Hofbrau food is back in Fresno as this brewery and restaurant launches new food truck
How does a double-decker pastrami sandwich sound? Or a beer-braised bratwurst on a pretzel roll?
Both are on the menu at the newly launched Duck Haus, a food truck by the same people behind the Mad Duck breweries and restaurants.
The food truck is a departure from the menu at the three Mad Duck locations in Fresno and Clovis.
There’s no beer on this menu, but lots of meat.
It’s a German, hofbrau style menu.
Hofbrau food in Fresno
Longtime Fresnans still mourn the loss of the Old Fresno Hofbrau downtown, on the site of what is now a Grocery Outlet.
And the Silver Dollar Hofbrau on Shaw Avenue closed in 2015, and was transformed into Hustler Hollywood store.
Obviously, Duck Haus – pronounced Duck House – is not a traditional hofbrau. But it’s got German food and plenty of hand-carved meats.
“The food is just this great kind of savory comfort food,” said Mad Duck owner Alex Costa.
You can choose from roasted turkey, pastrami, roast beef, ham or bratwurst. The meats come in either a sandwich with a side for $15 or an $18 plate with two sides.
And those sides? German potato salad, German sour cabbage, mashed potatoes and gravy and more.
There’s also a soft Bavarian pretzel available so big it’s probably bigger than your head.
No, you can’t buy beer at the truck. (The law doesn’t allow that but you can do it at a private events.) Mad Duck also has a beer truck that it will park side by side with Duck Haus at beer festivals.
Of course, it’s not the only restaurant to start a food truck. Lincoln’s Pub & Grub debuted one recently, and Señor Aji Peruvian Kitchen has one too, for example.
The truck got its start during the pandemic shutdowns, when the staff was figuring out how to grow beyond their restaurant and brewery concept.
It led to the idea of a food truck, Costa said.
Although Mad Duck is in growth mode, they can’t build locations everywhere, he said. So instead, they decided to launch of a food truck they can take anywhere.
Several workers are also partners in the truck.
“They have taken this and run with it, and I hope the sky’s the limit,” Costa said. “That’s the way its headed.”
Since Duck Haus is brand new, it doesn’t have a regular route yet. Follow it on Facebook or Instagram to see where it will be.
It makes frequent stops at Crow & Wolf Brewing Co. in Clovis, including one scheduled from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 12.
This story was originally published March 11, 2022 at 12:22 PM.
