Overview

#RamenBurger documents the 2013 food mashup trend featuring a hamburger patty between ramen noodle “buns.” The hashtag represents the peak of fusion food experimentation and viral food trends driven by novelty and Instagram appeal.

Brooklyn Invention

Keizo Shimamoto introduced the ramen burger at Brooklyn’s Smorgasburg food market in August 2013. The concept—beef patty with scallions and shoyu sauce between crispy ramen patty “buns”—immediately went viral, with 2-3 hour wait lines.

#RamenBurger exploded as food media covered the phenomenon and home cooks attempted recreations. The burger represented 2010s food culture’s embrace of mashups, with novelty and Instagram-ability sometimes prioritized over practicality.

Cultural Moment

The trend peaked quickly and faded by 2014, but it established the template for viral food mashups. It demonstrated how a single Instagram-friendly food item could drive massive hype, spawning imitators and debates about food innovation versus gimmicks.

https://www.eater.com/ https://www.seriouseats.com/ramen-burger-hack-recipe