own Deadhead aesthetic. Other Mellow Mushroom locations take the hippie theme pretty literally.
The color themes elsewhere look like something out of a kid’s cartoon, which makes sense considering how family-friendly the fare and atmosphere at their restaurants is. This location, though, looks much more like something you’d see on sleek Henderson Avenue. The massive patio in the rendering will likely be very appealing to the crowd that frequents this eternally trendy 'hood, and may start to pull some of those suburbanites who are on their way to Deep Ellum to scope out the new, cool hot spots.
Also noteworthy is how steep the pizza competition on Henderson will be once Mellow Mushroom opens its doors. As Eater points out, Fireside Pies has long been a mainstay on the street, and more pizzerias are in the works, including Pie Tap from the folks behind burger chain Mooyah. It will be interesting to see whether or not Mellow Mushroom’s stoner-lite aesthetic will be able to draw business away from relative newcomer Zalat, which has pretty much already cornered the late night stoner crowd with their “srirancha,” cheap slices and 4 a.m. closing time.
The new Henderson Avenue location is projected to open in spring 2016.