BRÜ HAUS: For When You Don’t Have Time to Fly to Munich

Giant Bavarian Pretzel w/ Mustard and Cheese Sauce ($9)

Not a week goes by without the announcement of a new sausage or hot dog joint opening in LA. In February, Grub Street LA declared, “It’s Official: Sausages Have Overtaken Korean Tacos on The Food Truck Scene.” A few months ago, I wrote about sausage joints Wurstküche, Steingarten LA, and Red Lion Tavern for Swagger. Recently, we’ve added Coney Dog, Berlin Currywurst, and Papaya King to our long list of tubular meat options (Slaw Dogs, Oki Dog, Skooby’s, Pink’s, Jeff’s Gourmet Kosher Sausage Factory, and Grindhaus Sausage Shop just to name a few).

Me with My Prized Pretzel (Photo Courtesy of BRÜ HAUS)

With so many hot dog and sausage places popping up all over LA, especially when many of them don’t make their sausages in-house, it’s difficult to get excited about yet another sausage place opening. Yet, when I heard about BRÜ HAUS opening in Brentwood, my initial excitement surprised even myself. What first caught my eye was the  impressive list of Belgian and German beers on tap.  With 25 beers on tap and 30+ more offered in bottles, you should be able to find your favorite Belgian or German beer, plus find a few new brews to try.

Me in Munich, Aug. 2008

The other reason I was excited to check out BRÜ HAUS was the promise of a giant Bavarian pretzel. During the summer of 2008, I did a whirlwind backpacking tour of Western Europe. One of the highlights of my trip was taking a break from hustling from one museum to the next monument by grabbing a meal in a Munich beer garden. With a giant pretzel in one hand, a liter of beer in the other, and a plate of sausage before me, it was one of the most blissful moments on my life.  I’ve been looking for a place in LA to give me a taste of the magic I felt that day. Since LA lags behind New York in beer garden offerings, I was happy to find out that BRÜ HAUS is a solid spot to recreate the classic combination of German beer, sausage, and mustard-covered pretzel.

Focused on the Beer

Thankfully they were offering samples of different beers, since there were about a dozen beers on the tap list that I wanted to either try for the first time or revisit.

Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich: Panko-breaded chicken, sweet sambal aoli, red cabbage slaw ($9.50)

The chicken in my burger was a bit dry, but was saved by the moisture from the red cabbage slaw. I heard great things about the Bru Burger ($11 – prime beef , tomato, gruyere or american cheese, butter lettuce, caramelized onions, 1k sauce),  but for whatever reason failed to try it. Next time.

Haus Pickles ($4)

I was able to sneak a few bites of the house-made pickles that were brought to our table by Chef Charlie Hwang after JB from the Happy Hour Tour expressed an interest. I was glad to see that it was a faithful rendering of the classic bar favorite.

Sausages! (Photo courtesy of BRÜ HAUS)

Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about the variety of sausages available. For $6.5, you can get five different “traditional” sausages: Bockwurst, Creole Turkey, Paesano Spicy Italian, Vegan Mexican Chipotle, and Vegan Smoked Apple Sage. Premium offerings ($8) include duck and foie gras, alligator and pork andouille, and tequila habanero chicken. My suggestion: bring a bunch of friends and share a variety. Bru Haus will make it worth your while by offering you 3 traditional sausages for $15 or 3 premium sausages for $18.

Me with Friends, New and Old

I couldn’t quite put my finger on the vibe of the place. I enjoyed the casual feel of the place during the “friends and family” portion of the evening, but by 9 pm, it felt less like a gastropub and more like a typical bar that happened to offer good food. Situated in between Q’s Billiard Club and Cabo Cantina, it seems to be getting quite a bit of overflow from those bars. If you are looking for a great beer and quality food while trying to meet people in a bar, come here on a Saturday night. If you are meeting up with a friend and want to focus on the food, I’d suggest coming either early or even stopping by for lunch. That way you’ll be able to sit and enjoy your food, as well as save some dough with their daily happy hour from 11 am-7 pm. For the night owls, there is a late night happy hour from 10pm-12am Monday-Wednesday.

Find This Sign, You'll Find BRÜ HAUS

At least when I was there, it was lacking in the way of signage, so just look out for this lovely neon sign between Q’s and Cabo.

BRÜ HAUS
11831 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025

Disclosure: Meal was hosted