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Sparky's All American Food
Rating Details »
Category: American (Traditional) [Edit]
Neighborhood: NoHo333 Lafayette St
New York, NY 10079
(212) 334-3035
- Nearest Transit:
-
Uptown Bleecker St-Lafayette St (6)
Downtown Bleecker St-Lafayette St (6, B, D, F, V)
Prince St (R, W)
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Lunch
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19 reviews for Sparky's All American Food
*Simple, well-executed burgers
*Kind of slow
*Unimpressive appearance
*Good place to look out the window
This place is small, utilitarian in design, and economic in decoration, but it has excellent burgers. The cheese and bread they use to construct their burgers are exceptional and the meat is very good. They have some of the best burgers I have ever tasted and their cheese fries are delicious. The location is nothing special but the peculiar choice of building gives you a very good view of the street.
Eh, I like it a lot.
The decor is plywood, the seating is insufficient. But the burgers, IMHO, are fantatstic. I thought the veggie burger was to die for and I hear the beef is good too.
Bonus: they make their coffee in a french press.
No, no, no. This is not how you make a burger. I'm not quite sure how we don't know this by now, considering it one of the only things you serve, but it's apparent that we need some help.
First. Burgers this thick need accurate "Mediumness" measuring. You can't ask me "How would you like your burger cooked?" and I say "Medium." and I get a patty, which could easily be used as replacement cartilage, if god forbid one of the discs in my spine slipped.
Two. Your fries are dry and salty. Make them moister and un-saltier.
Three. If I go to a burger stand and order a burger, small fries, and the smallest bottle of diet coke I have ever seen (I FEEL LIKE A GIANT, LOOK HOW SMALL MY DRINK IS!) I do not expect to pay 25 cents short of $10 for my meal. I understand you have to pay rent, but lord Jesus, cut some corners.
Four. Your "look how hip we are serving your food in a cardboard box, who's sides are too tall, effectively concealing fries you have just spent $9.75 on" ain't cute either.
Five. You need a hook kids. Maybe a special sauce? Perhaps a wacky animal cartoon character that talks to the kids? But your establishment has all the ambiance of a Guantanamo holding cell.
All in all, the experience was pretty good - siiiiiiiiiiiiiiike! This burger joint is busted.
The original Sparky's All American Food is in Williamsburg. It's the space that is shared with Egg, so before noon, it serves breakfast goods as Egg, and in the afternoon it turns into Sparky's All American Food, focusing on hamburgers and hot dogs. I haven't tried the original Sparky's, but the other day while on my way to Bianca, I noticed that the sliver of a space between Bleecker and Houston streets on Lafayette was occupied by the Manhattan location of Sparky's. This outlet has been open for four months, but it's in one of those spaces that's easy to miss.
Curious to see if Sparky's is good, I stopped by the next day. It's a very simple space with no dcor except for a black and white photo hanging of whom I presume is Sparky --- a loveable-looking dog. The mission of Sparky's is plainly stated on the backside of the menu: "Sparky's Mission is to provide the purest and best-tasting food at the lowest possible price. It's not easy, but we believe it is important to try." It goes on to talk about the establishment's support of local, family farms and sustainability.
I ordered a bacon cheeseburger with jalapeos, cheddar cheese fries and a soda, which in total cost me close to $15. I think they are pushing it when they tell me that this is considered low-priced organic food. Zaitzeff also boasts using organic and fresh ingredients and the prices are also not low, but I can taste and see the freshness of the ingredients. I don't at Sparky's. Other than the two kids working behind the counter telling me in a friendly but clueless manner that everything is organic, I couldn't tell much except that I felt a bit ripped off. My burger was overcooked. Though it seemed to taste fresh, I ate most of it because of the jalapeos I had added --- adding spices is always the best way to open one's appetite.
The cheese fries seemed promising. Instead of just having cheese drizzled over the fries they actually fry the cheese with the fries so that you get them all intertwined like a ball of yarn. But they were so overly greasy that after eating a third of them I was feeling rather disgusted and had to stop.
On my way out, I was curious about the bun that the burger is served on and decided to ask the two kids behind the counter what it was. Their answer was: "It comes from some bakery around here. I don't know which or what it is but it's ORGANIC." Feeling disappointed and frustrated, I left with this thought: Overkill on the organic theme and pinning up your mission on the walls is meaningless when the staff has no clue and can only regurgitate lines that I am perfectly capable of reading myself. I wonder if the original Sparky's in Williamsburg is different, because our Manhattan version is in need of a lot of help.
Sparky: You just didn't sparkle for me.
The only reason why this place is getting even two stars is becuase they support local farmers etc and the whole no-hormones, no antibiotics in the meat thing (and you now by now that this means a lot to me). I had the burger and I was sorry I did.
As already excellently expressed by Ben W., this is NOT how you make a burger. Honestly, it was like chewing a hocky puck. I have no problems paying a little extra for meat without all the additives, but it should at least be edible. (btw, the server said both the burger and chilli are fabulous - if this is what fabulous means, no way am I trying that chilli).
I'm also not quite sure what they're trying to express here in terms of ambience - a truck stop, perhaps? Who knows, but apparently they did not give decor a thought. To add insult to injury, it's freezing in there. Can't say much for service either.
A HUGE dissapointment.
For what this place claims to be, it's fucking terrible!! I get a more satisfying meal at Crown Fried Chicken.
Just tried it for lunch because it's down the street from work. I originally just wanted to stay away from this place because for being a glorified hole in the wall, their prices are kinda sucky. But after seeing someone on the bench outside with a juuiiccy reeeeddd burger, on a week that I was not having enough meat, I knew I had to try it.
I got one of their box burgers, buger + fries, medium rare. The patty was well sized, fits the right sized bun, the toppings were hidden at the top and bottom, but it was well represented....but man, upon a second inspection of the meat... THAT SHIT WAS GREY.
Sometimes I wonder if people think I am ordering medium well when I said medium rare... because my meat was only a tad bit red. After a few bites, I realized that it just tasted more like a fucking chicken burger. CHICKEN BURGER!!!!! I would never be caught dead with one. It was tasteless, the onions, the pickles, the tomatoes and lettuce did nothing.
Ugh. And the fries... it's just an oil fest. No flavor, no nothing. It's the medium type cut with skin. I had to drench that shit in ketchup to eat it.
Organic, smorganic...
On Saturday we overslept and didn't make it out into the world foraging for brunch until 4, at which point Habana, Nolita House and the other usual haunts were shuttered for dinner. Starving and cranky, we went to Sparky's over Noho Star since we figured it would be cheaper.
It's a very small place on the edge of an intersection (triangular). There were three guys working the grill and one at the register and they all seemed unfriendly, laconic, and bored. The interior is lit with bare light bulbs, the uneven tables are made of wood chips and there's not much else, but the huge windows make for excellent Saturday-afternoon people watching.
Sparky's, however, is NOT cheap. We had two chicken burgers, two Cokes (tiny glass bottle size) and a side of mac and cheese for $25. The chicken burgers were okay: I had the club (with bacon) and my BF had the original (with Sparky's sauce). They tasted all right but were really small and the buns weren't toasted. The mac and cheese, though, was really good, made with sharp cheddar and delicious (note that "really good" in this instance doesn't hold a candle to, for example, Dumont Burger's mac-n-cheese). It hit the spot because we needed to eat right that minute, and we entertained ourselves watching an NYU film school project being filmed outside, but it wasn't anything I'd return to.
Overall, generic fast food for non-generic prices; you could go to Wendy's or McDonald's on Broadway for less than half the price or go to Burgr or Stand for upscale burgers that cost the same but are much better.
Having crossed the river from Williamsburg, Sparky's has filled the triangle at Bleecker Street with love and hot dogs, feeding the masses from 8-midnight M-F, 10-midnight Sat & 10-10 Sun
The buns are from Amy's Bread -- yahoo! Cash only, folks. But don't worry - dogs start at $2.50 so you probably have enough in your pocket.
Can't speak for the meat (which seems to be getting a bad rap), but this is my choice in the EV for soy dogs. It's all about those buns that are actually bread and not emulsified franken-buns baked up in some prison kitchen somewhere...
Plus the kraut and mustard are good as are the jalapeno chesse fries. The fries sans jalapenos and cheese, though, tend to be soggier than you'd want.
Finally, the people that work here hate you. YOU specifically. At least, that's how it feels considering how truly, truly nasty they are. So if you can't deal with that, walk the extra mile to Crif.
"Eh." That's pretty much what comes to mind when I think back to yesterday's lunch at Sparky's. Nursing a hangover, the food at Bite seemed a bit too 'creative' to handle, so I went with a good 'ol hot dog next door... with white cheddar and jalapenos.
I've never really seen white cheddar clump up like that, and there were more than enough jalapenos to choke a horse. What disturbed me most, however, was the consistency of the hot dog. It was.... crunchy.
As a meat eater, I'll eat all variations of the hot dog -- kosher, non-kosher, beef, pork, turkey, you name it. None of them were this crunchy. I think the outer casing should have a *tiny* bit of give to it before your teeth sink in, but this dog took some definite effort to break into. I wonder if the "farm-raised organic" has anything to do with that?
I was thinking it was more so they could get away with charging nearly $4 for a hot dog.
This place is fun for vegetarians. They have creative veggie dog's available and their red cabbage coleslaw is really good. The only complaint I have is the soda selection. You have to buy Coke in a small glass bottle, which can be charming, I guess, but I'd rather be able to buy a can or 20 oz.
The staff can be kind of flakey, but this place is very small and its really not about the ambiance.
Check out the 2 dogs with fries special for 6 bucks.
I heartily disagree with many of the reviewers here! Perhaps they've only recently gotten their act together, but I had my first Sparky's cheeseburger and fries tonight, and it was among the best I've had... cooked just right (actually medium), juicy, nice, fresh veggies on it. It was worth the extra couple bucks over a non-natural-burger-place for piece of mind. Fries were darn good, too. I was having a carnivorous moment, and it all totally hit the spot.
I'll be back there! Already craving it... Yum.
Amendment: Went back a second time a couple weeks later, and it was nearly as good. This time the burger was cooked a little more than I asked for, but still pretty good. Since then, I've also tried BRGR (another place that does natural beef), which is pretty delicious, too.
OK, so maybe Sparky's isnt the best place to get fries and burgers but everytime I go there, I get the grilled cheese sandwhich and the tomato soup combo. It is DELICIOUS. Especially when its raining outside, and you grab a table by the window walls. There is nothing more cosy than dipping the a little too oily but nonetheless delectable sandwhich into the hot soup while chatting with your sister. Plus, this place has to get extra points for the staff members that sing along to "I will survive" on the radio
I hate being a hater, but there's nothing really worthwhile about visiting Sparky's. The food's ho-hum and the prices aren't cheap. Service is too slow for a quick grab-and-go lunch spot, too. The only positive is the location, which is so close to my office that I can't help but visit Sparky's at least once every couple weeks.
I'm just happy to be able to order a BLT and know that the bacon comes from a trustworthy non-factory-farm source. I needed a quick bite and a place to rest for a few minutes and this fit the bill. I will try it again next time I'm in the area.
Sparky's makes bad food look like a breeze.
I work around the corner and Katz's is just too far to walk for a hot dog. So the hot dogs are off the hook! Garlcy and spicy, mmm. They get their bread made by a bakery in town which is good, but I'd like it better if they could steam or toast the buns.
Fries- hit or miss. When they're good they're great. When they're bad they're a soggy lump of starch, blech. I always ask for them well done.
Staff- I've always been waited on by the same guy and he does a fine job and is always a snappy dresser.
Man, I can't believe Sparky's is getting such a bad rep. OK, so their decor looks like your middle school lunchroom, but who cares? And maybe they cook the burgers well no matter what you order, but I've never found them to be tough or chewy. In fact, given that the meat is grass-fed (read: SUPER lean), I'm pretty impressed with its tender- and tastiness. At least they season their meat, which is more than I can say for pricier burgers I've had elsewhere. Factor in the local, organic, free-range tags and I think its a pretty good deal that you can get a cheeseburger and fries for about $10. I've paid more for the same meal, minus the environmentally and socially conscious ingredients, and wasn't any more impressed. I'm not saying its the best burger I've ever had, but its flavorful, relatively cheap, and I don't feel guilty after I leave.
I just finished eating some food from here. I had the plain fries and a regular burger. The fries were competent, had just the right amount of salt on them, and seemed homemade. The burger, however, had a horrible consistency and lack of taste much like it had been freezer-burned. The well-done cooking didn't help matters. It was not juicy and was very dry. The bun was pretty good. The price was pretty high priced for what I got. Overall, the food I ate was about a 1.5, but I rounded up to two because of the grass-fed beef, organic chicken, and local ingredients. They're trying at least. I probably would not go back here, though, in an area of the city with so many better food choices.
