The Beefy Boys: “Rich and flavourful, juicy without being greasy” — food review
We visited the burger restaurant's first Midlands branch
The Beefy Boys has officially arrived in Nottingham. The award-winning burger restaurant opened its doors recently, and we took the opportunity to visit its location on Queen Street.
We visited both during its soft launch period (where there was a handy 25% off) and for its launch party, to get a proper sense of the atmosphere and the quality of the food on offer. We covered our own bill for the meal, but happily nibbled on a free slider or two during the party.
If you’re looking for restaurants to visit in Nottingham, The Beefy Boys is perfect for satisfying burger cravings. For more reviews, subscribe to The Notts Edit to receive our articles in your inbox for free.
The Beefy Boys food review
By Sam Swain
Photos by The Notts Edit
I’ve always been partial to a burger. It’s probably the fast food I find myself craving more than most and, thankfully for me, Nottingham has been fairly well serviced, with Bomba, Banquet 1415, and Fat Hippo among the many venues serving up tasty burgers (although Annie’s and Bohn’s, we still think about you). However, the Beefy Boys is a restaurant I had been hoping would make its way to the Midlands.
The Beefy Boys is the brainchild of Anthony Murphy, Daniel Mayo-Evans, Christian Williams and Lee Symonds who, after entering a Bristol burger competition, ended up winning a number of national awards before finishing runner up in the World Food Championships. The popularity grew and they subsequently opened their first restaurant in Hereford in 2015. The brand has grown, with a cookbook, TV appearances and more awards meaning their arrival in Nottingham has been much anticipated.
The restaurant itself is about what you’d expect from a group of men who name their burgers “boys.” There is a subtle American diner feel, but with your hallmark restaurant neon signs – think “Smash ya patty” rather than live, laugh, love. The kitchen is open so you can hear the sizzling as you sit down to eat, and it certainly does get your appetite going.
The rather large menus (seriously, what’s the deal with that? Please fold them), detail the four ways to have your burger – thick, smashed, Oklahoma style, or mustard-fried animal style. After that, there are quite a variety of “boys” to choose from; from the Beefy Boy all the way to a Hell Boy served with a ghost pepper chilli sauce and latex gloves (presumably on the side). There are plenty of American inspired sides and drinks, including wings, loaded fries, and shakes.
I went for a special, the NYC Boy, inspired by a trip to visit George Motz, producer and restaurateur behind Hamburger America, a documentary detailing the history of the hamburger in America, and a restaurant of the same name. Motz is like Doc Brown from Back to Future but for burgers, and what he doesn’t know about burgers probably isn’t worth knowing. The NYC Boy features the hallmarks of a classic smash burger, American cheese, thick cut pickles, and 40-day aged Herefordshire beef.
It’s this that I think sets The Beefy Boys apart from a lot of other burgers. It’s rich and flavourful, juicy without being greasy, with a nice crunchy outer – you don’t need to dress it up in anything fancy or hide low quality produce with stupid amounts of cheese as you often see in viral Instagram videos. I’m also pleased to report that the bun retains structure nicely. While you’re not going to look like the Mona Lisa tucking into a burger, you don’t want to look too feral either. I will be hoping this makes its way to the menu.
That being said, if you do want something less classic and more outrageous, you are catered to, with the options to pile your burger high with breaded mozzarella and pepperoni, pastrami or peanut butter and jelly. Vegetarians are catered to with a choice of bean, mushroom, or plant based meat patty, although options for customisation are more limited here.
One notable add-on is the cheese skirt, which is melted cheese about six inches round that adorns your burger of choice. We did find that, while tasty, did make your burger much harder to eat, and if overdone it becomes a crunchy disc rather than a soft skirt. We did visit during a busy spell during the soft launch though, and it’s definitely something we’d try again.
The milkshakes cannot be recommended enough however. The Kinder Bueno shake was thick and creamy as you’d expect, without being overly sweet, and the whipped cream and chocolate sauce topping was particularly moreish. A note of caution – it’s incredibly filling and would function perfectly as a dessert, unless you’re the kind of person who can consume a ton of calories before actually eating.
Prices range from about £13 for a burger before any upgrades and sides, which is more than a McDonald’s, but comparable with the Five Guys around the corner. I say it’s far superior.
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