The Hawaii burger at Memory Burger in Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany, consists of a breaded chicken breast, lettuce, tomato, mango, pureed avocado and a passion fruit cost. With regular fries, the dish costs 18 euros. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

The day before two of my colleagues and I were set to visit Memory Burger in Ramstein-Miesenbach, I had thought our plans went up in smoke.

A fire broke out in the building that housed the restaurant, which took over Benji’s Birdhouse’s former digs in April.

The blaze was controlled and the restaurant didn’t shut down. After we brought up the fire at the end of the meal, two workers asked whether the fire brought Memory Burger to our attention.

We assured them it had not. But tasting the food that mid-December evening didn’t spark a desire to return.

Memory Burger aims to combine “the elegance and sophistication of the Orient with the strength and creativity of the West” and to take patrons on “a journey through the flavors of Asia, spiced with a fascination for the unknown.”

The veggie gyoza is one of the numerous appetizers offered at Memory Burger in Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany. The restaurant combines Asian flavors with typically Western dishes, according to the menu's introduction. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

That explained why gyoza is on the menu, as well as the mishmash of ingredients on the burgers. The seemingly quirky combination of the cuisine is what drew me in and prompted an invitation for my colleagues to join me in trying it.

We ordered chicken gyoza, and the restaurant gave us the vegetarian to try as well. One of my companions, who had been stationed in Japan previously, said aficionados would spot them for impostors right away. Both were too dry, but we all agreed the chicken tasted better than the veggie.

We also ordered the truffle fries, a special for December, but the mayonnaise base overwhelmed any taste of truffles.

The bruschetta at Memory Burger in Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany. A patron described it as "a burger without meat." (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

We received a complimentary order of bruschetta, and while I didn’t taste it because I didn’t care for many of its ingredients, my colleagues liked it, describing it as a burger without meat. The only complaint: The bread could have been toasted a little better.

Then came the main dishes. We selected three types of patties — meat, chicken and Beyond imitation meat — to get a good grasp of Memory Burger’s offerings.

The companion who ordered the Beyond burger praised the combination of sweet and salty between the cocktail sauce and the patty. The bun-to-patty ratio was lopsided in favor of the bread, though.

My other colleague, fresh off the plane in a new country, got the classic hamburger, which came with some not-so-classic twists.

The classic burger at Memory Burger in Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany, consists of two patties, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, mangoes and cocktail sauce. Customers can select among regular, sweet potato and curly fries. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

The Beyond burger at Memory Burger in Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany, consists of a Beyond patty, lettuce, tomato, onion and cocktail sauce. This particular dish came with sweet potato fries. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

She described it as having too much cocktail sauce and being way too sweet, with pieces of mango that didn’t make sense for a regular burger. She did credit the mango for its ripeness.

As for me, I did anticipate mango on my Hawaii burger, which also featured chicken breast, pureed avocado, bacon, tomato and passion fruit sauce.

While not to the same extent as the Beyond burger, the bun still was slightly too large for the patty. And like the truffle fries, the passion fruit sauce tasted too much like mayo, although the other ingredients mixed well together.

Memory Burger in Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany, offers up truffle fries as a special appetizer in early December 2024. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

The three of us agreed on a couple of positives. The fries, be they regular, curly or sweet potato, tasted great and came with generous portions. And the service was very attentive, even with the employees preparing for a party of 70 coming the next day.

Experimentation and unique flavor profiles can help you stand out from the competition. But in some cases, Memory Burger either goes too far in trying to distinguish itself or doesn’t quite pull off the execution.

The Ramstein-Miesenbach Memory Burger is the third of four in the area. Its other locations are in Saarbrücken, Homburg and Kaiserslautern.

The inside of Memory Burger looks undamaged the day after a fire broke out in the building in early December. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Memory Burger

Address: Bahnhofstrasse 2, Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany

Hours: Monday through Friday, 5-10 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 12-10 p.m.

Prices: Burgers start at 9.90 euros and go up to 18.90 euros. Appetizers range from 4.90 euros to 6.50 euros, while bowls cost between 14.50 euros and 16.90 euros.

Information: Phone: +49 6371 5943113; Online: ramstein.memory-burger.de