Opening doors on Wednesday, November 20th at 4009 N Elston Avenue in former taquería Mas Tacos, the new 50-seat restaurant Wurst Behavior throws it back to the made-from-scratch-daily artisan practice of creating all kielbasa, hot dogs, sausages, brats, links, and more in-house, like the butcher shops of the past. Chef Art Wnorowski takes a “no-shortcuts” approach to his craft using traditional Polish sausage-making techniques, but with updated and irreverent twists. He’s borrowing his grandfather’s original kielbasa recipe to curate a lineup of absolute bangers inspired by different styles of food popular in Chicago.
“When we opened Pierogi Kitchen, we noticed guests were specifically coming back for the kielbasa, which we make from scratch every day. Chicago is packed with hot dog stands and sausage shops on every corner, but how many of those places are making them by hand, daily?” says Wnorowski in a statement. “I was lucky enough to learn the art of true sausage-making from scratch from my grandpa, who taught me back on our family farm in Poland, and now I’m bringing that old-school flavor here to share with everyone.”
The menu will be a playful ode to encased meats of all sorts, with sausages on a bun including the classic Polish Kielbasa with caramelized onions, sport peppers, and house-made hazy IPA mustard, The Italian with sweet peppers, oregano, giardiniera, and parm, and The Hot Link with beef, onions, and jalapeños. Of course, the lineup would not be complete without a dedicated section for Chef’s Art’s handmade Angus chuck roll hot dogs, made with natural sheep casing for that signature snap and smoked over pecan wood: options include a massive Pierogi Dog with sour cream, kraut and handmade potato-and-cheese pierogis (made at Pierogi Kitchen!), the Chicago Dog, appropriately dragged through the garden, and a saucy Chili Dog garnished with pickled jalapenos, cheddar and onion. There’s also an entire section of the menu dedicated to brats, where you’ll see the kitchen “at its wurst” with creative options that aren’t afraid to have a little fun: staples include the cheesy “Philly Steak”, the “Mushroom Truffle” brat, and the “Loaded” brat with kraut, grilled onions, cheddar, bacon, green onions and a dollop of sour cream. Wurst Behavior also offers a selection of Polish dishes like rolled cabbages & pierogis, as well as classic bar bites.
In addition to crafting the dogs by hand, Wnorowski will be creating many of their condiments and toppings in-house. Eventually, the team plans to make all of the sausages and select artisan items available for retail sale to-go from a stocked deli cooler in the restaurant.
Wurst Behavior’s no-nonsense beverage program will feature local craft beers from featured Chicago breweries and fun cocktails, made with local ingredients & regional spirits by Chicago’s best craft distillers while making use of the smoker and house-made ingredients; look forward to fun, boozy drinks like the briny Pickle Martini and Smoked Old Fashioned. “The Wurst Patio You’ve Ever Seen” will open out back as a beer garden, with an additional 50 seats in the spring.
“Whether you’re looking for a place to grab a bite and catch a game, or you’re coming to sing at our Wurst Karaoke on Friday nights, we don’t want people to feel like they need to mind their manners with us,” says Pieniazek.
Wurst Behavior will be open for lunch and dinner service Monday – Thursday from 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m., Friday – Saturday from 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m., and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., with brunch and late-night karaoke coming soon.
