Byron Hamburgers (Farm Yard Byron)

After seeing this name pop up around London frequently on my travels in the past few months, I was happy to see it open up locally in Finchley Road. It’s been open a while but hadn’t heard too much about it from any friends so I decide to take the dive and check it out first hand. I went there on a Monday night which was rather quiet, but most restaurants are on a Monday. I was a bit thrown by the décor at first, but then the waiter kindly explained that each one of the 30 Byron restaurants in London are designed around a different theme and this particular one was ‘Farmhouse Byron’. Essentially, it was the inside of a cow shed. Not the best image comes to mind when you hear that, but the fact you’re in a barn doesn’t even become an issue once you taste the food.

We ordered:

Tortilla chips with salsa and guacamole

Classic Cheeseburger

Chicken Burger

French fries

Onion rings

Vanilla milk shake

Oreo milk shake

Chocolate brownie with ice cream (for good measure)

Compared to my last post, this is a lot of food I know. But I was hungry and I didn’t expect the burgers to be as big as they were. The burgers were fresh and the cheeseburger was cooked medium rare (as are all their beef burgers unless otherwise requested). All the burgers are served on the soft white buns which make a world of difference compared to the standard McDonalds attempt at a soft bun. The chicken was seasoned perfectly and the combination with spinach and burger sauce gives a surprisingly nice taste combo. The cheeseburger was also tender and tasted great. The fries and onion rings were fried perfectly and tasted awesome. Although, it’s not for the healthy ones out there that’s for certain and the onion rings are pretty heavy so only order those to share. I’d advise just getting one or the other. The milk shakes were also immense, similar to those in Tinsel Town, but probably double the size and served in steel shakers.

The only conceivable let downs were the tortillas and the coleslaw. The coleslaw tasted like a ‘light version’ which is strange seeing as everything else was distinctly American in terms of the fat content. I definitely would not order it again. Also the tortillas came with barely enough salsa or guacamole. And the salsa was more like chopped tomatoes rather than actual salsa. But then again you can’t really fault a burger place for not having good Mexican appetisers can you?

The brownie was a push, but I did it for you guys. I had to find out if the desserts were as good as the mains! The brownie was brilliant. Just warm enough and just the right amount of sweetness so it  wasn’t too sickly. It wasn’t doughy or stodgy either which is often the case with over indulgent brownies. Not that I’m an expert or anything…

This is definitely a place I’ll be visiting more often, but at £45 for two people it’s a bit on the expensive side for a burger, but the quality is awesome and under most circumstances, you don't need as much as we ordered! 

By Viren Samani (@VirenSamani1)