Sparrow Bar + Cookshop

It was ok. We started off with some ceviche that tasted like tomato sauce from a can. It was not enough for four at all, more like only one. We went there on a weekday so it was nice since it was not busy. The wait staff was awesome but don’t ever get the apple crisp dessert. Awful!

This used to be my fav place but Monica Pope so PETTY on how she treated her servers.

The cocktails may be $ 10, whatever, this place is very cool. If you want to have a couple of nice interesting cocktails, while NOT being crammed in a post-​industrial bar, listening to vampire weekend, this is the place for you. Very spacious and nice wait staff, while also offering some great snack options.

We came here for a birthday dinner celebration. Unfortunately, there were so many issues thinking about the experience here that made it disappointing.
Most of the people ordered cocktails, well done. No issues here and pretty on point. Beer selection was nothing to complain about either.
A bread plate was brought out with clarified butter. The size of the bread was interesting, they were TINY. The thing I’d like to complain about however, is the taste of the bread and the clarified butter. The bread was dry, bland, and it tasted dehydrated. The butter was granular and not creamed well enough and not seasoned. I see what they were trying to do but, their execution was a failure. I really don’t care about the size of the bread; it was the quality. If you are going to make a statement by giving out finger sized pieces of bread it better be spectacular. You can go to your local chain restaurant and blind people to where it comes from and normal warm bread would win every time.
We ordered two small bites. The Mediterranean plate and olives. The Mediterranean plate was tasty but really nothing special. The «morrocan olives» were the SALTIEST olives I have ever had in my life (coming from a guy that loves salt). We even clarified with our waiter to see if the Olives were actually suppose to be salty and he did say that they are suppose to be that salty. This was clearly a mistake, and they could not even own up to it.
Between the 6 of us, half ordered the flattened chicken and half ordered the scallops. The chicken was okay, not perfectly cooked, but not dry. I thought the seasoning was okay on it, others thought it was even «interesting» or unique. The scallops were not fresh but they were cooked okay and seasoned okay.
The sides ordered were a mushroom/​chickpea dish, potatoes, and cauliflower. To start, the waiter allowed us to order potatoes even though half our table ordered the chicken which came with potatoes. He did not stop to mention this, or point out this issue. We probably would have ordered another side if this were the case. To make things even worse, these potatoes, were not seasoned. Not under seasoned, but never seasoned. The cauliflower had similar issues. No seasoning or acid. Just bland cauliflower — what a failure. The mushroom chickpea — no salt once again.
Asked for two pieces of dessert since we were celebrating two people’s birthdays. The cheesecake was not too bad. Everyone enjoyed it and finished it. Not the best, not the worst.
The waiter was overall a pleasant and nice guy. In terms of attentiveness to our table, I would say it was average. His personality made us like him more. What made the experience terrible was makes every dining experience terrible; he neglected to focus on the all mighty dollar. 1) For all of us to spend extra money on potatoes that were poorly executed and already on our entrée plates. Disappointing. 2) Automatic gratuity was added to our table for a group of 6. Was okay with this, but what made the experience bad was what followed. When the bill was split, each of us got a receipt that had the amount for our credit card (including the gratuity) and then printed was an additional «SERVICE FEE» which had a space for even a bigger tip. Most of the people in my group were ready to leave and were just going to pay it. We had to ask the server back to say this was a mistake with how the computer prints out receipts. You would think they would say this to you before signing the bill. Nothing more to say on this.
I was going to give this place a two star rating because I feel that you have to objectively back up each review. The more I wrote, I think this is inching towards a 1 star. Atmosphere was nice. Won’t be back.

A little disappointed. I was really expecting a lot more from the food. The drinks were the best part. The appetizers were small, the sides were under seasoned, and the menu options were somewhat conventional. Would have liked more variety overall.

I wouldn’t come back…
The main reason? The prices. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’ll pay top dollar for great food. But this food… Well, for the price, it left me wanting. And when I pay $ 130 for 2 people, I come to expect great service and great food, and I don’t feel that I experienced either of those. The staff were ok, but it was like being at Barnaby’s: Casual fare. For $ 65/​pp, I expect something a little better. Especially when I have a mandatory 20% charge placed on my bill for being a group larger than 5 people. I just didn’t feel like I would have normally tipped that amount for the mediocre service I received… And they will not split checks here (even though they seem to have more than enough manpower to do such a task). What kind of place does one person in a group have to pay over $ 300 at?
Drinks were ok. $ 10/​cocktail, but they weren’t particularly strong and I could just barely taste the alcohol.
$ 30 for salmon. Just a salmon fillet. No sides, nothing. And it was just ok. The sauce on top just didn’t stand out, and the salmon itself was just too soft to enjoy. I’ve cooked better salmon at home from HEB.
They were out of two of the entrees as well, one of which we had been looking forward to.
I will say, the chickpea fries were delicious. For those alone, I gave a second star. And maybe I would come back, since their happy hour seems to be fairly priced. But dinner? I don’t think so…

TL;DR: Overall, I would probably return for HH because there is a nice outdoor area and the HH bites were good. They have a nicely varied beer and wine selection too. If there were non-​sweet drinks on the HH menu and more food came to an order, I would put this up in the 4-​star range. Also, the rudest family in the world was there with their horrible spawn and they only tipped $ 19 on a $ 200 tab.
Food:
Happy hour food was delicious. I highly recommend the bacon wrapped dates and mushroom pâté. The deviled eggs were good too (though when are they not!?). The tuna steak was cooked well, as were the kale and brussels sprouts.
Drinks:
Need to add some not-​sweet drinks to the HH menu. There should be some cocktails without all of the sugar and beer/​wine options. That aside, the habanero infused tequila drink was really good.
Price:
I thought that they were pretty overpriced. A single order of deviled eggs ($ 3 normally, half off at HH) is really just one egg cut in half. An order of dates is a single date.
Service:
We had really good service. The waiter was very attentive and checked on our table at the right frequency. This leads me to my next point…
THAT FAMILY WITH THE HEATHEN CHILDREN WHO WERE STANDING ON THE TABLE:
Are you kidding? You want to go out to eat and take your kids along, that’s fine. I have no problem taking your kids out with you. I would be a bit circumspect about taking three children under the age of 6 to a bar, but whatever. They were noisy, but they’re kids. Kids scream and make noises. However, you can still keep them (1) at your table and (2) NOT STANDING IN THEIR BARE FEET ON THE NEXT TABLE. That’s not even safe!
Then, to top it all off, you tip $ 19 on a $ 200 tab!!! $ 19! On $ 200! Seriously??? With your disgusting, disturbing brood, you should be tipping generously! Not 9.5%!!! You two are so incredibly rude. I regret not asking them to kick you out of the restaurant. I hope that they refuse to serve you if you ever return.

I like this place. The only thing that let it down was the staff. However, that being said, I will certainly go back and also recommend it to friends.
Food
Food was excellent. Although it took a little long to come out. The menus is fairly simple but the quality of food is excellent.
Décor
I’ve also been a fan of lofty style places. It has an industrial feel, but is fused with restaurant feel which works nicely. It has a warm feel to it but is contradictory to a loft.
Staff
A bit lazy and buy scatty. No check back and had to wave them for attention on numerous times. As afore mentioned this let the place down.
Drinks
Drinks are cool and there is pretty sweet cocktail menu. However they are little overpriced.
For 6 of us our dinner with a couple of drinks came out at $ 600 and they added $ 120 tip. Not the best value. I’d recommend either just drinks, or perhaps lunch. Dinner and drinks is over priced and you get better value else where.

Hubby an I met a friend for drinks here. The place had a good vibe rustic vintage feel to it. Dark lit very romantic looking. The place was DEAD. Our bartender/waitress’s was very friendly. I like the ambience. But with a $ 100 bill it was NOTHING what I was expecting. We decided to get a drink. I got #6 which was a spicy watermelon drink. It was OK. With one small mint leaf an drinks are $ 10+ I expected a little bit more. The food was so over priced. My sad lonely 4 scallops lacked so much flavor. They tasted like nothing but paprika. They were dry and over cooked. they would have tasted better basic with garlic an butter. My husband had the steak. He said it was flavorful but not filling for $ 30 we only had 1drink each an a meal. An that was $ 100. Not WORTH IT. Will not be returning here. If you’re going to over charge customers make sure it’s worth the payment.

Sparrow was a treat. Our group made a reservation and arrived a little early. We were seated promptly. Drinks were ordered by all. Mine was a treat. Maybe the best drink ever to consumed by humans. To be fair, not everyone at the table agreed with me. But I agreed with me, and the drink definitely agree with me:) I cannot find its name, but it was red, fruity, and smooth. It simultaneously tasty zingy and Christmas-​y. Apps were avocado sashimi– it was fine? Not memorable. And the ‘shroom dumplings with blue cheese sauce. Amazing. I loved. A plate– the sampler plate– was then shared, and the homemade crackers were nice but overall I would rather have ordered more dumplings:) and then it was time for dinner. Winner winner scallop dinner. Loved. My scallops were buttery and warm. Our table shared sides-​traditional Mac and cheese, b. Sprouts, and a parsnip dish– all were grand! Dessert was a sampler again (this was a lot! Maybe just opt for one dessert and not the sampler) as well as a salted caramel delight… I should have written these names down#fail. All in all, Sparrow was a great dining experience!

I’m sorry… I’m a full supporter of local businesses in Houston but this restaurant was a let down. I visited the first time and to my disappointment felt like the pricing of a dish that was comprised of FOUR scallops a tad, no, absolutely overpriced. Even then the dish was so barren and lacked any flavor. I decided then to give it another chance a few months later and honestly could not tell you what their signature dish/​core competency was as I found none.
One thing I give this restaurant is it’s rustic ambience and uniquely quirky location– but then again I’m not going to a restaurant to stare at it’s décor…

We went here for brunch and it was a big disappointment. With a hundred dollar worth of bill, it could’ve been better with service and food.
Cons:
— Nobody welcomed us when we walked inside, it was an awkward 45 seconds for us.
— Our server could not explain the menu in details when we raised any question.
— Please, use NEW or FRESH lime and mint for drink. Each drink costs $ 10+ and with those little sad garnishes, it made me pissed.
— Food is under average. Nothing special about it. The bacon wrap tasted like sweet potato.
— Too expensive for mediocre food and service.
Pros:
–The table outside is nice, good background for taking picture of the food.
— Few drinks are better than the other.

Had a birthday evening out with a group of friends who suggested Sparrow. We were seated at a large table by the bar. Server came around for drink orders pretty quickly but he never came back to take our food order. We finally had to grab his attention on his way back to the kitchen for him to stop, only to tell us that several of the entrée items were unavailable. Bummer.
From the remaining items, I picked the curry chicken. But… after several minutes, the server came back and said, «sorry we ran out.» That now makes 40% of their menu items unavailable. How can a restaurant be that poorly managed?
None of the other entrees interested me, so I resorted to a beet salad from the appetizer menu and side of brussels sprouts for my meal. They were both tasty but definitely not worth the price.
Overall two stars. Food and drinks are good, but way overpriced for what you get, and service is poor. Will not return.

Just left an was very disappointed. We ordered off the set dinner menu. Not worth the over $ 200 that was spent. I don’t mind spending that much but do when I am given subpar food. I do not see how pope is a master chef.
Butternut bisque: bland and I’ve had better from the grocery store. It did however taste fresh.
Cheese beignet: it was ok, not bad but not great. Just ok
Shitaki mushroom soup: literally the restaurants saving grace and only reason to go. It was amazing, only problem is there wasn’t enough!!! Great job on this one.
Ribs: they tasted odd and the side was broccoli that had an Indian seasoning I couldn’t place that simply didn’t work.
Red snapper: not good at all. Flavorless and dry. The Brussels sprouts were pretty good however.
Cookies: these were horrible. I took them home and my kid actually spit it out and almost vomited.
Bread pudding: not bad just bland. As a kid who grew up eating this I can do far better.
Service: slow but polite and not bad. The waiter was a really nice guy and I know he can’t help the fact it took 30 min to wait for the next course so he was tipped well.
All in all not worth the money.

I really wanted to like this place despite the reviews, but I was disappointed. I even went to the website later to try and understand the concept, in case I missed something, but I don’t think I did.
I came with a group of 8, which is perfect for sharing and ordering a bit of everything. We opted to skip appetizers and go straight to main courses.
Several people ordered the scallops, the short ribs were also ordered, as was the vegetable curry and chicken. So I’ve had scallops cooked by Monica Pope before and these were not her. Out of the 4 orders of scallop entrees ordered, 3 of them were overlooked and chewy. At $ 19 for a plate of 4 scallops the scallops better be perfect. The only thing good was the sauce, which had me dipping bread into it to try and figure out exactly what I was eating. The short ribs were the best entrée out of all of them. The meat fell apart, basking in the yummy sauce. The chicken was good, but forgettable.
We also took the opportunity to order one of each side. The Mac and cheese wasn’t great; I think it could have used more cheese or bechemel sauce to make it richer/​heartier. Likewise, the beets didn’t make much of an impression, other than nicely roasted, but needed some salt. The roasted brussels sprouts the perfect amount of crispy and tender. The mashed potatoes were silky smooth and rich. The artichoke gratin was by far the best side with the crispy bread crumbs and gooey cheese was nice.
What we really enjoyed were the drinks. We had 2 – 3 rounds and all the drinks were well made and balanced. While they were plenty strong, the alcohol was not so strong it over powered all other flavors. The last round, a few of the drinks weren’t mixed properly, but it wasn’t anything a quick stir couldn’t fix.
Service was generally good, but a few times we had to flag him down to order something or ask for water.
What put a damper on the night was the parking situation. We had valeted our car, so when we were leaving to grab a few more drinks, we asked the server if we could leave our car in the lot. He assured us it would be no problem. Before we left we got our keys back from the valet and tipped him since he leaves when the restaurant closes. We confirmed with him that it was ok to leave our cars in the lot. The restaurant closes at 11pm. When we got back at 2am, our cars were fine, but chained in the lot. And the chains were just so we couldn’t drive under or over them. Thankfully we both drive SUVs that could clear a well worn path over the curb and over some poor shrubs. Not a great way to end the night. We would have gladly reparked if we had known we would be chained in.
Overall, I have to agree with over reviews that it was not a very good value. I see that the concept is supposed to be food Chef Pope would cook for guests in her own home, but I have a hard time believing that this is what she would serve guests food without a lot of love and care. On the flip side, she makes a mean drink.

Meh. Service was terrible. I really did like the food here, but after last nights entirely lackluster service experience I’ll go spend my money elsewhere. Wait staff was unattentive and just generally disinterested. I’m about 95% certain the beer I ordered wasn’t given to me, though the got close with whatever IPA they swapped in. Hearing from another waiter though that their taps were out, was a little concerning after I received the beer I wanted on tap supposedly, lol.
Probably took 10 minutes to be acknowledged, other tables were seated and reached sooner. Another 10 for water, 30 probably before I had a beer even. After finally getting to order, that all came out pretty promptly, but to the extent that our later courses were absolutely rushed. So not sure what the guy’s problem was with us, but I’ll take my money elsewhere. Oh and what was with the techno music blasting through the restaurant at 9pm? Your acoustics in the space are horrible, then with the sirens going it’s horrendous.
Food was all good as I noted, though the service, pace and lack of honesty with the beer was total crap.

We just had the worst experience. We got our main course 1 hour and 15 minutes into our visit. They forgot about us. They kept bringing things with mushrooms that my friend told them she couldn’t eat. The food was bland and cold. I ordered a Moscow mule and they must have been out of ginger beer because it was ginger pieces in tonic water. Yuck.
The worst thing: they don’t have straws and that is SO STUPID.
Our server was actually really nice and felt really bad that this shit happened. Cool dude with glasses. Hopefully he finds another job at a restaurant that isn’t going down hill.

I love Chef Pope. she could serve me anything and I would eat it! But at Sparrow she didn’t have to do that. lite bites and drinks were stellar.
Must Tries:
TRIO OF DIPS: red bell pepper purée, hummus, spicy black bean with grilled lavender-​black pepper pizette, aleppo,
«DATE WITH A PIG»: medjool date, chorizo, bacon, chermoula, «
CHICK» FRIES: Indian salt, red curry catsup. You must try the chick fires they were amazing and tasted just like french fries but healthier!
If Chef is there have her pick a cocktail for you. she’s great at that.

Been a long time coming for me to write a review. After rediscovering this wonderful area by south Main St, I was able to make another visit. The dinning area is modern industrial with exposed brick, some communal tables, and some for smaller parties. A tiny U shaped bar, and the outdoor patio is excellent.
Always interesting sides and apps. The mains just never hit with me. Nothing has ever been bad, but something just seems to be missing. Chicken Rillette is a bowl of finely chopped chicken liver with big croutons for spreading. There is a fairly thick topping of fat on top, which is a little unappetizing. Mac & Cheese is good. The cheese sauce is really thin and soupy, but damn addictive. Main dishes are hit and miss, and typically stick with the bar bites.
Good drinks. A pretty large cocktail menu that has both innovation and old time favorites. A great Old Fashion, and also a handful of Houston area beers on tap.
I usually leave still hungry, and wanting to go around the corner to Tacos A Go Go. Though, it is a good spot for drinks and maybe some bar bites before heading out somewhere more substantial.

I can always expect a great dinner when I come to Sparrow. My rating of four stars takes into account all my experiences up to this point at this place. Overall, it’s a great place to have a wonderful meal with friends. I love the look and feel of the entire place, and you feel welcome when you walk through.
Unfortunately, at my most recent visit with Sparrow, there a few things amiss.
We were seated promptly, but it took 10 minutes for our waiter to acknowledge us. He must have been having an off day, because we could see him running around like a headless chicken. Another waiter ended up taking our order, explaining that our waiter was a little behind.
I ordered the grilled hangar steak with caramel miso and blossom butter, and my friends and I ordered the 3 sides for $ 18– the Brussels sprouts, the special mac and cheese, and the milled potatoes with bacon.
When ordering sides, I recommend doing it family style. Order your own entrée– but make sure you have people to share the sides with (the portions are huge!).
Steak– moist, juicy, and flavorful with the caramel miso and blossom butter. However, it was served to us on a cold plate, and thus, my steak got cold when I was halfway done eating it.
Mac N’ Cheese– you can order the mac n’ cheese two ways: special or regular. The special came with peas and a few other add ins that made this a great side dish to my steak. The dish was cooked with chicken confit and nutmeg and it was delicious.
Milled potatoes with bacon– smooth, fluffy, buttery potatoes. With bacon. Need I say more? I can’t, because I’m too busy eating these scrumptious milled potatoes.
Brussels sprouts– oh so good. I especially like the crispy layers of the leaves that fall off– crunchy and full of flavor.
The desserts were actually quite disappointing, because it was so great the last time we were at Sparrow.
We got the barley pot de crème with a peach topping and a peach crumble with vanilla gelato.
Both were waayyy to sweet. Nothing else I can really say.
Sparrow also offers cooking classes and I believe those come with tours of the restaurant and the kitchen, so that would be a really fun thing to do.