Wurstküche

Rating: Thumbs sideways
Healthy: D   Beer just makes you fat. Soda makes you fat.  White bun makes you fat.  Sausages can be fatty.  The 3 former will drain your body of nutrients.  It's marginally better than eating fast food.  But only just.
Cleanliness: A
Service: B  Service is friendly, but sausages are cooked to order so it takes a bit of time.
Demographic:  People in their late 20's to late 40's predominantly, with mostly white people.  Do they walk in from the nearby studios and apartments?
Music: Boring.  Something out of a bad teen movie, ie - American Pie 7.
Parking:  Street parking, not always easy to get, especially between the line that forms hear, and neighboring restaurants.
Value: Pricy, unfair; but I suppose their rent is hi and their customers are willing to pay.
Amenities: Bottled condiments of ketchup, mustard, and so forth, and a self-serve metal water dispenser.
Come here for: Exotic sausages and sodas, and craft beers.  And the atmosphere.
Revisit?  I wouldn't crave to come here, and it wouldn't be my first pick.

Sausage of ground rattlesnake, rabbit, and jalapeno bits. Covered in sauerkraut.

A few block down from Little Tokyo Galleria, across from Crazy Gideon's rests Wurstkuche.  Their menu is fairly simple: A selection of sausages, craft beers, and bottled sodas.  The selection goes anywhere from standard smoked pork, to alligator, buffalo, or rattlesnake blends.  The more exotic meats go for $7.50.  Sodas are anywhere from $3-5.  Granted, the weiner quality is many grades up from Pink's, and you're not waiting an hour in line, but it's still on the expensive side.

As you can see in the pic, I chose rattlesnake-rabbit-jalapeno sausage, topped with sauerkraut.  How was it?  I'm not a sausage connoisseur, so it's kinda wasted on me.  It tasted good enough, and there's an aroma of jalapeno now and then.  But there's no distinct musk or scent of rattlesnake or rabbit.  It's bite and texture is as good as any sausage, and it's just not worth the $7.50 I paid for it. For that price I could've gotten 4 fancy sausages from Whole Foods or Trader Joe's and cooked the bloody thing myself.  The bun it comes on isn't distinct in any way, so that would leave the toppings like sauerkraut or onions.

This is more of a place for people to hang out after hours to grab a beer and unwind.  The interior is self seating, with some private tables around long benches taking up the center.  In one corner is a bar.  Once you order, you grab a seat with your number set down on the table till someone comes by.

Elderflower soda here is nice, it has a comforting taste.  It's a tad too sweet for me though. especially packing in at 45 grams of sugar for the bottle.  I kinda wanted to try the black cherry and the strawberry flavors too.

This is just a quirky bit, but one of the staff drew this snake stick figure on the paper wrap before sending it out.  I spent close to $12 for an exotic sausage and a drink.  Next time I come, I'll just stick to a normal $5 sausage.  Or drive down Alameda for 2 minutes and eat at Philippe's.  Come here if fancy sausages and craft beers whets your appetite.  It's not really for me, and if I did want it, I could do it at home for cheaper and more portions on both counts.

Wurstküche
800 E 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 687-4444