Sparrow's Philly Cheesesteaks

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Sparrow's Philly Cheesesteaks Sparrow's Philly Cheesesteaks is an American fast food restaurant located at 240 St Kilda Rd in St Kilda. They offer Philadelphia's most famous sandwich, featuring thinly sliced rib eye beef and melted cheese on a soft roll. Their food truck can be tracked via Facebook, Instagram or the wherethetruck app all over Melbourne. Casual attire is appropriate for this establishment that serves American (New), American (Traditional), Fast food, Food stands and Steakhouses cuisine.
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People sometimes ask me, **“Why the hell did you move to Melbourne?”**Honestly? It was basically a random Tuesday.I was ...
01/10/2026

People sometimes ask me, **“Why the hell did you move to Melbourne?”**

Honestly? It was basically a random Tuesday.

I was working in IT for Morgan Stanley in Sydney when this dude from London got transferred in. He sat next to me, and after hanging out with him once, I thought:

**“This guy is cool. He’s being transferred to Melbourne. F**k it. I’m moving to Melbourne.”** 😂

No five-year plan.
No market research.
No business strategy.
Apparently, just vibes.

Two years later, I started **Sparrow’s Philly Cheesesteaks.**

And when I look back, it’s kind of amazing. One completely random meeting can change the entire direction of your life.

Sometimes you meet people who have a profound impact on you. You might not realise it at the time, but something about them opens a door you didn't even know was there.

When that happens, **you have to go.**

So yeah… Sparrow’s exists because some random dude from London sat next to me at Morgan Stanley and happened to be cool.

**Thanks, Bobby Alexander. You accidentally started a cheesesteak shop.** 😂❤️

13 years later, here we are.

Life is weird. And fu***ng brilliant.

So this week is the 40th reunion for Strath Haven High School, near one of the many, MANY places I grew up. 🎉Small detai...
28/09/2026

So this week is the 40th reunion for Strath Haven High School, near one of the many, MANY places I grew up. 🎉
Small detail: I never went there.
Still got an invite though. Fair enough, I thought, clerical error, happens to the best of us.
Then I'm scrolling through old photos and find this one: the day my daughter was born. One of the biggest moments of my life. And what am I wearing? A Strath Haven t-shirt. 🤔
So now I have questions. Did I go there? Was I there in spirit? Have I been an undercover alumnus this whole time? At this point the evidence is stacking up against me.
Maybe you don't choose your high school. Maybe your high school chooses you. 🙌
Here's to Strath Haven's 40th, from your most dedicated non-graduate, cheering you on from the other side of the world. Save me a seat at the back!!!

🎶 **THE SPARROW’S JUKEBOX IS COMING… AND THIS COULD GET OUT OF HAND.** 🎶We’ve been talking about what tunes are going in...
27/09/2026

🎶 **THE SPARROW’S JUKEBOX IS COMING… AND THIS COULD GET OUT OF HAND.** 🎶

We’ve been talking about what tunes are going into the new Sparrow’s jukebox.

Obviously there will be the classics. **David Bowie. AC/DC.** The stuff that should legally be required to exist in every jukebox.

BUT…

Everyone involved in this new project is slightly — okay, **very** — mental about music.

So I have a feeling this jukebox is going to be less “greatest hits” and more **“Who the hell put THIS on?”**

And I’m absolutely here for it.

There better be some **Minneapolis goodness** in there. The Replacements. Hüsker Dü. Prince. Soul Asylum. The whole beautiful, slightly dysfunctional Minneapolis musical universe.

And yes, **Fishbone will be there.** Obviously. 😂

This isn’t going to be one of those jukeboxes where you put $2 in and get six songs that sound like they were selected for an elevator ride!

This is going to be a **Sparrow’s jukebox.**

A little Philly.
A little Minneapolis.
A little New York.
A little punk.
A little rock ’n’ roll.
A little WTF.

Basically, **if you can’t p**s off at least three people with the song selection, we haven’t done our job properly.**

More importantly… **what the hell should we put on it?** ??🍻

24/09/2026

S**t we look young!!

🚨 **ATTENTION, AFL BROTHERS & SISTERS!** 🚨In an unprecedented display of respect for the sports-obsessed community we li...
24/09/2026

🚨 **ATTENTION, AFL BROTHERS & SISTERS!** 🚨

In an unprecedented display of respect for the sports-obsessed community we live in, **Sparrow’s Philly Cheesesteaks will NOT be open tomorrow, Friday September 25th.**

That’s right. We are voluntarily surrendering our Friday to the AFL gods. 🏉😂

We could pretend it’s because we have important things to do… but let’s be honest — when an entire city is collectively obsessed with footy, sometimes you just have to **respect the chaos.**

So go forth, barrack, argue with your mates, question the umpire’s ancestry, and enjoy the AFL.

We’ll be back **Saturday**, ready to return to the important business of cheesesteaks, chicken, catfish and generally keeping Melbourne properly fed. 🇺🇸🍻

**Sparrow’s will be closed Friday.
Back Saturday as usual.**

Because we may be from Philadelphia…

…but after 13 years in Melbourne, **we know better than to stand between Australians and their footy.** 😂🏉

**See you Saturday, Brothers & Sisters!** ❤️🦅

There was something magical about growing up in and around Philadelphia in the 1970s.It was a city where Mayor Frank Riz...
23/09/2026

There was something magical about growing up in and around Philadelphia in the 1970s.

It was a city where Mayor Frank Rizzo was basically running City Hall like it was the back room at a South Philly social club, our sports teams were absolutely insane, and apparently nobody had ever heard the phrase “please remain calm.” 😂

The Flyers won the Stanley Cup and the parade looked less like a celebration and more like Philadelphia had temporarily lost control of itself.

And honestly… that’s the Philadelphia I remember.

Loud. Rough around the edges. Proud. A little dysfunctional. A lot of fun. And absolutely impossible to forget.

That’s the spirit we try to keep alive at Sparrow’s Philly Cheesesteaks.

We’re not trying to recreate some sanitized, postcard version of Philadelphia.

We’re proper. Not “authentic.”

Proper means you know where you came from, you respect the food, you respect the people, and you understand that sometimes the best stories happen when things get a little chaotic.

I left Philadelphia a long time ago, but I never really left it behind.

A little piece of that beautiful, messed-up city came with me to Melbourne. ❤️

And judging by this photo…

Philadelphia has been causing trouble for a very long time.

Go Birds. 🦅
Go Flyers. 🏒
And God help anyone standing between a Philadelphian and a cheesesteak. 🥩

Sparrow’s Philly Cheesesteaks — Proper. Not Authentic.

🇺🇸 HELL NO. 😂I’ve been asked a few times if I would ever give up my American citizenship.The answer is simple: "Hell. No...
18/09/2026

🇺🇸 HELL NO. 😂

I’ve been asked a few times if I would ever give up my American citizenship.

The answer is simple: "Hell. No."

I left the States years ago. It took me about 45 years of wandering around to finally find the city that feels like home — Melbourne — and the perfect place to build Sparrow’s Philly Cheesesteaks.

But there’s one little connection to the old country I’m not giving up…

I still get to vote. 🇺🇸🗳️

So I may live on the other side of the planet, eat Vegemite ( just kidding - still hate the mite), complain about Melbourne weather and call this place home…

…but I’m still an American.

A Philadelphia kid living in Melbourne, Australia, running a little cheesesteak joint and somehow still participating in American democracy from approximately 10,000 miles away. 😂

It’s a pretty good life.

I found the best city on the planet. I found Sparrow’s. And I’m keeping my US passport.

You can take the American out of Philadelphia…

but apparently you can’t take the Philadelphia out of the American. 🇺🇸❤️🇦🇺
.....geno 🦅🥩

Has Radiohead become the modern-day Grateful Dead? 😂I mean, seriously… filling stadiums with thousands of rabid fans, pe...
13/09/2026

Has Radiohead become the modern-day Grateful Dead? 😂

I mean, seriously… filling stadiums with thousands of rabid fans, people planning their lives around seeing the band, analysing every song like it contains the meaning of life…

Meanwhile, Fishbone has been doing basically the same thing for years — except in tiny venues, sweaty rooms, and places where you can practically high-five Angelo Moore of Fishbone! Sexiest front man of all time! Love me some Angelo Moore!😂

And now I have a problem.

Sparrow’s Philly Cheesesteaks is getting a jukebox.

I can already hear the complaints:

“WHERE’S RADIOHEAD?!”

“THIS JUKEBOX IS A DISGRACE!”

“I’M NEVER EATING HERE AGAIN!”

Boycott threats. Angry letters. Possibly a hunger strike.

So, yes, Radiohead will probably have to be on there.

BUT FISHBONE WILL DEFINITELY BE THERE. 🐟🔥

Because if we’re going to fill Sparrow’s with music, it should have a little bit of everything — stadium legends, dive-bar heroes, weird s**t, loud s**t, old s**t, new s**t…

And maybe a few songs that make you ask:

“Who the hell put this on?”

That’s when you know the jukebox is working properly.

Sparrow’s Philly Cheesesteaks — Proper food. Improper jukebox decisions. 🎸🥩🐟
,

🎸 Last night at Shotkickers, I accidentally went back to Philadelphia…Last night I went out to Shotkickers to see some l...
06/09/2026

🎸 Last night at Shotkickers, I accidentally went back to Philadelphia…

Last night I went out to Shotkickers to see some live bands, and somewhere between the music, the crowd and the smell of b**r, I swear I was transported straight back to Philadelphia in the 1980s.

Suddenly I was standing outside the TLA on South Street, or the Kyber Pass, waiting to see who was playing that night. I could practically hear WMMR rattling off the list of shows coming up that weekend:

"Tonight… this band. Friday… that band. Saturday… something you’ve probably never heard of but will definitely pretend you have." 😂

But then I looked around…

And nearly everyone was my age.

I thought, Wait a minute… where the hell are the kids?! 😂

Apparently we've reached the age where going to see live music is no longer something you do before your knees start hurting. It's something you do despite your knees hurting.

And honestly, it was fantastic.

It reminded me of something I love about Sparrow's Philly Cheesesteaks. It’s for all ages. Young, old, Philly-born, Philly-curious, punk, rockers, families, weirdos, nostalgics… basically anyone who appreciates good food, good music and a good story.

Last night at Shotkickers felt like a little piece of the old Philadelphia I remember.

The funny part is, I went out expecting to see a bunch of young people discovering live music.

Instead, I found a room full of people my age proving that we never stopped.

We just need to sit down a little more often. 😂

Philadelphia in the '80s may be gone… but apparently the soundtrack is still playing.

And somewhere, I’m sure, WMMR is still rattling off the weekend shows.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go find my old TLA ticket stubs and some Bengay. 😂🎸

😂 40 YEARS?!?Today is Father’s Day here in Australia, and somehow I’ve been getting invitations to my old kindergarten c...
05/09/2026

😂 40 YEARS?!?

Today is Father’s Day here in Australia, and somehow I’ve been getting invitations to my old kindergarten class reunion just outside Philadelphia. They’re celebrating their 40th High School Reunion.

There’s just one small problem…

I didn’t actually make it all the way through high school with them. 😂

I eventually finished high school in Center City Philadelphia… barely. Let’s just say my academic career was less “Hall of Fame” and more “Thank God they finally let me graduate.” 🤣

But looking at this old photo today really got me thinking. I may not have made it to that graduation with these kids, but I’ve stayed friends with many of my old classmates for decades.

And honestly, that’s what Sparrow’s Philly Cheesesteaks is all about.

The food is important. The cheesesteaks are important. The memories are important.

But relationships are the point. The people you meet, the people who stick around, the people you somehow manage to stay connected with for 40 years—even when you can barely remember what you were doing in kindergarten. 😂

That’s what makes a place special. Relationships for life.

So to all my Australian dads today:

Happy Father’s Day! ❤️

You are loved, appreciated and probably slightly more tired than you were yesterday. 😂

And to my old Philadelphia classmates…

Sorry I couldn’t make the 40th reunion. I was busy barely graduating.

Some things never change. ❤️🇺🇸🇦🇺🦅

Happy Father’s Day from Sparrow’s!

There’s something strangely depressing about looking at old photos of Melbourne.You see a photo from 1985 and think, *“W...
30/08/2026

There’s something strangely depressing about looking at old photos of Melbourne.

You see a photo from 1985 and think, *“Wow… that was a long time ago.”* And then it hits you…

**I WAS ALIVE IN 1985. 😂**

Not only was I alive — I was college age! I wasn’t some little kid looking at the future. I was out there actually living my life, completely unaware that one day 1985 would look like ancient history.

Melbourne has changed so much since then. Streets, buildings, shops, neighborhoods… entire pieces of the city have disappeared or transformed. And somehow, the years just keep piling up.

And, of course, **Sparrow’s Philly Cheesesteaks didn’t even exist in Melbourne back then.** Hell, the idea of me ending up here, making cheesesteaks, would have sounded completely ridiculous.

But here we are.

I’ve been doing this for **13 years now**, which is pretty damn hard to believe. Thirteen years of cheesesteaks, food trucks, restaurants, late nights, early mornings, crazy customers, incredible people, disasters, laughs, and somehow still showing up the next day.

And honestly?

I’m hoping to get **at least another 13 years** out of this.

Because if there’s one thing getting older has taught me, it’s that the years go by whether you’re ready for them or not.

So I might as well spend the next 13 making some damn good memories. ❤️

And maybe someday, someone will look at a photo of Melbourne from 2026 and say…

**“Wow. That was a long time ago.”**

And I’ll be somewhere thinking…

**“Yeah. I was there too.”**

It’s been a really tough week.It feels like our heroes are starting to leave us. Dolly Parton, Tim Curry and so many oth...
27/08/2026

It’s been a really tough week.

It feels like our heroes are starting to leave us. Dolly Parton, Tim Curry and so many others who shaped the soundtrack, movies and culture of our lives. It’s hard not to feel like we’re losing pieces of our past one by one.

The 70s, 80s and 90s were my favourite decades. And what I loved most was that each one felt completely different from the one before it. Different music. Different clothes. Different attitudes. Different everything.

For some reason, 2000 until now just feels like one long decade to me. 😂

For me, South Street in Philadelphia was my jam. Especially in the 70s and 80s. I spent countless hours at Zipperhead, staring at punk rock T-shirts and soaking up the whole scene. I’d grab a steak at Jim’s, wander around South Street and dream.

Dream about music. Dream about life. Dream about what I might do someday.

And somewhere in all those walks down South Street, I started dreaming about opening my own joint.

I obviously had no idea that joint would eventually be in Melbourne, Australia. 🇦🇺

The TLA on South Street playing the Rocky Horror Picture Show on Saturday nights, Zipperhead, Jim’s, the weirdness, the music, the characters… that whole world made an impression on me that never really went away.

Maybe that’s why losing people like Tim Curry hits a little harder. They weren’t just actors or musicians or celebrities. They were part of the landscape of our lives.

The people and places that helped make us who we became.

I’m incredibly lucky that after all these years, I get to stand behind a counter in Melbourne and make a living doing something that started as a crazy dream while wandering around South Street.

Funny how life works.

You spend your youth dreaming about the future… only to realize later that you’ve been carrying your past with you the whole time.

Here’s to South Street.
Here’s to Zipperhead.
Here’s to Jim’s.
Here’s to the TLA.
Here’s to Rocky Horror.
And here’s to all the weird, wonderful peo

Meet the Hoagie — steak, onion, lettuce, tomato, Kewpie mayo and American cheese. The one that does it all.
19/08/2026

Meet the Hoagie — steak, onion, lettuce, tomato, Kewpie mayo and American cheese. The one that does it all.

There’s something about this time of year that always makes me feel… strange.I’ll go about my days, and then I realize w...
18/08/2026

There’s something about this time of year that always makes me feel… strange.

I’ll go about my days, and then I realize we’re approaching September 11th again. This year marks 25 years since 9/11. Twenty-five years. Somehow that number doesn’t seem possible.

On that morning, the building where I worked at the World Financial Center was destroyed. Like so many people, I watched something happen that I never could have imagined—and suddenly the world felt like a very different place.

But for me, September 11th is also about Peter Sapienza.

Peter is a firefighter and a friend of mine. His image was used for the TV show The Bravest, and the people he worked alongside weren’t just coworkers. They were his brothers.

Peter happened to be on vacation that day, but his firehouse in Alphabet City lost many of those brothers. I know that September 11th is something Peter carries with him every single day. There are wounds that don’t necessarily show, and some memories never really become memories—they remain part of you.

I think about that a lot.

Peter is also one of those people who, despite everything he has experienced, continues to give encouragement and kindness to others. He’s a fan of Sparrow’s Philly Cheesesteaks and, from 10,000 miles away, he still manages to send me encouragement and remind me to keep going.

I love the man.

And I feel incredibly blessed to have someone like Peter in my corner.

So as September 11th approaches, I’m not thinking only about buildings or airplanes or headlines. I’m thinking about people. The people who were lost. The families who were changed forever. The firefighters and first responders who ran toward the danger. And the people who survived but have carried that day with them for 25 years.

We remember.

And we keep going. Friends and Family are all we have!

❤️

This is where it all starts. Grade A steak, hot flat top, nothing else needed.
17/08/2026

This is where it all starts. Grade A steak, hot flat top, nothing else needed.

Have you ever heard someone talk and, for whatever reason, the sound of their voice, the way they carry themselves, and ...
16/08/2026

Have you ever heard someone talk and, for whatever reason, the sound of their voice, the way they carry themselves, and the things they say suddenly make you look at the world a little differently?

That happened to me reading Mursal Saiq’s thoughts on the word “authentic” when it comes to food.

And suddenly I understood exactly why, at Sparrow’s Philly Cheesesteaks, we say:

PROPER. NOT AUTHENTIC.

Because here’s the thing… who the f**k gets to decide what “authentic” is?

We make our cheesesteaks the way most proper cheesesteak joints in Philly actually make them. Nothing fancy. Nothing reinvented. No culinary gymnastics. No deconstructed onions served on a fu***ng slate.

Just a proper Philly cheesesteak.

We’re not claiming to be the sole guardians of some sacred cheesesteak tradition handed down from Benjamin Franklin himself.

We’re saying: this is how we like our steaks, and this is how a lot of Philly likes them too.

So thank you, Mursal Saiq, for putting into words something we’ve been saying for years.

Proper. Not Authentic.

And as for Gordon Ramsay…

Well…

F**K GORDON RAMSAY. 😂

He can keep his authenticity.

We’ll keep making proper steaks. 🥩🧀🥖

**kGordonRamsay

13/08/2026

The dream. No further questions.

****The Journey Continues Namba Mizu Shobai Years****30 years ago, I was living in Osaka, Japan, working in the Mizu Sho...
13/08/2026

****The Journey Continues Namba Mizu Shobai Years****

30 years ago, I was living in Osaka, Japan, working in the Mizu Shobai — “The Water Business.” Let’s just say it was a different time, and apparently I was doing some serious market research. 😂

Eventually, I made my way back to Philadelphia with a dream: start a brew pub with an old friend. That plan didn’t quite make it to the finish line, but I landed at Dock Street Brewpub, and those years back in Philly gave me something I didn’t know I needed — fuel for the dream.

The dream of Sparrow’s Philly Cheesesteaks.

So I deferred the dream. I didn’t abandon it.

And now… the next chapter is taking shape FAST. 👀🔥

The photo below is me in Osaka during one of my heavier nights. Judging by the look on my face, I was either solving the cheesesteak crisis of the future or trying to remember where I left my shoes. 😂

One thing I learned in Osaka: Osaka is like Philly. It’s proper.

Different language. Different food. Same attitude.

And apparently, I’ve been preparing for this cheesesteak journey for 30 years.

Sparrow’s is coming. 🥩🧀🔥

11/08/2026

When hospitality's in your soul, it doesn't really feel like a job 🖤

In our Monday flow state💛🖤
10/08/2026

In our Monday flow state💛🖤

Address


To get to Gertrude Street in Melbourne by public transport, take the tram (Route 86) and get off at stop number 18. If you prefer to drive, there are several paid parking options available on Gertrude Street and nearby streets.

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What people say

Sparrow's Philly Cheesesteaks is a must-visit for anyone who loves American cuisine. This new American restaurant offers an authentic taste of Philadelphia with their world-famous sizzled beef, onion and cheese sandwich, also known as the cheesesteak. The balance of flavors and textures in their cheesesteaks is truly impressive, and the "drip" factor is just right.

What sets Sparrow's Philly Cheesesteaks apart from other restaurants is their commitment to using high-quality ingredients and traditional preparation methods. They use thinly sliced sautéed rib eye beef and melted cheese, with American and provolone being the cheese of choice. Other toppings like fried onions, sautéed mushrooms, ketchup, hot or sweet peppers are also available.

Whether you visit their restaurant at 240 St Kilda Rd in St Kilda or find their food truck all over Melbourne through Facebook, Instagram or the wherethetruck app, you're guaranteed to have a delicious meal that will transport you straight to Philadelphia. Don't miss out on this unique dining experience!