The Sparrows Continental Pasta & Spätzle — Restaurant in Manchester

The Spärrows is such a curious little place, tucked down an unassuming street, through a closed door in a railway arch. It all felt quite cool and intriguing. Inside, the space is minimalist, but it all felt cozy and intimate. I visited with a friend who is a wheelchair user, and I was really pleased to see they'd made thoughtful accommodations for him — more than can be said for many places.

The third member of our party was running late, and despite the restaurant being really busy, staff kindly let us wait before ordering and even graciously extended our reservation so we weren't rushed to eat. We were very grateful. We felt very welcome, and our waitresses were professional, friendly, and efficient. The service was fast, and we didn't have to wait long for anything.

Unfortunately, I found the food quite underwhelming. I really wanted (and expected) to be blown away, but I just wasn't. Having spent a lot of time in Central Europe and Italy, I have a real soft spot for the cuisine, and the food here helped me to relive some of those experiences, but nothing I ate last night was quite as good as the best I've had from much simpler and cheaper places. All the food we had was good, and my friend thought the Käse Spätzle was absolutely incredible (and I agree — it was excellent). I enjoyed my guanciale pappardelle, but felt it needed more seasoning, and the guanciale was a bit undergenerous. I was so excited for the pierogi, but they were quite bland for my taste. The best traditional pierogi I've had in Poland are greasy, fatty and cooked in lard, with an audacious salt content, all of which is probably a bit heavy for some people. I concede it's not necessarily very sophisticated, but it IS characteristically rich, indulgent and comforting in a way that The Spärrows' pierogi sadly were not. The sausage and sauerkraut were nice, but all very standard fare. The prices might appear to be reasonable for a good quality restaurant, but, since the portions are quite small and the concept is designed for tasting and sharing, they recommend that each person orders three things rather than just one single main (not including dessert or drinks), which hikes the price significantly.

If I'm honest, I actually found the concept of the menu a bit confusing, but it was quite unique too. Though it's clear the speciality is the Spätzle (which is pretty hard to come by in the UK), there were so many other things from other places (Russia, Poland, Italy, Germany). With a relatively small menu, I felt it might have been nice to tell more of the story of one specific region — and to do that really well — rather than the highlights from a gigantic swathe of Central Europe.

One further gripe is that is got really noisy later in the evening, perhaps uncomfortably so. When we arrived just after 6pm, the atmosphere was perfect, but later, as things got busier, the music was turned up and it made conversation quite difficult. The total lack of soft furnishings meant that there was nothing in the acoustic to absorb the sound. I found it a little overwhelming and had to step outside a couple of times, but I am particularly sensitive to these things.

The extensive drinks menu was a real highlight for us. There were some really interesting and exciting spirits from around Europe. We sampled quite a few and enjoyed them enormously. It was great to have Becherovka in the UK (such a staple in the Czech Republic), and we particularly loved the rhubarb liqueur and the Polish rowan berry liqueur. The Appenzell whisky was excellent too. Our waitress had a really impressive and extensive knowledge and gave great advice — she was able to tell the story of what we were drinking.

All in all, we had a lovely evening. The welcome and service were great, the drinks were excellent, and while the food didn't quite blow me away, it was still good and we still had a memorable night — albeit an...

My oh my, what a fantastic place! There are a few downsides, but the overall experience is amazing, but the amaizng food is what makes this place special!

A fantastic warm welcome, and our coats were hung up and led to a table by the most welcoming of welcomes we could ask for.

Amazing, niche Sparrow themed decoration and a very pleasant enjoyable vibe inside, everyone was enjoying their time which helped to elevate the mood.

The staff are wonderful, polite and well trained. Although we had 4 waitstaff through the evening so there was a bit of inconsistency and no one wore nametags so sadly can't sing the praise of the staff who are honestly wonderful. The recommendation on food and of the special that night led to an even more pleasurable evening. On billing, we were overcharged by £4 in error, but when we pointed the mistake and explained how it was a mistake, it was corrected in a professional and warm way.

The food... phenomenal. Everything was superb, no faults at all. Fantastically priced and scrumptious. The spatzle is to die for, and the salmon pasta special of the day was honestly one of the most mouthwatering dishes I've ever had. The chefs should be very proud. One downside to the menu, is that the prices of food and drink are inconsistent. You can have an entire 3 course meal here for the same price as a bottle of wine. Begs the question, is the food underpriced? The cocktails are amazing, but we finished them in two sips as 90% of the glass is one large ice cube, so best to have a bottle of wine.

Our main downside was that they're limited to space (which is not their fault) and being sat in the middle of the room (on table 4B), meant all the waitstaff and other guests hitting both our chairs constantly, which leads to the other downside, there is sadly a catch-22 to the entry, you have to press a doorbell that the entire restaurant can hear, which while fine, began to grate on both of us as it goes more often than you'd think, however, when the door is left open, there is a terrible draft that when it's cold outside really does chill to the bone quickly. Both of these sadly bring down the experience as they're constant little annoyances which are very minor but do spoil the experience overall.

The reason i've left a 5 star is because, despite, all the downsides that I've mentioned, which are so minor, it's a fantastic place and the food is honestly so brilliant, it deserves every award going. I hope the owner(s), are extremely proud, and with a bit of tinkering of the downsides we experienced, it could be easily Manchester's...

A Return Visit That Didn’t Quite Hit the Mark

We recently returned to The Sparrows to celebrate our wedding anniversary, having had a fantastic experience on a previous visit. Given the rising costs of dining out, especially when marking special occasions, we chose the restaurant with high hopes that the overall experience would match – or even surpass – our earlier memories.

While the food on this occasion was decent, it didn’t quite carry the same flair we’d remembered. The menu’s ‘sharing style’ approach may appeal to some, but it’s not really our preference, and it would have been helpful to have that clarified at the point of booking or ordering. The Green Salad, in particular, was underwhelming – essentially a few seasoned lettuce leaves, which felt somewhat misrepresented by the name.

The service throughout the evening was generally good. Our server was friendly and attentive, although there were noticeable delays between courses which impacted the flow of the meal.

Where the evening faltered most was in its final moments. Instead of dessert, we opted for a cocktail to round off the evening. This seemed to trigger a shift in atmosphere, particularly from a member of staff who we assume was the floor manager. He appeared noticeably impatient, suggesting – rather abruptly – that we move to the bar area for our drinks. While we completely understand the need for table turnaround in a busy venue, the way this was communicated lacked tact and left us feeling somewhat unwelcome at the end of what should have been a celebratory evening.

In summary, The Sparrows still has a lot going for it: a quirky charm, an interesting menu, and generally capable service. But hospitality is as much about how people are made to feel as it is about the food on their plate. Unfortunately, on this occasion, the experience didn’t quite live up to our expectations – a reminder that sometimes it’s the smaller interactions that leave the...