The Wren pub in Fells Point has gone on the market with a $1.25 million price tag.
Chef Will Mester and his business partner Rosemary Liss opened The Wren at 1712 Aliceanna St. in early 2025, following the success of their other business together, the Station North bistro Le Comptoir du Vin.
Mester and his wife, Millie Powell, who serves as the pub’s manager, plan to move closer to her family near Dublin, Ireland, The Baltimore Banner reported. Meanwhile, Liss oversees operations at Le Comptoir du Vin.
Shortly after the pub’s soft opening in February 2025, Mester told Baltimore Fishbowl that “The hope is to be a community space, meaning that the bar is a balanced and diverse representation of the neighborhood.”
That vision materialized as The Wren became a place where folks with good taste wanted to be – including The New York Times and Bon Appétit, who both named the pub on their lists of the nation’s best restaurants just months after it had opened.
“With just 20 bar stools and a cozy lounge for drinks, the room looks like any other dim, welcoming Fells Point tavern. But Will Mester, the chef and an owner, working with a couple of induction burners and a small convection oven, produces lovely, seasonal pub fare,” Eric Asimov said in his write-up for the Times.
In addition to offering a delicious food menu, The Wren’s owners set out to maintain the “great whiskey program” started by The Wren’s predecessor, Birds of a Feather owner Alicia Horn Merritt.
The pub is an “established neighborhood destination with a loyal customer base and successful Scotch Club membership program.” Purchase of this “turnkey operation” will include a liquor license, furniture, fixtures, equipment, and existing infrastructure, according to the real estate listing.
One of Fells Point’s oldest remaining bars, it dates back to about 1890 and was most recently renovated in 2024. The building occupies 2,800 square feet across three stories, the listing reports.
