Many restaurants in Los Angeles may boast about serving exotic meats, but very few will actually serve alligator or rattlesnake such as Wurstküche, in Little Tokyo does.
Wurstküche is a German restaurant that specializes in gourmet and exotic sausages. Wurstküche is German for sausage kitchen.
The restaurant has 24 imported beers on tap mostly from Belgium and Germany. The beers included are dark ales, malts, strong ales and hefe weissens, such as Bitbürger and Spaten, with prices ranging from $6 to $11. The beer Franziskaner is a hefe weissen that has a light flavor, and is recommended for those new to hefe weissens.
The restaurant also carries bottled imports. Non-alcoholic beverages include the botanically-brewed soda Fentimans and Manhattan Special. Most of the sodas have fruit flavors. Fentimans Seville Orange Jigger is very sweet, with a sour kick to it.
Wurstküche has the classic German sausages such as bratwürst and bockwürst. The restaurant also serves vegan and vegetarian sausages, however they are cooked on the same grill as the meat sausages. The exotic sausages include duck and bacon with jalapeno peppers.
Another exotic sausage featured is the buffalo, beef and pork with chipotle peppers. The gourmet sausages are $6.50 and the exotic ones are $7.50.
The alligator sausage is mixed with pork. It is a smoked Andouille sausage. The gator tastes chewy and the pork doesn’t overshadow the taste.
The rattlesnake and rabbit comes with jalapeno peppers. It tastes spicy and it is very moist. It leaves an aftertaste after the first try.
Each sausage comes with a choice of toppings such as caramelized onions, sauerkraut, or peppers. The Belgian fries come with dipping sauces, which include Thai peanut, chipotle, curry ketchup and others. A large order of fries comes with two dipping sauces.
The atmosphere in the restaurant is very intimate, yet it is usually lively. The restaurant is not small, but tables are packed closer together to make it seem that way. Indie music is always played in the restaurant, whether it’s from a DJ or over the P.A. A hip college and graduate crowd frequent the restaurant. There are no televisions in this restaurant or in the bar. The waiters and waitresses are young and friendly.
Wurstküche was established in 2008. It is located in the arts district of Little Tokyo at 800 E. 3rd St. The restaurant is open Sundays through Saturday from 11a.m. to 12 a.m. however the bar closes at 2 a.m. There is no private parking. Contact (213) 687-4444 for more info. Reservations are strictly for 12-35 people.
