If hungry, come here for nicely cooked walleye, sausages and ribeye. This restaurant offers you to try tasty chocolate cakes. The wine list is extensive, it can satisfy the needs of all guests. Get your meal started with delicious coffee. The positive aspect of Wren is that the staff is knowledgeable. Good service is something visitors appreciate here. Attractive prices are to be expected at this place. Enjoy the exotic atmosphere here. Google users like this spot: it was rated 4.6 stars.
Cool, unsuspecting restaurant. Had the tasting menu. The soup was excellent, and the walleye didn't disappoint either. Wasn't very fond of the dessert but to each their own. Bar tender/server was a nice guy who was enthusiastic about the food and drinks. With 3 tasting menus ordered in our party I expected the chef to come out and say hello. As a chef for the last 20 years this is the best fine dining meal I have had in the Grand Traverse area. Highly recommended.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$100+
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Can’t say enough good things about this special gem. Came into traverse city for work and was seeking a memorable meal. Wren delivered. The food, the vibe, the staff - just wow. A true example of farm to fork and culinary excellence. As a person from the east coast (yes I’m a snob) who has high food expectations, this place beat them 10x over. I will be back and I will always remember this meal.
P.s - get yourself a personal cheese board. Worth it. And converse with Hannah the bartender, she’s spectacular.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
We love the fact that there's a new addition to the restaurant scene in the area. The food was delicious and presentation was creative. Their pumpkin soup is to die for! If there was one thing we would improve, it would be to use less salt on the dishes. Okay maybe one more thing - the duck was also absolutely delicious with a crispy skin , but maybe a little too dry. Otherwise the meal was amazing!
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$50–100
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Duck
We are a family of six and eat quite well at home. After figuring what we were spending each month, eating out on the fly, I determined that we would instead go out for a special family dinners on the first Friday of each month.
Last night was our third official "First Friday". We dined at Wren in Sutton's Bay. The six of us had a reservation for 8:30pm, as late dinner seem more relaxed, and restaurants often are not at peak service hours. We like a slow meal to enjoy, particularly if we only blow it out once a month.
Service was polite and warm. Our table was ready upon arrival, and we were brought out some lovely little nibbles from the chef. My husband's old fashioned was very (!) well done and the glass of Chilean Cab Sav was also a great little gem to have on the menu at that price point ($15).
As always, I ordered two desserts for us all to pass around and try. Dessert first is part of the fun. The brownie with Mexican-spiced "hot cocoa" (like a fancier version of Abuelita) ice cream was really well balanced and went quickly. The other dessert, which I was looking forward to, was a house-made Apple Cake. The apple cake unfortunately came across as fancy day-old muffin. Dense, dry, and there were bites left that we had to coax our 11 year old into eating. However, the next ordered offering knocked my knickers off.
I make a lot of soup. We eat a lot of soup. Always labor intensive and from scratch. I braise high quality (usually local) meat and bones for broth and I use my own fresh and dried herbs, onions, and other aromatics for the seasoning. But nothing, and no amount of hype, could have prepared my senses for that beyond-stellar, white pumpkin soup.
That soup was the most perfectly executed first course that I may have ever had. For reference, I drove six hours to Chicago in May, just for dinner at Galit, a Michelin-starred establishment. There was nothing on Galit's starter menu that even closely aped the divinity of Wren's white pumpkin soup. 'Nuff said.
The Lamb Ragout was also a stand-out. The richest of gravies (or sauces, depending on where you are from) was the vessel for tender, well seasoned, and memorable lamb.
The filets on the table also went quickly. Pristinely cooked to med-rare and perfectly rested prior to portioning. The poached duck egg on top was killer! The potatoes were fine but a local roasted root veg might have been more fun and flavorful.
Scallops were also a good choice, although, I like mine med. At Wren, they were served closer to rare, which I fully understand, some folks do prefer. The accompaniments to the scallops were spot on and the quality of the scallops were indeed, quite nice. But a more deliberate sear could have offered a mildly tighter scallop and brief crunch to contrast the herby drizzles and creamy dollops on the plate. The painterly composition was clean on the palette and a delight to eat.
The Whitefish was also a notably present dish. Our eleven year old ate everything on his plate, and when asked, said that the "lemony" taste of the fish was "exquisite and ornate". Pretty insightful for eleven. He didn't bother to share so I can't comment of the flavors.
Atmosphere: The space has great potential to be moodier and memorable, given its small footprint. I was hoping for something dark and intriguing and it really doesn't get there, inside. The deliberately saturated hues on the website and the building exterior are much bolder that the impression the interior provides. And, given the online nod to upscale butchery, there were no truly fleshy starters. Add a tartare, maybe? Please?
If we visit again, it will only be my fella and I and we would do the fixed price five course menu with wine. And in hindsight, I suspect that's the whole point of Wren. Because the couples at the bar having the tasting menu appeared wholly contented. Swirling. Smiling. And admittedly, I was a little green.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$50–100
Food: 4
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 3
Amazing food. Amazing conversation with the bartender. Will definitely be back next time we're in TC.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$50–100
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Cheese Plate
Great food. Great ambience. Great service. I love that the menu changes often.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$100+
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Scallops
