Nuremberg Bratwurst: Why They Are So Small, and Where to Eat Them

The short version. Nuremberg bratwurst are seven to nine centimetres long and weigh twenty to twenty-five grams, because since 2003 EU law says that is what they are. They must be made inside the city, seasoned with marjoram, and stuffed into sheep casing. Eat them three in a roll from a hatch for about four euros fifty, or on a pewter plate with kraut for ten to fourteen.

Protected statusPGI, since July 2003

Length7–9 cm

Raw weight20–25 g each

Defining spiceMarjoram

CasingSheep

Standard portions6, 8, 10 or 12 on a pewter plate

Why they are small

The romantic story you will be told is that they shrank so they could be passed through the keyholes of inns after curfew. It is a good story and there is no evidence for it. The duller and better-supported explanation is the ordinance: Nuremberg has been regulating the size and content of its sausages since 1313, partly to protect quality and partly because a city that controls a food standard controls a trade. What began as municipal quality control ended up as a shape.

What is certain is what the shape means now. Since July 2003 the "Nuernberger Rostbratwurst" carries a Protected Geographical Indication, which is a legal specification rather than a marketing badge. Made outside the city boundary, or made longer, or made without marjoram, and it cannot be sold under the name.

The specification says	Which means
7–9 cm long	Roughly a finger, not a hand
20–25 g raw	Around forty to a kilo
Sheep casing	The snap when you bite it
Marjoram as the leading spice	The flavour that is not Bavarian
Produced within Nuremberg city limits	Origin, not recipe, is what the PGI protects

How to order them

Two ways, and the cheap one is not the lesser one.

What works

Drei im Weggla — three in a roll, from a street hatch, about EUR 4.50, eaten standing up. The classic and, off the same grill, the same sausage.
Six, eight, ten or twelve on a pewter plate, with sauerkraut or potato salad and grated horseradish, EUR 10–14. This is lunch.
Ask for them vom Buchenholzgrill if you want the beechwood version, which is the one worth queueing for.

Worth knowing

Ordering an even number is normal; the plate counts are fixed and asking for seven will get you a look.
Anything sold as a Nuremberg bratwurst outside the city is legally not one, whatever the sign says.

Insider tip

Sauerkraut or potato salad is the real fork in the road, and locals are split. Kraut is the winter answer, potato salad the summer one. Horseradish comes with both and you are meant to use it.

Where to eat them

The three institutional addresses are the Bratwursthaeusle beside St Sebald, the Bratwurst Röslein near the Hauptmarkt, and the Zum Gulden Stern, which claims to be the oldest bratwurst kitchen in the world. All three are genuinely good and all three are full of visitors, which does not make them worse — the grills are the real thing. The hatch on the side of the Bratwursthaeusle sells the roll version to the street and is the fastest lunch in the old town.

Before you travel

Bratwurst kitchens in the old town close earlier than you expect — several stop serving hot food around 21:00 or 22:00, and the street hatches shut well before that. If you are arriving on a late train, plan on the station rather than the Hauptmarkt.

Applies until 31 December 2026 · check with the operator before you travel.

You do not need a tour to eat a sausage

Stating the obvious, because a page like this is supposed to sell you something: you can eat the best bratwurst in Nuremberg for four euros fifty, standing on a street corner, having read nothing and booked nothing. That is the correct way to do it and it is what most people here do at lunchtime.

The tours below exist for a different reason. The bratwurst tour comes with admission to the small Bratwurst Museum and a guide who will walk you through the ordinance history, the marjoram, and why the sheep casing matters — roughly fifteen euros for the context plus the entry. The cooking class is the serious one: a butcher takes you from the whole pig to the finished sausage in a working kitchen, which is not something you can buy at a hatch at any price. Neither is necessary. One is cheap and interesting; the other is a half-day you will remember.

Bratwurst museum

Check availability & book

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure on most tours — book now, decide later.

Then what

The other five things to eat · Food and beer tours compared · The Lebkuchen question

Frequently asked questions

Why are Nuremberg bratwurst so small?

Because the city has regulated their size since the fourteenth century, and since 2003 EU protected-origin rules have fixed it: 7 to 9 centimetres, 20 to 25 grams. The keyhole story is charming but unsupported.

What makes a bratwurst a Nuremberg bratwurst?

Production inside Nuremberg city limits, the protected size and weight, sheep casing, and marjoram as the leading spice. Made anywhere else, it cannot legally carry the name.

How many bratwurst should I order?

Portions come in sixes. Six with sauerkraut is a light lunch, eight or ten is a proper meal, twelve is a large appetite. From a street hatch the standard is three in a roll.

What is the difference between Nuremberg and Thuringian bratwurst?

Size and seasoning. Thuringian bratwurst are long, thick and caraway-led; Nuremberg bratwurst are finger-sized and marjoram-led. Both carry EU protected status but for different specifications.