Check Out the Menu for Wursthall, the Biergarten From Food Whiz J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

Wursthall, the hotly anticipated restaurant and biergarten from internet food guru J. Kenji López-Alt, is almost here, with an opening planned for early February. The restaurant will be a German/Austrian-style beer hall, located in downtown San Mateo, serving California takes on classic fare, beer, and craft cocktails.

López-Alt has partnered with Adam Simpson and Tyson Mao (owners of nearby craft beer/wine bar Grape and Grain) on the project, leading the development of the menu, kitchen design, and operations. So, don’t expect to see López-Alt, also a cookbook author and culinary director of Serious Eats, in the kitchen every night, though he’ll be continuing to hone the menu.

A quick refresher on the layout of the restaurant: upstairs will be a full-service beer hall with food, while downstairs will be beer, wine, and cocktails only. The food menu upstairs will be a mix of German classics, with entire sections dedicated to pretzels, wursts, and fried potatoes (bratkartoffen) with toppings like currywurst, pulled pork, and mushrooms.

Wursts will run the gamut from classics like bratwurst and knackwurst to merguez and Cajun varieties, all served on a buttered, griddled bun and topped with sauerkraut, apple-fennel chutney, and the like. Sandwiches with non-sausage middles are also on the menu, including a giant chicken schnitzel sandwich, featuring an oversized chicken thigh brined in sauerkraut, marinated cucumber, cabbage, and preserved lemon-caper aioli.

Though meaty by nature, the menu also includes vegetarian options, including a doner kebap made with the plant-based meat alternative from Impossible Foods. The Impossible Doner Kebap is made of minced impossible burger, with vegan garlic sauce, and sumac, served with house pickles and Turkish bread. Elsewhere on the menu lie other hearty vegan and vegetarian dishes like a roasted beet and wheatberry salad with almond milk ricotta.

Check out the full menu below, and stay tuned for more details closer to opening.

Note: prices and items could change.

• Internet Food Guru J. Kenji Lopez-Alt Opening Real Life Beer and Sausage Hall [ESF]