Wvrst is the best | Toronto

Growing up I despised sausages: They looked weird and I hated how the casing burst in my mouth when I bit into to them. I was always a bacon girl — then one day out of the blue, I ordered a sausage with breakfast at some random diner and everything changed. What had I been thinking? The bursting case, the juicy meat inside; sausages really are the whole package. Young Gabby was just plain nuts! My dad, on the other hand, loves sausages, so when my parents were visiting for the weekend I knew exactly where I wanted to take them after a morning of shopping on Queen West: Wvrst.

Walking into Wvrst, we were greeted immediately by a super chipper guy who quickly explained how the menu worked and instructed us to pick a seat at one of the long wooden communal tables (classic beer hall!) while we perused the long list of links.

Navigating the menu goes something like this: pick your sausage (there more than 20 encased meat varietals, and a couple of vegan ones too), then choose if you want it on a bun or currywurst style (sliced and smothered in delicious curry sauce), then pick your fries, duck fat or regular — with a plethora of dipping sauces to choose from.

So we ordered at the cash, got some beers and waited for the meat. The tap list is always changing at Wvrst and they take their beer very seriously. There’s a list of dates on the wall documenting when the draught lines were last cleaned, and all the pint pourers are Cicerone-certified. Mom went with a classic German sweet lager, a giant stein of Paulaner ($8); I went with one of my faves from our trip to Germany last year, a tall skinny pint of Weihenstephaner ($8.5), a Hefeweiss (wheat beer); and Adam chose an Ontarian craft beer from Great Lakes Brewery.

And then the sausages arrived. Dad chose the Italian sausage ($9) on a bun with sauerkraut. Made with fennel and pork, this super flavourful sausage packs a lot of punch.

Mom went Venison ($9) made with dijon and red pepper on a bun, and Adam rounded out the bun-eaters with the Bratwurst ($8) made with pork, veal and wine.

He freaking loved it.

I had pretty high expectations for the currywurst — my mouth was already watering thinking about the fragrant sauce I had sampled for the first time in Munich’s famous beer garden in the Englischer Garten (check out my post on munching in Munchen here). The sauce that topped my Oktoberfest sausage ($8) tasted as good as it did sitting under the chestnut trees in Germany.

And we all had duck fat fries, of course (small $4.50, large $6.50).

These Belgian-style fries were AH-MAH-ZING, I cannot stress this enough. Wvrst has won the NOW Magazine Readers’ Choice Award for three years in a row for best fries (and best beer selection this year too) and now I know why. I could go there and eat a couple trays full no problem.

This place showcases all the good parts of a German beer hall — the sausages, beer and fun— while taking out the tacky kitsch, leaving behind a modern, trendy place with to-die-for fries and a freaking good time that is anything but the worst.

609 King Street West | Toronto, ON | (416) 703-7775 | wvrst.com