Christmas has truly arrived in Cardiff with Winter Wonderland, Cardiff Christmas Market and the German Christmas Market open. The latter runs alongside the festive market and you can discover a whole host of seasonal food.

Selling Krakauer, bratwurst, currywurst and kasekrainer sausages, the sausages stand at the German Christmas Market is one of the main food options in the Welsh capital's 'festive quarter' and is seen by many as a real Christmas treat. You can read all the food options available, here.

So we decided to test out the German Christmas Market's bratwurst against a hot dog from The Bull Terrier Cafe, a popular lunch spot in Cardiff Market. As you can see from the pictures, there is a considerable size difference in the hot dogs and this comes with a considerable price difference.

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The smaller one, from The Bull Terrier Cafe, costs £2.50 and the larger one from the German stall is more than double the price at £6 - but then it's probably double the size too.

One big and one small hot dog
The hot dogs were very different

The actual sausage from the German Christmas Market was much tastier - thick, juicy and meaty, you could tell the roll was filled with high-quality meat which was strong in flavour and there was a good kick from the herbs. The sausage from The Bull Terrier Cafe had a pleasant taste but it was slightly less flavoursome. It was more like your average pork sausage, nothing to complain about but nothing to write home about either.

Bratwurst hot dog from Cardiff German Christmas Market 2023
The bratwurst was big and flavoursome

But as far as the roll was concerned, I preferred the bread wrapped around the cheaper hot dog. It tasted fresher and was light and fluffy. I also loved the fact that they that they buttered the bread roll for me so that it wasn't dry and it even added to the overall taste of the hot dog.

The bread from the other stall didn't hit the mark in the same way so it was the flavours of the sausage itself that carried this hot dog. While both places offered onions and sauces, I decided to eat my hot dogs plain. As far as customer service is concerned, the staff at the German stall were helpful and efficient but it's The Bull Terrier Cafe which takes the top spot in this category as the staff were really chatty and friendly as they went about preparing my hot dog.

Hot dog from The Bull Terrier Cafe 2023
The customer service was excellent at The Bull Terrier Cafe

Overall verdict?

These different hot dogs cater for different needs. If you are looking for a cheap, cheerful option and service with a smile head straight to the The Bull Terrier Cafe. But if you are after a very substantial Christmas treat you can eat on the go that is packed with flavour and is possibly more of a one-off indulgence, head to the Cardiff German Christmas Market. The one thing that did surprise me though is that you shouldn't automatically think the most expensive option will win heads down as cheaper doesn't necessarily mean tasteless... You can keep up to date with the latest What's On news by signing up to the newsletter here.