Sparrow’s Philly Cheesesteaks

Gotta love it! Great Philly cheesesteaks and good craft beer on tap. Prices are fairly cheap for the area.

What could be better than an authentic Philly Cheesesteak paired with some of the best beer around at the best bar in Melbourne? I’d say nothing. Sparrow’s is located inside the Catfish Bar (best bar in Melbourne in case you were wondering) on Gertrude St. in Fitzroy. It is like a food truck, only inside the bar. You have to go through the Catfish to get to it, but you may want to stop along the way and order a beer to go with your cheesesteak anyway.
The cheesesteaks are good. Really good. I love the peppersteak with Jalapeños and the Korean with Kimchi is amazing. The fries are worth getting too. These are not the starch bomb «chips» that you will find in most places, no these are proper thin, crispy, delicious french fries. Get ‘em smothered in cheese and top it off with some Sriracha for an extra kick. The prices are right and it is probably the only place you can get American style chilli. Some Fritos with the Chilli and some wiz on the cheese steak would make things slightly better, but it is pretty amazing as it is.

The Pizza Cheesesteak with extra cheese and sriracha is a winner. Thank you Kevin Bacon for your amazing food

Brilliant qui and easy either dinner or lunch don’t put too much chilly sauce on
Try the try the onion rings they’re amazing Sammy does a great job

My partner is a native of Philadelphia and the City of Brotherly Love is our second home. So, we were naturally very excited to discover this place. The Philly Cheesesteaks are pretty faithful to their native counterparts, with authentic soft bread rolls, provolone, and the melt in your mouth tender steak. The only drawback is the noise level. Fine, if a lively atmosphere is your thing, however, being able to hear conversations from patrons three tables away as they shout at one another will leave your ears ringing. Go for the great cheesesteaks, but take earplugs. You’ll need them.

I’m so excited that I finally got to cram one of Sparrow’s Philly Cheesesteaks creations into my mouth. Doubly excited that they have an entire wall devoted hot sauces and condiments for said creations. Triply excited that, despite their name sake, there are vegetarian options on the menu. But just because it’s vegetarian, it makes no pretense that it’s healthy. That fried tofu sandwich comes topped with vegetarian chilli and gooey, guilty-​pleasure American cheese. Plus the option to have it all seated on top of a big pile of fries.
You can save money for more beer at the Catfish bar on Mondays, when the cheesesteaks are only $ 8 or $ 10 with fries. Order and pick-​up at the back hatch. Then add a little heat with things like the chipotle bbq sauce and tomatillo & jalapeño, or just play it safe and stick with the basic tomato sauce & yellow mustard. There is no way you’re walking out hungry after one of these.

I was born and raised in Philadelphia. I don’t live in Melbourne, but am through on business now. This is a rare case in which the claim to a proper Philly steak is accurate. I ordered the classic steak with onions and american cheese, totally delicious. Make sure you get it hot off the grill for the proper experience.
Sammy and crew are also totally cool people. Well done gents!

I’m from Pennsylvania and lived in Philly for 4 years. These cheesesteaks are LEGIT. Awesome rolls and meat and PROVOLONE CHEESE! Hell yeah. Absolutely delicious and as close to home as it gets. I ate two in one night the first time I went here. Highly recommended, and they’re open late which is a huge plus. The Catfish would be a great new bar even if it didn’t have cheesesteaks, but the food pushes it way over the edge. Damn now I want a cheesesteak and it’s not even 10 am!