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For Redwood City resident Leona Browne, the song “The Wild Rover” holds a special place in her heart.
“I have many memories of growing up in Ireland, going to the pub, and we’d always end the evenings in a sing-song,” she said. “And, of course, ‘The Wild Rover’ was always a song that we’d sing.”
Now, The Wild Rover has a secondary significance for Browne. It’s also the name of the Irish pub she debuted June 2 in Redwood City. Replacing City Pub, an American-style pub that had been a staple of the downtown area for 33 years, The Wild Rover currently offers the same tap list as City Pub, an extended wine program and all new low-proof cocktail and food options.
“I kept the bones of City Pub,” Brown said. “Paul was in business 33 years, and he did something right.”
Reuben-stuffed potato skins with remoulade ($17) at The Wild Rover in downtown Redwood City. Photo by Adrienne Mitchel. 
Soft pretzels and provolone fondue ($17) at The Wild Rover in downtown Redwood City. Photo by Adrienne Mitchel. 
Housemade battered mushrooms with garlic aioli ($15) at The Wild Rover in downtown Redwood City. Photo by Adrienne Mitchel.
Browne grew up in Swords, a suburban town in County Dublin, and moved to the Bay Area at 19 years old. In 2014, she and her sisters opened the Patriot House Pub in San Francisco, and in October, Browne decided to sell her shares of the restaurant and set her sights on opening something closer to home in Redwood City. When she heard Paul Davey, the owner of City Pub, was looking to retire, she knew she had found the perfect place for her new venture.
“I sent him a Christmas card, and basically we got chatting, and the rest was history,” she said.
A mother of an 11-year-old son, Browne had moved from San Francisco to Redwood City about eight years ago and fondly recalls spending time at City Pub.
“I definitely remember when we first moved to Redwood City, sitting outside on the patio, (my son) in his high chair, and I used to love their mushroom raviolis,” she said.
Chopped Cobb salad with avocado, bacon, cherry tomatoes, feta, barbecue ranch dressing and a deviled egg ($15) at The Wild Rover in downtown Redwood City. Courtesy The Wild Rover. 
Sweet potatoes and greens salad with apples, ancient grains, toasted pistachios, feta cheese, sesame garlic breadcrumbs and maple tahini vinaigrette ($15) at The Wild Rover in downtown Redwood City. Courtesy The Wild Rover.
While The Wild Rover doesn’t offer mushroom ravioli, it does have a variety of starters, snacks, salads, sandwiches, tacos and entree plates. The new menu, created by Browne’s sister and her friend, features traditional Irish dishes like shepherd’s pie and Guinness beef stew ($22-$24), as well as housemade Irish soda bread ($3). Also find unexpected twists on bar favorites, including Reuben-stuffed potato skins with remoulade, loaded nachos made with tater tots and a corned beef quesadilla with sauerkraut dipping sauce ($16-$20).
Browne plans to add at least two Irish beers to the existing beer program and is open to customer requests. The Wild Rover offers around 24 beers, mostly IPAs and sours brewed in the Bay Area, as well as four nonalcoholic beers ($8 a pint). Four red and four white wines are available on tap ($10-$12 a glass).
“I’m more of a wine drinker myself, so I’m getting some really nice, fresh wines, local wines and some French wines on the list,” Browne said.
Beer-battered crispy fish and chips with coleslaw and housemade tartar sauce ($24) on the outdoor patio at The Wild Rover in downtown Redwood City. Courtesy The Wild Rover. 
Chicken quesadilla with pico de gallo, mixed cheese and avocado mousse ($19) at The Wild Rover in downtown Redwood City. Courtesy The Wild Rover. 
Crispy fish tacos with beer-battered cod, shaved purple and green cabbage, house pickled onions and pico de gallo, served with housemade chips and fresh pico de gallo ($19) at The Wild Rover in downtown Redwood City. Courtesy The Wild Rover.
Browne has also introduced five low-ABV cocktails, including a French 75 and seasonal margarita ($14). The Wild Rover has happy hour daily from 3-6 p.m., offering $1 off all draft beers, $3 off all sharables and appetizers, $10 cocktails and $6 house wine.
She said the mark of an Irish pub is comfort and that she hopes to later host Irish traditional music sessions on Sundays.
“I remember every Sunday we’d go to our local with my mom, my dad, the whole family, we’d sit around the fire,” she said. “They’d drink, and we’d all just be kids, sitting around that warm, cozy fire … You go there to meet friends, to meet family, have the banter.”
Browne said she hopes The Wild Rover will be a community pub where large groups can gather, drink, eat and chat, and, just like City Pub, it will last for more than 30 years.
The Wild Rover Irish Pub, 2620 Broadway, Redwood City; 650-503-8593, Instagram: @thewildroverpub. Open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
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