For a small additional charge, diners can opt to have sausages served over garden salad instead of a bun at Bangers and Brews in west Bend.

Bangers and Brews

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Food: The menu is written on a large chalkboard behind the counter, with a helpful breakdown included: 1) Pick your sausage. 2) Pick two toppings. 3) Pick one sauce. Bangers and Brews offers traditional, exotic and veggie sausages, and I went traditional — bratwurst topped with caramelized onions and cheddar cheese and whole grain mustard for my sauce. Sausages are served on a toasted bollilo bun, but I opted, for a fee of just 95 cents, to have it over a generous garden salad instead. An appetizer of bread and chimichurri sauce arrived first, befitting Bangers and Brew’s Argentinian flair. My meal was so colorful and tastefully arranged that a foodie would have spent five minutes photographing it, and that’s about how long it took me to devour it. A few wilted lettuce leaves needed culling, but that’s typical of salad in winter. Save room for one of the cheesecakes offered for dessert.

Service: Excellent. The counter person was friendly and helpful. The wait for my food was a little over 10 minutes, but as the website says, “We understand that the best way isn’t always the fastest or easiest way, and we’re OK with that.” Me too. The friendly gent who delivered my food stopped back by to check on things right on time.

Atmosphere: The small dining area is warm and inviting. The back patio offers more seating.

MORE INFO

Location: 1288 SW Simpson Ave., Suite A, Bend

Hours: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, closed Sunday

Price: $8.25-$10.50

Contact: bangersandbrews.com or 541-389-2050

— David Jasper, The Bulletin