Northcote Road - The Burger Wars!!! Post Reply

[juliantenniscoach]

Ok so I'm trying to post some humour on this board after a good few, very serious and heated posts, so here goes.

What's with us on Northcote road? Are we such carnivores to support GBK, Cattle Grid and now the huge Byron Burger? Seems to buck all the diet trends for sure.

So what do you think? Who's your favourite, especially now GBK have had a make over and let's not forget Mickey D's on St.John's Road. The Golden Arches still burn bright with many a local.

Having undertaken an extensive market research (!) over the last couple of weeks I have come to this conclusion on the outbreak of 'Burger Wars'.

Firstly Mickey D's - cheap, guaranteed to get exactly what you expect. Taste initially is good but there is the infamous after taste which still exists. Needs a strong coffee to wash out but good value for money undoubtedly.

Cattle grid - perhaps shouldn't be in the catagory as burgers aren't their main line. And it shows............... menu too complicated and burgers clearly not their forte. Overcooked in my experience and almost an afterthought. Lack of thought perhaps?

Byron Burger. Big site, nice t-shirts and a huge floorspace. Staff very friendly if a little disorganised. However the paint is barely dry so we can forgive a few teething problems.

Would quite like child size cutlery for the macaroni cheese please. Kids looked after with colouring crayons and plenty of high chairs.

But the big thing, the burger.........underwhelmed, hugely. Both times. Bit dry and reminded me of the frozen Bird's Eye ones Mum used to serve when I was a food machine. Fries and onion rings yummy, a big plus but where's the beef Byron?

And now finally GBK. Will they still be the King of Northcote Road even after the big corperate buy out? Well yes, in my humble opinion. Yes the burgers can be a bit messy, especially the avacado bacon, but the taste..........the taste is there (still). Fries are alright and I'm looking forward to the return of the buffalo burger.

So what's your experience? Clearly my vote goes to GBK with Mickey D's if only for the price of the meal deal. (please note do not tell my wife I've been to Mickey D's!)

Let the 'Burger Wars' begin!

[nay&lessi]

Agree, while Byron is a nice space to be in, the burgers are waayyy below average... don't know how they're growing so fast, and remain popular?! GBK still wins for me too (although their chips could be improved)...

[KatherineHepburn]

GBK for me, loads more choice on the non-meat front and they do corn on the cob for the kids. No competition.

Who has bought GBK?

[townieatheart]

GBK for me too, love it. Only downside are the fries and little space for pushchairs.

[NoMorePeppaPig]

Completely agree with Amelia!

Byron -
Loved the space, staff helpful, clean.
Spot on, salty french fries....but...
The burger was rubbish and tasteless (chicken burger!). Absolutely no seasoning and completely bland. Quite expensive for a less than average meal. Wouldn't go back.

GBK -
DELICIOUS!!!
...but really disappointing chips - would prefer french fries!
Will always go back - (although we tend to do take away as are uber lazy and feel I have been pregnant for the last 3 years, so rubbish at eating out in the evenings!). Icing on the cake would be if they delivered!!!

[alabaster]

Well, I could rate Byron if they didn't have a 'operational issue' in their kitchen when I tried to go. Bad form for a Saturday night. I've been in another branch which had a fire in the kitchen while I was there and we never got our lunch!

sooo.... GBK must be the winner - they always manage to get you the food. Great menu etc just a shame their restaurant is so small on Northcote Rd! When I saw the refurb, I did hope it would mean they no longer needed the van parked round the corner they use for storage!! Bit of an ugly sight.

[juliantenniscoach]

maybe GBK could have taken the capitol carpets site instead of (yet) another estate agent Still one of my friends is very happy they now have booths. Extra privacy when one is slobbering and dribbling over the haphazard avocado!

[evefine]

i agree with GBK vote, but the chips put me off every single time, why can't they do the fries that every other decent burger joint do? I wonder if they know this probably puts a lot of us off!

[kiwimummy]

GBK burgers are amazing. I will definitely be trying Byron though, just to compare... Had to laugh, I was in GBK when they were outfitting Byron and I got to hear what the GBK staff thought of the decor going in across the road - funny!

The great thing about GBK is they've always been really welcoming of my toddler and baby and go out of their way to cheer up a grumpy 2 year old.

Agree on the chips though, I'd love fries. Their coleslaw is great though if you get the bunless burger.

[supergirl]

GBK GBK GBK

Also agree, I would prefer the french fries rather than chips...
Having said that, we went there last week with my husband and we saw on the menu in the fries section "small or thin ones" cannot remember exactly.
So I wondered whether they have a fries type option???

[Wimbledon]

I've not done Byron yet, but I'm told its a little pricey considering you are eating burgers.

GBK was delicious last time I went, however I often go to the Drafthouse for my burgers. The choice is slightly limited (cheese and bacon only) but the quality is fantastic. Plus the menu offers other meal choices if you are with people who aren't into burgers, and they are always happy to adjust their meals to suit my kids (a plain poached egg and some toast, or leaving the mushrooms out of the macaroni cheese etc). I think they also do fish fingers? Although they don't put that on the menu, you have to ask.

Happy burger eating to you all

[txmum]

I tried Byron this week and have to agree with the previous posters...
While the space is nice, and the staff attentive, the burger was absolutely tasteless. Even a little salt would have been an improvement. I won't be going back.

GBK has wonderful burgers, but it's too tight a space with a pushchair (and I'm never without a pushchair these days). Sometimes we'd really like to go there, but pass it by as there aren't any tables outside available and we feel guilty taking up half the dining room with our baby!

The Underdog has a pretty tasty burger, but their beer is disgusting and they don't allow children, so they're out for us for the time being.

[sienna31]

I have lived just off Northcote road for a number of years now and have two children both under 6. It has to be said that as locals we are definitely not spoilt for choice when it comes to eating out with the majority of the restaurants and cafes aiming to be child friendly despite the often limited space. The street is littered with familiar brands and niche independents, completing for business in extremely challenging times.
I have had the pleasure of visiting the Cattlegrid, a relatively new addition to the Northcote, for the third time now and after having read the recent post felt compelled to find out a little more about the restaurant and the idea behind it. The food, especially the Welsh rarebit burger, I found exception both moist, tasty and the portion sizes not for the faint hearted. On my most recent visit, i had the pleasure of meeting the owners who were at the time delivering to the restaurant. Cattlegrid is in independent restaurant who first opened its doors in Balham approx four years ago, now operating four restaurants, the for mentioned Balham, Clapham, Windsor and newly opened Leeds. They Source and deliver all the produce themselves. Through a very brief encounter its clear to see that both the guys have a passion for what they are doing, seem to care immensely about the quality of the product and didn't hold back about the challenging market place. I was interested to learn that Byron, is owned by Pizza Express and GBK by Clapham House who also own Nandos and The Real Greek. Byron, I find, as others have, friendly with excellent service, the menu however far to limited. The Burger was small and dry and the Nachos which had been pre portioned, sitting on the coiner, stale. GBK, is always pleasant and the new refurbishment is bright and fresh. BUT, lets give some support for the independents which bring variety and character to the area.

[juliantenniscoach]

I'm sure that the owners of Cattle Grid, as passionate as they are have, every intention of following the GBK model. That is to expand as cash out, and who can blame them? Good on them for giving it a go in trying times.

I guess the only long standing independent cafe is Tony's which definitely has a niche and very loyal following. Not necessarily amongst us pram-pushers though

[KatherineHepburn]

I love Tony's, we've been going in since pre-kids and wouldn't stop now. In fact his weekend traffic seems to be shifting more and more to families. My daughter loves it, beans and mushrooms on toast with Tony stopping to chat to her every 5 minutes -perfect!
We even got her a booster seat to use just there as he doesn't have space for highchairs and there is a wee bit of room by the door for our buggy. Long may he remain on Northcote Road