Sparrow - Cocktail bar in Chicago - 12 W Elm St, USA

Talk about a vibe! This is a super moody and sexy cocktail bar. My BF and I stumbled in here on a Friday night and we had a good time. The service was good and drinks better. I love the sweetheart seating for two people as well. Will return.

Great date spot. There's usually a moderate line, but they ensure every group has somewhere to sit, unlike most of the pub-y bars in the area. Good drinks and classy interior decorations.

Awesome Cuban influenced cocktail bar! Small cocktail that is curated very nice. All the drinks we had were amazing! Super beautiful cozy decor on inside. The place gets really busy and they don’t do reservations so get there early if you don’t want to wait! Best to keep your party small since the place is not big.

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 in and seated.

Had a fun time at Sparrow. Intimate and elegant cocktail bar. Highly recommend the El Diablo.

Welcoming doorman with no attitude was the perfect start….sometimes just getting in a place turns me off and makes me want to leave. Showed us several tables and let us pick which one we preferred. No table service — you have to go to the bar to order — but that was very efficient. Enormous rum selection for my husband to geek out on and my two cocktails were delicious. High on my list for returning!!

**Stars for "food" are intended to represent cocktail menu - not sure they even offered food??** I counted over 100 different rums on their menu - many from countries I wasn't even aware manufactured rum! The ones I tried were fantastic, and I loved the intimate, speak easy feel. Unfortunately, the server wasn't very attentive, and we would have to wave at her chatting with her coworkers to get her attention to get any follow up service after our initial drinks.

I love this place and I must have spent thousands of dollars there. However, last few times I’ve been there, I’ve noticed that the door lady/table manager lady is extremely rude!!! Not courteous, not polite, and so smug like she’s doing guests a favor. We didn’t feel welcome at all. She forced me and my date to the bar despite us asking for a table, and then never gave us a table despite requesting repeatedly. There were tables available though as she kept walking other people that came after us to tables. She said “People coming in now are my first priority” and simply avoided us. Like what?!?! There was also no manager on site when I asked. “Customer service” is key requirement for her job, and she simply isn’t capable. Apart from that, I’ve always loved this place.