Bristol’s Burgers

Bristol’s Burgers

Sept 19, 2019 update: Bristol’s Burgers is now permanently closed.

I recently stayed at The Diplomat Beach Resort (read about my stay here) and had a chance to dine at several of the 10 food outlets on property (see full recap of the onsite restaurants here). One of the places I visited was Bristol’s Burgers.

The Venue

Bristol's Burgers

Photo by Bristol’s Burgers

Bristol’s Burgers is located across the street from The Diplomat in the Diplomat Landing complex. For those weary of having the cross busy Ocean Drive, Diplomat Landing is accessible via an overpass bridge from the resort. Diners can also park within Diplomat Landing and enjoy four hours of free parking when dining at either restaurants located there, Bristol’s Burger or Portico Beer & Wine Garden.

The space overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway where yacht and pleasure boat-watching is fascinating. The venue’s decor is reminiscent of a 50s diner with retro red leather booths, a large horseshoe-shaped bar and a semi-open kitchen. There is outdoor seating with large televisions for perfect waterside sports watching. The indoor bar and dining room are also flanked by televisions making it a perfect place to catch a game with friends, which I did.

The Staff

I visited over Super Bowl weekend and knew the place would be busy with locals and hotels guests so I called to try to make a reservation. I was told no reservations were taken and we’d need to walk in close to game time. I told the person who answered the phone that I was visiting with my 70-year old mother who needs to sit due to a knee injury. The person tells me he’s Chris, the restaurant GM, and can make an exception if he wants to and proceeds to save a table for us. What amazing service!

When we arrived early, I’m a Philadelphia Eagles fan after all, our table had a reserved sign on it and we were warmly-welcomed. The wait staff was friendly, helpful and made us feel comfortable through the nerve-wrecking 4-5 hours we were there.

The Food

Bristol's Burgers

Photo Credit – Bristol’s Burgers. Triple B Burger

We basically ate over the duration of our visit as we watched the game so our dishes were all appetizers. There’s enough variety to please all palates, including vegetarians which one person in my party was. We’d seen a smoker outside so knew we wanted to order the Smoked Chicken Wings. They were perfectly smoked, juicy and tangy from Buffalo sauce, a must-order. We had the Nacho Libre Loaded Fries (there’s another version with beef chili and cheese also). The perfectly-crispy fries with topped with pork carnitas, black beans, sour cream, jalapeños and…wait for it, housemade Whiz hot cheese sauce. Great shareable dish. We also shared the Mac & Cheese Tots, macaroni and cheese shaped like tater tots, fried and served with ranch dressing and ketchup. That was our least favorite dish, although still a solid option. Finally, as my Eagles were putting the final nail in the Patriots’ coffin, I sampled the Triple B Burger featuring crispy Neuske’s bacon, Bourbon-bacon onion jam and blue cheese. It was a well-made burger with high quality bacon and tangy, salty blue cheese.

We loved our experience at Bristol’s Burgers and look forward to visiting this fun, friendly-staffed venue again on future trips.

Bristol’s Burgers – 3460 S Ocean Drive, Hollywood, Florida 33019.

Cheers,

Veronique

 

I’m a travel industry veteran currently employed by Hilton. The views and contents of this post are my own and in no way in partnership with my employer. I wasn’t compensated for writing about this subject.

The Le Tub Saloon – Hollywood, Florida

The Le Tub Saloon – Hollywood, Florida

 

Le Tub Tables on the Intracoastal

Le Tub Tables on the Intracoastal

Le Tub has been a Hollywood Beach institution for over 35 years and I’d almost forgotten about it until a fellow food blogger, Nathan of Educated Foodie, reminded me of the casual icon.

I moved to South Florida when I was a young teen and Hollywood Beach was where I hung out. Le Tub was well known to all and offered a great, inexpensive meal in a casual setting right on the intracoastal waterway. Not much has changed since I last visited Le Tub about 20 years ago and I loved that about the place.

My Girlfriends at Le Tub

My Girlfriends at Le Tub

The place is tucked away on A1A with no sign to make it easy for tourists to find it. There’s lush foliage making the front entryway even more difficult to locate. Once patrons arrive, they’re met with a maze of nooks and crannies with outdoor tables and seating areas. It’s sort of a mess in the best possible way. The décor is comprised of bric-a-brac and various items found on the ocean shore that came in from the sea.

What I always enjoyed at Le Tub was the juicy burger that became famous when GQ named it the best burger in the nation in 2006. When I visited a few weeks ago, it was still incredible…plainly served with American cheese, tomato, onion and lettuce on a poppy seed bun. The 13-ounce Sirloin Burger ($11.50 with cheese) is charcoaled to perfection and is juicy and beefy. Simple, satisfying and memorable.

 

Let Tub Sirloin Burger

Let Tub Sirloin Burger

The menu is somewhat limited but the Seafood Salad (small $10 and large $17) and the Greek Salad ($11) are solid options. The small seafood salad is a sizeable portion of fresh seafood coated in herb dressing and served on a bed of lettuce. The Greek salad is enough for two guests and features the typical Feta, tomatoes and olives but also green peppers and anchovies and served with a squeeze bottle of dressing that we squirted on everything – delicious.

Le Tub is the perfect unclassy joint where slightly questionable waitresses are friendly enough and where everyone feels right at home. I’ll never let this much time go by before visiting again.

1100 N Ocean Dr, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33019
(954) 921-9425

Cheers,

Veronique