Aug 13, 2025 - Food and Drink

Mother's Comfort Food and Cocktails opens in Park Road Shopping Center

Laura Barrero

A table with dishes including shrimp salad with avocado, mashed potatoes and green beans, fried chicken and waffles, sandwich with fries, and two cocktails, one garnished with lemon, one with pickles. — Photo: Laura Barrero/Axios

Mother's Comfort Food and Cocktails is in its soft opening phase at the Park Road Shopping Center, with a grand opening Thursday, Aug. 14.

Why it matters: Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner all day, its massive 130-item menu has something for everyone, even your pups, which are welcome on its outdoor patio.

Dig in: Its menu features giant portions to match, made to share and have enough to take home. They also offer daily specials, including:

"Steak Sunday," where you can get a rib eye for $24.99 after 2pm.
Martinis are $10 on "Martini Mondays," and Old Fashioned drinks are $10 on "Old Fashioned Friday."
"Where's my wife Wednesday" features half-off wine and $11.99 pasta.
Kids 12 and under eat free on Thursdays.

Red velvet pancakes topped with blueberry, white drizzle, powdered sugar, and an upside-down ice cream cone, with other colorful dishes and drinks on a wooden table in a casual restaurant. — Red velvet pancakes ($16.99) with cream cheese frosting topped with blueberries, white chocolate chips and sprinkles. You can add any of Mother's 12 ice cream flavors on top. Photo: Laura Barrero/Axios

Grilled shrimp salad with lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese, avocado slices, and cherry tomatoes on a white plate in a busy restaurant with drinks in the background. — Tee-Tee's cajun shrimp avocado salad ($24.99) made with grilled shrimp, avocado, cherry tomatoes, shredded cheddar cheese, red onion, bacon and ranch. Photo: Laura Barrero/Axios

Context: This is the first East Coast location for the California-based restaurant known as "Mama's" on the West Coast.

Co-owner and founder Pete Truxaw has over 40 years of restaurant experience and opened the first Mama's Comfort Food and Cocktails after the Great Recession in Huntington Beach, California. The idea was to offer big portions so you could go home with leftovers. "It's like your mother's house," he tells Axios.
Truxaw recently moved to Charlotte as part of the restaurant's expansion. "If you want to open a business in a community, you have to be a part of it," he said.

Between the lines: Over the last 15 years, Mama's has raised over $1 million for organizations in its surrounding communities, and Truxaw hopes to bring the same philanthropic spirit to Charlotte.

Mother's has chosen two outstanding charities to support: Isabella Santos Foundation and Go Jen Go.
$0.25 from every scoop of Gifford's premium ice cream will go toward the Isabella Santos Foundation, helping fund research and provide support to families affected by rare pediatric cancers. Plus,
$1 from each order of the "Go Jen Go" Garden Scramble will benefit the nonprofit, which provides financial assistance to people in the Charlotte area battling breast cancer.

Interior of a modern bar with a U-shaped white marble counter, brown stools, two TVs overhead showing a football game and a street view, bartenders behind the counter, and red umbrellas outside. — There are TVs at the bar for game days. The mural on the right features photos of moms throughout Charlotte. Photo: Laura Barrero/Axios

Stop by: 4271 Park Road, in the former Cantina 1511 spot.

Open 8:30am-10pm daily.

What's next: Mother's will open a second East Coast location in Greenville, S.C., next year.

Outdoor dining area with tables under pink and white striped umbrellas. Bar with black high stools and people seated inside a restaurant named "Mother". — The patio is dog-friendly, and there is a pup menu with treats for $5-$8. Photo: Laura Barrero/Axios

Interior of a modern restaurant with wood tables, brown chairs, pendant lights, an orange sliding barn door on the left, white walls with wood paneling, and a large TV on the back wall. — The restaurant fits large parties comfortably, including in its private event space, which can be rented out. Photo: Laura Barrero/Axios

Four colorful drinks in glass jars on a wooden table: a red Bloody Mary with olives and celery, a green drink with chili rim and lime, a pink drink with lemon, and a clear red drink with mint. — The 32-ounce Bloody Mary, left, is served with a "snit," aka a side of beer. Photo: Laura Barrero/Axios

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Mother's Comfort Food and Cocktails opens in Park Road Shopping Center

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