Sausage Staple Rosamunde Has Closed in the Lower Haight

Ending a long and hallowed tradition, patrons quenching their thirst at Lower Haight beer temple Toronado can no longer satiate their hunger with sausages from next door Rosamunde. The small chain of sausage spots has closed the location at 545 Haight Street, where it enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with Toronado for more than 20 years. Hoodline broke the genuinely tragic news, confirmed on the business’s website. It’s only a slight exaggeration to wonder if Toronado customers will starve or riot.

“It worked so well for so long,” says owner Josh Margolis, who tells Eater SF the closure was a difficult business decision. Rosamunde’s sausages, in varieties like Hungarian, hot Italian, and wild boar, can still be found at a Mission District location, which also serves beer, and a downtown Oakland location at Swan’s Market. They’re also available at Willkommen, the Castro/Duboce Triangle beer hall not far from the Lower Haight.

“We’re continually evaluating what we can do to reach the most people,” says Margolis. “We’ve been fortunate to do well over there, but the neighborhood is changing, and the city is changing, and we’re changing with it.”

While the smallest of the bunch, the Haight Street Rosamunde — the original — had elegance in simplicity: Customers ordered sausages, watched as usually one solo employee put them on a grill, went back over to Toronado until they were done, and then picked them up to eat at the bar. What’s next for the 545 Haight Street location isn’t clear: Stay tuned, and pour one out next door.

• Rosamunde Sausage Grill closes on Lower Haight after 21 years of business [Hoodline]