The Sparrows

Consistently coming here for years. Great staff, customers and atmosphere. I recommend the Lady Lazarus latte.

Trendy, yet it doesn’t radiate that pretenious additude most high-​end coffee houses do. Very friendly baristas. Great places for great feels.

The staff is pleasant and drinks are above average. I appreciate the perfect level of sweetness in the «Papa Toe» (an almond coconut mocha) because such a delight has definite potential for overkill. Well done. Would definitely return.

After a few more tries, I’m happy to say The Sparrows has really grown on me.
Recently I tried their matcha soy latte with honey and was simply blown away! Beautifully crafted with an artistic design finish in my cup. The drink was delicious and energizing. A new favorite.
If you can snag one of their front window tables, do so. It’s the perfect place to spend an hour catching up with friends or watching the action go by. Wi-fi’s available if you need to get some work done but be sure to plan ahead because this coffee shop fills up quickly.

My favorite coffee shop in Grand Rapids for aesthetics and pastries. Service yummy Madcap and Heart coffees. The staff was really nice and helpful, even on busy Easter.
Very laidback, eclectic vibe. Much prefer over actual Madcap.
The periodical selection was also amazing. They have some GREAT magazines that are hard to find elsewhere.

Have had tons of great coffee dates at this place. Hang out with friends play a game, meet someone new, hang out in the side yard weather permitting lovely place good selection of coffee and tea.

Delicious coffee. Friendly staff. Great atmosphere. I got the hazelnut latte and it was delicious. It is definitely a great place for coffee dates or studying, not to mention it’s not overly priced like some other coffee shops I have been to.

Love this place! The staff is super nice, and the décor is super artsy and always changing. I love coming in on Sunday mornings to get coffee and finish work. The Major Major is one of my favorites, as well as the delicious hot chocolate!

Found this place because of Unilocal,and really enjoyed it. Met a friend from out of town here, and was surprised how crowded it was on a Tuesday morning, granted it was around the holidays so maybe no one was working.
There were a lot of people studying and on laptops. We met to catch up, and I thought it was a great space. When we were leaving, people were waiting for our table.
Coffee is a little pricey, but also very good. You get what you pay for, so it’s to be expected. I had a vanilla latte and it was very yummy. My friend had a chocolate scone and enjoyed it. Would go back and recommend!

I always get their Americana. The café has had seating every time I’ve been in, and there’s easy street parking within just a few blocks of Sparrows. Great prices, beautiful mugs and dishes, and they have a unique selection of independent magazines to purchase. If you’re trying to get some work done, you’ll be very productive here. I also have stopped in before just to pick up some of the buttons that they sell from a Michigan vendor.

Wanted to find a chill coffee spot in GR (which shouldn’t have been hard) but everything was closed for some reason, then we found THE SPARROWS, and made it just in time, and even though they were about to close as well, the staff was nice enough to keep the doors open for us to sit and enjoy our well done lattes until we were finished. The menu has tons of drink combos with hilarious names, making ordering your next drink a blast with friends, then enjoy your drink in a very spacious antique seating area or take them outside to the secret patio. Plus another cool idea they’ve implemented as well is to sell some underground/​not well know magazines to boost the local arts/​music scene. Check out The Sparrows when you have some time to kill and want a good spot to read a book/​magazine and enjoy some delicious drinks.

The Sparrow is a lovely little coffee/​tea shop nestled into Wealthy Street’s little restaurants and shops. They’ve lots of tables and a cozy atmosphere, verging on hipster. This place is ideal for conversation or studying.
Their back wall is lined with tea options, and I chose to go simple with a green tea. I was not aware that it was unsweetened as iced green tea is usually sweet, but the flavor was great and I didn’t mind.
I also tried a scone that the barista guessed was perhaps apple, and it was the perfect consistency, I’d get one again for sure, and try their croissants too!
They’ve magazines for purchase lining the walls, and wifi if you need it. Lovely spot, I’d definitely come back.

My husband and I were in the area and really wanted to check out a new coffee house and we found The Sparrows. What a wonderful place. The atmosphere is relaxing and the customer service was great. I ordered the Honey Lavender Latte on ice. It was delish! Definitely will be back — and recommend you to visit.

my friend and i wanted to get a little bit of work done on our west coast vacation so we stopped in at sparrows to grab a coffe and do it. it was a great decision! we both loved being here. the atmosphere was perfect — cozy with non-​intrusive music. She had a tea latte and i had a lavender latte and both were super good. i loved that my latte wasn’t too sweet, as can happen sometimes when i depart from my usual americano.
i loved that they had a bunch of magazines too. we wanted to browse for something to grab to read on the ride back, but didn’t quite have time to. the selection looked awesome though. the people working here were mostly nice, some more friendly than others. if i’m in this area again, whether i just want a coffee or want to hunker down and spend some time, i will definitely be stopping in again!

I always love visiting high quality local coffee shops when I’m traveling. This little gem has a wonderful atmosphere, friendly staff, wifi, great drinks and is in a beautiful part of town.
I’m a sucker for great quality beverages, and the cappuccino I ordered was fantastic. My barista was knowledgable and shared my passion for good drinks. My brother and I are both baristas, so we’re a bit picky about our coffee and tea drinks. He had a delicious mocha with a nice blend of espresso, milk and what tasted like a semi sweet milk chocolate.
Definitely a great place to stop if your in Grand Rapids! The atmosphere is great for study, meeting, social gatherings, creative work, and relaxing. I can’t wait to stop by again the next time I’m in town.

Overview: 3.5 stars — but Unilocal won’t let us give half stars! Go here if you happen to be in the area
Typically in my reviews, I give a star for each of these categories (Service, Food, Drink, Ambiance, Parking) and then add up to rate my experience at a particular business.
Service — nice barista
Food — didn’t order any food but the coffee was good! Nothing really stuck out at me but I think that had to do with the beans. The barista did pull a good shot but the beans must have been a little sub par compared to the rest of my coffee experience at other places. I didn’t take a picture.
Drink selection — for artisan coffee shops, less is more! Just enough selection without all the frilly drinks.
Ambiance/​Cleanliness — this category doesn’t score much on my scale. There are always people sitting on the porch either sweeping or smoking. So not only you can’t sit outside but even the two chairs by the window are right behind the porch so you can’t sit there either without feeling awkward that people are staring at you. The rest of the place is pretty dark, not as airy and well lit as other places I have visited. I must give it to them that they are one of the few decent coffee shops that is open late!!!
Parking — street parking but what in GR isn’t?
Not hard to find a parking spot close by. Much better parking compared to Madcap.

I spent a lot of my young years sitting here drinking Major Majors and tea while reading various magazines. This is one of those places that you can have a deep conversation with a friend or dive into a book. I’ve had a few first dates here conversing about the various teas and the cups that flip over to brew the tea.
I love this place. When you’re sick, they have a full tea bar, and you can choose one from over 50+ teas to make you feel better. It is the only tea bar that I am aware of in GR. Their lattes are always beautiful pieces of art that are always as tasty as they look. I believe they use madcap coffee, which is a great local roast. They have a great variety of different drinks including Italian Soda!
When you’re here make sure you have a good friend and a great conversation ready. You’ll be back again for more.

This coffee shop is so cute! I completely agree with the «comfortable and spacious» comments. I really enjoyed coming here and being able to find a table– there are plenty of them! They even have a few seats at the counter. The seating in the front windows are the best!
The crowd during the day were hipster-​y students on their laptops studying and working on projects. I sat down to write wedding thank-​you cards, and found the shop to be welcoming and not too loud! I felt like this place was a little less pretentious than some of the other local GR coffee shops (like Mad Cap & Rowsters).
Not wanting to order coffee (crazy, I know!)…I had already had a few cups that day, so I ordered a green tea bubble tea with strawberry coconut tapioca. I really like bubble tea with round tapioca usually, but the tapioca in this drink was in chunks that looked like gems… it was a bit weird. I’m assuming it was house-​made tapioca, but I did not like the texture– it was not chewy like tapioca pearls, but more like a soft gel candy. I did enjoy the strawberry coconut flavor, but the tapioca was a bit sweet! The green tea was very good, and I’m glad that I did not have it sweetened since the tapioca was already so sweet!
Next time I visit the Sparrows, I will try a coffee drink and avoid the tapioca.

Spent a couple of days working here and had a grand ol’ time! It’s comfortable and spacious, they’ve got great fair-​trade coffee, plenty o’tea, a super nice staff, and reliable wi-​fi. Oh and they’re open late. Which is a plus in my book when it comes to coffee shops. Yes, my kind of joint! The front is SO cute and, while it was too cold to park outside during my last visit, I am quite positive the outdoor seating would be delightful here in the warmer months.
Hungry? It’s cool. They’ve got you covered with a few bites including some baked goods from one of my GR faves Field and Fire. Need something to read while you enjoy a pastry and a latte? They’ve got that taken care of too. In addition to the coffee shop vibe they also fancy themselves a «newsstand» which means they have a smattering of publications available along the wall for purchase. The selection is also quite interesting, from titles I recognized to some international magazines and such that I’d never heard of before but looked interesting.
OH! And they have a «drink of the day» (or is it week? I can’t remember) and when I was there it was a lavender latte. If they have it again you MUST try it. It’s fantastic. I believe they make their own syrup for it. It’s really excellent.

I was lured here by the promise of «newstand», and found the establishment slightly lacking in that department, but it was such a great and amazing business, it totally made up for the small periodical selection. I thought this place was tops!
It’s a coffee shop with a rack on the wall featuring some magazines, zines and local publications, collections of prose and poetry. There were, I would estimate, 20 titles offered. And great stuff, too! Mental Floss, Bust, Wax Poetics, etc, but a limited selection nonetheless. I suppose I should make a disclaimer: When people say that, it’s sometimes because they didn’t have what they were looking for. In this case, I was found a couple of things, but I think, my concern was that it is called a «newstand», and by those standards, the selection was kind of small, yet, at the same time, fitting to the location. Small, but very good, if that helps?
As for the coffee portion of the shop, they had a good selection of coffee drinks, as well as tea and bottled sodas and juices — stuff like Jones Soda, and other high-​quality drinks. They had some exciting pastry options — I tried an apple pastry that mixed perfectly with the coffee and the magazine and really hit the spot on a cold day. The décor is very cool — a perfect bohemian coffee spot, a place to get a cup and relax with a good tome and get lost in your thoughts. It’s in a homey building full of wood fixtures and charm. If I lived here, this would be a regular hang-​out for sure.