The Black Sparrow

In general, the food at this place is pretty good. I love the fig pizza and have been here about a dozen times. Unfortunately, nearly every time I visit, it takes a lifetime to be served. On my last visit, my friend and I waited 30 min. for our server to come back after dropping off our appetizers. There were literally only 5 other people in the place. I understand not wanting to hover but to ignore us completely is unacceptable. Our refills went ignored and she never came back to ask if we wanted anything else. I’ve worked in the service industry and been a corporate trainer for servers in my past. This particular server would have been let go in a heartbeat. I will not be returning or recommending this location to colleagues ever again.

This review is solely for the food. This place has great pub food with a trendy spin (I’ve heard places like this described as a gastropub). The fish and chips ($ 12) are really excellent, if a bit non-​traditional with a seasoned (but not spicy) breading. Their skinny fries come with most entrees and sandwiches and are very good as well. My husband really enjoyed his Cuban sandwich. They have a once-​a-​month (last Sunday of the month) brunch that apparently draws lines out the door; we will definitely have to come check that out.
Know that they card at dinner time, even if you’re not drinking and, apparently, even if you’re in your 30s.

This has been one of my favorite restaurants for several years. The fig pizza alone is enough reason to go there and rate it highly. But tonight we went in, sat down at a table for 2, and were ignored, completely, for 20 minutes. No eye contact from any of the 4 waiters, no offer of water or a drink or apology for being so busy. Just total invisibility. And when we got up to leave, still no sign that any of them had seen us there. We went across the street to Red Seven and were seated, given water and drinks and served in that same 20 minute time span. In spite of also being very busy. Very disappointing about Black Sparrow.

Cool bar to hang out. Hipster vibe. Good place for a grad student. The pizza, and the burger are very good. Nice selection of beers and drinks.

We love Black Sparrow’s food and drinks BUT I am rating it as 2 stars due to the TERRIBLE service we had the last time we went. A server by the name of Ginger was horribly slow (this was not a busy night), and once our food was served we never saw her again. We literally had to go up to where the servers hang out and ask for the check. All other servers looked like they did their job perfectly and were attentive, and we have never had bad service before. Just steer clear of sitting in the section Ginger serves.

Waited 20 minutes for service at 3pm in the afternoon. Maybe 15 people in the entire establishment. Walked out. Menu looked interesting, but wasn’t going to wait all day for a fancy beer and fig pizza.

The Black Sparrow has become a regular date night spot. The food is really great and the specials are unique. My husband loves that they stock his favorite beer, most bars don’t have it.

Wow! Talk about unexpectedly good food specials and pizza from a Hipster themed bar! The service received is flawless and the bartenders remain constant so the service is consistent time after time. The food I have tasted has so far been 5 star and I want to rate the same. My only complaint is the drink prices. Our normal night out adds up due to a craft beer tab by me or a fine wine tab by my girlfriend. Most places that seem to specialize in one or the other and prices seem to sway one way or the other creating an expected bill. Wine prices here seem to follow the norm +$ 2 – 4 per glass due to the lack of a house red/​white. Sweeter wines aren’t always available which doesn’t satisfy every customer. Craft beer prices can go to the stratosphere compared to the competition. I have seen an $ 18 beer here which seems out of the question locally regardless of the size. This makes the Black Sparrow a rare date night for us instead of the local hot spot we would like it to be. It’s hard to complain though based on this being based on our preference and the fact that the entire venue is generally packed and that the higher prices deter the Purdue crowd.

Such a great spot! $ 5 beer & shot of the day. Also check the board for the special special, a fancy beer and fancy shot of whiskey perfectly paired for taste for $ 10. Can’t beat it!
The burger, the fish and chips, salads were all really good. Everyone here is really nice, and we haven’t been for a live show yet but the background music is classy and great.

The food here is alright! We had the hummus which was very tasty, but I would recommend getting the veggies instead of the bread. Nice flavor on the hummus and a layer of paprika sprinkled on top. Had the fig pizza, very intense with the blue cheese and onions, could only eat a couple slices. The Mediterranean salad is okay — a little weird with the potatoes and green beans, and the lettuce was a bit wilted but still pretty good! Came back later for delicious gin and tonics with Ransom gin. Love the drinks and cocktails here! Cool place in this town!

I still reminisce about the espresso blackberry mead I once had here.
Great dark hipster, 1850s-​meet-​punk vibe with a nice selection of rotating drafts. One of my favorite bars in the Lafayette area.

Great service!!! Loved the Bahn Mi sandwich! The cilantro and jalapeños gave the sandwich a wonderful fresh flavor and just enough slice! The side salad was a good size and the balsamic vinegar was perfect! Highly recommend! Fresh ingredients that are all homemade make this place one of my favorites in downtown Lafayette!

Ugh. This place is a «hipster dive bar» where everyone chain smokes, it takes forever to get your drink and even longer to get your bill. A lot of the time they have live music and you are forced to pay a cover to «enjoy» it. After 5 minutes in there you will leave smelling TERRIBLE, don’t go unless you LOVE cigarette smoke.

I’ve been there twice and had a generally good time both times. This place is a restaurant/​bar with a hipster vibe.
My first visit was later in the evening. They had live music playing and had cleared some of the dinner tables out of the way to make room for some dancing. It was fun! Their cocktails are pretty strong, but I’m not sure they were crafted well enough to be worth the $ 10 price tag.
For my second visit, I went with some friends for dinner. I had the fig pizza. It sounded good on the menu, but had WAY too many figs upon getting to the table. It probably would have been better with some balsamic vinegar to balance out the insane sweetness of the fig. My friend ordered a cheeseburger. It was good, but overcooked. Our waitress didn’t even ask her how she wanted it cooked.
Overall, it’s a cool place to stop by if you’re looking for somewhere new to try in Lafayette. I’d like to go back again when they have live music!

I have been here twice and while I enjoy the food, I am not sure that this would be regular hangout. We stopped in a few weeks ago and as soon as we walked in, I turned to my husband and said «this place smells like a college bar!» It smelled of stale beer and greasy food. Eww!
The menu is quite small but what they offer is fantastic. Fish and chips, pizza, burgers and bacon wrapped dates are all delicious. They definitely know how to push the envelope with the food. You will see some interesting combinations on the menu.
Prices are decent and service is OK. Like other reviewers have stated, it is a very hipster-​esque vibe and maybe even a little stuffy.

This bar usually doesn’t make it to the top of my list for places to visit, however last night a group of us stopped in for dinner. I shouldn’t have overlooked or judged The Black Sparrow before. What was just an interesting bar in my mind, is also an excellent eatery! I tried the cheeseburger with two types of onions. This was to die for. An excellent bun, flavorful toppings, and burger cooked to perfection.
After ordering, my friend (a regular) told me I had just chosen, «the best burger in town». I replied and asked why he was was holding out on me?!
5 stars on the burger. It’s great! Others at the table ordered the BLT, and a pizza. Both of which looked really good! I will return to try the goat cheese on the appetizer. I heard those are awesome too!
⁴⁄₅ on account of a slower kitchen/​staff, but in a fun environment I can look past that and still have a great time.

I’ve been to The Black Sparrow many times for work lunches, date nights, drinks with friends, etc. It’s one of my favorite spots in town.
The ambiance is a little strange and hipstery, but the menu is varied, all the food I’ve had has been really good and I’ve never experienced anything but great service.
I love the rotating beer selection. Also, the beer + shot for $ 5 deal is usually awesome.
As far as food goes, the Bahn Mi and BLT&E are my go-​to entrees, but the best thing in the place is the Bacon Wrapped Dates. Do yourself a favor and get an order of those.

Although most will go ahead and say «ooh, that hipster bar, blah blah blah» I’m gonna skip past that and get to the stuff I think sets this place apart.
What it really strikes me as, is more of a gastropub, where you can get some choice food and drink from a menu that may not be long, but is quite varied. In the past you could choose from cocktails that included egg white, and they are continually offering exciting quaffs that employ bitters and other lesser known components. Not too many bars down this way could boast that. Drink specials are not too shabby, as every day you can get a daily shot of liquor and a beer depending on the day for just $ 5. For instance, if you wander in on a Saturday, you get a double dose of lime slices with a shot of Cuervo Silver and a Corona.
I have never been disappointed by the food either, from their spicy El Diablo pizza to the tasty Bahn Mi. Also, figs on a pizza? Yes, please! Not to be forgotten, the hummus plate transforms a night out drinking to a satisfying affair.
They have hosted some local and distant bands, allowing for live music in an intimate environment, and when there is no entertainment, there’s also no loud annoying music, and no distracting flashing televisions plastering the walls, making for a nice place to chat with your mates.
Lastly, service is decent, even on nights when the place is packed. Going at an early hour will allow you to skip the standing-​room only that late night usually draws.

This is a pretty nice and hip place. Definitely a type of place that would be pretty good for a date. They mainly have pizzas, I got the Thai pizza and it was okay. The curry taste was decent for pizza but the crust wasn’t that great. At first I thought the pizza was too big for me to finish on my own but it was just fine. The bathroom door for men does not lock…

Last time that I was here the food was still very good and the service was much faster.