WILMINGTON—The Hungry Sparrow has landed in Castle Street’s growing local food community.
Customers can expect authentic, Latin-Carribean meals for under $10. With local ingredients and handmade meals, the new restaurant is already adding more seats to accommodate customers.
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“It’s total madness,” the restaurant’s owner, Ryan Khan said. When Khan opened the Hungry Sparrow’s doors earlier this month, he thought he’d have to recruit pedestrians on Castle Street. “I literally thought we’d be so bored.”
Khan and his wife, Dr. Zulfia Subanbaeva, bought 701 Castle Street in 2014. “I worked in Manhattan – I was an IT guy – but I fell in love with food,” Khan said.
By the time couple decided to open up shop at the Castle Street corner shop, the street’s landscape had changed.
“The neighborhood was a little bit different and it’s changed dramatically this last year,” Khan said.
Infusing both parents’ influence into his cooking, Khan concocted both Puerto Rican and West Indian options. The restaurant’s biggest hits so far include chicken curry and beef empanadas.
“Every time you take a bite of an empanada and you see those tiny pieces, understand somebody hand cut those,” Khan said.
Khan cooks with ingredients picked up two miles away at the Country Fresh Produce farmers market and said everything on the menu is handmade.
The restaurant will soon offer beer after its permit is approved, Khan said, and is currently making room for four added tables and 16 seats.
Open every day from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m., all menu options are under $10. Check out Hungry Sparrow’s website for more information.
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