where jess ate

We usually head up to the Danforth when we’re craving Greek food but this time around we ended up at The Wren, a family-friendly pub with an excellent selection of beer.

Located between Greenwood and Coxwell, The Wren is further east than the area of the Danforth most are familiar with. There’s definitely more to the Danforth than just Greek food!

The Wren’s cozy interior has a barnyard-feel to it and has a combination of communal tables with benches eating as well as several four-tops and booths along the walls. We noticed that there were many young families eating there – lots of babies and young children. Very family-friendly!

The menu consists of “smaller stuff” ranging from $7 for guac and chips to $11 for the chipotle butter escargot and “bigger stuff” ranging from $11 for the brussels sprouts salad to $16 for the chilaquiles. They also feature daily specials which you can find on their Instagram account (thewrendanforth).

We started off with the Gobi Fritters – crispy battered pickled cauliflower, creamy tandoori masala, salsa roja, pea tendrils ($8). Initially, we thought about ordering the popcorn chicken but decided to try something more unique. It definitely paid off. These crispy pickled cauliflower fritters were delicious. The batter had a nice crispiness while the cauliflower was soft on the inside and the creamy tandoori masala was the perfect accompaniment.

We ended up at The Wren because I had a huge burger craving. They offer two different burgers on the menu – the Backyard Burger ($12), which comes with the usual burger fixin’s, and the Uncle Buck Burger ($15) which comes with a flat-topped patty, beer battered onion ring, bacon, white cheddar, thousand island dressing, chipotle bbq sauce, lettuce and a pickle. Bet you can get guess which one I ordered 😉

With the melted cheese, thousand island dressing and bbq sauce, this was one big saucy mess. While I enjoyed the saucy mixture, the sauciness made it difficult to detect the individual components of the burger.

Mike went with Mr. Pong’s Fried Chicken Sandwich – sweet and sour fried chicken, watercress, pumpkin seed pesto, soy sautéed peppers, grilled onions, pickled jalapeno & queso aioli, cilantro ($14). I think there’s a common theme here – everything is very saucy! It was another saucy concoction and we loved the combination of the sweet and sour sauce, pesto and aioli. Unfortunately, we found the inside of the chicken a bit dry despite how saucy it was.

Overall, we had a nice time at The Wren – the atmosphere was cozy, the service was great and the food was solid. It’s a great neighborhood restaurant but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it.

At a glance:

• Cozy, family-friendly pub
• Located on the Danforth between Greenwood and Coxwell
• Nice selection of beer and wine
• Unique takes on pub food like gobi fritters, welsh rarebit gnocchi and pulled pork chimichangas
• Appetizers range from $7 to $11; Entrees from $11 to $16
• Great neighborhood restaurant but wouldn’t go out of my way for it

Ratings (out of 5):

• Food: 3 stars
• Service: 4 stars
• Atmosphere: 4 stars