The Wurst Behavior Features Homemade Sausages | Eater Chicago
"Opened in late 2024 by husband-and-wife team Gosia Pieniazek and Artur Wnorowski in a 50-seat Irving Park space previously home to Mas Tacos, this sausage-focused spot grew out of their work turning Firewood BBQ into Pierogi Kitchen and puts house-smoked kielbasa front and center after the sausage was already "a hit on the menu at Pierogi Kitchen." Wnorowski’s grandfather taught him how to make kielbasa on their family’s farm in Poland, but he’s experimenting with the traditional preparation: "I noticed when I started curing the meat it gave it a little bit of a different texture and feel and it just tasted better," Wnorowski says. He makes a wide variety of cased meats from scratch each day, including brats, spicy chicken sausage, and hot dogs, and pays tribute to Chicago’s cuisines with items like a Chicago dog, an Italian sausage piled with sweet peppers and giardiniera, and a dog spiced with kimchi and sriracha mayo. After trying many options he eschewed traditional sausage buns in favor of a hoagie roll because, as he puts it, "It’s crispy on the outside and really soft on the inside." The restaurant works with Fulton Market Chicago to source Midwestern hormone- and antibiotic-free meat and plans to add a small deli counter in the spring or summer so customers can pick up sausages and spice mixes to grill at home; Wnorowski is also experimenting with making his own vegan brats. The drink program is locally focused with six draft brews from Hopewell Brewing Company, Casa Humilde Cerveceria, and Maplewood Brewery & Distillery (Maplewood’s Son of Juice hazy IPA is also used in the restaurant’s mustard), and they soak brats in Hacker-Pschorr Weissbier with a tap reserved for the beer. Cocktails use spirits from Letherbee, CH Distillery, and Thornton Distilling, whose pecan bourbon is used to make a sweet Old Fashioned that complements the pecan-smoked kielbasa and andouille sausage; the team plans to smoke olives for garnishes and make fat-washed bourbon and have already used brine from their pickles soaked in a martini blend with gin, grapefruit juice, and Italicus. The house pickles, a fusion between bread & butter and dill, are served atop cheeseburgers, fried chicken sandwiches, and 12-hour smoked pulled pork from Wnorowski and Pieniazek’s barbecue spots Ella’s and Earl’s. The menu also draws in dishes from Pierogi Kitchen, with pierogies offered as an appetizer and stuffed in a hot dog along with sour cream and sauerkraut; a brunch menu is in the works and will likely feature Andouille breakfast sausage, brat benedicts on sourdough, classic mimosas, and loaded bloody marys with a dry rub rim and smoked olive and pickle garnish. "It’s a combination of fast casual and full service," Wnorowski says — customers can order at the counter for a quick sandwich or sit for table service while the couple plays vinyl records and hosts karaoke on Fridays (performers may use the bar spotlight or a wireless mic at their table). Capacity will double in summer with "The Wurst Patio You’ve Ever Seen," a beer garden of wooden benches for about 50 to 70 people; the owners hope to build a second bar to serve beer and signature cocktails and use the area for live music. Even as Chicago’s Polish Broadway diminishes, the pair have found a niche and since opening Wnorowski says he’s been getting lots of feedback from customers comparing his products to their own German and Polish family recipes: "I get people speaking Polish to me saying ‘You need a little bit more salt in that kielbasa,'" he says. Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday." - Sam Nelson
