The Sausage Factory, Dulwich Hill

The Sausage Factory is the restaurant by Chrissy Flanagan of Chrissy’s Cuts. It stands out as an eatery putting beer to the fore.

You may have seen Chrissy at GABS or around breweries in the inner west where she’s served up good food to hungry punters. You may know her as the “Sausage Queen”.

There’s no doubting that Chrissy is a beer lover and a supporter of the local scene. Her partner, Jim, is in the same boat and together they’ve brought that passion to The Sausage Factory.

Beer & Sausages: A Perfect Pairing

Beer lends itself so well to meaty foods, especially those cooked on a grill. The roasted character in many beers complements the charred and caramelised flavours you get in meat, while the carbonation lifts fat from the palate in a way that other drinks can’t.

Shortly after the Dulwich Hill restaurant opened, the decision was made to focus the beer selection around the Sydney Metro area. It was a consciously “local first” move. There’s a theme that runs through the culinary inspiration behind The Sausage Factory and Chrissy’s Cuts that focuses on quality local produce. It made sense to echo this in the beer list.

It’s refreshing to see a restaurant that doesn’t just take beer seriously but makes an effort to detach beer from the concept of it being a mass-produced commodity but instead something that lends itself towards freshness, regionality and craft.

It also helps that The Sausage Factory is within walking distance of Marrickville and a plethora of small, independent breweries. Chrissy has even collaborated with Bucket Boys on a beer. When you have so much good beer on your door step there’s not much need to look further afield.

Sausage Cellar Door

The restaurant itself is a tight operation with a small crew serving a handful of tables. The concept is labelled on their website as a “bistro / bar / cellar door”. A cellar door for sausages is a nice way to think about it. It’s essentially an outlet for Chrissy’s Cuts to sell sausages directly to the public.

There are a range of sausages available each day and they come either as a plate with condiments and pickles or as a gourmet hot dog. The pork, bacon and maple is an original recipe from before the restaurant opened while sausage made from kangaroo or camel meat will grab the attention of the adventurous.

The quality and variety of flavour in the sausages is impressive, providing bountiful inspiration for beer matching. The staff on hand, including Chrissy herself, possess all the knowledge required to make recommendations on beer and sausage pairings.

The Sausage Factory also sells Chrissy’s sausages to take home, as well as a range of condiments, chutneys and sauces, all of which fit naturally with this type of fair.

Most of the Sydney restaurants doing beer well sit at the high end of the spectrum. The Sausage Factory is more approachable, combining down to earth, simple but modern takes on rustic food with a refined beer menu.

Have you been to The Sausage Factory? Leave a comment below and share your experience.