Your visit to St. Louis can not be complete without a stop at Gus’s Pretzels.

First a little background: Gus’s Pretzel shop has been twisting out pretzel’s since 1920. The Original recipe and method for making the delicious pretzels is still the same after all these years. Frank Ramsperger started the business and it was named for his son-in-law Gus Koebbe who took over the business in 1952. Gus’s Pretzels is a family owned and operated pretzel shop.

My love affair with Gus’s pretzels started when I was a kid. Street corner vendors sell their delicious pretzels, and on a Sunday mom would always grab a bag. The First time I enjoyed one of their special celebration pretzels (that is what I call them,) was when my sister held a party for her boyfriend. The huge pretzel was in the shape of his age. You can get a pretzel from Gus’s in just about any shape you can imagine. They do hearts for weddings, footballs, and even the St. Louis logo.

The shop itself is amazing. You can watch the pretzel’s being made as you wait in line. Or take a look at the many family pictures that dot the walls, along with news articles about the shop, and it’s history. Even though the shop itself is small, never under estimate it. I have never gone into Gus’ Pretzels without having to stand in a line, they are always busy. The line always moves at a respectable rate.

You can get many kinds of pretzel’s there. Anything from a stick to a normal pretzel twist. However my favorite thing to get at Gus’s is what I like to call a Bratzel. They call them Pretzel Sandwiches, but I like my name better. It is simply a Bratwurst, hotdog, or Salsiccia inside of a pretzel. The amazing flavor of the Bratwurst covered in a pretzel has been enough to keep us coming back for more, for years. Cinnamon sugar pretzels, Garlic butter pretzels, and you can even buy yourself some of Gus’s own Pretzel Dipping sauces and Mustard’s.

There are a few quick tips I have to give to make your experience at Gus’ just a little bit better. If you are going on a game day weather it is baseball or football make sure you go early enough or call in your order. We found out the hard way that sometimes on those busy days they can sell out of certain items. Always remember to bring Cash, they do have an ATM in the store, but machines always have a habit of breaking down when you need them, and when we went on Saturday the ATM was out of order and we didn’t have any cash on hand. Cash is all they accept in the shop. If you are going to try a Bratzel (Bratwurst Pretzel Sandwich,) I suggest using the Honey Mustard sauce they have available for 30 cents. It comes in a small round container that is just perfect for dipping one of these Pretzel Sandwiches in.

Gus’s Pretzels is located right by the Anheuser Busch Brewery. You can spend a great afternoon in St. Louis by grabbing a quick lunch at Gus’s and then heading over to the brewery for a tour. Ironically this is just what we did on Saturday, and next week we will share our Visit to the brewery with you.

No matter if you have lived in St. Louis all your life, or you are just visiting for a day, or a week. Stopping at Gus’s Pretzel shop is just a must. It is rich in St. Louis history and the Pretzels are outstanding. If you are just visiting you can grab a pack of frozen Pretzel’s out of the freezer to take home with you, as long as you have a way to keep them on ice for the trip back home they should be fine.

Visit Gus’s Pretzel shop the next time you are in St. Louis, Missouri. Your time, and money will be well spent, and your tummy will thank you for it.

Check out the Image Gallery for Gus’ Pretzels

If you have been to Gus’ Pretzels or have tried one of their delicious Pretzels, please let us know what you thought of them.

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