Where To Find The Florida Burger That Oprah Winfrey Reportedly Called 'America's Best'

Back in 1991, a Miami Herald columnist lovingly nicknamed this spot "Le Commode." Fifteen years later, the feature writer at GQ magazine called it a "dream of a dump." Both agreed on one thing — the burger was banging. Which is an opinion shared by celebrity talk show host Oprah Winfrey. While burgers didn't make it to a list of Oprah's favorite foods, this particular one did make it to her show, and Oprah has also been quoted on the restaurant's website calling it the "best burger in America." 

Basically, if you're looking for the Florida burger that's been making headlines for five decades, you'll find it at Le Tub, a waterfront-facing dive joint that is located on the site of an old Sunoco Gas Station and decorated with stuff that floated in from the sea. And if that sentence sounds like it's got a lot going on, it's an accurate reflection of the kind of place Le Tub is.

Le Tub has been a permanent fixture on Hollywood Beach, Florida, since 1975. It's located right alongside a really wide stretch of the Intracoastal Waterway. Le Tub's website proudly states that it's been decorated with "driftwood," "objects," and "treasures" found on Hollywood Beach. These treasures include a fairly eclectic mix of porcelain toilets, sinks, tubs, a pool table, license plates, the leg of a Santa costume, and a rusty bicycle, among other things. Having said that, while the setting and vibe are what catch the eye, what stays with customers most is the size and quality of the Sirloin burger.

While it didn't make it to our staff's list of the best burgers in America, Le Tub's 13-ounce Sirloin Burger has stood the test of time. This is what Miami Herald had to say about them a quarter of a century ago: "The hamburgers ($5 and 50 cents for cheese) are winners ... eight ounces of top-grade meat, charcoaled to perfection – almost crusty outside, yet tender and juicy inside, pink but not raw at the center." In 2006, GQ named it the best burger in America, and called the hand-pattied, 13-ounce beauty "magnificent ... crusty on the outside, juicy inside, always perfectly cooked", while in 2025, New Times called it "one of Florida's most celebrated bites". Talk about consistency over time.

More recently, however, some Redditors have posted about being underwhelmed, but long-time fans put this down to an unavoidable consequence of being on top of so many "best burger" lists. "Your first LeTub burger will be underwhelming, as everyone has heard that it is the best burger on the planet," one Redditor wrote. "After your first, you will soon crave the deliciousness that is the 13-ounce Sirloin Burger." Long-time customers second this view, calling it the "best 'nothing special' burger you'll ever have" and "a pure burger for burger purists".

On the surface level, it sounds like many other burgers. Fresh beef, cooked to order, char-grilled and served on a Kaiser roll with onion, tomato, and lettuce (you won't find any offbeat burger toppings like honey-pickled turnips or truffle tapenade here). One thing that stands out, especially in these smash-burger-obsessed times, is the size and shape of the patty, which is almost globular. "Obviously, the size is very, very important here," Le Tub's owner Alex Serafani told NBC in an interview that was part of the restaurant's 50th anniversary celebrations. "We make hand patties from scratch every single day. It gets cooked on a beautiful charred grill that's been at the restaurant for years." According to Vice, they've only had two grills over their 50-year existence.

Alex Serafani and Lise-Ann Serafani bought Le Tub in 2023 and have been working on bringing the restaurant into the modern era without losing its divey, old-school charm. For example, to tackle its long-standing reputation for slow service, the restaurant has expanded its once-cramped kitchen and introduced new ordering technology to make the entire process more efficient. The property itself is getting careful attention: the seawall is being rebuilt, the bathrooms have been redone, and the grounds are being tidied up. There are more practical upgrades as well, including benches with proper back support and added shade over outdoor tables. The good news for the vibe hunters is that the commodes and sinks aren't going anywhere.