Happy Sparrow Cafe — Restaurant in Lake Oswego

Y'all I'm a Texan who also moved to Portland. I could not believe that my coworkers didnt know what a kolache was. And we had folks from Florida, New York, Boston, Georgia ect available to ask. I was so shocked I had my husband check in with his staff to see if anyone knew about Kolaches. Long story short not a single soul knew what we were talking about or how to find one.

And then I found Happy Sparrow Cafe. At this point we had been in the PNW for nearly 2 years. And I NEEDED my fix. Happy Sparrow exceeded my expectations- and I'm not just saying that because it had been so long since I had a kolache. The cafe was cute with beautiful fixtures and wood floors, wall to ceiling windows that let the light in, a cheerful patio with outdoor seating, and a little kids play area with toys and board games. They even had a couch!

The kolache themselves were light and fluffy, warmed just right at a quicker pace than I was expecting since we walked in at their midday rush. They had old favorites and we tried some PNW flavors- such as the nutella with bacon. We got to meet one of the owners and bonded over Houston traffic and our mutual love for the Pacific Northwest.

As my husband said the kolaches "tasted...

This review is mostly for their exceptional service. Came here on a Saturday morning around 11, on the way to the tulip festival. Got there and saw a sign that all kolaches were sold out. Was a bit disappointed but still went in for a coffee. We were informed that kolaches sell out pretty quickly, and esp since Easter weekend, people have been ordering more than usual. They told us we can order ahead of time. Except we couldn't, since they're closed the next day (Sunday) and we are from out of town. After the employee heard that, she told us she has 2 kolaches, which weren't the prettiest and they weren't going to sell it originally. But since we made such an effort, she gave us both kolaches, on the house. ( We ended up getting the potato sausage kolaches?)

Happy sparrow cafe's service def turned my disappointment to happiness! Would definitely come back in future to support them.

Tip: show up early or call ahead...

It really pains me to write this, because the food is so good! It’s the staff that’s the problem. And I don’t just mean mere rudeness. I mean one of the staff members actually finding me on social media and verbally attacking me, cursing me out. (Another staff member also caused me a lot of personal harm, the details of which I won’t get into.) I won’t be going back to this toxic environment, a place I used to recommend to others. I’d rather eat decent food made by decent people, than extraordinary food made by such destructive people. The drinks, also, are not good, and are overpriced.

It’s a really cute location, and I love the color scheme and tiny layout. Fire the staff, hire good people the customers can trust and who handle their personal issues responsibly, improve the drinks, and you’ve got yourself a business that really sets itself apart. Until then, well, the world just doesn’t need any...