Byron

I like Byron. It’s not the most exciting chain burger but I prefer it to GBK, so when I’m fancying a burger but don’t want to feel overfull or broke afterwards, Byron is a good choice for me.
I wasn’t a bit fan of this branch, though. Pretty empty at 5pm on a Wednesday (only 2 other tables), I went in alone to get a table in the warm as my companion was stuck in traffic. The host was immediately a bit blah and didn’t understand me. He asked where I wanted to sit, and I said I didn’t mind and didn’t really want to decide, so please just put me wherever is convenient. So he put me… between the other two tables. But my fault, I should have said.
So Brian finally turns up and barely sits down before they’re over trying to take our order. I shoo them away, and they’re back again in under 2 minutes. I’m not sure what the rush was but whatever, we ordered.
The food came and was okay, but I thought my burger was underdone and the bun was overtoasted to the point of being black on the edges. No one came and checked on us though so I made do.
The table next to us weren’t checked on either and when the waiter came to clear their plates, they complained that their fries were oversalted but they were hungry so they’d eaten them. There wasn’t even a half-​hearted apology.
I wonder how much worse the cooking/​service is when they actually have more than 5 diners in the restaurant!

Great location and atmosphere! Perfect to go with friends and girlfriend.
I recommend the classic chicken burguer.

When we ate there we didn’t know that it was a chain restaurant but now that we know it explains some things.
When I saw all of the pictures of the food I really wanted to try this place. So during our one week stay in London we pick a slow night and pop into Byron Burger. We were a little underwhelmed by it all. My burger and bun were kind of dry and lacking in flavor and my girlfriend said the same thing about her burger. The chips were good.
I wouldn’t tell anyone not to go to Byron’s but I definitely wouldn’t encourage them ether.
For us Yanks, I would take a Five Guys burger rather than a Byron any day and even save money by doing it too.

Holy moly!
Popped in for a late «light lunch». Ended up getting burger, onion rings and a shake. So much for «light».
I had the burger with jalapenos. Ah-​maz-​ing. Onion rings were best I’ve ever had. Shake was thick and creamy. I ate every crumb, I gained 4 pounds. I was so full we didn’t have dinner that night, we just grabbed a kebab after midnight.
I am planning a secret trip to London so I can go eat here again. pathetic, I know !

This lovely wee burger place, which is part of a chain, is situated near many of the theatres and attractions at Leicester Square.
After a morning of sitting in the fresh air on the double decker tour bus, we decided to stop in here for a bite to eat and some meat!
We were seated very quickly despite it being a busy lunch time, and we browsed the menu while ordering a glass of wine and a beer.
The menu features different types of burgers and sides with a few alternatives for those who don’t fancy something between two buns!
Myself and my other half ordered a burger with cheese, bacon, onion rings, pickle and BBQ sauce with a side of chips and coleslaw to share.
The burger was fantastic– juicy meat with tasty toppings all held together by a great bun with melted cheese dripping from it. The chips had their skins left on which gave a nice rustic feel to the lunch. I was lucky enough to have the coleslaw to myself– this was a bowl of home made shredded vegetables in a delicious Mayo coating. I could have eaten a full bowl of it and still wanted more!
The meal was reasonably priced and were had 2 burgers, chips, coleslaw and 2 drinks for around £40.
I would definitely recommend this meat-​tastic place if you are looking for a tasty lunch!

Burgers and fries were good, but nothing to write home about. Service was excellent and the staff was very friendly. They had their own beer which was good and this is a great place to stop if you’re looking for something similar to US food.

My all time favourite burger whenever I am in London. From the bun to the meat to the fries, quality and taste is the same for so many years, that it keeps me coming back several times during any london stay. Service is good and quick. They have special burgers (limited edition ones) every season or so. But I stick to my classic Cheese burger always.

I would definitely come here again. The staff were really friendly, the food was just as we expected, and it was comfortable and tasty.
We were a group of about a dozen in for lunch and we booked a table in advance. They seated us in the back, where there was another similarly-​sized group. I was impressed that they served both groups at about the same time with all the good coming out hot and no mistakes (that I could see).
The back room, while not having the natural light of the front, had a really cool mural and a light art installation in the ceiling that you have to see to understand. It’s like lines of neon light in the iconic shape of the tube map. Very cool.
Good place for lunch. Tasty food. Good service. What’s not to like?

Byron Burger. What can I say. As a North American living in the UK, I am very sceptical at claims of the «best burger in London». My opinion of Byron might change since my «go to» burger, Le Smokey was for a limited time and is now gone. Service isn’t great, you’ll be waiting forever and a day to get any service. At least, that’s been my experience since going to Byron.
Having said that, the burger itself is an awesome burger cooked to perfection (medium, so it’s nice and pink on the inside like a great burger should be). I really enjoy the courgette (zucchini) fries, but I do find them quite bland. Warning: they are so hot temperature wise, be careful!
Price wise, Byron is pretty standard for burger places in London. For the meal itself, it’s about £15 for a meal. I used to think that was expensive, but for London standards that’s pretty decent.
I think for a standard sit down burger, Byron is a pretty great option and you will leave satisfied.

Staff are friendly. Food is good for the price. But, the rock music and kitchen noise levels are way too loud. If you like a slice of stress on your burger, this is the joint.

C’est marrant (ou pas), mais avant je n’aimais pas Londres.
Je n’irai pas jusqu’à dire qu’un burger m’a fait changer d’avis, mais la découverte de l’endroit et de ses frites à se lécher les doigts a contribué à m’énamourer un peu plus de la Grande-​Bretagne.
Certes, c’est un peu bruyant (et certainement un peu cher, mais je né suis pas sûre de réussir un jour à corriger ma fâcheuse tendance à assimiler les £ aux €), mais mon burger était très bon. Accompagné d’un peu de coleslaw (en sus) et de frites* (en sus aussi), de serveuses qui né cessent de vous demander si tout va bien, et, of course, d’une bonne bière, je pense qu’on peut parler de bébé-​coup de coeur.
NB: J’aurais aimé être préparée psychologiquement quand la machine à carte bleue a voulu tester ma générosité: «vous voulez inclure le pourboire ?», m’a demandé l’écran. Pas évident de résister à ce face to face digital.
*oui bon, on était 2, ça va hein.

This was our second visit to Byron and we had another great meal. Remember this is a burger place, so get a burger. The chips are very good, as are the onion rings. I went with four people, and we all got burgers and thought they where very good. I ordered the cheeseburger and it was good, also got it medium rare as recommended. Would highly recommend this place for a good burger and beer.

When a sign in front of a business says «Proper Hamburgers», you don’t ask questions. You go in, eat and then ask questions about the experience so here are mine.
It irks me when people dog on chains for their inability to produce anything resembling good food. What do you expect? This isn’t an experience for the most refined palate, it’s a hamburger. To that end, Byron does a good job: the meat was cooked to the desired level and the fries were pretty tasty, what with that crunch on the outside but warm and soft inside. Wash it down with a Fuller’s and you’re set.
I wouldn’t go out of my way to hit up a Byron next time I’m in London but if I’m near one and in need of food I would not rule it out.

I ordered a cheese burger with emmental and it was good. The meat was medium rare as asked, the cheese was good and the overall impression was pretty positive.
I had a better impression than the Byron on Charrng Cross.

The chains are literally everywhere in London: Café Rouge, Paul, Byron Burgers, Garfunkels, Carluccious, Café Nero, Pizza Express, Wagamama, and on and on and on…
While food has significantly improved over the years, there has been a slide downward towards a certain corporate big chain sameness (Garfunkels may as well be a politically correct 60s Soup Plantation) that seems unfortunate in a town with this much raw character at every turn. But unlike chains in the U.S., a handful of these chains dotting London have a real charm, great food, and some fantastic branding behind them (Wagamama, Paul, etc.) and a select few, Byron included, really knock it out of the park with both style and substance.
Byron in particular offers some pretty darn good food. I ordered a tasty medium-​rare burger with pickle, red onion, fantastic meat, good bun, and great sharp cheddar cheese –overall a very good burger and a decent pint of craft beer (not on tap.) Kids meals are excellent here too (as they tend to be all over London) with many, many more options for kids than in the States. Case in point at Byron: gourmet mac and cheese (with real oozy cheese) fresh veg (garden quality carrots and cucumbers that my daughter remarked they were among the best she’d ever had, and I concur!), fries (ick!), and dessert. All that, and a pop art menu to color!
This location features a nice bar, fun graphic art on the wall, ornate Victorian ceilings, and a fantastic 70s chandelier.
Not too shabby for a chain, some creative ideas and (thank goodness!) some good food to boot!

For a while, I tended to avoid Byron. The menu is tiny and all of the branches are just too trendy for their own good. This one rocks a 60s canteen look with touristy flourishes like front doors which feel like a phone box. However, I seem to have good food every time I go now. Went into this one a couple of Sundays ago; two Byrons for me and the brother-​in-​law, two cheeseburgers for the significant others, milkshakes and a selection of fries to share. Everything went down a treat. The brother-​in-​law is notoriously hard to please and he said everything was beautiful. I didn’t disagree with him, I tend not to when he’s right. Considering you’d drop £15 on a Nando’s nowadays, I don’t even think it’s that relatively expensive anymore.

I stumbled upon this Byron by accident, but was quite happy to find it! If you aren’t a fan of burgers, this place isn’t for you. However, you can still get a decent order of fries or onion rings. I like the beer selection and the honesty with the wine selections. If you’re hungry and don’t want to stoop to fast food, this is definitely a good go-​to!

Really good burgers but once you add a couple of toppings they get pricey.
I would have given this place a 4 star review, but their below-​average service and appallingly dirty toilets take away one star.

This Byron is ideally located for pre and post jaunts to the nearby cinemas or theatres. Byron’s specialty is hamburgers, but what I really love about their restaurants is actually their choice of beer, which is exclusively craft beer from the USA, UK (including some from Camden) and Australia. It’s well-​priced, unusual and very tasty. Where’s the downside?
Their food is pretty decent too. I like the fact that their Scottish beefburgers are cooked at medium by default (other cooking preferences can be specified if you like) rather than, a la Pulp Fiction, «burned to a crisp». You can choose between french fries and roughly cut chips too. Their puddings are disappointing though: the brownie I tried was little more than a slightly moist chocolate sponge with a relatively crisp exterior. If you’re feeling hungry, double up your burger, which incidentally can be chicken or veggie (portobello mushroom) too.
Also worth mentioning is their refreshingly no BS approach to marketing their wine. They have just four bottles, which they market as being «Good», «Better», «Great» and «The Best». Likin’ it.
Then there’s the US diner-​style interior, polite, friendly and quick-​to-​serve staff.
Bring on the next night on Haymarket’s cinemas.

Pretty decent burgers, and at very reasonable prices too! I like my burgers to be still small enough so that I don’t struggle to eat it with my hands and Byron does this beautifully. Other burger places try to stuff so much into their burger that its impossible to eat them without a fork and knife.
So do expect to get smaller burgers at Byron but the beef patties were grilled just right, medium and pink inside and very juicy and tender.
Courgette fries were a unique experience, and well cooked, with still the tenderness of the courgette in a light batter.
Standard french fries were similar to burger king style thin and long, and light and crispy on the outside.
Service was efficient. The place is relaxing. What more could you ask for if you want a decent burger in central London?
The London Insider

Byron Haymarket is in the location of the old St Alban restaurant. Love the way they have redesigned the space.
Co-​owners Olly and Yvonne where very hospitable and talked to us about the design ideas of the restaurant, and Olly took us on a tour. Front doors are designed like a London red phone box. Inside there is a murial of London landmarks and busling London life. Train station clock above with a pearly base boarder (representing the pearly kings and queens of East London) outlines the open plan kitchen. The throughfare has plates with members of the royal family, including Prince William and wife-​to-​be Kate Middleton. Red wall opposite will have a London landmarks theme for tourists to take photos as they walk through. They even have a cool, colourful electric effect tube lines map suspended from the ceiling in the back dining room. Wallpaper of London roads and landmarks in geographical order is to the left of this room, with a wonderful church window at the rear aspect.
Get the Byron Burger with roasted red peppers, portobello mushroom, aioli and jalepenos. Accompanied this with sides of herby onion rings and homemade skin-​on chips. Round off the meal with a Knickerbocker Glory, which was excellent (recommended by Stuart) — or try the Chocolate Brownie.
Will be back to try some other variations on the menu, and to see how they have developed the throughfare artspace.
Friendly staff and attentive service, especially by our very pleasant waiter Stuart. Would recommend visiting!!!