The Historic Dirty Martin's Kum-Back Place in Austin, Texas

My husband and I were touring the campus area of University of Texas at Austin recently, when we decided to grab a bite to eat. There were lots of choices, which is something that I really like in a city. I get sick of chain restaurants, and anytime we travel anywhere, I like to try something new. However, we had an extremely low food budget. So we needed to find some unique fast food that was right for the price. We settled on trying an old-fashioned hamburger stand called, "Dirty Martin's Kum-Back Place" as the sign read on front. But it was known as, "Dirty Martin's" on the menus.

There was outdoor seating, which was something we wanted to take advantage of since the weather was so pleasant. So we walked into the restaurant, which closely resembled a crowded 50's diner just inside the door, complete with bar seating. We asked at the bar if we could sit outside and they waved us on through. It must've been desperately obvious that we were tourists, but they were very kind and accommodating anyway.

We made our way through another small dining room with cinder block walls, neon lights, and standing arcade machines. The feel was very 1980's across the bar, which was surprising to me since the restaurant had existed for over 80 years. You can actually see that the restaurant is that old from the exterior, but you can also see that various renovations have taken place over the years, making it tough to tell what period it actually is inside the restaurant. If you arrived there in a time machine, you'd be hard-pressed to guess. Which I thought was really unique about the place, I liked that it had history and you could really tell it was a favorite spot of students and locals.

My husband and I both ordered a very basic burger and fry combination. We had waters to drink. (Hey, I said our budget was small.) The food was extremely greasy, and I know that means I'm supposed to say it was awful and that I hated it. But I didn't. I loved it. It tasted amazing. All gazillion calories of it. The burgers were loaded with fresh-tasting toppings and melted cheese, and you could tell that they had pressed the hamburger buns on the grill as well, which gave them an excellent toasted texture.

The seating was nice because it was shaded and breezy, it was a very relaxed atmosphere, the wait staff was very friendly and helpful, and overall it was a great experience. Whenever I return to Austin, I will be sure to grab a quick and tasty meal here. Our total bill came to $12.00. So it's a really great place to get full for cheap. People who may not like this restaurant? Vegetarians, people who enjoy fine-dining, or anyone afraid of pigeons. They tend to hang about and beg, but I found them to be kind of cute. Don't feed them though, it's not good for them.

Anyway, I highly recommend this restaurant. They have a website that you can visit, http://www.dirtymartins.com/ The "About Us" section is very interesting. So if you're in Austin, and you want a great burger, you should definitely stop in at Martin's.