So I was extremely excited to have a very special once every 4 year, Leap Year Birthday dinner out with family on February 29th 2024, the restaurant was a hole in the wall, which I absolutely adore. I ordered the rack of lamb, and they had a bathroom that worked when needed which was excellent and had nice ambience!
Diego P.
it used to be better. me he getting old and bland. Prices are still accepts let's Thx
Joe L.
I can't remember the last time I wrote a review.. But our experience at this Cafe compelled me to share our experience.. Celebrated a special occasion at this restaurant on 3/30. Staff was nice, greeted us warmly about our occasion. However several things didn't go well from that point onwards that I believe worth mentioning. 1. First, the food was delayed.. perhaps they're short of staff? OK I said to myself, not a big deal, this is supposed to be a relaxing evening, so no big deal, we were not in such a rush. 2. We ordered bread. They didn't arrive. They apologized. 3. I ordered fillet mignon. Medium rare. The steak arrived charred, dry and medium well.. close to well done. Disappointed, they totally messed up a delicate piece of steak/product. They did offer to take it back to the kitchen, but at that point I was already annoyed and just wanted to get out of there. 4. They recognized the multiple snafus and offered to take desert off our bill (at least that's what I understood).. to my surprise none of those reflected on our bill.. Tbh, this is the least of my annoyance.. I just wanted to enjoy a nice meal for a special occasion. Cost is not an issue, but it just irked a little bit on their overall customer service and consistency. Value: I don't think we got value/service for the price we paid. Just my personal opinion? Overrated. Will I come back here again? No Will I recommend it to friends? No. To be fair I do see some excellent reviews for this restaurant which made me booked there, but I also see some disappointed customers, including my personal experience. So based on their inconsistent service and value and overall experience, I don't think I can recommend it to a friend.. So NO.
Cindy C.
best food in Santa Cruz County; five star service, charming atmosphere, great location in the quaint town ofAptos
Sean W.
While the eggs Benedict was good... I'm not sure if the price was worth it. The potatoes were good but was a very small portion. I liked the pancakes. My wife did not. She doesn't like cinnamon and for whatever reason, it had a lot of cinnamon. She usually says no cinnamon on French toast. But generally pancakes don't have cinnamon. They did take them off the bill. Every thing else was great. Very cozy atmosphere. Customer service was good.
Molly D.
If Yelp would give the opportunity to award more than 5 stars, I certainly would for Cafe Sparrow. Rarely do you find a restaurant that has been consistently good for years. Brunch, lunch or dinner. I know I'm always going to get a quality, delicious meal and friendly service. My favorite is the rack of lamb and filet mignon. Always cooked exactly the way I ordered. I also love the location...a historic building in Aptos Village. Although parking can be challenging sometimes, it's worth the visit for me. Cafe Sparrow....you continue to amaze me with how you maintain consistency. Bravo! Can't wait to return!
Kate L.
Definitely fine cuisine as the food is crazy delicious... the chefs are artists. The ambience is comforting especially for fine dining... no requirements such as a 'dinner jacket or dress'. There were no judgments when I just wore jeans nor when I dressed-up for an anniversary dinner. I've been a handful of times over the years and can't think of anything negative about my experiences.
Michael Plasterer
Never disappoints. Quite the variety of entrees for such a cozy restaurant, and everything we've had to date has been delicious. You can't go wrong with their stroganoff, and their local wines won't break the bank.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
E B
You can taste how good the individual ingredients are so that even the simplest dish is just jam packed with flavor and delicious!Dietary restrictions: They can accommodate people with Celiac and gluten free dietary needs on some of their dishes and their wonderful!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The chair I sat in was hard and uncomfortable the seat cushion was not a good fit and inadequate...the kitchen noise was disturbing...I've been a faithful customer for almost 40 years
We brought out of town friends here from Minnesota. They loved it. We had the chicken roulade, beef stroganoff, and ahi, and a side of spinach. The roulade prix frixe dinner was a good value, but could use a little more chicken in the roulade. Of two different salad dressings I've had here in the past week, both Caesar and Sparrow salad, were too sour, a lot of vinegar, and salad had too much dressing. Bread pudding was outstanding. It was overall a wonderful experience, nice servers, food was hot, wine was also very nice but a bit expensive.
Kathy
We celebrated my daughter's wedding with a nice dinner at Cafe Sparrow. The food was so good but the portions were ridiculously small. We loved the variety of side dishes but thought 4 green beans, 2 red potatoes, a tablespoon of cauliflower and no more than 10 slices of glazed carrots was a bit sad.
Meow B.
Cafe Sparrow is a must! Did you know they offer half price wine! This is mine and my best friends go to when we crave quaint delicious meals.
Nelson Olivera
A real dining experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
KarenM
We ordered the rack of lamb and they accommodated my daughter's request for scallops with her fettuccine alfredo (much appreciated). As always, the food was delish! Love the ambience and that you can hear your conversation. Will definitely be back!
So I was extremely excited to have a very special once every 4 year, Leap Year Birthday dinner out with family on February 29th 2024, the restaurant was a hole in the wall, which I absolutely adore. I ordered the rack of lamb, and they had a bathroom that worked when needed which was excellent and had nice ambience!
it used to be better. me he getting old and bland. Prices are still accepts let's Thx
I can't remember the last time I wrote a review.. But our experience at this Cafe compelled me to share our experience.. Celebrated a special occasion at this restaurant on 3/30. Staff was nice, greeted us warmly about our occasion. However several things didn't go well from that point onwards that I believe worth mentioning. 1. First, the food was delayed.. perhaps they're short of staff? OK I said to myself, not a big deal, this is supposed to be a relaxing evening, so no big deal, we were not in such a rush. 2. We ordered bread. They didn't arrive. They apologized. 3. I ordered fillet mignon. Medium rare. The steak arrived charred, dry and medium well.. close to well done. Disappointed, they totally messed up a delicate piece of steak/product. They did offer to take it back to the kitchen, but at that point I was already annoyed and just wanted to get out of there. 4. They recognized the multiple snafus and offered to take desert off our bill (at least that's what I understood).. to my surprise none of those reflected on our bill.. Tbh, this is the least of my annoyance.. I just wanted to enjoy a nice meal for a special occasion. Cost is not an issue, but it just irked a little bit on their overall customer service and consistency. Value: I don't think we got value/service for the price we paid. Just my personal opinion? Overrated. Will I come back here again? No Will I recommend it to friends? No. To be fair I do see some excellent reviews for this restaurant which made me booked there, but I also see some disappointed customers, including my personal experience. So based on their inconsistent service and value and overall experience, I don't think I can recommend it to a friend.. So NO.
best food in Santa Cruz County; five star service, charming atmosphere, great location in the quaint town ofAptos
While the eggs Benedict was good... I'm not sure if the price was worth it. The potatoes were good but was a very small portion. I liked the pancakes. My wife did not. She doesn't like cinnamon and for whatever reason, it had a lot of cinnamon. She usually says no cinnamon on French toast. But generally pancakes don't have cinnamon. They did take them off the bill. Every thing else was great. Very cozy atmosphere. Customer service was good.
If Yelp would give the opportunity to award more than 5 stars, I certainly would for Cafe Sparrow. Rarely do you find a restaurant that has been consistently good for years. Brunch, lunch or dinner. I know I'm always going to get a quality, delicious meal and friendly service. My favorite is the rack of lamb and filet mignon. Always cooked exactly the way I ordered. I also love the location...a historic building in Aptos Village. Although parking can be challenging sometimes, it's worth the visit for me. Cafe Sparrow....you continue to amaze me with how you maintain consistency. Bravo! Can't wait to return!
Definitely fine cuisine as the food is crazy delicious... the chefs are artists. The ambience is comforting especially for fine dining... no requirements such as a 'dinner jacket or dress'. There were no judgments when I just wore jeans nor when I dressed-up for an anniversary dinner. I've been a handful of times over the years and can't think of anything negative about my experiences.
Never disappoints. Quite the variety of entrees for such a cozy restaurant, and everything we've had to date has been delicious. You can't go wrong with their stroganoff, and their local wines won't break the bank.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
You can taste how good the individual ingredients are so that even the simplest dish is just jam packed with flavor and delicious!Dietary restrictions: They can accommodate people with Celiac and gluten free dietary needs on some of their dishes and their wonderful!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The chair I sat in was hard and uncomfortable the seat cushion was not a good fit and inadequate...the kitchen noise was disturbing...I've been a faithful customer for almost 40 years
Restaurantji Recommends
We brought out of town friends here from Minnesota. They loved it. We had the chicken roulade, beef stroganoff, and ahi, and a side of spinach. The roulade prix frixe dinner was a good value, but could use a little more chicken in the roulade. Of two different salad dressings I've had here in the past week, both Caesar and Sparrow salad, were too sour, a lot of vinegar, and salad had too much dressing. Bread pudding was outstanding. It was overall a wonderful experience, nice servers, food was hot, wine was also very nice but a bit expensive.
We celebrated my daughter's wedding with a nice dinner at Cafe Sparrow. The food was so good but the portions were ridiculously small. We loved the variety of side dishes but thought 4 green beans, 2 red potatoes, a tablespoon of cauliflower and no more than 10 slices of glazed carrots was a bit sad.
Cafe Sparrow is a must! Did you know they offer half price wine! This is mine and my best friends go to when we crave quaint delicious meals.
A real dining experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We ordered the rack of lamb and they accommodated my daughter's request for scallops with her fettuccine alfredo (much appreciated). As always, the food was delish! Love the ambience and that you can hear your conversation. Will definitely be back!