Head-to-Head · Las Vegas

Sparrow + Wolf vs The Black Sheep

Two off-Strip chef-owned tables: book Sparrow + Wolf for Brian Howard's wood-fire ambition, The Black Sheep for Jamie Tran's Vietnamese-American soul.

Sparrow + Wolf

Chinatown · New American wood-fire · James Beard finalist 2026 · Food 9.5 / Room 9.1 / Value 9.2

Sparrow + Wolf full review →

The Black Sheep

Southwest off-Strip · Vietnamese-American · James Beard semifinalist 2026 · Food 9.2 / Room 8.5 / Value 9.1

The Black Sheep full review →

The Verdict

Sparrow + Wolf is the more ambitious kitchen. Brian Howard left the Strip in 2017 to open his own room on Spring Mountain Road in Chinatown, and the cooking roams from wood-fired octopus with harissa to oxtail hummus, hand-rolled pasta and roasted duck with soba. Howard was named a 2026 James Beard finalist for Best Chef: Southwest, and the room scores 9.5 for food, 9.1 for the room and 9.2 for value. It is the off-Strip table that reads like a destination dinner without the tasting-menu formality.

The Black Sheep is the warmer, more personal meal. Jamie Tran, a Top Chef alum, runs a modern Vietnamese-American room in the southwest valley off the Strip, where almost everything is made from scratch: the pho dumplings, the Ham-Bao-Ger, the imperial rolls stuffed with duroc pork and shrimp, the glass noodles in gochujang. Eater named it Las Vegas Restaurant of the Year in 2017, and Tran was a 2026 James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef: Southwest. It scores 9.2 for food, 8.5 for the room and 9.1 for value.

The split is ambition versus comfort. Sparrow + Wolf is the wood-fire, globally roaming kitchen and the bigger statement; The Black Sheep is the heritage-driven neighborhood room you return to. Both are chef-owned, both are off the Strip, and both prove that the best cooking in Las Vegas left the casinos years ago.

Scores, Side by Side

Score	Sparrow + Wolf	The Black Sheep
Food	9.5 / 10	9.2 / 10
Atmosphere	9.1 / 10	8.5 / 10
Value	9.2 / 10	9.1 / 10

Which One for Which Occasion

Occasion	Editorial Pick
A creative dinner out	Sparrow + WolfBrian Howard's wood-fire menu of oxtail hummus and harissa octopus is the more adventurous kitchen.
Dinner with visiting friends	The Black SheepJamie Tran's shareable Vietnamese-American plates and pho dumplings suit a relaxed, generous group table.
A relaxed first date	The Black SheepThe warm neighborhood room and gentler pacing leave room to talk away from the crowds.
Impress a visiting client	Sparrow + WolfA James Beard finalist kitchen on Spring Mountain Road makes the stronger Chinatown statement.
Best value weeknight	The Black SheepMade-from-scratch Vietnamese-American cooking at neighborhood prices is the easy midweek call.

Price and How to Book

Both sit in the same bracket, roughly 60 to 90 dollars a head before drinks, well below Strip tasting-menu prices. Sparrow + Wolf takes reservations through OpenTable and its own site at 4480 Spring Mountain Road, and weekend tables go first; the full picture is in the Sparrow + Wolf review. The Black Sheep books through OpenTable too, and its smaller room fills fast on weekends; the detail sits in the Black Sheep review. Both anchor our Las Vegas dining guide.

For cuisine context, weigh The Black Sheep against the best Vietnamese restaurants worldwide, and for occasion fit see our picks for a first date, a birthday and to impress a client. More Las Vegas match-ups sit on the compare index, including Jaleo vs Lago.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Sparrow + Wolf or The Black Sheep?

They win on different nights. Sparrow + Wolf is the higher-scoring, more ambitious kitchen, Brian Howard's wood-fire room in Chinatown and a 2026 James Beard finalist for Best Chef: Southwest. The Black Sheep is Jamie Tran's warmer Vietnamese-American room, a 2026 semifinalist and Eater's 2017 Restaurant of the Year. Book Sparrow + Wolf for a special dinner and The Black Sheep for a relaxed one. Both feature in our Las Vegas dining guide.

Is Sparrow + Wolf or The Black Sheep more expensive?

They are close. Both run roughly 60 to 90 dollars a head before drinks, a fraction of Strip tasting-menu prices, which is why both score high on value. Sparrow + Wolf edges slightly higher once you add its wood-fire larger plates and pasta courses, while The Black Sheep stays a touch gentler with its shareable Vietnamese-American plates. Either way, both are among the best-value serious kitchens in Las Vegas.

Which is better for a group dinner in Las Vegas?

The Black Sheep. Jamie Tran's menu is built to share, from pho dumplings to imperial rolls and glass noodles, and the room handles a generous, relaxed table well. Sparrow + Wolf also works for a group, but its plates lean more composed and its Chinatown room runs busier and louder. For a celebratory group, The Black Sheep is the easier, warmer call; see more in our Las Vegas dining guide.

What should I order at Sparrow + Wolf and The Black Sheep?

At Sparrow + Wolf, follow Brian Howard's wood-fire lead through the harissa octopus, oxtail hummus, hand-rolled pasta and roasted duck with soba. At The Black Sheep, start with Jamie Tran's pho dumplings, then the Ham-Bao-Ger, the duroc-pork-and-shrimp imperial rolls and the gochujang glass noodles. Both kitchens change with the season, so ask what is best on the night.