The Sparrows

The Sparrows serves up a variety of fresh, handmade continental pasta and Central and Eastern European dumplings in an unexpectedly airy space underneath a railway archway in Red Bank.

Spätzle, gnocchi, pierogi, pelmeni and more are on the menu here. Spätzle – or little sparrows – are an irregularly shaped egg pasta most often served with Emmental cheese and braised onion (on the menu here as Käse). Other sauces available include the likes of beef ragu, a basic sage butter, and guanciale.

Speck cured ham and burrata mozzarella cheese are imported and served alongside rosemary focaccia. Other authentic European flavours include pickles, sauerkraut and goulash, in this case inspired by the Tyrolean version.

Sweet treats include a sugary spätzle and a bergamot-tea infused panna cotta, or there’s a Swiss cheese board if you want to stick to savoury.

Drinks add to the vibe with a Swiss pilsner on tap alongside a more local offering from Cheetham Hill’s Green Arches Brewery. There’s wines from Italy, Austria, and Hungary, special edition vodka from Poland, various types of schnapps and a couple of house cocktails for good measure.