WürstBar Will Have Stand at State Fair

WürstBar will bring a taste of Berlin street food to the Wisconsin State Fair.

The modern German restaurant, which opened on Brady Street in 2021, will set up on the west side of the State Fair’s Central Mall at Central Avenue and Second Street for the entire run of the fair, from August 4 through 14 in West Allis.

The location, across the street from the Big Slide, was too good to pass up, said co-owner Scott Schaefer. “We’ve been wanting to do the State Fair for a while,” he said. “But a location finally became available that we really liked.”

While there is other German-inspired food at the fair, mostly bratwurst, WürstBar aims to put a twist on the classic recipes.

“A primary focus of WürstBar is to provide customers with new and unique flavors that have yet to be experienced at Wisconsin State Fair,” said a release from the restaurant.

Fair-goers can expect to see menu items from the Brady Street location including the Jalapeno Popper Brat, Currywurst and Schnitzel Tenders, as well as fair-specific items like Fish Fry Bombs: a mix of Atlantic cod, coleslaw and fries, packed into a ball and served with lemon vinaigrette drizzle and tartar sauce.

To drink, the restaurant will offer a selection of German taps including Hofbräu Original, Münchner Sommer and Hofbräu Dunkel. Each draft beer will be served in a Hofbräu-branded stein — yours to keep.

WürstBar will feature live music every day of the fair from 1 p.m. until 10 p.m. Single-person acoustic bands will play during the day, Schaefer said. Later on, groups from Broadway Street in Nashville will take over to perform country music throughout the evening.

The restaurant’s Fish Fry Bombs as well as its batter-infused cheese curds were featured in a list of new additions to the fair’s food and drink offerings. The two dishes appeared alongside Fried Pickle Cheese Curd Tacos, Clam Chowder Fries and The Bug Apple On-A-Stick, featuring edible june bugs, crickets, worms and ants sprinkled on a chocolate-covered apple.

WürstBar owners Schaefer, Andrew Fronek and Darryl Towers have owned and operated four restaurant locations since 2008 including WürstBar, Jack’s American Pub and Milwaukee Brat House, which has two locations — in Milwaukee and Shorewood.