This one had been on the list for a while. Not to review (in fact the idea to even do this writeup occurred to me as I was already inside the pub waiting for my order) but just to try, as here is a place long renowned for having some of, if not the best, chicken wings in all of Toronto. Several years ago myself and a close friend (and occasional pizza reviewing associate) made a journey to Crown & Dragon, neither of us living anywhere near there... but were sadly rebuffed at the door as the place was simply too darn busy on that particular half price wing night.
Once upon a time I actually did live fairly closeby to C&D but I have zero recollection of either ever stepping inside or if they'd been there the entire time of my adolescence (I used to frequent Ramsden Park a fair bit). So how long have they called Yonge and Davenport home? Well it's hard to say exactly (what do you expect me to do? Ask them? Ha!) but skimming through a few other blog reviews that date back to between 2007 and 2012 (with this one in particular commenting how it looks like it was built in the 1990s) I'm happy just to go with that.
Regardless, some softball chums had planned an off-season meetup at the Crown and Dragon and so once I was done work that night, I grabbed a very crowded subway train from Union Station and rode up to Rosedale to meet them. My timing was excellent, as had I been twenty minutes tardier their kitchen would have been closed. This was meant to be!
The fries aren't anything to write a long letter home about... which is forgivable. Not the reason we're here (or why you're reading!). Typical frozen-ish pub fries... there are worse but there are much better. They pair well with the dip provided, which is like a thin yogurty dill concoction (very similar if not identical to the Firkin Dip they have at the Firkin Pubs... I know it well).
Crown and Dragon are known for having an extensive variety of different sauces for their wings (as well as separate options for baked wings) and while I do like a good garlic parm once in a while (all the time)... for a first timer the choice had to be their (supposedly award winning) "Dragon Breath", which intriguingly also registered somewhat high on their spice gauge.
To be totally upfront I think I've figured out why these wings are so popular. I've cracked the code everybody! And it's simple: they're huge! And quite dense with chicken at that. It's not the most flavourful chicken you'll find (I mean, it's chicken so....) but these are meaty, tender wings that take quite a few chomps to rip clean. The exterior/skin is also quite thin and falls off the bone effortlessly. There are some chewier moments but these are not dry or overcooked in any way. The texture is absolutely fine.
As for the "Dragon Breath" sauce... man I'm having a hard time describing it because it's simultaneously quite unique and also like two very familiar sauces/flavours mixed together. An HP sauce blended with Sriracha? There's a particular sting to it that resembles both chili on the tongue and dark vinegar in the sinuses, though much more the former. It's also far more liquidy than either HP or Sriracha (this will actually drip).
Regardless, it's unusual (at least for me) to encounter a hot sauce that veers more into a bitter, malty taste rather than bright and sharp. But I do like it: somehow it makes for a very nice sauce for coating chicken wings in, with a very manageable level of heat to it as well. Fascinating stuff.
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Overall! While this maybe wouldn't be my personal choice for the very best chicken wings in all of Toronto (which is a very, very big city don't ya know) it's hard to argue against these being truly excellent for what they are... which are pub wings meant to be eaten or shared over pints of golden lagers while watching sports on a big screen. On that level, these hit that itch precisely... and so I'll recommend Crown & Dragon wings on that worthy merit alone.
They're very tasty, quite satisfying, plus with the sauce (at least their flagship one) they've created something quite distinctive. I'd gladly go back, especially on one of those cheaper nights... just be sure to grab a table early me thinks.
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