‘Tique of the Week is an Austin-wide search for unique and interesting antiques. With dozens of antique shops around Austin, one-of-a-kind items from the past are not in short supply. Each week we’ll find a new favorite item and feature it as our “‘Tique of the Week.”

This week’s hunt for Austin ‘tiques took us all the way down to Guadalupe Street, near the University of Texas, to one of Austin’s oldest restaurants, Dirty Martin’s.

Opened in 1926 by a man named John Martin, the restaurant was originally called “Martin’s Kum-Bak.” The small eatery had only eight bar stools and a dirt floor, which gave Martin’s the nickname “Dirty.” The name stuck even after the restaurant put in a concrete floor, and Martin’s was renamed in the 1950’s.

With such a small restaurant space, many of the restaurants’ customers were waited on in the parking lot by carhops, or by driving up to one of the restaurant industry’s earliest drive-thrus. The restaurant soon gained popularity and expanded in the 1960s to accommodate the growing demand.

Dirty Martin’s still serves up the typical diner fare: burgers, shakes, and fries. But having been around since before the Great Depression, the menu’s prices have gone up a bit.

In 1926, when ground beef was only about 11 cents a pound, you could get a burger for only a nickel. Add on another nickel for a bottle of Coca-Cola and you had a nice lunch for what’s now the price of a photocopy in the library.

Today, a burger and Coke is going to run you about $7, but adjusting for inflation and considering other restaurant prices in Austin, that isn’t too bad.

Aside from a few renovations over the years, Dirty Marin’s still stands in its original location, making it an Austin landmark and our ‘Tique of the Week.