Jason Carrier named his restaurant after his mother. Betty Carrier was a single mom who raised three boys on her own while running locations of a Mexican restaurant company in Houston. She was known for her fierce love, her loyalty, and what the family calls her "Whatever It Takes" spirit. She passed away in 2010, but her legacy is alive in every detail of Mama Betty's Tex-Mex y Cantina.
When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down Carrier's bars in Texas and Tennessee, he decided to start something closer to home and his roots. Mama Betty's opened in March 2022 on Parmer Lane in Austin, and the response was immediate. The restaurant earned a 4.5-star rating on OpenTable, with reviewers giving near-perfect marks for food, service, and ambience (4.9 out of 5). By November 2025, a second 7,600-square-foot location opened on Burnet Road, complete with an adjacent cocktail lounge called Foxtail.
The menu items are named after important women in the owners' lives — a personal touch that extends throughout the restaurant's warm design of terracotta tones, hand-painted tile accents, arched doorways, and cobalt blue splashes. A 4,000-square-foot fenced play area makes it a favorite for families, and the pet-friendly patio keeps the whole crew welcome.
The frozen drink program is central to Mama Betty's identity. The Frozen MamaRita, Frozen Mexican Martini, and Skinny Margarita are signature draws, and $7 frozen margaritas during happy hour (Monday through Friday, 3 to 6 PM) keep the afternoon crowd coming back.
Mama Betty's has been featured in CultureMap Austin, The Infatuation, Tribeza Magazine, and Community Impact.