Food review: Cool burgers and a variety of fries at Beefy Boys
They started small and have gradually grown. The Beefy Boys were a Hereford phenomenon who earned their stripes serving exceptional patties.
One market town led to another and having conquered Hereford they moved onto Shrewsbury, while also adding Cheltenham to their portfolio.
Business is brisk and that’s little wonder – their offer is on point, with cool burgers, filthy (in the best sense of the word) sides, and a contemporary dining space that’s all bright lights, big city, and high energy.
However, a midweek supper for one was characterised by really good food and service that was just okay.
Having started in a blaze of glory, where such issues can easily be overlooked, a subsequent visit had similar issues – the service left this guest feeling not quite as welcome as you would hope for.
And while a recent visit was a step forward, there is perhaps still room for improvement on the dining room floor, where observing the basics would be both easy to do and advantageous for guests, venue and the staff themselves.
The Beefy Boys is located in Shrewsbury town centre and has enlivened the town’s dining scene.
Replacing a former Italian restaurant, it’s provided a shot of the good stuff with a menu that’s big on interesting wings, a variety of fries, the best range of burgers in Shropshire, and some pretty delicious sides.
The neon lights, tightly-packed tables, buzzy atmosphere and of-the-moment environment make it a delight in which to dine.
It’s just a pity that in my experience, the service hasn’t always matched the exceptional standards set by the food.
The wait time was short – stand near a sign, be greeted by a front-of-house team member, and then be shown to a table.
Maybe if there’d been a bit more engagement or a smile, things might have been less uncomfortable.
Guests don’t like to feel like they’re an encumbrance, and while service improved a little as the evening wore on, it might most accurately be described as a little indifferent.
The food, in contrast, couldn’t have been better.
The Beefy Boys earned their stripes in Hereford by serving hundreds of thousands of burgers and they’ve settled on a winning formula that was executed with aplomb by an industrious kitchen.
Mac’n’cheese balls were magnificent. Stodgy, indulgent, creamy balls of cheesed macaroni were covered in breadcrumbs and deep fried until impeccably crisp.
They were pimped with parmesan, chives, chipotle ketchup, and bacon bits – creating a mass of texture and compatible flavour. The sweet, salty bacon contrasted with the umami-rich parmesan and the gently warming chives.
A dollop of ketchup helped adhere the toppings to the crunchy mac’n’cheese balls and The Beefy Boys had reached peak side.
The burger was equally good. The Beefy Boys offers 6oz of beef in a delightfully light sesame seeded brioche, with burgers served in four different ways – some are pink, some are cooked through, some are skinny and double-stacked, others are the width of a trucker’s tyre.
I opted for the bacon boy, which featured two patties, thin and cooked through, with baconaise, double bacon, American cheese, Swiss cheese, lettuce, red onion and gherkin, on top of a dollop of bacon jam.
In short, it was brilliant.
The bacon was cooked through so that it was intensely flavourful and crisp. The cheese had melted into a dirty, dripping, coagulated mess of fatty indulgence.
I’m sure the ghost of Elvis was rising from his grave, trying to grab a mouthful, before laying back down.
The sweet bacon jam took the edge off the meat-heavy dish, while the red onion added a little heat and texture.
Burgers are an art, and those who content themselves with a dry old patty beneath a dusty roll with a slice of tomato, leaf of lettuce and squirt of ketchup are light years behind.
The Beefy Boys, in contrast, are keeping up with the zeitgeist as they find all sorts of ways of delivering mammoth flavours between two sides of brioche.
Their pizza boy, for instance, features breaded mozzarella and pepperoni alongside marinara sauce and a garlic herb dip.
Though nothing tops their PBJ boy, a burger featuring American cheese, Swiss cheese, bacon, bacon jam and chipotle peanut butter – because who doesn’t want peanut butter and jam on a burger?
The fries. We almost forgot the fries.
And I’ve no idea how they could so easily have been forgotten because the fries were a delight.
Though there is a range of variations, millionaire fries with truffle oil, parmesan, and chives seemed to be the favourite among most guests.
I opted for plain. Crisp like sugar glass and with a crunch that sounded like car wheels on a gravel road, they were skinnily magnificent.
The bill was decent, though the waitress seemed a little embarrassed about the service charge.
Adding service is fair when we’re in a cost-of-living crisis and restaurants are being squeezed by everyone from the VAT man to the energy supplier, and while they’re struggling to retain staff.
But if they’re going to charge extra for service – a compulsory tip, in effect – the staff ought to step up to the plate.
And that was the one area where, in the opinion of this guest at least, The Beefy Boys could improve.
The room is great and the food is stellar.
The owners simply need to get their front-of-house team together and perhaps polish the customer service side of things.
Lock on to service with a smile and The Beefy Boys would be almost perfect.
