Londonist asks that most pressing of daily concerns: where to go on your lunch break.
Byron
222 Kensington High Street, W8 7RG
Tel 020 7361 1717
Monday-Friday 12pm-11pm
Saturday 9am-11.30pm
Sunday 9am-10.30pm
Expect to Pay: £6-8 for a burgers, £3 or under for sides
High Street Ken’s Byron is one of five (mostly West London) restaurants in a chain of upscale burger joints, whose masterminds think they’ve come up with the right recipe for building a “proper” burger. Indeed, after perusing Byron’s menu during our recent lunch and subsequently visiting the Byron website, we’d be fine not to read the word “proper” for at least another month. Okay? We got the point.Of course, with Byron’s “fully traceable grass fed” Aberdeen Angus beef “sourced exclusively from select farms in Morayshire, Scotland,” aged for a minimum of 21 days for “maximum flavour and juiciness,” and “ground daily from select cuts of rump, chuck and brisket,” we don’t mind giving their burgers a few rightful props. However, we are left to ponder just how many f**kin’ cows named Angus have they got hangin’ around up there in Aberdeen (and how do you know when you’re biting into the real deal)?
For our lunch, we had the house special Byron Burger: dry cured bacon with mature cheddar and Byron Sauce (think posh Big Mac) for £8 and a side of hand-cut chips for £3. That, along with a soft drink and a tip, set us back about £15. No, not cheap. However, considering the W8 postcode, portion size and halfway decent service, we weren’t shocked when our bill arrived. The food was really tasty too. We found no need to drown our lunch in condiments, preferring the flavours to stand on their own merits. The hand-cut chips were particularly yummy (although one look at a neighbouring table’s order of onion rings and we realized we might have been happier with a side of those). Rolling back onto the High Street, we felt fearsomely stuffed.
The resto’s vibe was less ideal. We liked the open kitchen as well as the dining area’s overall white-wall simplicity but were ultimately annoyed by the too-loud music and constant clanking. The noise levels weren’t so obnoxious to prevent us from returning … if we were to be in the area, had ample time (and cash!) and were especially hungry.
For more reviews of Byron Hamburgers, as well as thousands of other London restaurants, take a look at Qype.co.uk.
Photography by Chris Osburn
