Wursthall

If you're searching for some good beers and sausages then this is the place for you in San Mateo!

Ofc I discovered this restaurant during a pandemic and it was a great discovery :) They had a huge tent set up outside and you can easily order using the QR code on the picnic tables to reduce your interactions with staff. It was super easy to order and pay on the phone and food came out quick.

Ordered the wood fired pretzel, chorizo verde sausage with potato salad, and hot italian sausage with thrice fried potatoes. My favorite was the chorizo verde sausage and the fried potatoes. I recommend you to skip the potato salad cause I wished we ordered the fried potatoes for both sides. The potato salad was the only item we didn't finish. But overall food was delicious and would love to come back and try more sausages! They have the option to order sausages to-go to cook at home too. There are other items on the menu: sandwich, salad, snacks, and there's a cute kids menu available too. I'm interested in trying their korean hot chicken sandwich next time :)

We got take-out from this place tonight. We ordered online and it was ready right on time. Everything was packed Covid-safe.  We got the pretzel with a spicy cheese sauce which was ok, the amazing thrice fried potatoes, potato salad which was ok, bier bratworst sausage sandwich which was good, the smashed cheeseburger $17 was a fan favorite, chickpea and carrot salad side which was ok, dilly cole slaw which was ok, deviled egg which was odd sort of vinegary. It was on the pricier side but not outrageous. It was worth going to and I would recommend it if you want to have a buffet for a manly man's birthday. The crab was from Whole Food not from the place and was incredible! haha The salad was from Natural Foods in Castro Valley. YUM!

They have a nice outdoor biergarten setup that is open on one side for good ventilation while still being warm with plenty of heat lamps. Plenty of room for social distanced seating

Also, they are on a side street so not as many cars right next to you

All ordering from toast website, touchless ordering and payment from your phone needs to be a thing even after the pandemic. Super convenient

Stand out thing to order is definitely the burger. Juicy and full of flavor like a high end in n out burger.  Triple cooked fries is decadent with it

Kasedilla very german flavor especially with the mustard dip

Hot chicken is definitely very spicy.  Needs a nice cold beef to wash it down

Great Cheese Burger ! Excellent  Service. Must have folks! Enjoy.

I will be back for sure;)

This place was awesome! We decided to have a work happy hour here and called a few days before to reserve space. We got right in, our spot was ready and everyone was super excited to try the food and beers. The staff was very attentive, engaging and above and beyond making sure we had everything we needed. The team loved the beer on tap and thoroughly enjoyed food (my favorite was the grilled cheese with tomato spread).

My only critique would be that it's really noisy and the sound travels.

My boyfriend introduced me to Kenji's cooking videos on YouTube, and now it's so cool to drive down to San Mateo to check out his restaurant! Ordering was online, and they have QR codes taped to their windows for easy access to the menu/ordering system. The staff was super friendly and cheerful, and we received our food in about 10-15 minutes!

A Pretty Great Seared Chicken Sandwich: It honestly looks pretty bland when we first got it, but the flavor after trying it was actually pretty good! It had a delicious buttery taste, and the shoestring fries inside the sandwich was a pretty great addition.

Porchetta Wurst: My favorite item out of what we got- what my boyfriend loved most about it was the snap you get when you take your first bite. It had great flavor; very fennel seed-forward, but the green sauce on top and fried shallot complemented it real nicely. The bun it was served on was alright- soft in texture but kind of drying when actually eating it.

Thrice Fried Potatoes: Wow. Amazing. The crispiness, the seasoning. You can't go wrong with frying potatoes, and I liked how they were more or less bite-sized.

Overall: pretty good food, but quite expensive (especially when looking at the prices for the wursts.) However, it was worth it to try this place!

The outdoor setup here is really nice, with lots of benches and ordering through a QR code. The food gets brought to you, and you can always choose to add on more. It's pretty expensive for the portion sizes; with drinks, our bill came out to be around $80.  

We ordered the Kasedilla ($9), Impossible Turkish-ish Sausage ($18), which came with a side of slaw. Also had the pretzel ($7) chopped salad ($12) for a much-needed dose of vegetables, and a side of thrice fried potatoes because we've all heard about Kenji's infamous potatoes that he has food scienced the shizz out of.

The food was good, with no glaring issues. I liked the flavor of the sausage but the $18 for just a hot dog and some coleslaw was hard to stomach. The kasedilla was good, though I think the horseradish could've been more pronounced. Pretzel was far too small, but I guess the plus side is you can just eat the dip afterwards.

Ok, I loved Wursthall the 2 times I visited. I thought the wursts were absolutely delicious with the Chorizo Verde being my favorite. The bun is quite perfect - crunchy yet soft and chewy. The wurst was full of flavor and incredibly juicy. And the toppings added just the right extra amount of crunch.

Sides - the potato sides are great. So is the chickpea/carrot salad, though I don't care too much for them.

Appetizers - the pretzel is lovely - crunchy, comes out warm, and super doughy inside. I also love the honey butter it comes with. Deviled eggs are pretty standard, not sure I'd order them again, though.

Service has always been spot on - staff are so friendly and accommodating. The outdoor seating is pretty nice - heaters at every table and the picnic tables themselves are very spacious. Both times I visited, there was no wait for seating (though the first time, we sat on the side of the restaurant without the heaters). I can't wait to come back and try the other menu items!

Food:
We had the Pesto Chicken Bratwurst which was surprisingly flavorless
The Kid's Kinderburger was actually better in flavor than our bratwurst, but the meat patty was fairly small compared to the buns.
Each dish comes with a side which is nice, but we didn't like either of ours either.
The chickpea and carrot salad was essentially a tray of garbanzo beans- I'm not sure who would want that many garbanzo beans at once.
The Potato salad was not that good either. The dill flavor was too strong, and it wasn't creamy at all which is what I would've expected from a potato salad

Covid measures:
- ample outdoor picnic table seats
- EVERYTHING is done through the QR code- you order and pay through it. you even have to purchase water bottles for 25 cents on it. It is also impossible to get any server's attention unless you have paid for something and they are physically bringing it out to you.
- staff wears masks
- bathroom indoors is open

Kids: not a great place to take young ones. No high chairs, no boosters AND the picnic tables are kinda wobbly.

My family and I have watched lots of Kenji Lopez-Alt's cooking videos on YouTube, so we were excited to try this place out for takeout dinner. We ordered the smash burger, Korean fried chicken sandwich, and porchetta sausage. The total was around $60 after tip, so it's definitely on the pricier side. The porchetta was flavorful and the Korean fried chicken sandwich was much spicier than the typical Korean fried chicken. The fried potatoes as a side were delicious! Overall, the food is solid and definitely worth a try if you're in the area.

COVID Review

Kenji you did it again! D: This is a great spot!

AMBIANCE//
If you're itching for good food, but safe dining. Wursthall is for you! You sit down on a table outside, scan the table's QR code, order and pay on your phone! The only interaction you have with service staff is when they bring you food and THAT'S IT! Tables outside are literally out in the street so occasionally smelled car exhaust but it was really open!

Bathroom is available indoors!

SERVICE//
Minimal which is the way I like it during COVID.

FOOD//
FYI BRING YOUR OWN WATER or pay for a bottled drink, you're gonna want something to drink with this food! This food is packed with flavor. It's salty and rich in all the right ways. I don't drink, but if I do I would want to pair this with a nice cold beer or an ice cold bottle of coke! YUM.

Sauerkraut Kasedilla!
This was delicious! I love this fusion! The acidity from the sauerkraut melded well with the cheese! It was perfectly crisp! What a great companion to the rest of the food!

Kenji's Korean Hot Chicken Sandwich!
Pair this with the Haus Potato Salad because you're going to want that cold creamy salad to cool your tongue after this spicy fiery chicken! The chicken is crisp and very hot! The yogurt ranch slaw is a much needed cooling agent and thus a great complement to the chicken! This brioche bun is delicious: buttered and toasted!

Bier Bratwurst!
The mustard made this bratwurst pop! And the brioche bun toasted on the outside. Quality BUN makes a big difference! Oooo so good! I paired this with the dilly slaw and it was delicious. That creaminess of the slaw pairs so well with this juicy salty brat and the acidity of the sauerkraut on top!

Overall//
Will come again especially in the COVID era! I felt relatively safe. I will bring my 40oz bottle of water. Next time I will order the smash burger! Also, I saw someone drop off and then pick up their "The Food Lab" book, maybe to get signed?!?! So maybe Kenji is signing books!?!?!?! D:  WOWWOWOWOWOW.

Great job and very tasteful - while on our anniversary I wanted my husband to have his culture for the first night out. So he pick this place. Nice choice. Quick and delicious and with in budget. Covid couldn't stop this -nite out.
Will return the only thing he could not eat his potato salad due to garlic allergies.

Solid German fare and was a great place to drink beer pre-COVID.

Dishes I've had:
· Pretzel w/ spicy bier queso - YUM. Their original leaf shaped pretzel didn't come with cheese but the dipping sauce is a huge upgrade.
· Bratwurst - this comes as a pre-dressed dog on a toasted long bun. Very tasty.
· Potato salad - vinegary, mustardy and true to a German-style salad. NO mayo in this.
· Triple fried potatoes - YES. Crispy and amazing
· Korean fried chicken - NO. I'm Korean and this was TOO SPICY. Also dry as hell and just not very good.
· Deviled eggs - good but not to die for. I like the mustard they add on top.

With their recent menu change (it used to be way more German), it's a lot more "fusion" with random things like a quesadilla and chicken sandwiches. I'm sure they taste fine but wish they'd bring back the spaetzle!

Me and the girlfriend were walking by and we saw people eating some burgers. We couldn't help ourselves, so we stopped in and tried them out. They have the seating area spread out and you scan a QR code on your phone to put in your order. Magically, your food will show up in a few minutes. We both had the smash burgers and potatoes. I got to say that was a good burger and those potatoes were crazy good. What made him so good you might ask? They twice fry those delicious potato things! Soooo good.

If you've got a thirst for wurst, this place is the best. Had the pastrami wurst, which was pretty unique and tasted like a sausage reuben. The korean hot chicken bites and the huevos diablos are also must-get items. They also have a great beer selection to go with your demon eggs.

I'm sad to have to update my review and take off 2 stars, but unfortunately my husband and I had a less-than-ideal experience at Wursthall tonight.

The main (and only) problem was the food. We got Kenji's fried chicken sandwich ($16), which was so spicy it was almost inedible. I have had this before for lunch and it was very tasty then, and the spice was medium. Tonight for some reason it was WAY too spicy. My mouth is still burning now, an hour later and after chugging a bunch of water. I couldn't taste anything else or enjoy any of the other food after taking a couple bites of the fried chicken.

The porchetta bratwurst ($16) was at least edible and non-spicy, but tasted pretty fatty. I love sausages and fatty foods in general, but this tasted more fatty than other sausages I've had, so I was not that impressed. The best parts of either of these dishes was the fried potatoes that came with them, which were hot and crispy.

We also got the Hefeweizen beer, which was tasty, but not worth $8. Overall we spent almost $50 on a meal that was not very good.

Other than the food though, the rest of the experience was fine. We were seated quickly and the restaurant uses a QR code at each of its outdoor benches to make for easy ordering through a website. There are heat lamps available - even though they weren't on when we were there, I imagine they would be a great touch on chillier nights. The food came out quickly.

Bottom line: maybe the restaurant had an off-day, but overall the food was mediocre and not worth $50

As someone who grew up in Germany, wursthall has always and continues to deliver good food and great drinks. I'd consider the menu fusion that gets all the elements of good German food right and implements the best parts of The Food Lab.

Our favorites are the wood fire pretzel with the honey butter, the smash burger with the German potato salad, and typically a sausage (either an à la carte sausage or the curry wurst).

The pretzel is an authentic German pretzel that is warm and delicious. The smash burger is juicy and perfectly cooked. The house made potato salad is amazing and light for a potato salad. The the curry wurst sits on a bed of triple fried potatoes that are super crispy but when we feel like that's too much food, we just get a sausage a la carte (without the bun) that sits on a bed of the wurst hall sauerkraut. I usually hate sauerkraut but this sauerkraut tastes well balanced and not too acidic.

Overall, great food, great drinks, and great wonderful ambience. Really glad they are continuing to operate during covid and their covid practices are definitely solid: outdoor seating with heaters and sanitized tables after every turnover.

I've been to Wursthall twice now and have enjoyed my meal each time! For COVID, they have nicely spaced outdoor seating. I ordered takeout both times through their website. There's a side door on B Street that you pick up from. So far, I've tried the:

- Currywurst: my favorite thing I've had so far! I sometimes crave currywurst that I had in Germany, and Wursthall's felt like a modern twist on it. The bier bratwurst had a great snap and was so flavorful on its own, but dipping into the ginger curry sauce and mustard aioli on the side (love that it can be packed on the side for to-go orders btw!) was amazing. The fried potatoes it comes with were incredibly crisp, even after driving over to the park and eating them after they'd been sitting for a second.
- Pretzel: crunchy outside and soft inside with a good amount of salt. I opted for the bier queso, which was not my favorite. If you like beer and cheese though, this is the one for you (I'm not a huge fan of beer queso)! I would love to try the pepper honey butter next time.
- Korean Hot Chicken Bites: delicious! The chicken was tender and juicy and incredibly flavorful. The spice wasn't too overbearing, but it definitely had good heat. The yogurt ranch on the side was the perfect accompaniment to the spicy chicken. I'm not typically a fan of dipping sauces, but this was so tasty!
- Stella's brownie: great dessert! The brownie was soft and moist, and the caramel was so good on top. The pretzel chips were slightly stale-feeling or they'd been baked for too long, but I still enjoyed the crunch from that against the soft brownie.

I'm definitely coming back to try more of their brats!

My amazing partner surprised me with an all-Kenji birthday. Got the three books (well, 2 for now) and a trip down to Wursthall. And given the craziness of the pandemic, every single minute there was awesome!

We ate the smashburgers with great delight (food coma ensued), the Korean chicken bites were amazing (looking for the recipe after this post), chicken pesto sausage was delish (thanks Chef Eric) and even the chickpea salad was amazing (said no one before having this one).

We bought some sausages to take home (Hot Italian and Chicken Pesto) to find some recipes in the Food Lab book.

Service was great (given Covid), Kiernen (probs misspelled, my bad) and his colleagues were just kind and jovial. Looking forward to going back!

Looking for a place with ample outdoor seating during this social distancing period? Well you're looking at the ideal place! The staff at Wursthall do their absolute best to ensure all parties are separated for good health standards. Their staff also diligently clean the bench tops immediately after parties leave to maintain cleanliness. That's a plus!

My bf and I came here for dinner tonight and got the curry fried potatoes starter, smashed burger, and the chorizo dog. The curry fried potatoes was pretty tasty. The curry was a little sweet with a slight hint of tomato paste. It came with a bratwurst as well. The potatoes were crispy and did not disappoint! The texture of the meat patty for the smashed burger was tender and juicy. The brioche bun was perfectly toasted and the mayo brought the entire burger together. The chorizo dog was more like chorizo and cilantro cased sausage. Very unique and also delicious!

I got the pina verde which tasted like a creamy pina colada mojito hybrid. If you haven't tried it, you should because it's like a refreshing version of a pina colada! Not too sweet.

Oh yeah, side note - it's super cool that they have you scan a QR code for the menu so you can order and pay straight from your phone. Very convenient!