Zephyr Burgers — Restaurant in Plymouth

After being recommended this place and seeing it won so many awards, or paid for them, i went with a friend to try yesterday. When i gave my name one of the server's took the piss out of my surname. Said i was reserved a table outside when i had booked online a week ago when there were free tables inside. Felt like there was a kind of blasé attitude to the staff like they just didn't really care for our custom. Sat at our table, drinks were taken and then served in reasonable time. I ordered the parm chicken burger which was about 14 quid and my friend ordered a regular beef burger which was about 10 quid so mid range on pricing until u realise u don't get anything with the burger and have to order fries separately. Ordered the bacon loaded fries. The old guy server who insulted me on arrival proceeded to serve us the wrong food for our table and then only realised when we told him we didn't order what he gave us. When the correct food finally arrived at our table the burgers looked virtually identical, size, bun, contents etc, so what did i pay 4 quid more for? The burger was small aswell. Smaller than a big mac. When i see online all these restaurants serving Parm chicken with melted cheese drizzled on top off a plate that's what i was envisaging with this burger but there was barely any cheese in it. The burger was pretty bland tbh. The fries tbh weren't piping hot, about the same temp as Maccy D's chips normally come where they needed chucking in the air fryer to reheat. As far as American diners go this one really was below par by a long shot. The service, the atmosphere the food especially. My chicken in my burger was as dry as ghandis flip flop and before anyone says did i mention it to the server, there was no food check done during our meal and we were not even asked when the lady collected our plates or when the server brought us the the card machine whether we enjoyed our food. As i say they just didnt seem to care. The burger i had the monday night if u check my reviews was absolutely banging and twice the size for the same price and came with skinny fries and homemade baconnaise and 2 patties

I would honestly rate Five Guys better than here and that's expensive but at least u get a good portion of food.

I paid 28 quid for a burger, loaded fries and a non alcoholic lager and felt short changed. This place has so much hype online but i was really disappointed, there are so many other better american diners in the south west that don't get half...

Sadly had to throw my burger in the bin as the restaurant refused to tell me if they had used a gluten free bun or not.

I first ordered from Zephyr Burger via Deliveroo on Wednesday. I called before placing the order to ask if the crispy onions on one of the burgers on the menu were gluten free (they weren't) and ask if they offer gluten free buns. They explained they did but that they don't have the option on Deliveroo because they can't guarantee they'll be no cross contamination once the food has left the restaurant, but that if I wanted to order a gluten free bun to add a house sauce to the order and attach a note asking for a gluten free bun and that I'd added the sauce for £1.50 to cover the cost of the bun. I explained that was fine, it's an intolerance not a severe allergy and that risk of cross-contamination was fine.

So I did that on Wednesday, my burger was delivered and they had written a GF on top of the burger box.

I ordered again today on Deliveroo, added a note requesting a gluten free bun and that I'd added the house sauce to cover the cost of it. When the burger was delivered there was no GF written on the box, so I gave the restaurant a call to double check they'd seen the note and ask if the bun was gluten free. Unfortunately they said they were unable to tell me because they don't offer gluten free food via Deliveroo. I explained I'd followed the same process as Wednesday, adding the note and just wanted to know if they'd seen it and used a gluten free bun or not. Turned out it was the same person I'd spoken to on Wednesday. She said I should have called again today. I explained I didn't realise that was the case and thought the process was as she had explained on Wednesday, to add the sauce and the note. All I wanted to know was if the bun today was gluten free. She said without seeing it she couldn't say. I offered to send a photo, but she said no. I explained again that it's not an allergy, just an intolerance. All I wanted to know was whether or not the kitchen had seen the note and used a gluten free bun. After 5 minutes of back and forth it was clear she was never going to give me an answer. So sadly the burger went in the bin.

It feels such a shame that this was the approach taken by the restaurant. The food I'd had on Wednesday was really tasty. But this is such a poor attitude. All I wanted was an answer as to whether or not they'd seen the note and used the...

I’d been eager to try this place after all the rave reviews, but it was a huge letdown. The £13 California burger tasted like a high-end Big Mac, and £9 for “loaded fries”—cheap nacho sauce, a few bacon flakes, and two jalapeño slices—was laughable. Add a £6.50 warm Brooklyn pilsner, and the irony of bathroom stickers denouncing the Tories and proclaiming this “smash capitalism” narrative after spending £30 on mediocrity wasn’t lost on me. Don’t believe the hype if you’ve been caught up in any.

Response to reply from owner:

Thank you for your response, but it doesn’t fully address my concerns. I should have mentioned the warm beer, but I wasn’t sure if this was just how it was served. Regardless, with most drinks out of stock, including the San Miguel, my only option being served warm reflects poor quality control.

Premium ingredients don’t excuse a California burger that lacked flavour or loaded fries that were sparse and underwhelming for £9. You ask what I was expecting? LOADED fries—something substantial and impressive, not minimalist toppings.

While most people dislike the Tories, (including myself during their last term) my point about the bathroom messaging was that it feels ironic given the high prices. Focus on the food and experience, not political statements. Comparisons to McDonald’s or Wetherspoons miss the mark—customers want quality and value. Nobody finishes a bad meal and thinks, “Well, at least it was ethically sourced.” Great food speaks for itself. Sourcing is secondary if the food doesn’t deliver. I also don’t know or care about Aubrey Allen. Why should I? I’m here to see what you can do with the ingredients you have. I want flavour. Again, nobody cares about the reputation of the individual when their own experience is a bad one.

Also, you have competition around the country who did it better for nearly half the price. Honest Burger in Bristol springs to mind.

Yes - I was tempted to try the pork belly bites. I make very nice ones at home. I won’t be returning however, but I wish you...