Sparrows Coffee, Tea and Newsstand Review

I love this place. Awesome staff and good atmosphere. This is my favorite coffee shop in Grand Rapids. Today when I went they closed for a staff meeting at noon. I guess you can't count on them being open. I will never plan to meet anyone there ever again.

Nice place, barista took the time to get to know us.

Calm and relaxed place to grab a tea or coffee. Nice selection of pastries, wide variety of tea. They have a patio and seating out front.

For a small coffee shop it has really great coffee. So if you like coffee shops check this one out

This is my favorite local coffee shop in Grand Rapids. They have a great variety of drinks and a handful of unique options that I highly recommend trying! Great spot to meet a friend or hang out and relax. Very casual environment.

Cozy warm place with excellent coffee! Atmosphere is awesome, quiet, good for working or meetings.

I love this place! It's so calming and the environment is pretty quiet. The staff is very nice. The baked goods are always fresh and the drink variety is great. Eco-friendly too!

Great study spot, almost always has good music playing. Baristas are friendly and I ve only had good drinks here. Internet works well and the food is tasty too!

Inside was very neat and good atmosphere. Ordered an iced chai tea latte that tasted like water though.

WiFi password for Sparrows Public: hamburger8

Cute coffee and tea shop! Great place to study and work. Kinda pricey drinks though.

Great spot for a quiet cup of coffee and quick bite for breakfast. One of the few places where you can find gluten free baked goods as well. We had two kinds of gluten free donuts and one gluten free pop tart. All were amazing. The girl behind the counter was very nice and helpful in our decision making process. I had plain coffee and my girlfriend had lavender honey coffee and they were both very tasty.

Great little corner spot, friendly people, a great place to start your morning with a cup.

Very relaxed atmosphere, great place to drink good coffee and read a book.

Was looking for a good coffee spot so I found this one, ignored the few bad reviews and am glad I did! Quick and friendly service. Great coffee, had the Lady Lazarus, came with latte art and an everything bagel with cream cheese! Everything was very fresh and delicious. Atmosphere is great with people happy and talking while others quietly working! Would highly recommend!! Great job baristas

Great coffee just too many hipsters to make it enjoyable.

Great little coffee shop. I love the combination of coffee and newstand, and I love all the great teas and choices of coffee. Great place to socialize, but tends to be crowded in my experiences.

Coffee was delicious and the atmosphere is great. Also a good place to pick up some long form journalism.

I like the sparrows, it s a really quaint environment and nice service.

Favorite coffee shop, delicious tea selection and awesome chai latte.

It is a cute home renovated into a coffee and tea shop. It has the cracks and creeks from the wood floors, and wall panels. Very calm and chill setting, but also can be a lively fun place. The patio outside is really pretty and I love sitting out there. The tea selection is vast and always recycling itself. I always find something new and exciting every time I visit. As of a year ago, they completely switched to MadCap Coffee, which was the best move they ever made!

Quaint spot for getting work done. Good tea selection.

The best Coffee joint in Grand Rapids. If you want to chit chat with a friend or just warm up to a cup of coffee this is the place.

I'm not going to lie, when I saw the photos online I didn't know if this place had the atmosphere I'm looking for when I go to coffee shops, but it doesn't disappoint! The front of the coffee shop is really bright with a lot of natural light, and there are two little arm chairs by the window that have become one of my favorite spots in GR. The coffee tastes great even though it's not the best in GR (I personally think Madcap has the best) even though I think the prices are a little high. This place is always very busy, but that's because it's such a great spot!

If you love a little neighborhood coffee shop with personality this is your place. Forget Starbucks and come here! It's divine and the coffee and tea specialties are much more inventive. My personal favorite is the dirty Harry - Earl gray tea, soy milk and honey. You will love it. If not, there are dozens of other creative drinks to try!

Best place in GR to go if you want to chat with friends or sit by yourself reading a book. This shop and Lantern on Commerce really set themselves above and beyond the many great coffee shops GR offers.

The selection of coffee is always excellent, and the excellent lattes made here are among the few that I've had that I actually enjoy. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, quickly developing a rapport with the patrons. (And they have excellent taste in music)

I highly recommend this place if you are looking for somewhere to hang out for a few hours. Be warned: You might end up buying 2 or 3 cups of coffee while sitting there.

Nice little coffe and tea shop in Grand Rapids. I went here with a friend to get coffee/tea before our game night with some other friends. The atomsphere here is great and the tea that I had was delicious!

Quaint shop with friendly/ inviting baristas. Reasonable prices for coffee beverages- topped with artistic style! Hipster joint.

The products are good. The staff is nice. The atmosphere is good too.
And those things are of course the most important.

But it's crowded, outlets aren't going to happen, and there aren't any cheap options.
They also close way too early and seem to have enough days closed to where you may want to check ahead if you're making a trip or planning a meeting.

If you like walking into a poetry night or another group activity, then cool. If you dont, well, they seem to have a lot of them.

Very close quarters...too close for comfort for my tastes.

Great coffee. Friendly service, Saturdays are busy, but really good.

was a wonderful place to grab a lite bfast with the boo

Such a cozy environment and everything tastes great

Very friendly, homey place with excellent coffee and a terrific vibe.

If you're looking for a cozy, hole in the wall cafe with good drinks (maybe a bit over priced, but aren't they all?), a friendly and competent staff, WiFi, and some aesthetic character, look no further. It's small, so if it's busy, finding a table can be tricky, but I've spent many hours there. Great place for a quiet conversation with a friend.

Small coffee shop. Very simple calm place. Not for gourmet coffee. A place to meet with friends just to chat.

Love stopping in at The Sparrows! I would recommend everything on their drink menu as I have tried most of it. My recommendation: Lady Lazarus.
The atmosphere is calm. Sit on the patio on the side of the building if you can.
They also sell Rise Grand Rapids vegan and gluten free pastries which is a must!

My favorite GR coffee shop. Great place either to meet friends or work. Both the atmosphere and drinks are great.

Great atmosphere, great coffee and tea! Lots of milk alternatives to choose from. I love the newsstand aspect, as there's always an interesting 'zine to choose from. Service is always friendly and quick. This place is carefully curated and a local treasure.

This coffee shop is one of my favorites in Grand Rapids (if not my favorite). Good coffee, adorable atmosphere.

Sparrows is a cozy environment where you can not only get work done, but catch up with old friends. They also happen to have some of the best coffee beverages in town, you have to try their Lavender Latte (Lady Lazarus). Staff is fantastic, and I always feel welcome.

The coffee is great and they have tons of loose leaf tea options. There is no shortage of drink options. The space is comfortable and a good place for reading. In addition there are great options for pastries! Friendly staff! You're gonna love it!

Great place. Would be 5 stars but not a lot of seating.

Excellent coffee, very quaint building and a great atmosphere for reading and quiet visiting.

sadly way over priced for what you get. I am disappointed I paid $3.50 for a tea here. I would probably no return to be honest

Top notch atmosphere only matched by the quality of the beverages. You won't find a lot of options, but what you do find is worth it.

Loved the barista and her recommendation of the lavender cappachino! Pleasantly surprised by the homemade syrup and quaint atmosphere! Can't wait to go back!:)

I love this spot. Having grown up in Europe around a rather storied and serious coffee culture, it's nice to see people here who appreciate good coffee, including the craft of its brewing. Also, as far as a work environment is concerned, things here remain pretty quiet for most of the day.

Great reading material. Only place in the world to find some of it.

I liked the vibe of this place and the coffee was good

Adorable place. Quaint. Full of character. Our barrista was wonderful. Coffee was great.

Really great drinks, awesome that they make so many ingredients, locally sourced, etc., but man, pricey.

Cappuccino was great and my wife ordered a dirty harry latte which was also very good. Nice rustic atmosphere and quite. Good place to chat or study.

Loved the jasmine pearl green tea and gluten free maple pecan donut! Yum! Shop is really cute, server was very nice and so was the atmosphere. We'll definitely be back!

My brother snagged one of the tables while my sister and I ordered coffee and donuts for all of us. I was most excited to try the pretzel-topped chocolate cake donut. All three of our coffee orders were ready within a few minutes, and we sat down with our donuts and caffeine to catch up for a few minutes before my brother and I headed back to the Windy City.

I really enjoy the atmosphere here. A great spot to sit and chat with friends or just relax and read.

Perfect coffee shop. Great drinks, excellent paper and magazine selection, friendly ambience.

Great coffee shop with a good selection of magazines and news papers!

Fantastic coffee and great atmosphere. Specialty drinks are very good.

Great place for a conversation, reading, wonderful lattes, and scrumptious bakery items.

My sister brought my brother and I to The Sparrows this past snowy Saturday morning while we visited Grand Rapids from Chicago. We were able to find street parking for free about a block or two away, and once inside, we noticed a few open tables in the back. We also spotted a ton of plants and just an overall home-y vibe. It was very pleasant, especially on such a cold and snowy April morning.

My brother snagged one of the tables while my sister and I ordered coffee and donuts for all of us. I was most excited to try the pretzel-topped chocolate cake donut. All three of our coffee orders were ready within a few minutes, and we sat down with our donuts and caffeine to catch up for a few minutes before my brother and I headed back to the Windy City.

We each split the donuts, and while the pretzel donut was less crunchy than I'd hoped (it seemed like that pretzels just got soft from sitting out), the concept of sweet and salty was still very smart. I also enjoyed the bites of the sprinkle donut as well, and loved the frosting drizzle on their donuts the most! It worked really well with the chocolate cake part of the donut.

If you're looking for a quick coffee to go, or a spot for a slow morning to work or read a book, definitely stop by The Sparrows for a comforting experience.

We noticed at the counter that there's a Wifi password, too, so if you're planning on coming here to work, don't be discouraged when you don't see an open Wifi network! There is one for patrons, and the password's up front.

One of the best parts of Eastown, The Sparrows is a cozy place to sip a handmade warm drink and catch up with an old friend. It does fill up quickly but you can always manage to find a seat.

Well made drinks. A nice quiet place to work or read.

The staff is friendly and polite. Soft vibes and very cozy with the cute little pants. My only qualm is that I wish there were more options for non-animal milk.

A friend took me here a while ago. It was really good. Good prices for good lattes. pretty clam and quiet there on Sunday mornings.

Cozy, rustic atmosphere serving up tasty coffee and tea drinks.

Service here is always quick and friendly. I don t know much about coffee, so I am always asking questions. The entire staff is very helpful and informative. I feel very welcomed and at ease when I visit The Sparrows. They have nice little outdoor seating areas out front as well as in the small alley on the side. Great place to hang out, do homework, study, read, or meet friends.

Love this place! Great community coffee shop, cozy and friendly. They have a cute outdoor seating area too.

Quick cheerful service, good coffee. The building has a somewhat rustic feel inside, and provides a cozy atmosphere for anything you might be doing. Storefront is slightly unassuming and easy to miss - another good reason to walk Eastown instead of driving.

I've been coming to the sparrows frequently over the past year. The employees are superb, the coffee and teas are both great, and it has that perfect hole-in-the-wall atmosphere. Make the Sparrows your next coffee stop!

The baristas there were very friendly, and helped me navigate their choices by asking me about what I liked. The space was very comfortable and the wifi worked. My latte was fantastic, made with care. Highly recommend!

Very warm and welcoming cafe! They have a wonderful loose leaf tea selection (they also sell in bulk), tons of coffee options, and possibly the most flavorful everything bagel I have ever had. The baristas are very knowledgeable (especially about the teas, which is a nice change of pace) and friendly. This space really shines during the Christmas season!

The baristas are always super nice and it's a great chill environment

The latte was excellent! The barista at the counter seemed very knowledgeable about all sorts of coffee and tea. The wifi was fast and reliable, and the calm atmosphere makes a a nice place to get and hour or so of work done. One downside is that all of the electrical outlets were few and they were all in the back of the shop, and it gets crowded very quickly back there.

Good lavender lemonade. Mediocre chai. Over priced coffee is the rule for these places I guess.

Great coffee, awesome ambiance and some sick playlist to accompany your morning coffee

Hipster cafe without the pretension. The baristas were genuinely friendly and made my Lady Lazarus with care and flourish. Great latte art is a hard to find. As soon as you approach the door, you know The Sparrows is going to have bohemian chic decor--there's a ladder serving as shelving for succulents and other houseplants. There's outside seating and also magazines for purchase.

The Lady Lazarus with soy milk, honey, and lavender was on the sweet side. Next time, I'll get a regular latte.