The Korean barbecue sandwich at Benji’s Birdhouse comes with the restaurant’s own kimchi. The restaurant serves American-style chicken for clientele in Germany. (J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes)
Biting into a chicken sandwich at Benji’s Birdhouse in Ramstein felt like leaving Germany and diving headlong back into the deep fryer that is the United States of America.
Nestled in the vicinity of the largest U.S. military base in Europe, the eatery exemplifies the excesses — at once good for the soul and bad for the heart — of the nation that gave the world the Nashville hot chicken sandwich.
Benjis Birdhouse in Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany, opened in 2022. It is next to a train station and a bus station and also is not far from Ramstein Air Base. (J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes)
Opened in 2022, Benji’s Birdhouse offers the iconic fare in classic, hot and extra hot varieties. It describes its sandwiches as similar to those of Chick-fil-A or McDonalds but “on 4 cycles of #roids,” as one winking social media post joked.
I like food with fire and spice, and the Benji’s Birdhouse hot and extra hot chicken sandwiches offered more of both than usually can be found in Germany.
Americans frequent Benji's Birdhouse in Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany, to enjoy fried chicken sandwiches and other dishes that give them a sense of being back home. (J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes)
When the extra hot sandwich arrived, I could smell the hot sauce vapors emanating from it. The well-seasoned breaded chicken breast boasted an initial crunch that gave way to an explosion of succulence.
The heat fit the sandwich. This was not some macho spice challenge with suffering for suffering’s sake. I did not sweat, nor did tears fall from my eyes. That said, the heat proved to be too much for others at the table, who preferred the “O.G.” sandwich, which was sweeter.
The Nashville extra hot chicken sandwich at Benji’s Birdhouse in Ramstein-Miesenbach offered a gluttonous experience. The breaded chicken breast was crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside. (J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes)
The Nashville hot chicken sandwich traces back to Great Depression-era Tennessee and a man named Thornton Prince.
Prince found inspiration from a woman who put extra spice in his chicken sandwich as punishment for his cheating ways, according to a 2016 NPR report.
He opened Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack in 1945, an article in Eater said, and the popularity of his signature dish later prompted a wave of copycats across America in the 2010s.
The fare at Benji’s Birdhouse goes beyond the three aforementioned chicken sandwiches.
The salad at Benji’s Birdhouse came with fried chicken and a bun on top, with some greens hidden below.The salad also featured strawberries and feta cheese. (J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes)
Their salad seemed like a parody at first. It arrived with fried chicken and a cut-up bun on top. I eventually found some greens hiding below.
Further digging led me to strawberries, nuts and feta cheese, and the ensemble did constitute a refreshing counterpoint to the fried chicken.
The Korean barbecue sandwich comes with the restaurant’s own kimchi. Although not as crunchy as Korean fried chicken can be, the sandwich has a good balance of sweet, savory and sour.
Waffle fries come with each sandwich at Benji’s Birdhouse, a restaurant in Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany, whose specialty is Nashville hot chicken. (J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes)
Waffle fries come with each sandwich, and mine were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The unsung heroes of my meals were the sandwiches’ tiny pickles. These tangy morsels provided the perfect counterpoint to the heat.
And I also salute the heroic buns, which were sturdy and strong, and did not fall soggy in the face of ever-increasing messiness.
Beverage options at Benji’s Birdhouse in Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany, include this raspberry coconut concoction with vodka. (J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes)
Other customers told me the milkshakes are like those in America: thick and unhealthily sweet. However, I was too full to try one and make my own assessment.
Benji’s Birdhouse comes from the same people behind the well-known Benji’s Burrito Bistro. It initially suffered from its own success, even posting on Facebook that the customer volume was overwhelming. A sign at the entrance still asks guests to make reservations.
On two recent visits, however, the restaurant provided quick service, and there was ample room in the dining area.
The exterior of Benjis Birdhouse in Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany. It opened in 2022 and is next to the train station and a bus station. (J.P. Lawrence / Stars and Stripes)
The eatery would seem to have an ideal location, next to a train station and a bus stop, and not far from Ramstein Air Base. But while the food is very Instagram-friendly in the warm lighting inside, the exterior is quite nondescript.
I could see why readers of Stars and Stripes recently voted the eatery the best American restaurant in Germany. One person told me the sandwiches reminded him of home.
I left Benji’s Birdhouse thinking that my dietary indulgence had given me enough calories to take on the world, go to the gym or at least knock out some pushups.
Instead, a food coma hit me and I fell asleep on my couch, waking up just in time to watch the news on TV.
Takeout is an option at Benji’s Birdhouse, which asks dine-in customers to make reservations. The restaurant is near Ramstein Air Base in Germany. (J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes)
Benji’s Birdhouse
Address: Bahnhofstrasse 2, Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany
Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 4-9 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
Prices: Sandwiches are 12.50 euros and come with waffle fries. Milkshakes are 5 euros.
Information: Phone: +49 06371 42776, Online: facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083141508368
