I was in the mood for a burger that was not the typical fast-food fare, so I decided to give Byron a try. I don't typically like chain restaurants, but at least this is not a huge international chain. I ordered the double bacon, medium, with fries. I was thrilled when the fries arrived: I didn't realize they were the shoestring type, which are my favorite. And they were nicely cooked; crispy on the outside, but still fleshy on the inside. Many placed overcook this type of french fry and you end up with just a crisp instead of a chip.
The burger was good. After picking it up, I realized I could never bite it without making a huge mess, so I took one of the patties off to eat last. The burger had good flavor, but the patties were more medium well instead of medium: they advertise that medium will have a little pink, but mine had no pink at all. I was very glad I didn't order the medium well, or it may have been overdone. The bacon was nice and crispy, but still tender: I didn't have to worry about taking a bite and pulling the entire piece of bacon out of the sandwich because you can't bite through it. The cheddar cheese was an unexpectedly nice touch. Back in the US, our standard cheese for burgers is American...mostly because it melts so well. But American cheese doesn't have much flavor on its own. This cheddar looked more like a cheese sauce because it melted completely, but the sharp, dry taste of the cheese contrasted nicely to the sweetness of the bacon. The pickles were not quite dill but also not quite sweet pickles: they were somewhere in between. I almost asked for more just to give them a taste on their own because I enjoyed them so much.
The staff were wonderful; both of the servers I interacted with were fun, informative, and very helpful.
As a tip to those who travel around the UK: I noticed there were cards on every table with the Jack of Diamonds. When I asked why, the staff told me that each location has a different playing card. If you visit all the locations and collect a full deck, then you get treats from Byron. Apparently there have only been a couple of people to successfully complete the deck, but it would be an interesting challenge! read more