{"id":4020,"date":"2025-10-16T12:54:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T12:54:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/4020\/"},"modified":"2025-10-16T12:54:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T12:54:11","slug":"holzingers-imbiss-brings-beloved-german-street-food-to-pittsburgh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/4020\/","title":{"rendered":"Holzinger\u2019s Imbiss brings beloved German street food to Pittsburgh"},"content":{"rendered":"

On a drizzly Saturday in Coraopolis, the weather does not matter. Outside Cobblehaus Brewing<\/a>, the line curls past the beer garden as people cradle frosty pints of M\u00e4rzen and debate brat versus schnitzel.\u00a0<\/p>\n

From inside the Holzinger\u2019s Imbiss<\/a> trailer, the smell of pork frying drifts into the damp evening. When the first schnitzels are lifted from the oil, they arrive shatter-crisp, golden and far too big for their buns. A man takes a bite, shuts his eyes, and murmurs, \u201cThis is exactly what I ate in Munich.\u201d<\/p>\n

That kind of reaction never fails to make Ivonne Holsinger beam. \u201cPeople tell us, \u2018I haven\u2019t had schnitzel like this since I was in Germany.\u2019 That makes it so worth it,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere I come from, an imbiss is just part of daily life,\u201d Ivonne explains. She grew up in the small town of Fulda, Germany, northeast of Frankfurt, before moving to Pittsburgh. \u201cEvery town has a little stand where you grab a bratwurst or schnitzel. I missed that here.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Germany, imbisskultur is everyday and everywhere, the counterpart to an American corner deli or late-night pizza slice. These snack stands took root in the rubble of postwar cities, spreading quickly through the 1950s and \u201960s as cheap, accessible street food. Currywurst, one of Germany\u2019s emblematic imbiss dishes, essentially emerged in postwar Berlin in 1949, when Herta Heuwer<\/a> reportedly mixed ketchup and curry powder and served it over sausage at a stand.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cGrowing up, that was normal. It was not special food. It was just there. But when I make it now, it feels special because it connects me back to that time,\u201d Ivonne says.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"Bratwurst from Holzinger\u2019s Imbiss. Photo courtesy of the Holsingers.<\/p>\n

That everyday ritual never fully translated to Pittsburgh, despite the city\u2019s deep German-American roots. Oktoberfest festivals appear every fall.\u00a0But the casual, everyday imbiss stand never made the leap. So this summer, Ivonne and her husband Greg Holsinger launched Holzinger\u2019s Imbiss, Pittsburgh\u2019s first dedicated German food truck. \u201cIt is like the German version of having a Primanti\u2019s by the parking garage downtown,\u201d Ivonne says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ivonne\u2019s family history made the idea feel inevitable. \u201cI wanted people to taste what I grew up eating. My mother had a huge garden and taught me at an early age to make traditional meals using quality ingredients,\u201d she says. Her paternal grandparents ran a bed and breakfast, so she grew up steeped in hospitality.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What she remembers most vividly is not only schnitzel and bratwurst but the sides that made them complete. Warm German potato salad made with bacon, onions and vinegar; and sp\u00e4tzle, small hand-pressed egg noodles pressed through a grater into boiling water and scooped out steaming. \u201cThat was the only potato salad I knew until I came here,\u201d Ivonne says. \u201cI didn\u2019t know about mayonnaise-based cold potato salad. German potato salad is warm, savory and earthy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg\u2019s roots, too, circle back to Germany. His family name, Holsinger, had drifted from its original spelling. When they launched the truck, they restored it to Holzinger. \u201cIt makes me proud,\u201d Greg says. \u201cEven generations apart, I grew up with the same traditions Ivonne did. Our family traditions are very similar. The food, the wine glasses, so many things. Half a world apart, but very connected.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"Ivonne and Greg Holsinger. Photo courtesy of the Holsingers.
\nFrom Fulda to Hopewell Township<\/p>\n

Ivonne arrived in Pittsburgh in 1992 after marrying an American soldier stationed in Germany. She carried a green card for more than three decades before becoming a U.S. citizen last year. Nursing became her career \u2014 today she still works in the operating room at Heritage Valley Sewickley five days a week, shaping her shifts so she can prep schnitzels and sp\u00e4tzle before weekend events.<\/p>\n

Greg grew up in Pittsburgh, studied business at Pitt and worked in banking. The two met online in 2017 and married in June 2024. Their idea for a food truck began as a half-serious conversation, a dream tossed back and forth.\u00a0\u201cFunnily enough, it was not German at first,\u201d Ivonne says.<\/p>\n

One late summer night at Hofbr\u00e4uhaus<\/a>, the talk turned serious. \u201cWe asked each other if there were any German food trucks in Pittsburgh,\u201d Ivonne recalls. \u201cAfter researching, we noticed there weren\u2019t any. So we made a pinky-swear that we would start Pittsburgh\u2019s first German food truck.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their custom trailer, built by Heenan Concessions<\/a> in the South Hills, was complete by December 2024.<\/p>\n

The couple preps at Pizer\u2019s Sweet Co-op<\/a> in Hopewell, loading trays of schnitzels and tubs of kraut before hauling everything to an event or brewery.<\/p>\n

Their first event came at Big Sewickley Creek Brewery<\/a> in February, where the two-burner hot plate they were using kept blowing the breaker. \u201cWe could only fry one schnitzel at a time,\u201d Ivonne recalls with a laugh.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"Greg and Ivonne Holsinger at a pop-up event for their authentic German food in February. Photo courtesy of the Holsingers.<\/p>\n

Running a food truck has not been without mishaps. Parking the trailer in their narrow driveway left two dents in the gutter before they figured out a system. Greg has knocked his head on the fridge door. Ivonne has burned her finger on hot oil.<\/p>\n

But slowly, a routine emerged. Greg handles logistics and customer service. \u201cI am the face, she is the cook,\u201d he says. Ivonne runs the grill and fryer. Together they have turned prep into a ritual. \u201cWe go to the commissary, turn on music and make it fun,\u201d Greg says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a husband and wife team is an awesome environment because we love being together,\u201d Ivonne adds. \u201cRunning a food truck is tough, but having your best friend with you makes it not just a job but a journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oktoberfest, here and there<\/p>\n

Their first Oktoberfest season was a whirlwind. At a three-day celebration in Seven Fields, they sold out every night. \u201cWe were swamped,\u201d Ivonne says. \u201cThe people who came out just to try our food, it was amazing.\u201d More events followed, including Oktoberfest at Altered Genius<\/a> in Imperial, fall festivals and brewery after-parties with German bands.<\/p>\n

The Holsingers did not initially plan to tether themselves to the brewery circuit, but the pairing proved irresistible. German food and beer have centuries of shared history. The Reinheitsgebot beer purity law dates to 1516, and Bavarian beer halls have always doubled as community gathering places. So the truck has made brewery lots its natural habitat: Big Sewickley Creek, Bullseye Brewing and Cobblehaus, where the Holzingers can barely keep up with demand. A crisp pilsner practically begs for schnitzel. A malty Oktoberfest lager has likely never met a brat it did not love.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"Greg Holsinger waits to take orders inside the Holzinger\u2019s Imbiss food truck. Photo courtesy of the Holsingers.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"Schnitzel at Holzinger\u2019s Imbiss. Photo courtesy of the Holsingers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did not plan it this way, but it just fits,\u201d Ivonne admits. \u201cGerman food is hearty and flavorful, and a cold beer just washes it down perfectly. \u201d<\/p>\n

Still, many Pittsburghers need context. \u201cThere is no happy medium,\u201d Ivonne says. \u201cEither people know what an imbiss is right away because they lived in Germany or were stationed there, or they have no idea. We are constantly explaining it.\u201d For those who know, the truck has been a revelation. \u201cWe hear, \u2018I haven\u2019t had currywurst in 20 years.\u2019 People get so excited. And we make our own curry ketchup, so it is the real thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regular customers are already asking about a potential restaurant. Greg calls their plan \u201ccontrolled growth.\u201d Another truck, maybe a brick-and-mortar, perhaps online ordering. For now, they want to prove consistency without losing quality. \u201cGermans are known for quality and efficiency,\u201d Greg says. \u201cThat\u2019s what we want to reflect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ivonne agrees. \u201cEverything is new for us, the trailer, the business side, the Pittsburgh weather. But it feels good to bring a little piece of home here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Judging from the lines outside their trailer, Pittsburgh is more than ready to make that piece of home its own.<\/p>\n

For when and where to find Holzinger\u2019s Imbiss, follow it on Instagram<\/a>. This weekend, they\u2019ll be at Bullseye Brewing Co. in New Brighton on Saturday, Oct. 18, and at Stick City Brewing Co. in Mars on Sunday, Oct. 19.<\/p>\n