Wurstküche Restaurant Venice Beach — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Had an absolutely horrible experience at Wurstküche in Venice Beach and will no longer visit this or their DTLA location. As a party of nine, with our guests arriving between 6:30-7:00 pm, we noticed multiple tables had reserved signs with varying times (some for 7pm, others for 8pm) and took the only available area for our group - a cluster of three small tables, each comfortably seating 3 guests. A few minutes before 8 pm, after our group had just ordered a round of beers and more fries, we were told we needed to move as the area was reserved. Absolutely none of our tables had any type of signage, nor were we warned that guests had reserved the space.

We were celebrating my brothers 35th birthday and were dismayed by the abrupt end to our dining experience. So when I asked one of the men working the eating area what was going on, boldly, Justin (6ft, long hair, manager?) says, “we let your group know.” If any member of the Wurstküche team had let us know (while ordering additional drinks OR while ordering additional food OR while putting up reservation signs at other tables) that our tables were reserved we would not have ordered more food and drinks. When I asked who he spoke to, he said there were too many people in our group to be able to pinpoint who he spoke to (translation, he didn’t speak to anyone). At this point, any room in the dining room was either occupied by other guests, or reserved. He then offers the patio, which was also completely occupied. So there we were, a party of nine, basically asked to leave, because the manager didn’t properly inform his guests of a prior reservation. Now, all of this could have been forgiven as a simple “my bad” to a restaurant my brothers and I love... except for the fact that Justin was completely unprofessional.

1- when Justin and I were walking to our table, he aggressively says to me “Ma’am you don’t have to shove me.” One: we were in a crowded space - maybe, MAYBE our arms grazed, two: he’s 6ft, I’m almost 5’3 - really? What in the world would shoving accomplish? Gaslighting, much?

2- mistakes happen. Justin failed to let anyone in our party know about a prior reservation. Other workers failed to let us know. You accept responsibility and you make reasonable accommodations for paying guests that find themselves suddenly put out. What you don’t do is put the burden on your guests to ASSUME that because neighboring tables have reserved signs, that the tables they are occupying are also reserved. You most certainly don’t allow them to continue buying additional food/drinks knowing the space they are occupying will soon be unavailable.

3rd - you do not unnecessarily escalate a situation. In a further attempt to absolve himself from fault, Justin tried escalating the situation. To make himself feel better? To ensure there was a bad guy in the situation? Not sure to what end - but sorry bud, wrong girl.

Needless to say, we left our unfinished drinks and fries and left. Why stay? There was a simple solution - “hey guys, finish your drinks and food because this area is reserved.” Cool, we would have obliged. Instead, we dealt with someone who was aggressive, condescending, and unprofessional. What a disappointment.

Lastly, this location is not complaint with Bathroom Accessible in Every...

Summary: Some great sausages. Awesome fries. Great beer selection. Parking is available on streets intersecting Lincoln. Great quality. Pretty good value, though you'll likely need a couple of sausages plus fries to get full if you eat a decent amount normally.

I got to finally visit my first Wurstkuche on a Wednesday evening with my wife and three friends. She and I found parking on Vernon Ave, not far from the corner. The Wurstkuche building is kind of discrete, so don't expect a large sign declaring its presence. After walking inside the first door (the South door along Lincoln), we found two friends had already arrived and were eating at one of the tables. We had entered in the dining room door, so they told us to go back out and go one more door down.

The next door was open and there was a small line formed right next to a display case of raw sausages and a number of beer taps. We were greeted by a guy that asked if this was our first time. We said it was and he gave us the full rundown of the menu in a nice concise, but sufficiently detailed manner. After learning how everything worked he made sure to emphasize that we could try the beers before we decided, so not to feel nervous for asking. It was very helpful.

We each selected a sausage to start. My wife got the Louisiana Hot Link and I got the Santa Fe Jack Cheese & Jalapeño Peppers. We then selected our two toppings, got an order of truffle fries (since people seem to rave about them on Yelp) and a bunch of dipping sauces, then each tried a couple of beers before selecting. I got the Aventinus Eisbock, which is amazing if you like a strong flavored Belgian ale. Our total came out to $40ish before tax and tip. Not bad.

We then made our way to the left, through the maze hallway that lead to the dining room where we re-found our friends that had already been seated. The dining room is dark with a comfortable decor. It's a mix of contemporary and homey, IMO. Soon our sausages and fries were delivered, and we began eating.

There were 5 or 6 different types of mustard to use with the sausages. I tried a few and enjoyed the Dijon and spicy mustard most. While my turkey sausage was good, my wife's Hot Link was better. Great flavor, a good size, lightly spicy, and excellently textured. Mine just didn't have the same flavor impact.

The fries were fantastic. I think they were a highlight of the meal. Incredible texture, super toasty, well seasoned, and enhanced by the various dipping sauces we selected. All of the food went very well with the beers, too. The whole meal just worked. One of my friends got a little hungry again and asked if I wanted to split a sausage with him, so we got the Crocodile and Pork. It was my least favorite of the three, but I am glad that we tried it so we would know what one of the exotics was like.

Ultimately, it was a really good first experience. The food quality is excellent. The beer selection is fantastic if you like Belgians (which I do). Service is friendly. The value is pretty good with the most expensive items being the beer. I would definitely...

For those of you who don't want to go to the original Downtown location your in luck. The Venice spot is just like it, just in Venice. Same menu, design, décor, vibe, except it's less crowded which is a good thing. Again this is also not built to handle large crowds which is the downfall of basically both spots. Be prepared for a decent wait on weekends in the day time, but Sunday afternoons aren't bad at all. Great t hit up in your in LA for the weekend as you skirt the 405 traffic.

I'm sure you know by now I'm a foodie and that I love their sausage menu, but really part of the allure here is the Belgian and German beers. As the craft beer game booms here, it's still got nothing on the roots. Long before I really enjoyed good beer for what it was I was in Prague just drinking away in my teens some from the cask good stuff. I knew it was good, but didn't know why so no matter what I try out here I'm always searching a little bit for that authenticity that central and eastern European beers have.

A couple dozen beers imported with matching chalice and stein's from both Belgium and Germany. They are steep because you're paying for the legacy, shipping and quality versus getting some local craft brewery beer. Love how they measure by the ml and do doubles in a stein. They ask for a cc safety deposit for the stein of $20 as I'm sure many people run out with them and it's understandable.

Protip: Order from the back bar as that is where they keep the rare stuff, the unicorn blood and though it be taxing it be worth it.

Rear garden is small, relaxing, but not vape friendly. Hipsters galore intermingle with the locals on the large communal tables, I still don't consider it kid friendly.

Your sausage should really be overloaded with mustard and that's the way I like it, toppings or not. If you read my downtown location review you'll get the gist of what I try and get, but this is not filling. I put down 2 sausages, split fries and 2-3 pints on the reg and still have room for desert.

Wurstekuche is a must try in LA and this may be a better bet due to less of a wait and proximity. The security guard seems like a bit...