dirty martin's place

...this place truly lives up to it’s name(s) serving no-frills, good ol’ “dirty” burgers from the childhood you always wish you had. slide into the burnt orange plastic booths and back in time. i can’t accurately express how much i adore this place, and that has so much to do with the full experience than the food alone. put simple, it is a classic americanburgerjoint, in the vein of top notch , one where you celebrate their use of plastic-esque american cheese instead of shunning it. case in point, when you order the “cheese tater tots” you can still see the perfect kraft square, which calls out boldly from the plate: “f*&k

kum bak u will!. on the northern boundary of "the drag", and an easy stretch of the legs from the north west corner of the ut campus, this place got a lot of my parent's money.

the burgers are just the same today as they were when i was main-lining junk food as a student there. 80 / 20 ground chuck? . . . if you are lucky. these are just good, greasy, cheesy, satisfying, crave alleviating, mama-never-made-'em-this-unhealthy,burgerserved in a rustic old dive of a building that one either loves or is continually calling code compliance about. personally, i wouldn't change a thing!

i wanted to like this place.... after passing by martin's going to school every day, i decided it was high time i get in there to see what all the fuss is about. from the outside it looks like a hole in the wall, but a fun, kitschy hole in the wall that serves great food. appearances and preconceptions can be deceiving. decor was pretty bare bones and kinda reminiscent of a garage. the inside lives up to its name: dirty. tried 3 or 4 times to find a passably clean table inside before giving up and heading to the patio.

as far as cost goes, my total for a bacon cheeseburger single, fries, and a drink with tax/tip was $15...there's so manyburgerchoices in austin that offer a better value. i’d recommend the whataburger next door, for fifteen bucks you can get twice as much food there.

let’s break it down: the small ot special was definitely not a repeat. the patty was thin, the bun mediocre, the cheese mostly unmelted. if you like your burgers greasy you’re in luck, cause mine and my friends burgers were dripping with grease. portion was pretty small and i was still hungry after eating the whole thing.

fries: actually not bad. they do come with a blend of spices on top which add a nice kick. i nearly ordered the cheese tots but after seeing someone else order them at a neighboring table i opted for the fries, based on the cheap looking cheese they were covered in (think football game concession stand nacho cheese).

warning: they will nickel and dime you here. a side of ranch is an extra sixty cents. bacon, 1.50. even if the food was better i don’t enjoy getting nickel and dimed anywhere, considering restaurants already put a ridiculous mark up the drinks and sides.

i’m guessing this place stays in business solely based on its name and history, not on the quality of the food. they might have been having an off day, so i’d give this place a second chance but my hopes definitely aren’t as high as before i tried it.

totally worth the calories! i have been going to dirty's my whole life and it is never a let down. like any classicburgerjoint you must have a shake with theburgerit makes the meal and all the sides are deliciouse. you have to die of something right.