where jess ate

During my recent Florida trip, I had to make a visit to the home of GQ’s #1 hamburger you must eat before you die, Le Tub Saloon.

This burger spot is located in Hollywood, Florida, about a half hour drive from South Beach. It’s nothing fancy but most of the restaurant is situated on a dock where most of their seating is found. We arrived on a Saturday around noon and took one of the last tables next to the water.

It was nice watching the boats dock right next to the restaurant to pick up their orders. If only I had a yacht myself…

If you want water, it’s self-serve from one of those large orange Gatorade coolers and the service is pretty straight-up with a no-BS kinda attitude. Before ordering our server started off with “you know our food takes 45 minutes to an hour right?”

She wasn’t kidding. My Sirloinburger – 13oz ground top sirloin, seasoned, charbroiled and served on a bun with lettuce, tomato and onion ($11 plain) arrived an hour later on the dot. I ordered it with American cheese which cost an extra $0.50. The other cheese option is Swiss which will cost you an extra $1. Served without any sides and on a disposable plate, it’s what you’d expect from a no-frills burger joint like this.

The 13oz patty is enormous – a huge ball of ground beef, cooked however you prefer. The meat was lightly seasoned and had a nice char on the outside. Overall, the burger was fine but the #1 hamburger you must eat before you die? I don’t think so.

Mike went with the Salisbury – the sirloinburger served bunless with a salad ($13.50). He said eating a patty just isn’t the same without the bun… The side salad that came with his Salisbury was just your standard salad. Nothing to write home about.

We ordered a side of large Fries (small $3.50/large $5). They were thick wedge-like fries which were nicely fried. A good supplement to the burger.

Like I said, Le Tub’s burger isn’t bad but it doesn’t even come close to some of the best burgers I’ve eaten. It’s a nice place to grab a bite next to the water if you’re in the area but it’s not worth a long drive for. And make sure you have a lot of time to spare – the food takes an hour.

At a glance:
• #1 on GQ’s list of “The 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die”
• Burger was fine but far from one of the best burgers I’ve ever eaten
• Worth a visit only if you’re in the area
• Food takes 45 minutes to an hour
• Most of the seating is outdoors; try grabbing a seat on the dock by the water
• Located in Hollywood, Florida (1/2 an hour from South Beach)

Ratings (out of 5):
• Food: 3 stars
• Service: 1 star
• Atmosphere: 4 stars