A second Bangers & Brews has opened on the east side of Bend with an outdoor eating area adjacent to Hablo Tacos. Self-described as “gourmet sausages with an Argentinian flair,” this is not your typical hot dog. Sausages made from game meats with unusual toppings make dining at the east-side eatery a tasty adventure.

For three years in a row, Yelp voted the west-side location as one of the top 100 restaurants in the country that you “must try this year.” In 2019, it was the No. 1 restaurant in the country on the community restaurant-rating app. It wasn’t only the food that diners were raving about, it was the servers. The business is family-owned, and the love and passion for the restaurant emanated from those behind the counter.

The menu is written on a chalkboard as you enter and order at the counter. It starts with picking what type of sausage you want. For the traditionalists, there is the British banger, a German bratwurst and mild spicy Italian sausage.

Those diners who don’t want red meat might choose the chicken basil or an Italian veggie sausage. Specialty sausages punch up the flavor with black pepper and garlic, hot andouille or IPA Beer. You might take a walk on the wild side choosing wild boar with garlic, elk and pork brat, Alaskan reindeer or combinations like duck and bacon with jalapeno or hickory wild boar with cheddar.

Once you’ve decided on the sausage, choose two toppings and a sauce. If you are new to Bangers & Brews, it’s good to get recommendations and tips for what goes best with the sausage you choose. Toppings include cheese, cream cheese, onions, sauerkraut, peppers and many more. Sauces include mustard, ranch, curry ketchup, marinara sauce and Argentinian chimichurri.

Sometimes called “Argentinian pesto,” chimichurri has a pungent garlic flavor and is frequently used on steaks. Its main ingredient is chopped parsley, but a server told me that the Bangers & Brews version is made with cilantro. If there was cilantro, it was undetectable. However they make it, it’s so fabulous that they sell it separately in to-go containers, which I happily brought home.

The number of choices of sauces, toppings and sausages made me dizzy. So I opted for the Seattle Dog Special. A banger sausage is topped with caramelized onions, strips of cream cheese and a generous drizzle of chimichurri. It comes on a toasted, split bolillo white bread bun like those popular in Central and South America. This was a delicious symphony of flavors, from the sweet onions to the cool cream cheese, strong garlic in the sauce and savory meat on the slight sweetness of the doughy white bread bun. The combo included a soda (or upgrade to a beer or cider for $3 more) and fries or a side salad. I enjoyed my choice of long, crispy but tender sweet potato fries, which were flavorful and not greasy.

The special was a safe choice. My second choice was one of the special sausages listed on the chalkboard menu. I passed on the spicy alpaca but chose the pheasant, Swiss and mushroom atop mashed potatoes. It was slathered in gravy, to which I only added raw onions. The sausage was dense with a slightly gamey flavor, but it worked well with the gravy and potatoes.

On my second visit, another wild sausage piqued my interest: The venison, rabbit and bacon with cranberry sausage sounded like it would go well with a side of macaroni and cheese. Although the back of the menu lists recommendations for combinations of toppings and sauces, I was still confused. Mistakenly, I chose spicy mustard. It was an epic fail as it fought the sweet flavors in the sausage.

Returning to the counter, I asked if they had any suggestions for toppings that were better-suited to this sausage. They gave me caramelized onions, warm kraut and garlic aioli to try together. I also tried onions with barbecue sauce or onions and chimichurri mayo. The caramelized onions brought out the sweetness of the cranberries. All of the sauces worked well with the lean game meat. The vinegar from the barbecue sauce and the tart sauerkraut was an excellent balance to the cranberry and meat combination. The right toppings made all the difference. Don’t be shy about asking for recommendations for toppings and sauces when ordering.

Mac and cheese was a good side to go with the exotic sausage. The elbow macaroni was loaded with butter and cheese and served in a large, pretty (but chipped) soup mug. It was reminiscent of my favorite childhood meal — boxed Kraft Macaroni and Cheese — but in a yummy, comfort-food way.

To finish, I grabbed a cheesecake to go. This homemade cheesecake is one of the best I’ve had in a restaurant. Fresh graham -cracker crust crumbled as I took a spoonful of the top layer of sour cream that perfectly balanced the sweet cream cheese center. The fruit-added dessert was a family recipe made by grandma served in individual-sized plastic containers. This dessert is going to be dangerous for my diet, as I can’t wait to return to have it again and again.

Other hot dog choices

While Bangers & Brews serves excellent sausages, if you are in the mood for a hot dog, a few food carts around town give you a myriad of choices.

The Corn Dog Company of Central Oregon is located in the Bend Factory Store parking lot and at the Bi-Mart in Redmond. It is part of a chain of food carts across the country, but it may be the best corn dog in Central Oregon. A footlong dog is coated in sweet cornmeal and deep-fried to a crunchy golden brown. I had it with the recommended mustard and honey drizzles. It sounded like an odd combination until I thought about honey mustard. We had the long, all-beef dog of The Epic, as well as the smoky cheddar dog, a pork hot dog with chunks of cheese melted inside. Both delicious guilty -pleasure dogs were served with house-made potato chips. The freshly made kettle chips retained their lovely earthy potato flavor. Be sure to call the cart before you go as the hours can be inconsistent.

Alley Dogz at Mid Town Yacht Club food cart pod also offers a fresh, juicy hot dog with several toppings, including a barbecue cowboy dog, Nasty Nate’s kimchi dog and chili dogs. Pickled jalapenos and nacho cheese toppings add a little spice and variety.

I can’t write about hot dogs without mentioning the Costco food court. I frequently grab one there on my way out after shopping. Costco sells more than four times the number of hot dogs sold at Major League Baseball stadiums each year. You can get a quarter-pounder, 100% beef juicy hot dog with no fillers for under $2 on a doughy steamed white bun. Onions and sauerkraut can be requested when you order. Relish, mustard, and ketchup are available in dispensers. Simple, tasty, traditional.

If you go:

What: Bangers & Brews-Eastside

Where: 1462 NE Cushing Dr. #140, Bend

Hours: Call for hours

Contact: bangersandbrews.com or 541-787-6886

What: Corn Dog Company of Central Oregon

Where: Bend Factory Stores 61334 S. Third St., Bend

Hours: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday; call for other hours

Contact: facebook.com/thecorndogcoco or 541-819-0913

What: Alley Dogz

Where: 1661 NE Fourth Street, Bend (Midtown Yacht Club Pod)

Hours: noon-8 p.m. Monday, Tuesday; noon-9 p.m. Wednesday; noon-8 p.m. Thursday-Friday; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday 

Contact: facebook.com/alleydogz or 541-788-5925

What: Costco Food Court

Where: 2500 NE Highway 20, Bend

Hours: 10 a.m.- 8:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday 

Contact: 541-385-9640