Wurstkuche

Wurstküche (also written Wurstkuche) is a sausage and beer restaurant based in Los Angeles, California, founded in 2008 by cousins Joseph Pitruzzelli and Tyler Wilson. Its name is German for "sausage kitchen," and the restaurant calls itself a Purveyor of Exotic Grilled Sausages. The flagship opened in November 2008 at 800 E. 3rd Street, at Traction Avenue in the Downtown Los Angeles Arts District, in a triangular brick-and-wood space that previously housed a print shop. Pitruzzelli, who had designed nightclubs in San Francisco through his own design firm, created the interior, an industrial beer hall with communal tables.

A second restaurant opened in 2011 at 625 Lincoln Boulevard in Venice, finished in reclaimed barn wood with long communal biergarten tables designed by Pitruzzelli. Wurstküche also opened a restaurant at 2036 Broadway in Denver, Colorado, in February 2015; its design was recognized in the 2015 Denver Mayor's Design Awards for the preservation and adaptive use of a historic building, and it closed less than a year after opening. Today Wurstküche operates two Los Angeles locations, in DTLA and Venice, each with a patio, and the Venice location hosts the restaurant's Oktoberfest, held over five consecutive weekends in 2026.

The menu lists 18 sausages in three categories, each served on a freshly baked roll with a choice of two toppings and gourmet mustards: Classics such as Bratwurst, Bockwurst, and Hot Italian; Gourmet links such as Mango Jalapeño, Kielbasa, and Filipino Maharlika; and Exotics such as Rattlesnake & Rabbit with Jalapeño Peppers, Duck and Bacon with Jalapeño Peppers, and Buffalo with Luxardo Cherries & Mint. Vegetarian choices include Mexican Chipotle and Smoked Apple Sage sausages and a plant-based Veggiewurst by Beyond Meat. The menu also features twice-fried Belgian fries with dipping sauces such as curry ketchup, chipotle aioli, and Thai peanut.

The drink list focuses on Belgian and German beer on draft and in bottles, including Duvel, Saison Dupont, Chimay, Westmalle Tripel, and Orval from Belgium and Paulaner Pils, Reissdorf Kölsch, Aventinus, and Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier from Germany. Wine, cocktails, and sodas such as Fentimans and Club Mate round out the list.