Few Austin businesses survive 100 years. Fewer do it without losing the character that made them neighborhood institutions.
Dirty Martin’s Place reached that milestone Saturday, celebrating its centennial with live music, food, face painting and hundreds of customers who packed the burger joint despite heavy afternoon storms.
“It’s been crazy. It’s been fantastic. People were here at 10 o’clock, lined up,” owner Mark Nemir said. “We’re really blessed, humbled and grateful. When you throw your own birthday party, you don’t really know if anyone’s coming.”
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The restaurant, a longtime gathering place for University of Texas students, families and generations of Austinites, filled with customers who came not just for burgers and shakes but to celebrate a piece of Austin that has outlasted decades of change.
When storms rolled through Saturday afternoon, one of the bands paused its performance and activities moved under tents and inside the restaurant. The weather, however, did little to dampen the celebration.
Under the covered patio, customers in UT gear shared burgers, fries, shakes and beers while families browsed vendor booths and children had their faces painted.
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A poster is signed by hundreds of visitors during the centennial celebration at Dirty Martin’s Place on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Visitors wai in line for food during the centennial celebration at Dirty Martin’s Place on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Ethan Gonzalez, a bartender and server, takes orders at the cash register during the centennial celebration at Dirty Martin’s Place on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
A new mural is painted on the wall for the centennial celebration at Dirty Martin’s Place on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin.
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Visitors pack the main dining room during the centennial celebration at Dirty Martin’s Place on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Kenneth Hines, center, eats with his sons Graham Hines, right, and Logan Hines, left, during the centennial celebration at Dirty Martin’s Place on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin. “When I was growing up, I’d be here with my parents and my dad came with his dad,” Kenneth said about visititing for the centennial celebration. “And now I’m bringing my kids.”
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Photos are displayed around a note thanking supporters for stopping the demolition of Dirty Martin’s Place at the Centennial Celebration on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Lacoda Davis, a manager and bartender, pours drinks at the bar during the centennial celebration at Dirty Martin’s Place on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Matthew Gerstel signs a poster outside the entrance during the centennial celebration at Dirty Martin’s Place on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Joe Bryson, former owner of Inner Sanctum Records, eats a burger during the centennial celebration at Dirty Martin’s Place on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Visitors wai in line for food during the centennial celebration at Dirty Martin’s Place on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Kenneth Hines, left, eats with his sons Graham Hines, right, and Logan Hines, center, during the centennial celebration at Dirty Martin’s Place on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin. “When I was growing up, I’d be here with my parents and my dad came with his dad,” Kenneth said about visititing for the centennial celebration. “And now I’m bringing my kids.”
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Shawn St. Clair signs a poster during the centennial celebration at Dirty Martin’s Place on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin. St. Clair said he started coming to Dirty Martin’s Place when he was in high school in the 1970s. “I’m glad this place made it this far and I hope it makes it until I turn 100,” he said about the celebration.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Kenneth Hines, right, eats with his son Logan Hines, left, during the centennial celebration at Dirty Martin’s Place on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin. “When I was growing up, I’d be here with my parents and my dad came with his dad,” Kenneth said about visititing for the centennial celebration. “And now I’m bringing my kids.”
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
“Martin’s Kum-Bak Hamburgers,” is painted on the fence outside Dirty Martin’s Place on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Generations of regulars
For Clay Wiehe, Dirty Martin’s has been part of life for as long as he can remember. He even shares a birthday with the restaurant.
“Every Saturday morning, we would watch UT football practice, and my mom would take us here,” Wiehe said. “Back then, they had the counter seating, and you could talk to the cook, so we always knew Will.”
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His favorite order hasn’t changed much over the years.
“I don’t know what it is about the malts,” he said, “but they’ve always been my go-to.”
Bob and Suzanne Jackson have made Dirty Martin’s a family tradition spanning generations.
Bob first visited the restaurant in 1948, when he was about 6 years old. Suzanne discovered it decades later, and together they brought their children — and now their grandchildren.
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“The consistency, they have been able to sustain somehow, which most don’t,” Bob Jackson said. “Most go out of business, but this one has stayed. To say sustained is an understatement.”
Suzanne recalled one of their earliest family visits.
“When she was 8, our daughter said she wanted a burger,” she said with a laugh. “We came here, she ordered two and a big shake and ate it all up.”
For Bob, Dirty Martin’s represents something increasingly rare in Austin.
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“It’s the precious stuff,” he said. “Having something there that remains the same when everything else, and everyone else, has come and gone.”
Even his usual cheeseburger and onion rings got a celebratory upgrade Saturday.
“Not usually,” he said when asked whether he often paired the meal with a beer. “But today I will.”
Andy Albin, who lived a few blocks away while attending UT, returned Saturday for the first time in 25 years.
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“I’ve lived most of my life in Austin at this point,” Albin said. “I just love the institutions that are still here.”
A new generation carries on the tradition
Dirty Martin’s remains just as popular with today’s UT students.
Delta Sigma Phi alumni Brenton and Nick said the restaurant has been a gathering place for fraternity brothers for years, bringing together students and alumni across generations.
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“Every new generation comes to Dirty Martin’s, and we all share meals,” Nick said. “More recently, we had a group of alumni come. We took up two or three tables. That’s such a special experience because you’ve got guys who are in college meeting with guys who were here in the ’70s, having conversations.”
Their affection for the restaurant runs deep. When Dirty Martin’s faced the threat of eminent domain years ago, fraternity members hung a large “Save Dirty’s” banner outside their house.
“I remember when this room was outside,” Brenton said, looking around the restaurant. “How many things in America are 100 years old? Not many.”
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After a century, that’s what Saturday’s celebration was really about — not just the burgers, but the generations of Austinites who have kept coming back.