I know that a burger joint is not what one would normally describe as ‘pointy end’, but Byron locates its small chain of restaurants in expensive parts of London, so it probably does have quite a few customers who choose to fly at the front of an aeroplane, so I’m including it in my blog of restaurant reviews!

A friend was performing stand-up at a near-by venue, and, having never been to the area before, I looked at GoogleMaps to find a spot for a quick meal before the show. Byron was exactly half way between Angel tube and the venue, and seemed a safer bet than anywhere else, so I made the booking over the phone. I hadn’t eaten at a Byron before, but I had read good things about the small chain, so I went with good but realistic expectations.

The Islington branch wears the designer tag ‘distressed’ both inside and out. I wasn’t so sure it worked, or enhanced the experience. Sometimes I think distressed places feel comfortably in synch with their location, but Upper Street in Islington has gentrified itself somewhat, so Byron didn’t seem to fit with its neighbours, with the bare walls covered in crayon graffiti and exposed bricks and pipes.

Five of us sat at a very wobbly table. The waiter did offer us a more secure table, but it was one which would normally have seated four, so we stayed where we were. Our waiter had a Spanish accent, and was very professional, thorough, but warm too.  We all had a burger of some sort, with fries and a pint of Hells lager, from neighbouring Camden (very drinkable!).  At the time of ordering the waiter told us they serve their burgers pink, and checked that that was OK with us, which it was.  I opted for the signature Byron burger, which comes with streaky bacon, cheese, tomato, and ‘Byron sauce’.  It was pretty nice, though a touch dry (I like my burgers really juicy). I did not like the bacon though – it hadn’t been cooked long enough for my liking, and there was so much fat which hadn’t had the time to render or crisp up.  The fries were fine, especially when dipped in real Heinz ketchup, which is on the table with other condiments. 3/10

Service was prompt, so we were able to eat and drink up, and pay (£21/head inc tip) all within 45 minutes, which was just what we were looking for.
Overall rating 4/10