One Dirty Burger

In our continued search for the best burger in Austin, Texas, Gene and I visited Dirty Martin’s Kum-Bak Place, a popular burger joint, although the name made me think it might be an X-rated bookstore. Located on Guadalupe near the University of Texas campus, Dirty Martin’s has been around since 1926, so they must be doing something right. Right? I can’t believe neither of us had ever eaten there before. From what other people have been telling me, the place is a dadgum Austin institution. Where in the world have we been?

Gene and I both ordered the Kum-Bak cheeseburgers. Gene chose the onion rings as his side and fresh-squeezed limeade to drink, while I had the French fries and a chocolate shake. At Dirty Martin’s, everything is made right there and is fresh. No frozen hamburger patties, nosiree. They use fresh hamburger meat, cut up their own fries, slice their own onions for onion rings and batter ‘em themselves.


The cheeseburgers are smallish, which is perfect for the meal I ordered. To get a bigger burger, you’ve got to double up on the patties. Nevertheless, they were tasty. The patty was thin, just the way I like it. The only thing I would’ve done differently would be to toast up the bun longer on the grill.


The French fries were sliced rather thin and a tad overdone, and I don’t know what type of oil they were fried in, but I was a little disappointed. Gene’s onion rings, on the other hand, only needed a dash of salt to reach perfection. The light crusty brown halos were cooked perfectly and simply delicious.

And, Dirty Martin’s makes a mean shake. Gene slurped up all the whipped cream and we shared the delectable, creamy chocolate treat. No disappointments there. And, the service was great! Next time, I’m gonna try the Large Chili Cheeseburger! Oh yeah…mmm.

On a scale of 1 to 5, I would rate Dirty Martin’s as a 4. ☻☻☻☻

Y’all Kum-Bak Now, Ya Hear?!