Wren & Wolf

We went to Wren & Wolf after our Carry On experience. Our "flight" was at 3:30 p.m., so it worked out perfectly to have dinner at Wren & Wolf afterward. It was Sunday and before 5 p.m., so the place was pretty empty. The restaurant is huge and decorated with wolf statues and paintings. They also have a lounge area, bar area, regular tables, and plenty of booths. There were a few other groups there who had also come from the 3:30 Carry On flight. Even though it wasn't busy, they seated us right next to another group. It felt a bit cramped, and since the tables were so close together, we could hear their entire conversation, and I'm sure they could hear ours too. Since we had already been snacking during Carry On, we weren't very hungry. We ordered a couple of appetizers, the Brussels sprouts and truffle fries, and then we also ordered the spaghetti, duck breast, halibut, and chicken for our mains. The food was decent, but everything leaned a little salty. If you park at the Renaissance Square Parking Garage, they'll validate your parking for up to three hours. Overall, I'm glad we checked it out.

I drove over an hour to celebrate an anniversary dinner with a friend at Wren & Wolf, and it was absolutely worth the trip. We ordered the Za'atar Man'oushe, Avocado Caesar, Bluefin Tartare, Beef Wellington, and Halibut. The entrées felt appropriately priced for the quality, though the starters leaned a bit on the expensive side. The Beef Wellington and Halibut were highlights in terms of execution—the meat and fish were cooked perfectly and incredibly tender. That said, the mushroom layer in the Wellington pastry and the broth for the halibut were a bit too salty for our taste. Truth be told, the Beef Wellington is enough for 1 person, with the mashed potatoes as a side. Service was top-notch. A standout moment was the chef personally coming to our table to cut the Beef Wellington, which added a special touch to the experience. Our server was also very friendly and welcoming throughout the evening. The ambiance was stylish, but it was quite noisy and made conversation a bit difficult at times. We skipped dessert as it was outside our budget by that point, but overall it was a memorable dining experience and a great choice for a special occasion.

Argh!!!! So enfuriating to have wasted time and effort going here. I was hoping to impress my girl for her birthday, but got one of the most frustrating experiences in a place that promises a "distinct dining experience". I thought I had done my homework by watching a couple of YouTube videos about it where people described a lovely experience at this place and read lots of shinning reviews online, but I failed miserably. The location is nothing to write home about as it is in downtown Phoenix, but they offer parking validation, so that is a plus. I made a reservation and the restaurant was 80% empty, so we were seated immediately upon arrival. Our troubles started as soon as we were seated in a booth with a wobbly toble with too large a base to be in a booth. We had no room to place our feet and we don't have Shaquile O'Neal size feet either... Our server was slow and dismissive, so the service was subpar. We ordered bread service (Noble bread) and a pastry tower (probably from Noble) and those were the best items we had there. We ordered a hot coffee which sat at the bar counter for 20 minutes with our server walking by it several times and not seeing it or pretending not to see it, and when she finally brought it to the table, it was cold. We asked to have it remade and got a bit of attitude from our server. She went and made the second coffee herself and the coffee was awful. They own a La Marzocco, but didn't have a barista to use it, so the coffee was hot, but barely drinkable. We ordered steak and eggs with country potatoes and a fried chicken sandwich with fries. The steak was very good, but the fried eggs (ordered over easy) came over-fried with hard yolks and burnt edges and the country potatoes also over-fried and over salted, so both eggs and potatoes were uneatable. The sandwich was even worse... over-fried hard chicken in a greasy bun with over-fried and over salted fries... also uneatable. Perhaps chef needs to go back to culinary school to learn how to fry food, and a class on people-to-people skills for the server would wouldn’t be a bad idea either. A very memorable experience for the wrong reasons... The value is not there. Don’t fall for the positive reviews here… We won't return.

Food and ambiance is great! Ayla was our server and she was amazing and attentive. It was our first time dining here and I’d say this is a perfect place for a romantic date. We did bring two little kiddos and Ayla was very accommodating. We’ll definitely be back! The only con I have is that it is on the pricier side.

So I've eaten at Wren and Wolf but this time My visit was actually at Carry-on, The 1970s themed airplane bar that's attached to Wren and Wolf. Though it's not a big bar, it has an amazing atmosphere. My girlfriend loved it. The colors and the textures of everything around you from the wood paneling on the ceilings and walls to the plush seating and the video screen windows, we're all on top tier and help build the 1970s aesthetic. The drinks are really good two that stood out were the Chi-chi and the Chuhai. Even the welcome drink was really good... I wish I could remember its name in case I ever wanted to order it. All the drinks were based off the theme of a flight from New York to Tokyo. There were many Japanese ingredients used in the drinks. Even the complimentary nuts I believe were miso covered. At the end of our "flight" we were giving black and white cookies which were surprisingly phenomenal. Getting "tickets" can be a bit of a headache but it's not a huge bar so I understand the need for the reservation. In the end it was completely worth it. The service was great. The drinks and the atmosphere were just as good. I'd definitely go again... Matter of fact I will go again because my girlfriend said she really loved it and wanted to do it again when they were "flying" to another destination. This would be a great place to start your evening after dinner and before going out and really tying one on or if you have friends or family from out of town. A good day night idea as well. I highly recommend you