There's a fine, fine line between a hot dog and a sausage.
Schaller's Stube Sausage Bar, Upper East Side.
Now, how do we draw a line between sausages and hot dogs?
Honestly, I’m not interested in starting or weighing in on the debate, but I figured I should address this now: it’s my Substack, and I’ll review sausages if I want to.
I can only eat so many similar foods in a short span of time, so I’m keeping my hot dog definition vibes-based, and I think this fits the vibe I’m looking for.
Schaller's Stube Sausage Bar
Upper East Side
Counter serve sausage and beer bar attached to a German butcher.
Price: $$
What it’s good for: I don’t like beer, but I bet I’d love a beer and a sausage here on a hot day.
I’ve discovered the secret to liking German food — covering it up with something else.
Schaller's Stube Sausage Bar has a small window and covered picnic tables perfect for a hot summer day. My friend and I tore into our lunch there before walking to Central Park with the remnants of my melting frosé to lay in the grass by the reservoir.
Schaller’s has a menu full of their housemade sausages and an array of toppings plus the option to create your own, choosing your own sausage, bun, and what to top it with. Besides that, they have an array of sides, lots of options for beer lovers, and they were serving frosé while we were there.
I had the Po’Brat, their zingy potato salad, and the frosé. My friend who was kind enough to come with me ordered the Chili Willie and jumbo pretzel, both of which I had bites of.
The Po’Brat is one of the cheaper options on the menu at $10, with andouille sausage, cajun slaw, and stube sauce. It’s a really good sausage. My friend asked me if it was really like andouille, and I said it was very close. With reflection, I’d say it’s spiced well but something between a proper andouille and a bratwurst. This blend of flavors and texture works well in the bun, where I wouldn’t necessarily look for a proper andouille sausage the way I would in a good red beans and rice or jambalaya.
The cajun slaw is a nice textural contrast and breaks up the heaviness of the sausage, but I’m at a loss as to what makes it “cajun.” Borrowing from other cuisines to liven up the German flavor profile works well, but it’s unclear how intertwined the recipes are with what they’re inspired by.
The sausage had a delightful snap and was meaty with plenty of flavor and sat well in its pretzel bun. It wasn’t overly greasy, which is hard to find in a good sausage and paired well with the bright vinegar flavor of the potato salad and the refreshing frosé.
My friend’s Chili Willie was a cheddar brat that was a stunner in the sausage landscape topped with chili, cheddar cheese, and onions. As a Texas girl, I expect more from a good chili and found it to be fairly one-note with a sweetness that weboth noticed. It’s a messy eat, but that’s just the nature of a chili dog.
The sausages here really are the star of the show — as they should be. Snappy, flavorful, and exactly what you expect. It won’t win any prizes for being a good deal, but I would say everything we had was fairly priced for the area even if it wasn’t a steal.
But for a menu that leans heavily on its toppings and twists to the traditional sausage format to make itself stand out, the toppings felt a bit lackluster, and, at least for the two we tried, didn’t meld together quite as well as I look for in a stunner of a hot dog.
Any critiques aside, sipping a frozen drink or beer and having one of these hits the spot on a summer day, and I’d recommend stopping by sometime when the weather is nice before making the short walk to Central Park.
What else I tried:
Potato salad: A vinegar-forward potato salad, this one is very much a German potato salad. If that’s what you like, you’ll love it. I am so American (cue Olivia Rodrigo) in my potato salad tastes, but I thought it cut through the heavy sausage well.
Jumbo pretzel: We both wanted a little more salt, but overall there wasn’t much to criticize or much to praise.
Frosé: This was not a sugary sweet take on the drink like some you can order. Rather, it tasted straightforwardly like frozen rosé with a clean finish that was perfect for the meal and sunny afternoon.
Rating: ★★★1/2☆
Watch the review
My friend who came with me told me while we were having these that he thought I would give up on my hot dog reviews in two months max, but he’s come around and thinks I’ll stick to it.
As for life, I’m doing fairly well — I’ve set my summer goals, I’m planning my twenty-fourth birthday party, hoping to try a Texas-style kolache here in NYC soon, and I get to cook for people I care about. Life is good.
If you have any recommendations for your favorite hot dog spots in the city, please comment them below! I’ll add them to my list. Have you tried Schaller’s Stube Sausage Bar? Let me know what you thought.
The Full Rankings
Check out the full sheet of hot dog rankings and scores.