The Bear Republic Racer 5 India Pale Ale at Byron Hamburgers in Cambridge, England, is an American IPA with a strong hop taste. (Adam L. Mathis/Stars and Stripes)
The Bear Republic Racer 5 India Pale Ale at Byron Hamburgers in Cambridge, England, is an American IPA with a strong hop taste. (Adam L. Mathis/Stars and Stripes)
Byron Hamburgers in Cambridge, England, makes its namesake sandwich, the Byron, with bacon, cheese and “Byron sauce,” which tastes suspiciously similar to Thousand Island dressing. (Adam L. Mathis/Stars and Stripes)
Chips with the skins are one of several options to accompany a hamburger at Byron Hamburgers in Cambridge, England. However, the sides are not included when you order a burger. (Adam L. Mathis/Stars and Stripes)
Byron Hamburgers is located on the popular Bridge Street in Cambridge, England, not far from the heart of the city. (Adam L. Mathis/Stars and Stripes)
Something about Byron Hamburgers in Cambridge, England, has been calling to me.
Maybe it is Byron’s popularity. Located on Bridge Street, the place always seems to bustle with people, easily visible through the restaurant’s glass storefront.
Maybe it is how Byron describes its burgers as “proper.” A very English adjective, it suggests that only here can one find a true hamburger worthy of the name, and if the queen were in the mood for a burger, she would come here to get one.
Whatever the reason, I found myself at Byron on a busy Monday evening. While the menu offers chicken and salad (who would order that at a place with “proper” hamburgers?), I went with the Byron: a single patty of Scottish beef, covered in cheese, criss-crossed with bacon and topped with Byron sauce (which tasted suspiciously similar to Thousand Island dressing).
The burger was quite properly savory (from the meat) and sweet (from the sauce) and the bacon had the strong cured taste designed to sate the carnivore in many of us. Somewhat improperly, however, the patty felt a little thin for my taste, and the bread a little cheap (though the website contends this is “a proper squishy bun”), similar to low-quality fast food buns.
Byron contains elements of both fast-food and a full restaurant. This not enough to make the burger bad, but it makes me question the price of 9.25 British pounds (about $15).
My side was a bowl of chips with skins on, nothing extraordinary for England, but certainly tasty. My wife enjoyed an order of onion rings made with sweet onions and a spiced batter. Neither of our sides came with the burgers, which led to about another $5 in cost each.
The choice of whether to try Byron, or, in my case, to go back, is complicated. On the one hand, the burgers are good overall and the restaurant has some wonderful extras you can buy. My wife ordered a Bear Republic Racer 5 India Pale Ale, a wonderfully hoppy, American-style beer and certainly not your typical offering in an English restaurant, and one of several beers you don’t see in most places. Byron also offers bourbon, wine and a few desserts, including delicious cookies and a cream milkshake.
The problem is, Byron’s prices do not make it competitive, and good burgers can be found at other establishments. Byron is the place you go when you are tired of English pubs’ decor. Just keep in mind, the prices can take a bite out of your wallet.
mathis.adam@stripes.com Twitter: @AMathisStripes
Byron HamburgersLocation: 12 Bridge Street, Cambridge.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday, closing at 10:30 p.m. Sunday.
Dress: Casual.
Costs: Byron’s cheapest hamburger costs 6.75 British pounds (about $11) and does not include a side. Chips cost an additional 2.95 British pounds. Parking at the Grand Arcade parking lot is one of the closest. Evening rates are 1 British pound an hour (about $1.50).
