Rosamunde Sausage Grill: Perfect Takeout Lunch in the Lower Haight

Rosamunde Sausage Grill
545 Haight Street
(between Fillmore St & Steiner St)
San Francisco, 94117
(415) 437-6851

Checking out this Chronicle-mentioned Bargain Bites location, I feared being met by a surly counterperson (think, Sausage Nazi). Boy was I wrong! I proclaimed myself a newbie and the guy at the counter (a combo cashier, cook, and busboy) was extremely friendly and helpful.

He suggested I start off with the Beer Sausage, made of spicy pork and beef. Ultimate frequenters of the joint, he said, consume the Wild Boar (made of apple & spice). I chose the Beer Sausage and then, he even set my expectations by saying it’d take five minutes to grill.

Rosamunde Sausage Grill gets its sausages from a variety of vendors, he said. And they’re not just re-labeled sausages from a mass vendor. No, our resident expert told me that most of the sausage recipes are Rosamunde’s; they’re just outsourcing the manufacturing to other folks.

Once done grilling, I was then able to ask for 2 free (or more, for a small fee) toppings. I chose grilled onions and sweet peppers. (Note: the peppers also come in a spicy form…and both are diced, not sliced…a cook notices these things.) He also put on some mustard for me, though there were self-service tubs around. I figured I’d entrust the condiment application to his expert hands.

Here’s the summary:

PROS:

• Fresh sausage, grilled just right. Not so salty that I was compelled to purchase a beverage (with related markup).
• Great buns. (har har) They were grilled lightly, and did not get soggy. (Believe me, some buns do get soggy and it sucks.)
• Friendly service
• Clean bathroom (this was at lunchtime…it didn’t look used yet)

CONS:

• Quantity. For $4.25, I was able to eat a whole order…and you know that usually I give bigger kudos to places with larger servings. However, the freshness and quality of the sausage was enough to satisfy my not being able to leave 25%+ of my meal for later.
• Store size: Some of you may find this a con, I didn’t as I was grabbing a sausage to go. But if you plan to sit at the tiny counter for lunch, it’ll be cramped.