Wren Tysons — Restaurant in Tysons

My wife and I have been loyal patrons of The Wren, often visiting once or twice a week. We’ve always loved the atmosphere, food, and warmth of the staff — it’s truly become one of our favorite places in the area. We even chose The Wren to celebrate a birthday earlier this year, which speaks to how special the restaurant is to us. That’s why I’m writing with a heavy heart about a disappointing experience we had at the end of June. We called twice ahead of time to confirm that we could come in shortly before closing. Each time, we were reassured it wouldn’t be an issue and they informed us last call is at 10:45pm. However, when we arrived at 10:10pm, we were turned away at the door by the manager — a newer Hispanic gentleman — who informed us they had already closed. We understand and respect the importance of operating hours, but what made the situation particularly frustrating was the lack of flexibility and the dismissive tone we encountered, especially after we had gone out of our way to confirm our timing beforehand. The interaction felt abrupt and unwelcoming — a sharp contrast to the experiences we've always had at The Wren in the past. This manager was cold, dismissive, and offered no courtesy or apology—just a firm refusal without any attempt to acknowledge the miscommunication or show basic professionalism. It felt as though we were spoken down to, not as regular guests, but as a nuisance.

We wanted to bring this to your attention not as a complaint for its own sake, but because we genuinely care about The Wren and hope to continue coming in regularly. One off night won’t erase months of wonderful experiences, but we do hope that consistency and communication among staff can help avoid similar situations in the future — especially for regular guests.

Ps: Aisha is our...

Short version: Skip. It's over-priced, the signature cocktails aren't good, half of the food we ordered was mediocre and for two people it cost us almost $300. There are 100 better places to spend that kind of money around here.

Drinks: We arrived at the bar before our reservation and ordered two of their signature cocktails. They weren't good even though they were $20 each, so we switched to wine.

Seating experience: While sitting there, we watched numerous other 2-tops come in and get a nice table by the window. When it was time for our reservation, they took us to a table as far from the window as possible and right by the open entrance. I asked if we could be sat by the window like the others, and he said sure...and took us to a tiny table, not in front of a window, but in front of a cement pillar.

Food: We ordered a total of 8 dishes to share (these are all tapas style small plates): edamame, hamachi carpaccio, ni-temaki, baby beet salad, kinoko tempura, Tokyo chicken, Wagyu fried rice and kakuni kushi. Everything was aggressively mediocre with the exception of the Tokyo chicken (it's really hard to eff up fried chicken) and the Kakuni Kushi (short ribs). The Kakuni Kushi was good, but let me stress this - it was 3 bites. Literally 3 bites of short rib on a skewer, for $18. The ni-temaki was ESPECIALLY disappointing. It is two handrolls, one of Wagyu and one of the daily fish. I've never had worse Wagyu in my life, it tasted like it was basted in liquid smoke.

It was an interesting experience and not one that I will be repeating. Visit if you must, but you've...

Went to Wren for an Omakase experience (Chef's table). Omakase was serviced by the Executive Sous Chef, Hobin Kim and it was an experience worth a try/visit.

After booking the Omakase online, Wren will follow up with a phone call asking for any allergy restrictions and if this is a special event. Same questions were asked when arriving at the restaurant to double check/confirm the best/most comfortable experience. The table sits total of 6 and there are two servers in addition to the chef to make sure everyone at the table has the best coverage.

The course offered in the summer of 2024 (dishes will vary based on season) was about a 20 course meal. the Omakase menu was printed out for each individuals and the menu was also waxed with Wren logo.

Chef Kim first showed everyone the meal we are about to have in a box and then started the first course. Each course was explained and suggested ways of enjoying the dish so we can maximize each dish's taste and enjoy a variety of flavors. You will be surprised how the same piece of sashimi differs so much based on the combination of either salt vs. soy sauce! The taste is undoubtedly great and the presentation of each course is simple and yet beautiful.

There were many memorable dishes and the other folks at the table were very pleasant and easy to talk to. The overall experience (service by the chef and servers, food and other customers at the table) was...