The most refreshing thing about WildWood, the new taproom, food cart, cocktail lounge combination located in the spot formerly held by The Brown Owl, is that it’s one of the first new places to open in Bend in a long time that doesn’t feel prohibitive to the pocketbook. The fact that the menu has multiple food options for under $10 is such a throwback to the Bend of yesteryear that it gives the space an almost nostalgic feel of when you could have a beer or two and a bite for under $20. Oh, and the food is super tasty across the board!
WildWood is also in such a heavily trafficked location that it could have easily phoned things in and still been just fine, but a there’s a thoughtfulness — from the tap curation, to the cocktail menu to the food and the interior design that proves owners Bret and Dayna Speers care about doing something different in the Old Mill District.
“We’ve been in the restaurant industry for 26 years owning several restaurants/pubs in Redding, California,” says Dayna Speers. “Our concept for WildWood (food) is very similar to Wilda’s Grill that we owned for 12 years. We came up with the concept for WildWood’s food using similar menu items.”
Makes sense to me not to fix things unbroken. At first glance, the menu is no frills and simple, but everything I tried came prepared and crafted with care, while also taking an original approach that kept all the flavor profiles original and interesting. The Buddha Bowl is the most popular item on the menu and it’s easy to see why. For $11, you get a massive bowl of rice, red beans, cabbage, jalapeños, cilantro, sesame dressing and a hugely addictive garlic chili aioli (with either crispy chicken, house-made falafel or tofu as a protein choice). The flavor is on point and multi-layered, with a huge portion of food for the price point. And, seriously, that aioli is insanely good.
With three hot dogs to choose from for $8, I was thinking the WildWood dogs would also be perfect for a quick snack, but the dogs are heaped with toppings and are heartily delicious. I would recommend the WildWood Dog with Wilda’s mustard, sauerkraut, grilled onions and bacon or the BBQ Dog with crispy onions, BBQ sauce, cheddar and bacon. The all-beef hot dogs are mouth-watering and taste like a quality dog should. Between kids and the young at heart, these dogs are gonna have legions of fans.
“Most of the inspiration for the food was wanting a place that served a wide array of tastes that a family could go to and not break the bank,” says Dayna Speers. “At the time we had middle school kids with simpler tastes (hot dogs & grilled cheese), but also wanted to offer more complex flavors with the Buddha Bowls and falafels … essentially creating an affordable place that everyone could find something to eat.”
I think that’s what I appreciated the most about the menu: the food could have been really plain bar fare that only existed so they could serve liquor and beer, but from the flavor profiles to the varied selections (the grilled cheese on naan is a delightful hybrid of a pupusa and quesadilla on flatbread…but stuffed with melted cheese), the Speers genuinely care about the quality of their offerings.
“We’re both foodies,” says Dayna Speers. “The Buddha Bowl was a dish that I ate regularly at home with scratch dressing that I perfected over the years. My love of falafel also drove me to come up with the recipe using all the elements that I love and putting my own spin on them. I’m also a vegetarian and gluten free, so that also shines through in a lot of our food offerings. But we cover the bases for the gluten and meat lovers as well!”
The Speers have also kept the homey, wood-covered interior of the Brown Owl while adding several new nooks and crannies throughout the first two floors, giving it more of a upscale log cabin vibe.
The cocktails are also pretty fantastic. From the Summer Sipper (with rum, mint, lime, soda and freshly made strawberry puree), to the Honeymoon (a honeydew-forward mocktail) to the Gateway (a grapefruit-infused gin & tonic), great care is taken with the cocktail curation, and the bartender was deeply kind and attentive. “We feel like a strong cocktail menu has variety and is handcrafted,” says Dayna Speers. “All of our signature cocktails are infused and rotate seasonally. We also try and run specials with what fruit is in season.”
WildWood is deeply refreshing, not just because of how solid the food and beverages are, but because of its unpretentiousness. The space reminds me of the Bend I remember from the early aughts, when things were affordable and a little more casual. Settled into the Box Factory, it’s the perfect location for locals to be reminded of that old Bend magic, and for tourists to discover what the fuss is all about.
This article appears in Source Weekly August 1, 2024.
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pretty disappointed to see that prices here have raised 25-30% only 6 months after this article, praising their affordability, is published