Austin, TX

Last night I had to pick my car up from the shop. Since it was just 4 miles from Dirty Martin’s we decided to stop in and try out thier burgers. I’d been meaning to try them for ages but just hadn’t found the time.

Dirty Martin’s has been around since 1926. The building occupies a decent bit of real estate in the college district of downtown Austin. There is a huge billboard overhead indicating Dirty Martin’s is HERE with a large arrow pointing down at the restaurant.

Inside is an old fashioned lunch counter with a half dozen booths. Around back is a larger area with TVs.

I ordered a basic cheeseburger and my partner-in-crime ordered a bacon cheeseburger. We shared a basket of fries and a basket of jalapeño poppers that were still half priced for happy hour. I had a cherry coke which didn’t have enough cherry flavouring to taste cherry like at all.

The burgers arrived with that slick sheen of grease on the buns that I remember from childhood. The cheese was sliced, processed, american. The paper under the burgers coated in grease. I picked up the burger and grease ran out into the basket. The taste, again, reminded me of burgers when I was a kid. It was ok, but nothing to write home about.

The french fries were the kind I like; hand-cut with the skin still on. Unfortunately they were fat with grease, too.

The jalapeño poppers were ok but unremarkable.

Overall we found the adventure disappointing and see no reason to return.

If you’re a big fan of Dirty Martin’s I’d love to hear why you think they are so great.

Burgers, Austin, Austin’s Best Burgers, Dirty Martin’s, french fries