{"id":370742,"date":"2026-07-13T02:01:48","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T02:01:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/370742\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T02:01:48","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T02:01:48","slug":"dirty-martins-100th-anniversary-austin-burger-icon-celebrates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/370742\/","title":{"rendered":"Dirty Martin’s 100th anniversary: Austin burger icon celebrates"},"content":{"rendered":"

Few Austin businesses survive 100 years. Fewer do it without losing the character that made them neighborhood institutions.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dirty Martin\u2019s Place <\/a>reached that milestone Saturday, celebrating its centennial with live music, food, face painting and hundreds of customers who packed the burger <\/a>joint despite heavy afternoon storms.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been crazy. It\u2019s been fantastic. People were here at 10 o\u2019clock, lined up,\u201d owner Mark Nemir said. \u201cWe\u2019re really blessed, humbled and grateful. When you throw your own birthday party, you don\u2019t really know if anyone\u2019s coming.\u201d<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\"A<\/p>\n

A poster is signed by hundreds of visitors during the centennial celebration at Dirty Martin’s Place on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin.<\/p>\n

Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman\"Visitors<\/p>\n

Visitors wai in line for food during the centennial celebration at Dirty Martin’s Place on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin.<\/p>\n

Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman\"Ethan<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman\"A<\/p>\n

A new mural is painted on the wall for the centennial celebration at Dirty Martin’s Place on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin.<\/p>\n

Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman\"Visitors<\/p>\n

Visitors pack the main dining room during the centennial celebration at Dirty Martin’s Place on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin.<\/p>\n

Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman\"Kenneth<\/p>\n

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.”<\/p>\n

Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman\"Photos<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman\"Lacoda<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman\"Matthew<\/p>\n

Matthew Gerstel signs a poster outside the entrance during the centennial celebration at Dirty Martin’s Place on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin.<\/p>\n

Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman\"Joe<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman\"Visitors<\/p>\n

Visitors wai in line for food during the centennial celebration at Dirty Martin’s Place on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin.<\/p>\n

Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman\"Kenneth<\/p>\n

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.”<\/p>\n

Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman\"Shawn<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman\"Kenneth<\/p>\n

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.”<\/p>\n

Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman\""Martin's<\/p>\n

“Martin’s Kum-Bak Hamburgers,” is painted on the fence outside Dirty Martin’s Place on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Austin.<\/p>\n

Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n

Generations of regulars<\/p>\n

For Clay Wiehe, Dirty Martin\u2019s has been part of life for as long as he can remember. He even shares a birthday with the restaurant.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery Saturday morning, we would watch UT football practice, and my mom would take us here,\u201d Wiehe said. \u201cBack then, they had the counter seating, and you could talk to the cook, so we always knew Will.\u201d<\/p>\n

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His favorite order hasn\u2019t changed much over the years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know what it is about the malts,\u201d he said, \u201cbut they\u2019ve always been my go-to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bob and Suzanne Jackson have made Dirty Martin\u2019s a family tradition spanning generations.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0\u2014 and now their grandchildren.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe consistency, they have been able to sustain somehow, which most don\u2019t,\u201d Bob Jackson said. \u201cMost go out of business, but this one has stayed. To say sustained is an understatement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Suzanne recalled one of their earliest family visits.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen she was 8, our daughter said she wanted a burger,\u201d she said with a laugh. \u201cWe came here, she ordered two and a big shake and ate it all up.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Bob, Dirty Martin\u2019s represents something increasingly rare in Austin.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s the precious stuff,\u201d he said. \u201cHaving something there that remains the same when everything else, and everyone else, has come and gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even his usual cheeseburger and onion rings got a celebratory upgrade Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot usually,\u201d he said when asked whether he often paired the meal with a beer. \u201cBut today I will.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andy Albin, who lived a few blocks away while attending UT, returned Saturday for the first time in 25 years.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019ve lived most of my life in Austin at this point,\u201d Albin said. \u201cI just love the institutions that are still here.\u201d<\/p>\n

A new generation carries on the tradition<\/p>\n

Dirty Martin\u2019s remains just as popular with today\u2019s UT students.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u201cEvery new generation comes to Dirty Martin\u2019s, and we all share meals,\u201d Nick said. \u201cMore recently, we had a group of alumni come. We took up two or three tables. That\u2019s such a special experience because you\u2019ve got guys who are in college meeting with guys who were here in the ’70s, having conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their affection for the restaurant runs deep. When Dirty Martin\u2019s faced the threat of eminent domain years ago, fraternity members hung a large \u201cSave Dirty’s\u201d banner outside their house.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember when this room was outside,\u201d Brenton said, looking around the restaurant. \u201cHow many things in America are 100 years old? Not many.\u201d<\/p>\n

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After a century, that\u2019s what Saturday\u2019s celebration was really about\u00a0\u2014 not just the burgers, but the generations of Austinites who have kept coming back.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Few Austin businesses survive 100 years. Fewer do it without losing the character that made them neighborhood institutions.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":370743,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[132,134,133],"class_list":["post-370742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-austin","tag-austin","tag-austin-headlines","tag-austin-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=370742"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370742\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/370743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=370742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=370742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=370742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}