Der Kommissar

Der Kommissar, which remains one of my favorite spots in South Slope, has been under new management for a while now, and, under the auspices of Jake, some changes are afoot. So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, goodbye to the garden gnomes; the Zweigelt; the Landjäger (inside the Der Bloody or otherwise); Scottie, the bartender; lame game Wednesdays; and the tree that no longer grows in this Brooklyn patio. The carefully curated wines available by the glass remain reasonably priced and are no longer limited to German/​Austrian but still hail from the Old World; I enjoyed a lovely glass of La Belle Fleur Viognier for $ 7. The ample beer offerings have remained more or less constant, the original, quirky interior design is intact, and the largely unchanged brunch deal is as hearty as the staff is gracious.

Now known as Jake’s Handcrafted, this place has only been getting better! It was always a fun casual neighborhood bar with friendly staff, a big backyard and good things on tap.
Jake’s stepped up their food game in a big way, their classic brat is always good and I really like the sauerkraut side. I’d say this has become a must-​try food spot in the neighborhood. If it’s in the rotation I HIGHLY recommend the Banh Mi sausage. Plates are a little small, but appropriately priced so it’s great for a light meal or you can try a couple of things.
They have a pretty full bar, a selection of good can/​bottle beer and a rotating list of drafts that’ll have something for everyone if not a dozen options.

Great bar that just rebranded and changed their name to Jakes Handcrafted! All HOMEMADE sausage.

I absolutely love this place! Great beer and homemade food selections.
They also just changed their name to Jake’s Handcrafted. Same great people and sausages.

I was having a going away party for a group of 20 friends and needed a cool place with a great patio with room. Unilocalers convinced me to try out Der Kommissar, and I wasn’t disappointed. The sign was down this week, which meant it looked even MORE sketchy from the outside (like a great black hole-​in-​the-​wall) but the great part is the deception when you step inside and it is totally cute and the patio spacious with enough room for a large party and several other smaller parties. I also chose the place because it is vegetarian friendly, a hard find in the bar scene. They were projecting the Bulls-​Cavaliers game on a wall outside too so in between conversation we could catch up on the playoffs. I don’t know anything about beer but those of my friends who did seemed pretty content. They have awesome sausages (including veggie sausages) as well as pretzels and pickles and other fun stuff. Casual atmosphere, lots of fun, cool bartender. The backyard could use a little more funky décor I think to make it fit with the bar.

Calling all carnivores. Sausage never looked or tasted so good, only to be complimented by the excellent side dishes. I enjoyed all the varieties we sampled — beef brisket, lamb, duck, and the brat. All seasoned nicely, grilled to perfection, and juicy. Mom enjoyed our dinner as well, but settled the brat. The other varieties were too spiced for her liking. Really looking forward to visiting during the warmer weather to take advantage of the outdoor seating out back!

I’m gonna give it 5 stars because I have always thought: Hot-​dog over Sausage. UNTIL NOW.
Got the 4 sausage and 4 side platter as follows:
Smoke brisket
Duck (not gamey, but not my favorite)
Cuban
Classic (my fave)
Pretzel side — soft & buttery deliciousness
Sauerkraut side (perfect with a bite of sausage)
Kimchi Side (not blown away but good nonetheless)
Cucumber salad side (refreshing!)
Cannot complain. It was great with a hoppy beer and a laid back crowd. This joint is pretty small; I almost don’t want any of you to know about it.

Do you ever find yourself asking if you should accept sausage into your life, well look know more Der Kommiser unlocks all the secrets.
Can I get a not crowded bar? and an outside patio? Amen!
Can I get a cool attentive bartender? Amen!
Can I get a ton of beer and cocktails? Amen!
Can I get a sample plater with 4 sausages and 4 sides? Halleluja!
On the righteous sausage path Leo chose:
–smoke brisket — Perfect, flavor profile of smoked brisket but in sausage form… oooh ahhh
–duck — not gamey, well seasoned and lots of flavor
–cuban — least favorite, but good nonetheless
–classic — perfectly seasoned, great flavor
–Pretzel side — soft & buttery deliciousness
–Sauerkraut side — good tang, not overly vinegary
–Kimchi Side — standard taste of kimchi
–Cucumber salad side — refreshing and well seasoned
The bartender also gave us a crap ton of different mustard varieties to enjoy along with the sausage
–Nutella bread pudding — so good. Basically bread pudding in the shape of 2 silver dollar size pancakes with Nutella, you can’t go wrong!
Now that I accepted sausage into my life, the good book thinks you should too, go!

I love this place! Great atmosphere, fun staff, creative cuisine, and awesome drink selection. Best kept secret on 5^th ave!

Properly priced, simple, tasty food.
When you can feed 5 different people, along side a vegetarian, you know you’re golden.
I had the veggie dog, my friends had the rest of the menu. The red wine dog was a favorite.
Give the place a try, you could do worse for $ 6.00.

I’ve come here twice in the span of 2 years and still quietly smile to myself about how it’s an AMAZING FIND that not many people know about. That’s what I love about this place – NO FRILLS, GOOD FOOD and DRINKS, and an AWESOME WAIT STAFF.
I love being immediately greeted by this one female bartender/​waitress. She is a bad ass, loud but friendly; I love everything about her and how she treats her customers – direct, funny, and polite.
Personally, I’d recommend the SAUSAGE SAMPLER if you’re new and want to EXPLORE. It comes with a couple of SIDES TO CHOOSE FROM and it’s nice that their sides AREN’T BIG portions. This shows that they really want to showcase the meat. Some of their sausages are made IN HOUSE as well. My friend ordered the PORCHETTA SAUSAGE SPECIAL and it was so delicious-​JUICY, PLUMP, and FIRM. She was hesitant about the fried pork ears but they tasted like skinny slices of chicharron so she was happy.
**I’ll definitely be coming back to try more sausages since they’re always coming out with a new menu.

Their würsts are excellent, and they have a great beer selection. The bar, while a bit on the small side, has a cool ambiance.

My friend and I braved a pretty dreary walk through the rain for some great homemade sausages and — boy — were we happy to have made the trek.
Der Kommissar can be unassuming from the outside but I can already tell that it will deliver a serious onslaught to my waistline. It might be because I saw kimchi on the menu, but I also sense that some of the sausage/​sides have a subtle Asian influence.
We decided on a sausage sampler (3 sausages and 3 sides). I’m highlighting the sausages in order of preference:
1. Duck Andouille — Fan-​freaking-​tastic and full of flavor. I believe that this was a special of the day.
2. Bratwurst — often I feel like restaurants will devote less effort to the more classic meals/​food items but this Brawt was perfectly moist.
3. Brisket — though by no means disappointing, this was our least favorite of the bunch. The sausage was drier than the others — perhaps the cut of beef was leaner?
Each table was equipped with sweet mustard (dark and grainy-​looking) and spicy-​hot mustard. In terms of sides, we ordered pickled veggies, potato salad and sauerkraut (red cabbage).
The one thing that was mildly frustrating was their website. Save for the home page, pretty much every other page would not load.
What a wonderful place on Fifth — I’m definitely coming back to try more sausages and check out the backyard!

Loved this place. The place is clean and cozy — and has a totally laid back atmosphere. The bartender was very friendly and the draft beer selection was fantastic for a german beer guy like myself. They had Kostritzer Schwarzbier and Hofbrau Original served in proper glassware on tap, along with many craft beers.
We sat out back in the outside courtyard beirgarten where they have a bunch of picnic tables set up along with the smoker. There is no table service but that adds to the casual vibe. We ordered a 4 sausage and side sampler. The sausage selection included leberkase, smoked brisket, andouille and banh mi. They also make their own homemade mustards and sauces which were outstanding. Sides were kimchi, a pretzel, potato and cucumber salad. The side portions were a little small but after many beers the amount of food turned out to be perfect. Living in Chicago where there are a dozen very good German restaurants, and where the German culture has been kept alive though the decades, we eat a lot of good homemade sausage. The sausages at Der Kommisar were all excellent and on par with anything back home.
The family sat and talked for over 4 hours and it was truly the best dining experience my wife and I had during our brief visit to Brooklyn.

As soon as I saw sign outside, I knew I will love this place.
It’s an ultimate surrealism of urban absurd in the best tradition of it, with perforated metal, handwritten notes and all.
Walk in — and first question you hear is «Are you thirsty, hungry, or both?». (I am in love already). Damn right both, most definitely both!
Bar is endless, more tables on the back, and backyard — so pick your poison there to sit.
There are few TVs and pretty awesomely random music selection to entertain you — and on top of that, there are bartenders, who are just as entertaining.
Of course, being an Austrian bar, you can expect their beer selection to be top notch. Trust me, it is. Go for dark lager, man, go for it — it is smooth as black gold.
And there are the bites… of sausages. Bursting with juices as you bite into it, soak all that goodness with perfectly crisp bun, and do not forget to order their sides! Cucumber salad was nice, my only gripe that sides are rather smallish to be a separate item on menu.
But, hey, lets get back to those sausages. I mean, that’s what we came here for, right? (and beer of course!).
The käsekrainer is classic. If you been to Austria, you will agree with me. It’s super juicy and rich with cheese stuffed into it. I liked the bite though the crisp skin — it had a perfect snap.
Special that night — brisket sausage — was the best. Packed with flavor & spices, dryer and richer than classic version, it delivers full punch, and as meaty as sausage goes. Carnivores heaven.
Tipping hat to attentive bartender — for all the food explanations, for refilling my glass when needed, and for chill attitude.

These people make their own sausages, and we just had jerk lamb, cubano and brisket sausages, and does that sound awesome? It was awesome! The brisket was the best. I know, I wouldn’t have guessed that either, but they hit this weird sweet spot halfway between brisket and sausage and it was, honestly, it was kindof a big deal.
You get a platter with a few sausages on it, and some, whatever, pretzels and cucumber salad on it too, and it’s like $ 25, seriously, for two, and you’re gonna have a good time. And also that beer was cheap.
You know who’s nice is the bartenders here. Last time we were here we did a shot of whiskey with whoever that was, not because we’re special, she was basically just going down the bar making people do shots with her. We don’t even like whiskey. She was very intimidating. In the nicest of ways. That’s actually the only shot I’ve ever done with Jo. So… special memories. Special times.
Next time you’re there, if they have dessert sausage available you owe us a dollar because that was Jo’s idea. Sounds awesome, right? No, I know, it sortof doesn’t. We can’t think of anything that doesn’t sound gross either. But maybe Der Kommissar has by now. They’re very good at this.

An extremely thin place, where anyone with a physique even slightly curvier than a professional swimmer will find themselves inhaling to pass through to the tables at the back, serves a relatively basic menu of sausages and German-​inspired sides.
The cucumber salad is thin-​sliced and coated in plenty of vinegar. Use it to cut the fat of the bratwurst or debreziner sausages. A sausage and two sides would make a nice meal, but honestly, I’ve only ever eaten here after an empty stomach has made more than a pint or two untenable without some protein. The kitchen is open late, so there’s no need to rely on the nearby 7-​Eleven for encased meat late at night.
Despite its small size, central location and chill vibe, you can frequently find a table or stool here even on Friday or Saturday nights, making this a good stop on a Fifth Avenue bar night.

Pretty sure I am dead, because this place is as close to heaven as one can get!
Sample the entire menu for $ 80? Yes please. And thank you very much.
No lie, I give 3 stars automatically to any place that has Ayinger on draft.
Come here. Eat. Tell every freakin’ person you know. Or not. Make them jealous…

Don’t turn around, uh oh. Der Kommissar’s in town, whoa uh oh…
I encourage you to listen to this while you read the review. Go ahead, live a little.

So I now have a favorite beer and sausage place in the neighborhood! Very small and unassuming space. Nice beer selection, about 5 or 6 taps and about the same amount of bottles. Very chill vibe. Cool bartender not afraid to shoot the breeze with you. Oh yes, and the sausages. Tried the käsekrainer (cheese-​filled), the kielbasa and one other that was a little spicy and garlicky. All were delicious. Also had sides of kraut, spicy pickled veggies and pretzel bread, all of which were also good. Odd drawing on the wall that we couldn’t really figure out, but I’m ok with that.
Alles klar, Herr Kommissar?

I am an unabashed meat-​lover, so take it with a grain of salt when I tell you that the vegetarian sausage is not that good. This is notable, mostly because EVERYTHING ELSE at Der Kommissar is very, very good.
What, you ask? Here’s a short list.
The Käsekrainer. Delicious sausage with cheese stuffed right up in the wiener.*
The Family Style Platter. $ 60 for an insane amount of delicious food. Best deal ever.
The Beer Selection. Tasty, and varied.
The Sock Salesman. Some guy that came in and tried to well, sell us socks.
The Music Selection. Modest Mouse, Radiohead, Nirvana… I dug it.
The Creepiest Drawing Ever in the Scheisshaus. So creepy it’s amazing.
The Domination. Of my friends in Yahtzee. They might try and tell you that I came in dead last every time, but they are all liars.
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*Now, I’m not normally an advocate of stuffing things in wieners; I vastly prefer stuffing wieners in things (like mushrooms, you pervert). But this is so, so good.