Second Avenue Street Sausages

Schaller and Weber, the internationally known German butcher, has been serving customers in Yorkville since 1937. Started by German immigrants Ferdinand Schaller and his partner, Tony Weber, the store has provided the neighborhood and beyond with artisanal sausages and meats.

Now, Jeremy Schaller, the third generation running the family business, has updated it for a 21st century clientele by adding a modern twist. Schaller has built an addition to the butcher shop, the Schaller’s Stube Sausage Bar. Stube means “little room” in German and Schaller’s Stube is a cozy space with 10 stools and window service to the street.

The focus is German street food and the menu includes the butcher’s famous sausages prepared for customers to eat in or take out. Diners can build their own sandwich from a choice of sausages, toppings, and sauces. The menu also includes signature wursts such as The Berlin Wall, a half-pound kielbasa with American cheese, crispy bacon, bacon jam and chicharones. A banh-mi style take on wurst is the Saigon Special, a bauernwurst with daikon-carrot slaw, cucumber, fresh jalapeno, cilantro and sriracha aioli. Mrs. Schaller’s Fried Chicken, a top seller in the main shop, made it to the menu next door due to popular demand.

In keeping with German tradition, Schaller will pair his sausages with German and Austrian beers on tap. Schaller’s Stube liquor license has recently been approved and Jeremy Schaller expects to sell beer inside the Stube very soon. The curated list of beers includes Bitburger and Stiegl.

Jeremy conceived the idea for the sausage bar during several trips to Germany, especially Berlin, where traditional sausage is served as street food. “Traditional sausage is what we’ve always done best and this seemed like a no brainer to me for a long time,” he said. While the menu is currently the omnivore’s delight, there are plans to create a homemade vegetarian sausage - gathered from the best vegetarian sausage recipes from Germany.

When Jeremy took over Schaller and Weber from his uncle in August 2014, he took on the challenge of maintaining heritage sausage and meat for the original customer base and procuring fine food products that appeal to a younger patron.

Schaller and his director of operations, Jesse Denes, expected Schaller’s Stube Sausage Bar to attract a younger following compared to Schaller and Weber. However, they have been pleasantly surprised to discover that the Schaller and Weber loyal customer base, grandparents who started coming to the butcher shop when they were children, are queuing up alongside hipsters, Second Avenue Subway construction workers, Wall Street brokers, and other neighborhood denizens.

“I think this is the right time for it as the subway comes,” Schaller said, referring to the expected arrival of the Second Avenue subway, which will have a stop practically outside the door of Schaller’s Stube.

Schaller also noted that the changing demographics of the neighborhood have brought new patrons. People who have been priced out of Brooklyn are now moving to Yorkville. Schaller’s hope is that the combination of authentically prepared artisanal charcuterie with modern day flavors will appeal to the new neighbors.