Byron

In my experience there are burgers, and there are BURGERS.  On a crowded high street with the likes of self proclaimed Kings and Golden Arches aplenty it really is quite refreshing to find a Lord amidst the casual cuisine that can outshine them all and deliver a good BURGER.  Byron is a small chain of burger joints across London that has its ear to the ground and listens to the footfall.  Byron knows that people want good quality beef, which they source from small farms in Scotland and it’s ground freshly every day.  They also know that keeping it simple is the key to success in this crowded market.  On offer are just six types of burger, a few you would expect, as well as the eponymous Byron with bacon, cheese and Byron sauce, a veggie option, a corn fed chicken and a skinny which is any of the others without the bun but with a side salad.  You can, if you are feeling creative or greedy (like me) make up your own version with extra toppings like Monterey Jack or in fact several varieties of Cheese, Jalapenos and various sauces.  I opted for Blue Cheese, Bacon and Mushrooms cooked medium, this worked well with the red onion, tomato and salad that comes with each bun.  It tasted very satisfying and not at all messy like many other burgers out there, this one didn’t drip grease or fat and tasted of beef freshly grilled and pink in the middle, a wise choice.  Of course a good burger deserves some company so a selection of wonderfully ‘sinful’ Fries, Onion Rings and rather unusually Courgette Fries which my companion ooed and ahh’d about for some time.  The time in fact that it took her to finish them all.

Clearly it would be ignorant to assume that everybody’s choice is red meat – Byron have this covered by offering an array of salads including a Beetroot and Goat’s, Cheese and Roast Squash and Feta as well as classics like a Chicken Caesar.

The drinks here are breath of fresh air too.  You have a selection of wines categorised by the amusing prefix of ‘Good’, ‘Better’, ‘Great’ and of course ‘Best’.  This is a breakthrough system in my mind, the scale is price led so you go for the budget you have on the day – perfect.  No time wasting looking for something in your price range.  And they have a sensational list of craft beers and ciders to entice, it’s not everywhere you see Thatcher’s Old Rascal Cider.  Thoroughly recommend a glass of that with your burger.

The interior is that of a modern eatery in that, they have left a lot of the previous décor intact i.e. it has painted old brick walls, is furnished with tables and wire frame chairs, parquet flooring and (did they know I was coming?) superb booths for that intimate Diner feel.  The space is bright, open and not too cluttered.  I’m told though that it gets cluttered with children at the weekends, I’m not surprised, it’s very family friendly – they have crayons and colouring sheets, it’s just a stones throw from the river and food is good – what more could you want.

It was time to have something sweet to conclude lunch and we opted for a blissful room temperature Cheesecake with a Fruit Coulis (so often cheesecake is served so nerve strikingly cold, but this was just right) and an exemplary warm Chocolate Brownie with Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce.  Both were very good and worth the money at less than £5.  The prices here are very reasonable, burgers hover around the £7 – £8 mark and sides around £3.  I have certainly been to fancier places and paid a lot more for a burger only to be disappointed.  So I would recommend a visit and as Lord Byron wrote ‘Pleasure’s a sin, and sometimes sin’s a pleasure’, well it is at Byron.

22 Putney High Street

London SW15 1SL

020 8246 4170