bestie

it was a rainy friday night when spouse and i found ourselves in the window booth at bestie, a little german-ish joint in chinatown where the beer is big and the sausages are everything you never knew you always wanted. spouse claimed he hadn’t heard of it before, even though i have mentioned it at least 30 times since it opened last year, but was quite delighted to be there and discover the menu. local, sustainably raised meats. sauerkraut. beer. fresh baked pretzels. but is it where to eat in vancouver? currywurst – so wrong it’s right hold on, step back. do you know about currywurst? if not, it’s time you found out. currywurst is a german dish of sausage (preferably pork) slathered in curried ketchup and served over french fries, the kind of thing that’s so wrong it’s right. it hits every note – sweet, salty, porky – and goes perfectly with a 24 oz. stein of cold, cold beer. bestie’s version takes currywurst slightly upscale – the meat is excellent quality, and the sausage is moist

personally, i think bestie, a german sausage parlour, is a fun addition to chinatown thanks in part to their happy, vibey atmosphere and their willingness to integrate into the neighbourhood. let’s move on to the ffs categories. food: there’s a lot of sausage here. for your currywurst or sauerkraut plate, you can choose between 4 sausages, from bison, to pork, to turkey, to vegetarian (tofu?). i opted for the smokey bison currywurst and i’m pretty certain you can’t go wrong with any of the meat options. the sausage comes sliced up and bathed in ketchup and bestie’s special curry powder (there are extra shakers on the table if you want more). if you order the sausage and sauerkraut, you get a whole sausage with fries and some pungently delicious sauerkraut. for $8 this is an appropriate filler and for a l

this is a small casual shop located in chinatown specializing in german food, specifically sausages (with various sides such as fries, salads and pretzels). the place was quite popular and crowded when i visited during lunch time: i ended up getting seated at the end of the bar, which was a bit cramped since the countertop space was smaller there (the place did clear up a bit over the next half hour). i had their currywurst, which i added cheese sauce to for an additional $2 along with their all natural game sausage (which changes daily - the one i got was rosemary lamb) for another additional $1. i also had a sausage roll. i quite enjoyed the food, in particular the pork sausage in their sausage roll, which i thought was fantastic. the server i had was very friendly and quite attentive, although she does sometimes get confused and forget the order. all in all, i quite enjoyed my experience there; this place is worth checking out.

currywurst (cheesy, all natural game sausage, $9.50 + $2 + $1):
3.5/5
this consisted of fries topped with ketchup and curry powder, as well as your choice of a sausage. i decided to add cheese sauce to the fries for an extra $2, and got their game sausage, which happened to be rosemary lamb, for another extra $1. the sausage was quite tasty: tender and juicy, although i did find it to be just a tad on the bland side. i absolutely loved their fries, which were very fresh, hot and crispy on the outside, while tender and starchy on the inside. the curried ketchup also provided a great flavour. i did find the cheese sauce to be a bit bland however, and not worth the extra $2.

sausage roll ($6):
4.5/5
this consisted of a pork sausage wrapped in a flaky pastry. the sausage was nothing short of fantastic: tender and juicy with a fantastic spice. i did find the pastry to be just a tad doughy, although still tasty. the portion was also a little small: i think that it's probably a better deal to just get their sausage on its own instead.

summary:
food: 4/5
price: 4/5
service: 3.5/5
overall: 4/5
recommendations: pork thuringer

currywurst with fries is very good. do not order sauerkraut!! it is not good. it is just raw cabbage. sauerkraut is supposed to be fermented and then cooked. save your money and get yourself some real sauerkraut at the european deli on davie.

meal:  currywurst with pork, saurkraut with pork, pretzel platter, and sausage roll. plus way too many stein beers. . service:  can't complain one bit. our server was awesome and respected our space. we stayed way past closing and she was cool with it. the only thing to know  is cash or debit only.

some of the best currywurst i've ever had. i was in germany last month and this is on par, if not better, then the currywurst i had there. i enjoyed their smoky bison wurst, which was very rich and flavourful. the actual sauce was warm and spiced amazingly. i also have to give mention to their great food presentation. can't wait to be back to try their other flavours and menu items.

they have steins of beer . lovely place . good ambience and good service .. it's literally a sausage fest . but they don't have a lot of flavours but the ones they have are good . they are more famous for their fries. the day i went they ran out of their fries and i saw people change their mind at the door because there were no fries .

the folks behind chinatown-based currywurst purveyors bestie have a side business called sunday cider. it makes me really happy to think that local bc apples are being pressed and fermented right within city limits (their production facility is near clark drive within walking distance of strange fellows). they held a one-off cider event on december 11, 2016 (on a sunday of course) called “cider sabbath”:

chinatown has been experiencing a rapid pace of change over the past few years. there is no better example of this than when bestie moved into a former book/media store. i was a bit skeptical at first, and even resented the idea that something like this could move into the area, but they can cook up a damn good sausage!

came here to eat a quick dinner prior going somewhere, so then, i ordered a classic pork and turkey if i'm not mistaken. packed it to go since there wasn't enough time, then the bratwurst are very meaty and have enough flavour to make it enjoyable and distuinguishable. i must say it's pretty good, but then for the price that i'm paying... it's kinda of hard to agree on the taste. definitely can be a good place to try but there's nothing really special about the taste or price that will make me drop by here again. and the dipping sauce that they have i don't know what exactly but it goes well with the bratwurst

came here and tried the vegetarian wurst on sour kraut with their spicy ketchup. it was delicious and the flavours went together so well! i also had a pretzel (made fresh daily at a bakery across the street) with their mustard as a side instead of fries. it was very soft and fresh. the staff was also super friendly and accommodating and explained everything very well. lots of vegan options here too! will be back

walk in, dressed in your most comfortable wardrobe. no body judges. a great dining experience with comfort food and local brew. soak up the aftertaste of bratwurst and sauerkruat with curry ketchup and finish with a carefree stroll in chinatown

a brew and a bratwurst. it's a formula for success. i always get the menu option that comes with sauerkraut, and i put curried ketchup on everything. really solid, simple food.

after way too many years, i finally defend my phd at the end of february. and then i’m outta here. well, kinda. technically i’m paid to work until the end of the month, so i’ll return to the lab for a few days of cleaning up my bench and throwing out ancient plates in the cold room. but then i’m outta here. and i mean really outta here. march 1st i hop on a plane and go on a 5 week trip that will take me everywhere from san francisco to germany to the uk and all that’s in between. and i think we all know what part of this trip i’m the most excited about. from in-and-out burger to the rebel within, and from a currywurst & beer tour to high tea at the ritz, i’ve literally organized my travel plans around my eating adventures.

great sausage and comes with a delicious sauce. apple cider is strong and flavourful. fries were okay. friendly customer service, but slow. cozy place.