Sparro Ristorante

Nice place, decent food, not sure about the consistency. I came with a larger group for a fixed meal. We arrived just slightly late, getting us the table with a view of the waterfall off of Fairy Lake. That was a win.
Our first serving was an antipasto platter, with cheese, olives and a variety of meats. The prosciutto was very nice, sweet, salty and buttery. Next up was a pasta course with Penne alla Vodka, perfectly al dente, with a fairly nicely balanced sauce.
For the main, I chose the salmon filet, still moist and tender but if they had left it in the pan or under the heat lamps for any longer, it would not have been edible. There were a few green beans on the side, a bit overcooked. For $ 22.95, it was in no way worthy of the price. I would set it at $ 15.95 to be realistic.
Others in my party had the Veal Scallopini (not sure if thats what is was called, but thats essentially what is was). They were not so impressed with the lake of tomato sauce obscuring the meat. The chicken with mushrooms was fairly good, but I couldn’t identify the sauce as being scratch made. But for 22.95 we are into seafood pricing.
Looking at the prices, I would compare Sparro to Al Casale, which is better, and more quaint. Both are going after the higher end diner, and I would eat again at either when I needed a fix of Italian, and someone else was footing the bill. Be particular about the service and quality you are expecting and hold them to your standards. At this level, there is no excuse for poor food or service. Its not the Italian way!

I’ve been here for lunch and dinner and both times left quite satisfied. All of the sauces are made from scratch and you can taste the difference compared to the chain Italian restaurants. The penne a la vodka is an absolute must have! It’s one of those dishes that will keep me coming back. Bruschetta and antipasto platters are also lovely. Steer clear of the disappointing crème brûlée.
The atmosphere is really nice, with a view of the small waterfall and especially nice in winter with all of the Christmas trees lit up outside.
My one complaint (aside from the crème brûlée) is that both times it took forever to get our bill. The service is pretty good other than that and the staff seem to take pride in their work.

Very lovely location and nice atmosphere. The waitress who served us was very knowledgeable and helpful. Visited for a girls night out at the beginning of the summer and maybe I just ordered wrong, I chose to try the margherita pizza– when everyone else’s dishes came out steaming hot and smelling beautiful (tasting amazing too I was told) mine was over cooked. Totally willing to try this place again as friends rave about it! Will be more creative next time I order!

Went for lunch with a friend on a Tuesday and sat on the patio overlooking the water, very pretty. Service was very good, wasn’t very busy. The calamari were excellent and the portion size generous, as were all of the appetizers. We didn’t drink any alcohol, so that kept the bill reasonable. Would go there again for Caprese Salad and Calamari and a good chat with a friend!

Went to Sparro last night with my family for the first time. We had an excellent meal in all. Very modern and crisp environment. Staff was very attentive and knowledgeable in recommending some very good wines. I was really impressed at the prices. Very reasonable.
We had appetizers that could have served as a meal. Our main courses were plentiful and delicious. Many of us were unable to finish and took them home. Great Italian food, excellent prices, can’t ask for much more. Definitely going back.

My wife and I had a lovely evening here this evening. Appetizers and wine. Shared platter of meats and cheeses was delicious and the calamari was excellent as well. Finished with the risotto balls. All terrific. Nice ambiance and décor. Great view of the stream outside the window. Any problems with this restaurant will be solved with more customers. Saturday night and only 3 or 4 tables full. Come on Newmarket lets support these folks. A great restaurant that will only get better with some more customers. If we don’t support them they will be gone.

Had a celebration dinner at this restaurant this evening. The food was delicious and the wine was fabulous! Great service and atmosphere– very authentic. We will be back!

Really disappointed in our experience last night. We specifically told our server that we did not like our appetizer (which would explain why we barely touched it) but they charged us for it anyways. We did express our disappointment but still they didn’t offer to comp our app. It doesn’t take much to turn an unhappy customer around… we ended up going over to cachet for a delicious meal.
To make matters worse, this was our 2^nd disappointing experience. The food we’ve tried is a ¹⁄₅ at best.

Just had dinner (if you could call it that) at sparro restaurant in Newmarket. Worst experience ever. Took us over 3 hours to get our dinner. Manager was there but you wouldn’t know it. He totally did not care that our group was unhappy and was very argumentative when we tried to explain that our service was horrible. Do yourself a favor and open a can of chef boyarde if you are feeling like Italian food.

Yup, this is definitely a 5 star in my books.
I’m going to write the long winded version of my experience because I do think this restaurant deserves more than the two/​three star ratings it’s received.
I came here around 7pm on a Thursday evening — place wasn’t too full at all so seating wasn’t an issue. My girlfriend and I were situated beside the window with the view of Fairy Lake falls and some of the River Walk Commons area. It wasn’t hard on the eyes. I got up and started to wonder for the restroom and before I got too far, a server approached me and directed me without my asking to the restroom. I saw she had a glass of water in her hands… that was my water! So prompt and on par already.
I really liked the chairs at this restaurant. I know that might be an odd thing to comment on but for someone who has a poor back, these chairs really hugged me. I was comfortable the entire time. I did not readjust or walk around once.
When Stacey our server came back, she recommended a wine to us that was actually really good. She explained the flavour and notes and did a great job of it too. Not pretentious what so ever. She suggested a few meals which the wine would go well with. When I asked about substituting one sauce for another on the pasta, she said it likely wasn’t a problem but she’d check with the kitchen staff first.
We ordered the bruschetta to share and an entre of penne alla vodka each. My friend is veg so they had no problem substituting the pancetta for another seasonal veggie. The bruschetta was phenomenal. I loved that they added a presto drizzle because it really brought out and added to the flavours. The baguette had the perfect crunch too; it didn’t shred the roof of my mouth with every bite. The penne alla vodka was out of this world! I had an unreal vodka sauce at a wedding and have been scared to try it ever since in fear of ruining the flavour memory I had… I’m actually really happy I haven’t sampled elsewhere because Sparro nailed it on the head! I think if I had tried it another time, I would shy away from ordering here so I’m thankful I didn’t! The pasta sauce was so freaking good! My picture does no justice. The pasta was cooked just to my liking and the pancetta bits were large and in charge — so many pieces! I was definitely a happy camper and so was my date. «I could lick this plate!» Her exact words. And we did lick the plate.
The desserts looked good but we didn’t order them. There was a very slow turn around for the bill. That was my only gripe. Everything else in the meal was fantastic, except the finale. Stacey was still pleasant but I think because we were the last ones in there, maybe she forgot about us while doing other closing duties. I will forgive Sparro for this since the pasta did require some digestion time.
By the time I got home, I did have a tiny bit of heart burn but it was worth it. 5 stars with no ragrets.

We went on a saturday night. This was our first visit and likely last. The ravioli portion was dismall, the ‘special’ was double the cost of all the other entrees.
The service was terrible, obviously too little staff and likely inexperienced.
The food came out hot, however took very long to prepare.

My wife and I had our first visit to Sparro Ristorante. I can guarantee, it won’t be our last! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The atmosphere is classy. Love the bar!
The staff was friendly and attentive. The food was wonderful! Portions were very generous and reasonably priced. We started with bruschetta and caesar salad. Mains were Penne alla Vodka & Linguine alla Pescatora.
See you again soon!

This was my first time at Sparro. We had ravioli and veal and both were excellent! The meal service was fast. The wait staff were very friendly but seem to be run off their feet. Some additional experienced wait staff would be a good addition to help out. It would be nice if they offered some complimentary bread with olive oil and balsamic to start, since the portion size left us slightly hungry. The view of the river and falls is fabulous on one side on the restaurant. The other side where we were seated was not great. For some reason they put up a half wall which blocks the great view and makes you feel like you are separated in a hallway where all the wait staff walk back and forth. Overall, I liked Sparro, but with a few changes, I would love it!

Went on a Friday night. The place is a bit sparse so it echoed. Service was attentive. There was a large group that evening and our server made sure we were served promptly. We chose to have pizza as an appetizer. It was very good with a nice thin crust. We also had the caprese salad. The cheese was great however a little balsamic vinegar would be nice. Our table had 2 different mains. One was the veal and it was good as was the vegetables. The ravioli lacked sauce and it was very bland. Had to add some chili oil. I was really hoping to taste their tomato sauce. I always find that the tomato sauce will give an indication of the quality of the kitchen. We did not have any dessert. Will have to try this restaurant again when it is more established.

Had lunch here today, I had the Caesar salad and the ravioli. The portion size was very good, the food itself was delicious. The atmosphere is nice has a great view of the waterfall. Will definitely be coming back.