Sparrow — Restaurant in Chicago

The reason this place gets two stars is because of the cocktails. Very delightful!

However the energy from the FOH staff was arrogant and off putting.

First off, the location is incredibly dark. So much so that the one small candle on the table did ZERO for being able to view the menu. We’re from New York city, so are used to cocktail bars with obnoxiously dim lighting. But this lighting was close to blackout. my dad opened up the flashlight on his camera, as most old people do. There was nobody around our table … and one of the servers came by and abruptly shamed him for using the light. Dude: “ it’s FINE if you have this on just make sure it’s not blasting anybody in the face.“ huff puff very random and very aggressively. how embarrassing. We looked around and his flashlight on his camera it was pointed at the menu even IF was pointed to either side of him we were nowhere near anybody else that it would’ve been in their eyes, but again it was pointed at the menu.

I digress, our server came up to take her order and I was debating between two drinks. The server refused to get close or even lean in to hear what I was asking. which is WILD as the music level in this place is borderline Smart Bar volume. You have to scream at your people or lean towards each other to be heard … Alas, As I was saying to the server,” “i’m debating between cocktail 1 and cocktail 2..” he’s interrupted me and retorted, “I don’t know what you’re asking me here”. My reply to him was, “…because I haven’t finished my question yet.” After I finished my question we decided on a cocktail. With no input from the server but a lot of impatient energy.

Once we were finished ordering cocktails I collected the menus and held them up to the server. He then hovered his hands over the menu and I had to place him directly in his hands for him to take them. very strange. Very passive aggressive. He could have moved his hands centimeters down and collected the menus that I was holding up for him. Additionally, while delivering drinks he did not set the drinks on the table, he stopped our tables conversation to hand. Each. Person. Their. Drink. Wild.

Overall the energy this person was giving us was that of a barista making coffee‘s for a room full of Starbucks customers at 6:30 AM. Not that of a server at a speakeasy at 5:30 PM. The attitude was not welcoming and anything but hospitable.

While I understand not everybody at our table lives in Chicago and likely came off as tourists, it does not excuse the arrogant behavior he exhibited.

A friend of mine at the table who is a flight attendant and deals with difficult personalities on a regular basis brought this up to our server saying did you have a bad day? his response was “this is just how I am.”

When we said something to the host about not having a great time because of the behavior that was exhibited by our server, he walked up and said “oh well I’ll try to smile more.” We don’t need you to smile my friend, we need you to treat us with some type of respect as fellow human beings. I love a resting b*tch face- what I don’t love is not feeling welcome in an establishment because you feel like treating us as if we do not exist.

Overall, I just moved to Chicago and I am always looking for a great cocktail spot to bring friends, family members and clients too. This is not the spot for that.

Cocktails get all the flowers service gets two...

I have had 2 really wonderful experiences at Sparrow. I've had cocktails and I've had rum and each time the servers and everyone there has been SO helpful and welcoming. Tonight, however, was super different. Maybe my previous experiences were great because it wasn't a Friday. I came to Sparrow with two out-of-town guests looking to grab a nightcap. We were kind to the host and asked how long the wait was and she did not clarify, but said there was a group of six ahead of us. We waited patiently, and then two groups of 4 showed up, and she immediately took her names down. I asked her why she did not take our name down, and she told me she would not be taking our names tonight. I asked why, and she said she did not need to provide a reason. I looked around, and the only thing I saw different between my party and the two others around me was that they were all white, and my party had two people of color in it, including myself. I was born and raised in Chicago, and have not experience other-ism like I experienced tonight. It hurt deeply and I was also embarrassed that I took my out-of-towners here to show them a good time. I would think twice before coming to this establishment as people of color, especially on a busy night. It's really sad that being the only chips in the cookie can still make you feel like this in Chicago. I empathize with anyone who experiences it. I won't come...

Very cool little spot. They're doing some cool stuff with cocktails here and they have an interesting menu. They also have a really well curated and extensive rum selection, and bartenders who know their stuff. The vibe was nice and service was good. The only problem was getting in. The door guy was not helpful and kind of rude. There were a handful of people waiting outside. I 'checked in' with the door guy. Having never been here before, I didn't know if there was a list or what. He just said, 'It's at least a ten minute wait' (he said this exact thing to every single person) and then went back to looking at his phone. I had to ask is there a list or something or what's the procedure. He could have given a little more context. Then, we waited about half an hour, and watched about 20 people walk out of the bar during that period and no one was let in. At least three other groups who had already been waiting when we arrived left in frustration. Finally, we were let on, and the bar was about half empty. They said they were short staffed, but it was still really confusing. I don't mind a wait at places, but at least try to give accurate times. It's really too bad because this would have been a five star review, but it seems like they need some system for getting people...