Byron

The Bloomsbury branch of Byron is a light, clean space, boldly decorated in black, white and candy-yellow, with a pleasant terrace overlooking Store Street. Each restaurant may have its own decorative idiosyncrasies, but the menu is the same throughout the chain (29-strong in London at time of writing, and still growing). The burgers, while not the stuff of dreams, are a reliable bunch – the chilli version comes with green chilli, American cheese, iceberg lettuce and chipotle mayonnaise, in a decent bun, and isn’t so big that you can’t manage sides of chips and coleslaw too. (Note that it doesn’t pack much chilli heat either.) Avoid the other main-course option, big salads; a ‘classic cobb’ (chicken, crispy bacon, avocado, blue cheese, tomato, free-range egg, iceberg and house dressing) was a neatly regimented plate of so-what ingredients that looked, and tasted, like a supermarket lunch option (and cost £10.75). A well-rounded drinks list includes craft beers, plenty of wines by the glass, milkshakes and juices. New for 2013 is Byron lager, made for the chain by Camden Town Brewery. Attentive staff add to the appeal of the chain.