The last couple of years in the UK the trend for ‘dirty’ food has really taken over – burgers, hot dogs, pulled meats the list goes on, the only criteria being thats its messy and delicious! (hopefully!)
Byron, serving ‘proper hamburgers’ is a British company trying to bring that authentic ‘american diner style burger’ to the UK, and in my opinion is doing it pretty damn well. I’d not been to a Byron before – they’re everywhere across London and slowly creeping further north, with recent branches opened in Oxford and Milton Keynes.
The latest opening was at the Highcross Centre in Leicester, and I was invited across to try it out shortly after the opening. We made a day of it to do a bit of shopping and also check out the newly renovated indoor markets where we got some fantastic fresh fish and meat.
It was pouring with rain as we dashed across the outside space at Highcross and dove through the doors into Byron, and it was nice to get a warm welcome from Justin the manager – he seated us in a great booth by the windows, perfect perfect for people watching!
While we looked through the menu, we had some tortilla chips with tomato salsa to nibble on – the salsa was spot on, and tasted really fresh, zingy and had a proper chilli kick to it. To drink we ordered one of the canned lagers, and an Oreo Milkshake. The milkshake was huge, and came in an ice cold metal shaker, it was delicious.
The list of burgers is short and sweet – just how it should be, with the option to add a few extras if you feel the need. They also do a special burger, which changes every few months or so. I decided on the SMOKY (Smoked Cheddar, streaky bacon, crispy fried onions, shredded iceberg, pickles and smoked chilli BBQ sauce) £9.95 with extra jalepenos. Lee went for the classic BYRON (Dry cure bacon, mature Cheddar, shredded iceberg, tomato, red onion and Byron sauce) £9.50. The beef is sourced from Scotland, and ground fresh every day. It’s served a perfect pink – juicy and succulent. We also tried some sides – the Skin on Chips and Coleslaw , as well as some dips – the Ranch and the Byron Sauce.
I couldn’t fault the burgers – they were both delicious (we swapped half way through). They were probably as good as the best we’ve had in and around Birminghams’ street food events and way better than a lot we’ve tried. The chips were moreish and not too salty – and the dips to coat them in both really flavourful. I wasn’t as keen on the coleslaw – it was a bit dry for me and lacked a bit of punch. The attention to detail at Byron is great – from the condiment selection on the tables to the drinks being served in ice cold glasses
If you’re not a burger person ( and if so why are you in Byron?) there are some salads to choose from too. We couldn’t face a pud – but the choices were typically American – Brownie, Ice Cream Sundaes etc.
We really enjoyed our burgers at Byron – the service was swift, the food was great, you can’t ask for much more.
Disclosure: We were invited to try out the newly opened Byron. All views are our own and we were not required to write a positive review.
