Little Sparrow

The service was terrible, the food was great, and the place is closing anyway.

Little Sparrow was the perfect restaurant for my group dinner. We were welcomed at the door and as we sat waiting for our party to arrive, we were offered water and the drink menu. I asked for something sweet and stiff and our bartender pointed me to Thee Old Elder. It was made of rye, elderflower, and saffron bitters. It was damn delicious. They use beautifully clear, large square cubes in their drinks. It was all quality.
As we were seated, our waitress noted that Little Sparrow has gone from the traditional appetizers and entrees to more of a table share. Also, menu items came out when they were ready, which is what I would want anyways. Who wants their food sitting for 10 minutes?
There were a few chicken pot pies ordered, the grits, the burger, carrots & turnips, asparagus & burrata, and the striped bass crudo. Everything was well plated and perfectly portioned. To start, the carrots & turnips were fresh and delightful as was the asparagus and burrata. For the pot pie, the chicken perfectly cooked, deboned, and it was deconstructed. I was very pleased ordering the red mule Georgia grits. The braised lamb, the red eye gravy, and the grits would put a smile on any foodies face. The lamb was just so flavorful and it complimented the grits. I could eat this every day. Consider Little Sparrow next time you want dinner and drinks in DTSA.

Came here on a weekday to have dinner with a gf to just catch up and as we were glancing at the menu, nothing really stood out to us so we both ended up ordering one order of fries and the Sparrow burger each with salads (which normally comes with fries — which I usually never decline, but we were both trying to be good to avoid the extra fries).
The burger was just okay in my opinion and really not the best I’ve ever had — but the salad ended up being really delicious! Salad was fresh and the sweet dressing was just the right amount to not make it seem like your salad is drowning in your plate. The fries were decent but just a little salty that our server constantly had to swing by with more water for us. Gf and I had a great time there, but the food was less than memorable.
This café is split into two sides with one side being the actually food area and one side being the bar. The restrooms are located in the bar side and you’ll have to walk through a little connecting hallway to get to the other side. Parking is meter or garage parking. Not that much people on a weekday even thought we had reservations.

The Little Sparrow is definitely better for late night drinks than food. I like the vibe of the small bar area. The vintage feel is great! Their cocktails are yummy and strong. My friend asked the bartender for a dealers choice and said she got one of the best cocktails she’s ever had. That being said… eating here is a different story.
When we ate here we were pretty disappointed with the lack of creativity and flavors of the food, especially for the price. We had the octopus and it was chewy. I got the pork chop, which was huge!!, but nothing special.
Come to hang with friends for after dinner drinks and you’ll have a great night!

We always walk by Little Sparrow on our way to our favorite spots in DTSA but never gave it a second thought. To change things up, we decided to take a break from the norm and grab some drinks and a bite to eat before starting our night. Our initial plans were to drop in and grab a few small plates to eat. If all was well, we might just stay here for the rest of the evening.
Short Rib Paparadelle — $ 24 — Perfectly cooked paparedelle, abundant amount of tender short rib, but worth $ 24? Not in this lifetime. Not only is this a small serving size but the gravy that was used was extremely greasy. Maybe its just us, but we all thought they definitely needed to strain some grease out of the gravy before serving it. Additionally, some pieces of the short rib could’ve been rendered a bit more. Unless you don’t mind clogging your artiries, I wouldn’t recommend this dish even if it was half the price.
Cocktails — The main reason why I’ll be coming back, the bartenders here sure know what they’re doing. A way I judge a bar and the men and women working behind it is if they can create an amazing Sazerac. The speakeasy’s up in San Francisco set the bar (no pun intended) pretty high but Little Sparrow came damn close. Hand Crafted drinks are highly recommended.
So did we end up staying the rest of the night to enjoy the delicious libations? Not a chance. With our munchies reaching its peak and the kitchen closing easily, we made our way down the street to grab some small plates to munch on. I’ll definitely be stopping by for a night cap sometime soon but only after I had a bite somewhere else.

Came here on a Sunday brunch time. The place was not packed and our party of four were seated in the larger room. Menu was simple that you do not have much choice to choose from. My vegetarian friends best bet was to go with french toast or with chilaquiles. I went with two eggs, sausage (should have gone with bacon) and potato fry. It was good. Small portions. At one point, they informed my friend who had ordered diet coke, that they have run out of it and that they can take it off the bill. That was nice of them, but it makes you wonder who would run out of soda =)
My friend who ordered their chilaquiles asked for salsa and they do not have it. Weird. Street parking is free on Sundays and holidays. If you parked in the garage then you pay for it. They do not validate parking ticket.

4 stars for creativity, 3 for execution.
With so many cool spots opening in Santa Ana, I was excited to try Little Sparrow.
We found metered parking on the street easily but they also have a parking structure right next door.
The restaurant is not very big. We sat near the bar. It had like a French bistro kinda feel but dark.
*My Cocktail with thyme was not bad, very strong
Food is meant to be shared so we had:
*Chicken skins: very savory with polenta and collard greens. It was good but a bit salty. Reminded me of chicharron but thinner
*Short rib parpadelle: good and tender
*Pork chop with steel cut oatmeal risotto: my least favorite. The pork had a weird taste to me and although an oatmeal risotto sounds unique, it did not have the creaminess expected
*Beets salad with chard greens: way too salty
*Bone marrow: very tasty though it had a berry tasting sauce (mushroom marmalade) that was overpowering
*Beignets were hard, not fluffy and hollow. Unfortunately, a disappointing end to the meal
The ideas are definitely there, but unfortunately the flavor did not agree with my tastebuds nor did the portions agree with my wallet

Cocktails are awesome. Rather, the mixology is awesome. We had the Two Gents, All on Black, Gin Gin Mule, and Bad Blood — all were flavorful, aromatic, and fresh. It’s definitely a strong choice if you want crafted drinks. And we watched a mai tai being made, and it was quite a production!
Yes, we got drinks only. But, we will definitely being coming back for food.

Came here with some friends to celebrate my birthday couple weeks ago! Sat in the main dining room and it was open and spacious. We each ordered drinks, several dishes, and dessert to share!
The service was accommodating and the servers made very good recommendations!
Corn Bread– baked fresh, soft, and good jam pairing. The mini individual corn bread presentation was super cute!
Brussels Sprouts– good flavor and cooked just right
Bone Marrow– 2 bone marrow and super juicy
Sparrow Burger– very filling because of the pretzel buns, cooked well, and very tasty
Short Rib Pepperdale– love pasta but this dish was ok, could pass on this
I believe the dessert was fried doughnut of some sort and it was ice cream. Very very delicious!
Their menu changes from time to time and so far the menu I’ve tried has not let me down! Looking forward to their next menu change!

My friends and I came here for drinks and I ended up trying the So This Could Be Love drink. The review is based on my cocktail experience and not so much the food as I didn’t get to really try any of it.
The drink itself was sweet, and had an interesting mix of flavors. I tried a few of my friend’s drinks, and they varied from a coffee kind of taste to a sweet lemony taste to many taste in between.
The only drawback on the drinks I tried were that they tasted a bit straightforward compared to some of the other cocktail bars in the area. I mean that in the sense that when I drank and tried each drink, there was a very clear cut taste to it, it was «sweet», «coffee-​like», «lemony», I didn’t really get a chance to sit and ponder the different flavors in the drink, I guess because one of the flavors always kind of felt overpowering.
Still, not a bad choice and I wouldn’t mind coming back as they have a good drink selection and the drinks were still pretty good. They were about $ 12 – 15 each or so.

I’ve heard such great things about Little Sparrow, but I always thought it was too expensive. Actually, this is true. The drinks are around $ 15 and the food is around $ 20 – 30 (for fried chicken). We only got their cornbread, which came in mini muffins and was surprisingly very good. If that’s an indication of the rest of their food, then I’ll have to try it next time.
With that said, there were 3 bartenders on staff on a Friday at 6. We came for Jacob, who worked at another bar we liked. He made our drinks off the menu based on what we liked and all of them were amazing. He recommended that we come back for Sunday brunch.

This review is for brunch.
Overall experience: Awful (like I should’ve slept in instead of eat brunch here).
Service:
— Slow, non-​responsive
— The bartender was great. Poor guy had to take over our table since the server was absent
Food:
— We ordered two plates: The Loco Moco and the 2 Eggs Plate. After about two bites we decided to just send it back and leave for better food elsewhere. The rice in the loco moco was 100% crispy like it had been scraped up the side of the pot it was cooked in. The eggs in the scramble were rubbery and seemed like it was just fried.
They comp’d our meal and apologized, but it was a disappointment.
On the plus side, the Bloody Mary was good and I’d go back just for drinks.

This review is for the bar only. But we had a great experience here.
Amazing drinks, a beautifully decorated space, and bartenders… sorry, «mixologists» that really know what they are doing. Had a great series of drinks here, and love that they serve food late night also.
Give a description of whatever tastes you are in the mood for to the bartender… oops, «mixologist» (there I go again), and they will craft something just for you, and present it beautifully. Fresh herbs, citrus flavors, candied ginger… it’s all available and very very well done. I can’t wait to come back for lunch and dinner.

I still don’t know what to make of Little Sparrow. We went for dinner and everything was great. Our server was great and the food was crazy good. We ordered the fried chicken and biscuits and it almost gave PFC a run for its money. Almost. The chicken was moist and perfectly fried and when I took a bite all the skin didn’t come off. I appreciated that. It just tasted like the meat wasn’t seasoned, but maybe the flour was. Just throw a little onion salt or paprika on there. Just a little won’t hurt. The biscuits were fresh and tasted handmade. They were bomb. It was one of those meals where I knew I needed to stop eating but I couldn’t stop eating. Oh, and this is definitely a meal for 2. Unless you just want to take down 2 big ass biscuits and 4 pieces of chicken. Go ahead. I certainly won’t judge you. If anything, you won my respect for taking all that down.
So I left that experience at Little Sparrow feeling great. Then we decided to go for drinks one night and I was left disappointed.
Second trip: We sat in the bar area and had to wait a little bit for service. No big deal. The big deal came when the server came and seemed like she half ass wanted to take our order. I’m not sure why considering we only ordered drinks. When she brought the drinks over she pretty much just set them on the table and ran away. There was no, «Ok, here you go» or «Here are your drinks». Just a whole lotta DGAF. Then when she dropped off the check (after she ran the card) she pretty much just threw it on the table. No, «Thanks for coming» or «Hope to see you again soon». Just, «Here’s your damn check, mfs». Well, she got no tip love from us.
I guess if I put that together it’s a 4 star place. I’ll check out brunch.

I give credit to Little Sparrow for leaving the exterior of the building intact with a renovated neon sign that still reads «CAFE». The open entrance leads straight to the bar which has a tasteful low budget feel w/​touches of luxury such as the huge abstract painting of color splotches bleeding into each other & the 1930’s looking drum shaped light fixture above the bar. The seating at the main dining area is rather spartan & utilitarian so we decided to dine at the well stocked bar attended to by a friendly, responsible bar-​t who took our orders, and kept us generally happy.
I was trying to determine what red wine to choose as a combination apéritif & wine pairing for the dinner. The bar-​t let me sample a wine, and I said that it was kind of plonky, & another cool waitress w/​a black top w/​one shoulder exposed remarked, «Yeah, that’s pretty bad, I know.» So she helpfully reconfirmed my opinion. I respect her for adhering to «honesty is the best policy». I chose the Cuvaison Estate Grown, Carneros, Napa, CA which was a typical California Pinot Noir which was slightly jammy, black fruits such as blackberry, touch of blueberry, & brandied cherries.
1) Roasted Bone Marrow was slathered w/​what looked like Mole Poblano. It had a chocolate, cinnamon, warm spice mix, but to me, it seemed that this mole was not simmered over a low flame for a long time so that it didn’t seem to have mellow flavours & felt extremely grainy & sandy. As an Indian chef warmed me about curries using Gram Masala, it has to be cooked a long time or it tastes rough, raw, & harsh. That was the way this Mole tasted on the marrow. On the side there were radish, cilantro, & totopos/​fried corn tortilla chips. I just didn’t feel that fried in oil totopos would pair so well to the fatty marrow so I asked for a milder tasting soft flour tortilla instead of using the crispy chips, but unfortunately they didn’t have the flour tortillas.
2) Beeler’s Tomahawk Pork Chop treated w/​yellow curry is a beautifully grilled piece of luscious meat. My guess is that the meat is marinated in perhaps white wine & salt to keep the meat moist & soft. Later as the pork was cooking, the curry slurry was brushed onto the pork chop which also shows signs of caramelization. The long handle of rib bone adds a visually dramatic effect popping out in a long curved arc. Since it is pork, the meat was closer to medium but with traces of pink.
The yellow curry is nuanced, delicate adding a touch of smokiness & mélange of herbal acidity. The brining of the meat was just about perfect so that the saltiness brought out the meaty sweetness. The meat had a pleasant chewiness that made you know that you were eating something primal. I sliced the compressed watermelon thinly so that at occasional intervals I ate the watery sweet, slightly wilted watermelon as a refreshing offset to the heaviness of the pork. The rest of the salad w/​components such as sliced fennel bulb also paired well w/​the pork, refreshing my palate for more. I truly appreciate the pig that gave up its life to give me not just nourishment but the pleasure of gustatory fulfilment
3) Dessert was Strawberry Biscuit, Black pepper cream, compressed berries, nut crumble. The biscuit was a touch sweet, light, flaky, dry but that was modulated dollops of crème fraiche, & sweetness from what looked like strawberries sprinkled w/​sugar until they lost a bit of water to soften the fruit. A simple dessert, it looked like a deconstructed strawberry shortcake.
I thought the Rivesaltes Ambre, Frontanel, 2000, Tautavel near the eastern Pyrenees would pair well w/​our dessert. It is a vin doux naturel which is a fortified/​extra alcohol added during the fermentation process to kill the alcohol producing yeast so the sugars in the grape wine are retained which makes it very similar to Port wine. This Rivesaltes had a caramelized grape, brown sugar flavor w/​a smoky nuttiness which was a great pairing to the Strawberry Biscuit.
Both our servers were friendly, kind, honest, thoughtful, generous. We got there at about 5:30pm opening time so there were few diners which was to our advantage since we were afforded extra attention. Beeler’s Tomahawk was very good, but the Bone marrow seemed to miss its mark, & the Strawberry Biscuit was competent, although it may not have been the hardest thing to make. Since I had not come to Little Sparrow when the head Chef Samaniego was creating his kitchen magic & is now departed, I have little to go by. However, by what I have tasted, I would place 3+ Unilocal stars for a better than average meal.

Little Sparrow definitely has a cool, trendy vibe with awesome décor. My friend and I came in a couple weeks ago for some bites and drinks.
We ordered the chickin cracklins aka deep fried chicken skin, the bone marrow and the beets and goat cheese. We also ordered 1 drink each but I can’t remember the names at the moment.
The deep fried chicken skins were good but definitely on the oily and heavier side. I would definitely split this appetizer btwn more people since I just felt bloated after eating it but really, who can say no to DEEP FRIED CHICKEN SKIN.
The goat cheese and beets were delicious; thecreaminess of the cheese went along well with the beets. I wish there was more of it as the plate was kind of teeny.
I was most disappointed by the bone marrow. There really wasn’t much of it and the taste was just average. This dish just needed something more. Maybe more flavor, maybe just more of it. I’m not sure.
Drinks were good and strong so I’d definitely come back that.

This restaurant was a lot smaller than I expected, but cozy. We grabbed a corner booth and my friends started off with the Bali Bali and the Mai Tai. It was Tiki night, so all their drinks were Hawaiian themed. The drinks here are pretty strong!
Onto the food, we ordered a few items to share since its tapas style. The menu is pretty small and the portions are smaller… We ordered the roasted cauliflower and roasted beet and goat cheese to start. I enjoyed both of them!
Next we ordered the bone marrow, soft shell crab papaya salad, squid ink pasta, and gnocchi. My favorite was the bone marrow, which is topped with a stout onion marmalade. It added a nice sweetness to the dish. The squid ink pasta had a citrus taste to it, but I didn’t really like the texture of the pasta. The gnocchi was okay, but nothing really stood out from it. The papaya salad is pretty spicy, but I didn’t really like the taste.
This place is a 3 stars, nothing more or less. For the price, I’d definitely recommend going elsewhere.

Little Sparrow is more a place for a nice date night or a special occasion, something where you plan to spend a lot of money. Most plates are shareable but portions are small and prices are high, so you won’t be getting out of there for cheap. The layout doesn’t make too much sense and I could see how it would be confusing for a first timer. There is one room that is more of a bar with some table seating. You then walk through a corridor to the dining room for a full dinner. You can tell that they put a lot of thought into the décor.
The menu is rather small, and there is a good variety. We were pleased with what we ordered, but we kept it down to only a few items which we shared and didn’t leave full.
Elote: This version of street corn comes already removed from the cobb, which I appreciated. It was topped with arbol chile aoli and queso fresco. It became almost creamy when mixed together and we both loved this dish.
Yellowtail Carpaccio: The beautiful slices of fish were resting in an acidic liquid, and topped with serrano peppers and cucumber bits. It was a light and fresh dish which allowed us to taste the high quality of the yellowtail.
Sparrow Burger: This burger was topped with perfectly melted cheese and caramelized onions, resting between a pretzel bun. Everything from the meat to the bun was full of flavor. It was on the small size for a burger, especially when shared.
Although the food was all delicious, I can’t see myself coming back here because of the prices/​portion size unless I was prepared to spend a lot. But for a special occasion where you want to enjoy high quality and nicely prepared food, Little Sparrow is a good choice.

My friends and I had an amazing brunch last Sunday at the Little Sparrow. They don’t normally do reservations for brunch with the exception for large parties and they open at 10:30 am on Sunday. The café is on the corner and parking at the meters on Sunday is free.
We arrived a tad bit early as they were were still doing their opening rounds, but we were able to wait inside. Since we were one of the first to arrive, we were seated first in the larger dining room. Mari H. and I both decided on bottomless mimosas while Grace C. ordered an ice coffee (cold brewed) with cream and sugar.
Our food came out shortly. I had the eggs (scrambled), biscuit and sausage gravy. Mari had the chilaquiles which are vegetarian and come with eggs (over medium) and black beans, while Grace ordered the short rib eggs benedict. We also ordered a side of hash browns to share. While we were waiting, we chatted it up and drank to our heart’s content. Our server was on top of keeping our glasses topped off with mimosas. The food was really good and we were satisfied with our meals. I wasn’t crazy about the hash browns because they were wiry but at least they were crunchy. I also had a Blackboard Eats coupon for 30% off which came in handy. The service was great and we had a great time at brunch.

This review is based on a Saturday night in the bar area.
I loved the atmosphere of this bar as soon as we walked in. It’s very romantic with a 1920s 1930s vibe. The wall behind the bar had a lot of different types of liquor you can imagine.
We wanted to take advantage of the «Barkeep’s Inspiration» where you go talk to the mixologist and they will make you your own personalized drink. It was an easy conversation and he asked the right questions in order to narrow down our tastes for the night. It was a plus that they added their own spin to traditional drinks.
We look forward to coming back to this place to see what other drinks they can make for us!