Cafe Sparrow is a tiny and adorable spot in Astoria with a cozy atmosphere, especially with all the Halloween decor, which I really appreciated. The server was very sweet and accommodating when we made adjustments to our order.
However, I was disappointed to find out that the cafe is under new ownership. It used to be a fully halal restaurant, but now they sell pork, and I was informed that it’s not kept separately from the chicken and beef items. This was a big letdown as we were specifically looking for a halal brunch option.
Since it was their grand reopening week, half the menu wasn’t available, which limited our choices. Unfortunately, the food we did try was mediocre at best. My latte was watery, and although I ordered vanilla flavor, I could barely taste it. My mom had the karak chai, which should be a strong, spiced black tea, but it just tasted like overly sweetened warm milk with very little spice. You could even see how light it was in color, which isn't typical for karak.
Service was a bit slow, and it took a while to receive our full order. My mom's simit sandwich was disappointing: the simit was stale, the tomatoes were soggy, and the cheese was flavorless. The egg that came with it was undercooked, with parts of it still clear and runny. I ordered the chicken sandwich but substituted the chicken with egg, and unfortunately, it was still incredibly overpriced at $17. For that price, I expected more than just cheap white bread with a few chunks of avocado, strong red onions, and scrambled egg. The chips served on the side were straight out of a bag and vinegar-flavored, which I didn’t enjoy.
The only saving grace was the Turkish delight, which had good flavor but was dry and clearly not fresh, likely sitting out for days.
Overall, while the ambiance was cute and the server kind, the food and service didn’t live up to expectations, especially given the changes in the menu. I probably wouldn’t return, especially if you’re specifically looking for halal options.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Clarisse Roux
Great service and nice small coffee shop but very disappointing almond matcha latte. Crumbly, no taste, no color and watery. It maybe due to the quality of the matcha.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Patrick Loughran
We just stumbled across this place as we were looking for a cafe. The owner is amazing , very friendly and food is great. Stop in and try something !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Turkish Coffee and Turkish Delight
R. Khan
Great decore, great coffee served with a smile and wonderful attitude
Ordered a vanilla latte.. got what I can best describe as hot water ??
Leti Ramirez
Turkish coffee was lovely, staff was lovely
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Sea WA
Cute spot, love the decor, Kat made a spot on latte - my new neighborhood coffee for sure! ✨
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joseph Breed
The best Turkish coffee I've had in New York. The tea and Turkish delight were also great, and the owner was very friendly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tae Hyun Lee
Not sure what all these people are talking about, but this place is terrible. Coffee was clearly nothing special and was watered down. Food was appalling. $13 for a platter with a turkish bagel, some swish cheese, a quarter of tomato, a quarter cucumber and two slices of avocado…. What on earth do people eat that they think this place is good? Also the gandhi bagel uses sabra store bought hummus…. Really??
Lovely iced capuccino, beautiful and tasty pastry from different countries. Nice service and Cousy atmosphere… nothing else one can ask from a cafe ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nicholas Carey
I recently tried Cafe Sparrow for the first time. Tremendous coffee and fantastic baklava. Easily the best 30th Avenue cafe to sit and chill on the weekend.
Cafe Sparrow is a tiny and adorable spot in Astoria with a cozy atmosphere, especially with all the Halloween decor, which I really appreciated. The server was very sweet and accommodating when we made
adjustments to our order.
However, I was disappointed to find out that the cafe is under new ownership. It used to be a fully halal restaurant, but now they sell pork, and I was informed that it’s not kept separately from the
chicken and beef items. This was a big letdown as we were specifically looking for a halal brunch option.
Since it was their grand reopening week, half the menu wasn’t available, which limited our choices. Unfortunately, the food we did try was mediocre at best. My latte was watery, and although I ordered vanilla flavor, I could barely taste it. My mom had the karak chai, which should be a strong, spiced black tea, but it just tasted like
overly sweetened warm milk with very little spice. You could even see how light it was in color, which isn't typical for karak.
Service was a bit slow, and it took a while to receive our full order. My mom's simit sandwich was disappointing: the simit was stale, the tomatoes were soggy, and the cheese was flavorless. The egg that came
with it was undercooked, with parts of it still clear and runny. I
ordered the chicken sandwich but substituted the chicken with egg, and unfortunately, it was still incredibly overpriced at $17. For that price, I expected more than just cheap white bread with a few chunks of avocado, strong red onions, and scrambled egg. The chips served on the side were straight out of a bag and vinegar-flavored, which I didn’t enjoy.
The only saving grace was the Turkish delight, which had good flavor but was dry and clearly not fresh, likely sitting out for days.
Overall, while the ambiance was cute and the server kind, the food and service didn’t live up to expectations, especially given the changes in the menu. I probably wouldn’t return, especially if you’re specifically looking for halal options.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Great service and nice small coffee shop but very disappointing almond matcha latte.
Crumbly, no taste, no color and watery. It maybe due to the quality of the matcha.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
We just stumbled across this place as we were looking for a cafe. The owner is amazing , very friendly and food is great. Stop in and try something !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Turkish Coffee and Turkish Delight
Great decore, great coffee served with a smile and wonderful attitude
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Avocado Toast, Turkish Coffee and Turkish Delight, Turkey, Lemonade
Ordered a vanilla latte.. got what I can best describe as hot water ??
Turkish coffee was lovely, staff was lovely
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Cute spot, love the decor, Kat made a spot on latte - my new neighborhood coffee for sure! ✨
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The best Turkish coffee I've had in New York. The tea and Turkish delight were also great, and the owner was very friendly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Not sure what all these people are talking about, but this place is terrible. Coffee was clearly nothing special and was watered down. Food was appalling. $13 for a platter with a turkish bagel, some swish cheese, a quarter of tomato, a quarter cucumber and two slices of avocado…. What on earth do people eat that they think this place is good? Also the gandhi bagel uses sabra store bought hummus…. Really??
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Best coffee best toast best staff
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
The best in Astoria ♥️
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cute Turkish cafe. Friendliest barista! Outdoor seating available.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
lovely quiet small place friendly staff, everything made fresh coffee n food are delicious
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Avocado Toast, Coffee & Pistachio Baklava, Drip Coffee
Lovely iced capuccino, beautiful and tasty pastry from different countries. Nice service and Cousy atmosphere… nothing else one can ask from a cafe ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I recently tried Cafe Sparrow for the first time. Tremendous coffee and fantastic baklava. Easily the best 30th Avenue cafe to sit and chill on the weekend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Coffee & Pistachio Baklava, Che-To
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