Sparky's was previously a simple greasy spoon. No shade, I crave that stuff sometimes, but it is what it is. However, the amazing Mexican grocery store next door bought Sparky's and added Mexican fare to the menu! Juevos (eggs) Mexicana, Juevos rancheros, chilaquiles, Gorditas, tacos with your choice of protein (like barbacoa, carne asada, al pastor and more), and that is just breakfast! While we've had better in Texas, this is still the best Mexican breakfast in Traverse City. They own both of the TC Taquerias as well, which we also like. The egg and barbacoa breakfast tacos were our favs. However, the carne asada in the Gordita (choice of protein for these too), was a little dried out. Not inedible, but reheated too many times or for too long. Beans and rice were very good, always a good sign. I had horchata, a simple rice based NA beverage, and was very pleased with it. If you're craving a Mexican breakfast in TC, this is your best bet. read more

Sparky's Diner - Interior - American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

The best chilaquiles and huevos rancheros I've had in Michigan!! Staff were very friendly and attentive, prices were reasonable, portion sizes were huge!!. Will definitely be back the next time we are in Traverse City. read more

Sparky's Diner - Chilaquiles with half green sauce and half red sauce, eggs over easy. - American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

So good we couldn't finish it all. Definitely will be back to dine in... place an order I think it's the best around in the area. read more

Sparky's Diner - Barbacoa Burrito combo. So good - American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Best Mexican food anywhere in Northern Michigan! The staff is wonderful too!!! Excellent for breakfast lunch dinner whatever is my home place to go. read more

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Great diner! Solid Mexican food for breakfast, great prices and super nice wait staff. Hands down, one of the better diners in the TC area. I almost don't want to put my review out there, because then I'll never be able to get into this place without having to wait forever. read more

My family and I stumbled upon this local gem. We all ate the Mexican food on the menu and we were impressed with the authentic Mexican food. Despite only one waitress for the whole restaurant, she served us well and timely. This place is a great value and it ended up as the cheapest place we ate all week. read more

Sparky's Diner - Steak tacos - American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

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Some of the best Mex brex I've ever had! (And I've had a lot throughout the US and Mexico). Great service too! Migas were amazing! read more

We went here twice during our visit to Traverse City. Both times I had the breakfast burrito with chorizo and Joe had chilaquiles with eggs over medium, green sauce. The food was served hot and delicious. One star off for weak coffee and on the second visit I was served a regular burrito with lettuce and what looked like mayo? - not breakfast as ordered at 9:00 am. But we will definitely come back the next time we're in town. read more

I love their carne asada taco. Sooo good. Friendly no-frills service and reasonable prices. read more

Sparky's Diner - Lengua taco - American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

I've been coming here for years but I haven't shared my experience. Went to breakfast just now and it is truly the best in TC. My criteria for rating in order is: 1. Quality food 2. Super friendly staff 3. Good value 4. Spotlessly clean restaurant 5. Cleanest restroom in all of TC! (What a concept!) This place has it all. Bravo to the owners who are getting it right! I will tell everyone I know. read more

Sparky's Diner - The 222 breakfast. Yum! - American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

This place is such a hidden gem! They have the most delicious and reasonably priced breakfast but also an expansive Mexican menu. I got two chorizo tacos, a barbacoa taco with a side of rice and beans. They make homemade taco sauces too. Sooo delicious! read more

Sparky's Diner - 2 Chorizo, one barbacoa - American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

food - the food was pretty good for as small as the diner is, but i also paid 2.99 for onion rings and it only came with five overcooked ones, so not very good for the price service - my server was extremely nice and she made sure we were well taken care of ambiance - the diner is cute, i love the decorations and the seating. booths and tables both look very nice. the floor was a bit dirty though but they were also very busy when i got there. bathrooms were very clean and they had a cute little mirror above the sink in the shape of michigan. would definitely recommend to others read more

The Mexican is some of the best around. Crazy that it's also a solid dinner. Love it!

First time at Sparky's. Good food. Had double cheeseburgers. Nice service. Seems to be known for breakfast and Mexican cuisine. Large portions it seems. I'll come again. read more

First time here and very slow service. Food was just fine, standard diner fare. I'd probably try it again, but might try someplace else next time in TC. read more

I love Sparky's, and their Mexican food is authentic - they are now owned by the Latino market next door. I'm stuck on their street tacos and love the carne asada version. It get's busy around noon so go a bit early to avoid a wait. read more

Not sure if there is new ownership or not but we came here about 6 months ago and had a totally different vibe with the restaurant and food. Last time it was your mediocre diner food but this time was horrible atmosphere, inadequate service, and food was bland and not anything like we remember. Do not recommend coming here and unsure of why it's always packed when we drive by. read more

Staff is the best. The omelette I had was subpar but their scrambled eggs, hash browns, and cinnamon rolls are all good. Solid diner food!!

Standard diner grub. Good for what it was. Seated quickly, fast service, friendly staff. Nothing too exciting tho.

The food here is great, my family and I have been ordering takeout since the pandemic started. The drive thru window is currently closed, and I'm currently suffering a severe ankle injury leaving me on crutches. I called ahead and asked if someone could run my food out for me and was passed to the manager, when I asked the manager if they could run my food out the manager asked how I was planning on paying for my food before having an opportunity to tell her why I needed the food ran out. I walked in to pay and my Apple Pay didn't work (shocker, my wallet is at home) and the manager told me she would've run it out to me. Being polite I didn't comment on that, I went back outside to search for my wallet. After not finding it I called to see if she could take my card number down (CashApp gives you your card info on the app) and she told me she couldn't because she didn't know if it was actually my card, to which I lost my cool and said f*** you you guys just want my money why won't u work with me. Now knowing I'm going to hear it from my future fiancé I went to show the manager my name on my card because I'm not trying to commit fraud while buying breakfast and didn't appreciate the assumption, to which miscommunication must have occurred because she came out with a POS to show me she couldn't even type in the card number. Why she couldn't tell me that over the phone I have no idea. I've never had issues here, and I've been having a really not ok past few weeks and today was supposed to be a good day starting out with a good breakfast but this manager really was too caught up with work treating me like a loser customer from the start and just wasn't able to help a hungry crippled man get some food. I called to speak to the owner to which the manager said she would not allow me to speak to the owner or give them my number for a formal complaint so I'm here on yelp. Still hungry. read more

Restaurant and bathroom were very clean, staff was polite and super attentive. Food was bad - omelette was bad, toast and pancakes were cold, pancakes were spongey. Maple syrup was totally watered down. Biscuits and gravy were also bad, sausage had good flavor but hardly any in it and the biscuit was very stale. Pictures online did not match what we got. read more

We had the cherry chicken salad sandwich on sourdough bread (I chose the bread) for the first time. The portions were very generous and the flavor was great. The staff was very friendly and the place was clean as a whistle. I typically come here for breakfast but they sold me on their lunch menu too. Everything is reasonably priced. I will come back again for lunch. read more

Food 3/5 Service 5/5. So I came in there at 5:30 and I wanted breakfast unfortunately they stop serving breakfast at three the Manager is watching the server talk to me the server tells me they don't offer breakfast this late I was kind of sad the manager saw that I was kind of sad and she said no don't worry about it will make you breakfast we're good I thought that was really cool so food wasn't the greatest but it was good. read more

Sparky's Diner - American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

The Menudo was awesome, best I had since living in Texas!! Every time I have been in here, the servers have been nice, and the place very clean!! read more

On our way to the mall and happened to spot Sparkys Diner. Stopped in for a quick breakfast. They have several really good breakfast specials for under. $4.00. Waitress was very friendly and service was exceptional. Tried French toast, hubby had eggs bacon & toast. Food was all pretty good. Decor is retro, with musical decor. Vinyl records everywhere. Will definitely return. read more

Sparky's Diner - French toast & hash browns - American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Found this spot when I was craving a hot turkey sandwich. It's your typical diner with a big menu. Hits the spot!

Food was good. Service was awful. They didn't appear short staffed or busy, waitress just didn't care. When we got there, she spent the first 10 minutes talking to a coworker behind the cash register and didn't even acknowledge us. When we got our food, she said the kitchen ran out of pepper jack. No big deal. On the bill, it shows she added green pepper. Honest mistake, but she decided to lie to us. Then come check on us once. Too many breakfast places in TC. We won't be returning. read more

Well my husband and I stopped by this morning to have breakfast and I decided to get brave and wear a Trump 2020 hat. Instantly we were noticed and not in a good way. Glares and stares and whispered comments (yes we could hear them) from all the staff including the cook who my husband said "if looks could kill you would be dead". He had already ordered some coffee so we watched and listened until the waitress, who I assumed drew the short straw, delivered his coffee. Never having been profiled or treated with prejudice before it was an eye opening experience. I suggest if you do go to this diner try to "pass" as a Democrat and you will probably do just fine. We got up without ordering any food, I put a twenty dollar bill under his half drank coffee cup, and we left. read more

Seriously the best food and kindest staff I've ever seen. I downloaded Yelp to specifically write this review, so make sure you don't pass it up! read more

Fantastic diner. While I've only been in person once, they have DoorDash and that got me through lockdown. Great portions, good, hearty food and very reasonably priced. An awesome spot for a real diner breakfast. Looking forward to dining in for Sunday breakfast soon. read more

"Holy Don's RIP OFF Batman!!" - Cheeseburger L.'s review of Sparky's cries, angrily! Alright. Hold on a minute. Let's all sit down and think about this for just a minute, okay? As I stated in my previous review, the owner's/people who run Sparky's worked at Don's, were former employees, left Don's with the intention of making a place that was going to serve similar food. They weren't ripping it off, if anything they were making a new location for Don's fans to frequent. It's upsetting to me to read a review that so casually spits in the face of a restaurant that is trying really hard to make a good name for itself. I say again. I enjoyed Sparky's, and HONESTLY I would go there versus Don's if I were in the right mood. They both strike my fancy, it just depends on how I'm feeling, you know? So make sure you pop in and form your own opinion. I'm not sure who you'll "side" with, but at least you'll be able to have faith in your decision. =) read more

I've been here twice in one week. And yes, I'm proud to admit it. Why? I've been in town for several days (I grew up here in TC and currently live in Chicago), and really really needed a shake. Went through the drive through and for some reason I ordered a chocolate malt (I'd never had one before.. crazy, I know!). Anyway I digress. Malt was delicious (and not just because it was my first one) and service was quick and great. I went back today, ordered another malt (just as delicious) and a chili dog. I'm glad I didn't intend on eating it in my car - it was HUGE. And yummy. I'm now on a quest to beat Sparky's malts, and I kinda hope I don't find a better one! read more

This place was surprisingly delicious and inexpensive. For literally $6.50 plus tip my wife and I were stuffed thanks to their daily specials that include the "222" which is $3.49 for 2 eggs, 2 bacon or other meat and 2 pancakes (perfect batter). Not to mention, the service was quick and extremely friendly. I'm not up in traverse city too much, but I'd definitely recommend it for a simple, delicious breakfast. read more

Sparky's Diner - Corner booth, breakfast specials above the kitchen. - American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Great breakfast special, very affordable, lunch is great and affordable as well. Servers are always friendly and on top of everything! Traverse City's best kept secret! Kinda! read more

Sparky's Diner - I know this is a casual diner but was disappointed in their pretreated farm raised shrimp from China for $9.99 - American Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

This is our go to place for breakfast in TC. Great food cooked fresh and large portions. Sausage and hash browns are excellent. Love looking at all the old album covers too! read more

Pretty tight seating and it can feel congested when things are busy. I thought the food was pretty good, I'll definitely be back eventually but I'd like to try some other menu options before I truly make up my mind. read more

If you want a simple, well-made, tasty meal done quickly, this is it. I had breakfast - the hashbrowns were done just right, the sausages weren't those itty-bitty 'shoestring' things but big and tasty, and the eggs were perfect. Busier than anything, yet I got a great breakfast - my mistake was that I didn't get an offer for a juice (oh well, it didn't mean I didn't tip). Definitely going back! read more

We stopped on a whim while passing through Traverse City. We were not disappointed. Excellent biscuits and gravy, fast and friendly.

So we've been here many times before but not since Covid, the service was not very good, wait staff with masks around their necks, not on their face, people cooking with no masks and to top it off the food was lousy, runny eggs, barely cooked hash browns, no coffee refills and attitude when asked for a refill, don't know what happened since last time we were here? read more

Went on Labor Day. After being seated and ordering we were told the kitchen was backed up. We made the mistake of waiting over an hour for mediocre food. read more