White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Ok, so I have been a bit deliquent on my lunch reviews as of late. To be honest, I have not been eatin lunch out much. I get a bahn mi from next door, or eat the pizza, that we are now serving.  This past Monday I got out of the shop though. I went down to Han’s in Burien. Yeah, not White Center, but it isn’t that far, and for you folks in West Seattle, really, Burien is not that far, and if you have never been to Han’s it is worth the trip.

Han’s is a deli, the way delis are supposed to be. The have a big case, full of cured meats, wursts, potato salads, and krauts. One wall is devoted to breads, the other to beer. Right in the middle is the dry goods. Spices and canned foods. Candies and chocolates. Even newspapers from the mother land. When you go here though, your focus should first be on that meat case. Most everything is made in house. I asked the woman how long they had been there, and she told me in a thick German accent, “We are new. Only about 35 years.” Yeah, 35 years, and you have never heard of this place.

I have now been in there a few times, and I have to say their sandwhiches, though small, are perfect. Try the Lachsschinken, a smoked ham that seems to be fat free, and full of wonderful smokeyness, or one of the many braunsweiger, or liver wurst. I am not a fan of liver, or pates of any kind but I am a sucker for braunsweiger. My Irish grandfather used to eat the stuff for lunch every day, and he would share chunks of it with his hounds. At Han’s, 4.50 gets you a sandwich with thick slices of braunsweiger, mayo, mustard, German pickles, and Havarti cheese. Try a few things in the case. Make sure you get a side of the German potato salad, and a little bit of the kraut. Skip the mustard/ American version of the potato salad. You can get that at Safeway. The ladies working here are friendly, patient and helpful. They might make fun of you, but only in the most loving way.

After you pick out your sandwich and cured meats, make a left and head over to the beer wall. If you are truly going to have a German lunch, you have to have a beer with that. I counted 43 different beers the last time I was there. Most are German, but there are a few from the newly opened Eastern Bloc. After you have picked out your beer, turn around and pick up a jar of pickles. The have quite a variety. Salt pickles, dills, German style, garlic. It will take me a year to work through the pickle aisle. Now head back to the register to pay and pick up your deli items. This is the time to pick out some chocolate. The have a huge variety of European chocolate, but even though I prefer a dark chocolate, I always end up getting the Kinder Egg. If you have never experienced one of these, think of a Cadbury egg, but instead of sugar goo, the are stuffed with a small choking hazard toy of some sort.

I keep forgetting my camera, but here is the address.:

Han’s German Sausage and Deli

17 SW 148th St # B, Burien, WA‎ –

(206) 244-4978

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