Eric W.
Yelp
Best sausage we had and winner of the sausage war, at least by our palate.
We arrived in Regensburg via a Danube River cruise. One of the city's many attractions pointed out to us was Historische Wurstküche, one of Germany's oldest sausage makers (since 1146, though the German federal state Thüringen and Franken, part of the federal state Bavaria, are still quarreling about who really has the oldest medieval "Bratwurst" recipe*). Our cruise director, Mario, informed us of a bit of a sausage rivalry between Regensburg and Nuremberg. He said we should be sure to try both famous sausages, and let him know which one we liked best.
Well sorry Bratwursthausle Nurnbürg (http://www.yelp.com/biz/bratwursthaeusle-bei-st-sebald-nuernberg), but Historische Wurstküche wins hands down. First off, we liked the firmness of the sausage. Second we loved the sweet mustard (Süsser Senf) sitting in little pots on the table. One of biggest regrets was not bringing some of this wonderful mustard home, But I've since learned it can be bought locally at the German Deli in Colleyville, TX (their website indicates that have similar sausages too, and offer shipping).
At Historische Wurstküche you have three dining options : 1) Take-away, 2) Sit in the old building, 3) Sit in the new(er) building (formerly the salt depot). If the weather is nice, option 1 allows you sit outside. Actually, maybe in nicer weather there are more tables, but on our cold November visit, only a small covered area was available. Sitting in the old "Garküche auf dem Kranchen", the old kitchen that provided slow-simmered meals for the crane workers (this started around 1146). Seating is limited, and hard to spot, but it is fun to squeeze through the kitchen where the sausages are being grilled over a charcoal fire. Since the kranchen was full on our visit, we opted for the adjacent, and much larger, Salzstadel. Inside it was warm and cozy. Timbers, still white from the salt once stored here, framed the dining room. We sat drinking German beer and eating sausages (Thúy made hers into sandwiches with the bread on the table) and it was one of the top 5 meals of our two weeks in Europe.
Oh, one thing about that basket of bread on the table: After visiting both Regensburg and Nuremberg, we learned that the "napkin over the breadbasket" will mean you pay for each piece you eat. You will be on the honor system to tell your server how much you ate, but I have a feeling they know already.
If in Regensburg, be sure to not to miss this historical eatery.
* For more on the history, see the respective websites (Bratwursthausle is only in German, but you can use a translator), or see kuechenmeyster's second post (the source of my parenthetical reference) at http://medievalcookery.blogspot.com/2010/01/medieval-hot-dog-stand.html.