Restaurant Visit: Bistro and Café Memo in Dresden

Wouldn’t you consider yourself lucky if you were able to order really good vegan food just a few steps away from your house? Because this is what happened a couple of months back, when the small Palestinian bistro and café Memo opened right here in our neighbourhood. We were so exited, we went there the first day they opened. They had a couple of opening offers, one of them was falafel. I love falafel. But I am used to terrible falafels in this neighbourhood. They are usually made with a ton of iceberg lettuce and kraut and I have to order them without sauces. Those are either not vegan or they just taste terrible. So when we ordered at Memo I asked them what kind of sauce they put into their falafel. „Hummus!“ The suspicious vegan that I am I asked again. „Hummus and nothing else?“ „No.“ „What’s in your hummus? Do you put in yoghurt?“ „Yoghurt? No!“ They asked me if I was allergic and I said I was vegan. „No problem. It is vegan.“ And then I ate the best falafel I have ever eaten in this town. No pre-packaged sauces, no frozen patties. This falafel was made from scratch, the patties were crispy and the hummus was absolutely wonderful. Everything was wrapped in a very thin flatbread so it was amazingly easy to eat. (Kebab shops in this town serve their falafel in a pide, which don’t taste that good and are messier.)

I know you probably do not want to look at a half eaten falafel. So here’s the falafel on a plate, served with fried potatoes, salad, flatbread, and hummus.

And here is the fantastic hummus all by itself: I love the fresh herbs and toasted almonds on top!

F. had a lentil soup, which she loved, too. The consistency is not as thick as I am used to, but it’s very flavourful and I can definitely recommend this as well. F. demands this soup almost once a week.

Since Memo opened we have been there a lot. They have a great fixed menu to choose from (soups, appetizers, main dishes, snacks) and although a lot of food is made with cheese and/ or meat, you only have to tell them what kinds of foods you don’t eat and they will accommodate you. This is especially great when it comes to their daily lunch offer. Like the rest of the food these dishes are of Palestinian, Arabic, and Lebanese origin. It is a different dish every day, which you can order for 4.90 €. Although this dish is always made with meat, you can order a vegan version without any problem. Just let the staff know.

I often order the lunch offer for work and believe me I really look forward to my breaks on these days! I have had mahashi (stuffed zucchini and potatoes), tabule o fatayer (tabouleh and stuffed pastries), bamieh (okra with tomato sauce and rice), and my favourite: batata belhame (a casserole dish similar to a shepherd’s pie – so good!). There’s a new and interesting dish every day and I am super grateful for getting to taste and learn so much about this kind of cuisine. The staff is very friendly, attentive, and helpful and the service is absolutely great.

Another fabulous thing about Memo is that they is very child friendly. Memo doesn’t offer the usual and in my opinion terrible kid’s plates. (I am looking at you fries and sausage and spaghetti with meatballs.) Instead they will get your kid an age appropriate serving of their authentic food. And in F.’s case that means a couple of pastries, a small pizza, or the falafel plate made for kids:

Although she often feels grown up enough for a whole falafel roll. In that case she just steals mine!

If you visit Dresden, please make sure to visit this little restaurant. I am sure you wil love it! For their address, opening hours, and the weekly lunch menu, visit their facebook page.