With over a dozen Byron restaurants now scattered around London, Byron is becoming a significant feature on the London hamburger scene. By the rapidity of its proliferation alone one can already know that Byron is delivering a successful offering, even more impressive when considered against the backdrop of London's flourishing hamburger scene with places like MEATliquor, Goodman and even pubs like the Admiral Codrington all focussed on delivering a better burger.
Critical to the understand too about Byron is the price point. The basic burger is £6.75 for a 6oz hamburger. French fries are £2.95 so you classic burger meal will cost less than a tenner compared with £14 at say Goodman. If you want to be in the mass market, then this is the price you have to lead.
We visited the canary Wharf branch, where, on the top floor of the Cabot Place shopping centre, the restaurant has been equipped with the minimum of fuss, embracing the pipes on display look and harmonising with a simple wood-steel table chair finish. The style is functional in design and effective on costs allowing food prices to be kept reasonable.
We were looked after for most of our visit by a highly enthusiastic young waiter whose energy took us totally by surprise but was certainly welcome, and opted for what most people we think would go for: burgers, chips, onion rings and a milk shake to drink.
Overall it was pretty good. We have been to Byron before, just not blogged it, and while I don't particularly recall the burger from the previous occasion, I do remember loving the milk shake and so it was again today; worth a visit for that alone. Fries looked a little anaemic but tasted okay while the giant onion rings ticked the appropriate boxes. But what of the burger?
Overall the burger fared well. They use Scottish beef at Byron and the meat did have taste. We asked for the burger medium rare which was generally delivered but with the 6oz patty being quite thin, it becomes difficult, perhaps even meaningless to rate the burger on that particular metric. The cheese was melting in nicely, the condiments are on the side for you to stylise your burger as you wish, and overall, it was enjoyable enough for £10.
Critical to the understand too about Byron is the price point. The basic burger is £6.75 for a 6oz hamburger. French fries are £2.95 so you classic burger meal will cost less than a tenner compared with £14 at say Goodman. If you want to be in the mass market, then this is the price you have to lead.
We visited the canary Wharf branch, where, on the top floor of the Cabot Place shopping centre, the restaurant has been equipped with the minimum of fuss, embracing the pipes on display look and harmonising with a simple wood-steel table chair finish. The style is functional in design and effective on costs allowing food prices to be kept reasonable.
We were looked after for most of our visit by a highly enthusiastic young waiter whose energy took us totally by surprise but was certainly welcome, and opted for what most people we think would go for: burgers, chips, onion rings and a milk shake to drink.
Overall it was pretty good. We have been to Byron before, just not blogged it, and while I don't particularly recall the burger from the previous occasion, I do remember loving the milk shake and so it was again today; worth a visit for that alone. Fries looked a little anaemic but tasted okay while the giant onion rings ticked the appropriate boxes. But what of the burger?
Overall the burger fared well. They use Scottish beef at Byron and the meat did have taste. We asked for the burger medium rare which was generally delivered but with the 6oz patty being quite thin, it becomes difficult, perhaps even meaningless to rate the burger on that particular metric. The cheese was melting in nicely, the condiments are on the side for you to stylise your burger as you wish, and overall, it was enjoyable enough for £10.
For the money they charge, for the convenience they offer and all the locations they are in, when you want a burger, Byron is an understandable choice. Against that backdrop, it may be harsh to ask how it compares with what's on offer elsewhere but the question seems inevitable.
The Goodman offering is substantially more sophisticated (if a burger can ever be described thus) with a big thick patty of meat that makes the Byron offering look Kate Moss skinny in comparison, but Goodman does cost a little more. At MEATmarket/liquor however, prices are about the same and it is perhaps a more obvious comparison. The burgers there seem dirtier (but in a good way) with everything dripping into everything else. Personal preference will play a large part in everybody's favourite but the Byron burger does seem to us more sanitised, middle of the road traditional even, but in that way offering the broadest appeal.
For us then, going to MEATliqour or Goodman seems like a treat whereas going to Byron seems like a solution, and in a world filled with problems a solution is never a bad thing; the success of Byron speaks for itself.
Return to homepage
The Goodman offering is substantially more sophisticated (if a burger can ever be described thus) with a big thick patty of meat that makes the Byron offering look Kate Moss skinny in comparison, but Goodman does cost a little more. At MEATmarket/liquor however, prices are about the same and it is perhaps a more obvious comparison. The burgers there seem dirtier (but in a good way) with everything dripping into everything else. Personal preference will play a large part in everybody's favourite but the Byron burger does seem to us more sanitised, middle of the road traditional even, but in that way offering the broadest appeal.
For us then, going to MEATliqour or Goodman seems like a treat whereas going to Byron seems like a solution, and in a world filled with problems a solution is never a bad thing; the success of Byron speaks for itself.
Return to homepage