The nigiri, bottom left, spicy tuna roll, top left, and Kaiza special roll, a fried amalgamation of breaded shrimp, salmon, avocado, cucumber and cheese, arrived with the smoke of dry ice, at Kaiza in Weiden, Germany, on May 11, 2024. (Matthew M. Burke)

Restaurant culture in northern Bavaria includes a lot of schnitzel, sauerkraut and beer, and plenty of Italian options. But an Asian fusion oasis in Weiden that opened in January is all the buzz.

Kaiza Bar and Restaurant was founded by three Vietnamese Germans, co-owner Thanh Thuy Nguyen said. They decided to launch after prodding from customers, who described Weiden as an Asian food desert.

The establishment has quickly become the talk of the town among U.S. service members and their families, primarily because of its use of fresh ingredients, family recipes and craft cocktails, and its trendy, sleek design.

Kaiza is located downstairs in the Johannisstrasse arcade in downtown Weiden, about 10 miles southeast of Tower Barracks.

The eatery features some of the best sushi and other Japanese food in the area. There are staples from all over Asia, like pho, tom yam, kimchi and dim sum.

“We just wanted to do something elegant, something new,” Nguyen said. “Of course, there are some recipes from our parents, like the pho.”

Kaiza, seen here on May 11, 2024, is a hip, new, Asian fusion restaurant making waves in the Bavarian city of Weiden, Germany, a short distance from Tower Barracks in Grafenwoehr. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)

Kaiza screams modern with its dark, backlit decor and tablet menus. A giant mural of a kimono-clad beauty serving tea among fluttering cherry blossoms provides a youthful edge.

I went once in May and again in June to sample the menu. The restaurant was packed both times and had a line of people trying to get a seat.

On my first trip, I started with a Vietnamese coffee, a personal favorite from my time living in Asia. The drip brew was strong and acidic, complemented nicely by the sweet condensed milk.

I then had the goma wakame starter, or sesame and seaweed salad. This Japanese dish is a perfect test for the freshness of any restaurant, as seaweed wilts quickly. But Kaiza passed with flying colors; the seaweed was chilled and crisp and had the right amount of sesame flavor.

The Vietnamese pho at Kaiza in Weiden, Germany, seen here on June 14, 2024, was savory, with a strong taste of fresh herbs. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)

For my entree, I ordered a few different pieces of sushi a la carte. The salmon nigiri and the tuna were as good as you’ll get in any fast food sushi-go-round in Tokyo, which was surprising since Kaiza is 300 miles from the nearest ocean. While you’ll rarely find much variety of fish in Germany, it shows that quality is possible with tuna and salmon, which hold up well to freezing.

My favorite was the spicy tuna roll, which comes in eight pieces. This inside-out roll featured a delicious, piquant tuna tartare, mashed to a melt-in-your-mouth texture, with cucumber and tobiko, or fish roe, which crackled with each bite.

The ginger cooler, a homemade ginger ale with brown sugar, citrus slices and freshly cut ginger, was a revelation: refreshing, sweet and spicy.

On my second trip, I was accompanied by my wife and kids. We loved the pho. The broth was savory, with a strong taste of fresh cilantro. My Japanese wife wondered aloud where they could have possibly obtained Asian sprouts.

Kaiza's duck roll, seen here in Weiden, Germany, on June 14, 2024, features grilled duck strips, avocado, cucumber, radish and beet, topped with spicy mayo and teriyaki sauce in a soft tortilla. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)

The duck roll, with grilled duck strips, avocado, cucumber, radish and beet topped with spicy mayo and teriyaki sauce in a soft tortilla, was another crowd-pleaser. My wife, used to Peking duck, wanted a bit more crunch from some skin, but I preferred it the Kaiza way. The meat was tender and juicy, which isn’t always easy to pull off in cooking the stubborn waterfowl.

We also enjoyed the flaky salmon roll with avocado and cheese, wrapped in green rice flakes and fried. I never thought I would try, let alone enjoy, sushi with cheese in it, but this was almost a new creation, with ingredients melded together like a crunchy burrito covered in corn flakes.

My kids raved about the tori karaage, or Japanese-style fried chicken, at Kaiza in Weiden, Germany, on June 14, 2024. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)

The kids loved the tori karaage, or Japanese-style fried chicken, which typically uses subtle flavors of soy sauce, sake and mirin in bite-size pieces.

Kaiza is a hive of energy, which customers cannot help but feel as soon as they enter. Add to that well-prepared dishes that bring so many Asian specialties to small-town Bavaria, and you have a winning formula to fill a void in the local restaurant scene.

Kaiza

Address: 8 Johannisstrasse, Weiden, Germany

Hours: Daily except Tuesday, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., and 5:30 p.m.-11 p.m. No lunch on Saturdays.

Prices: From 2.70 euros for a single piece of kampyo nigiri sushi (dried gourd) to 22.90 euro for grilled duck. Mini pho was 6.50 euros and the duck roll was 7.50 euros.

Information: Phone: +49 961-4706-6363, Online: kaiza-restaurant.de. Reservations are recommended and can be booked online.