What oil does Mama Margie's fry in?
Mama Margie's cooks with No official statement found on fryer oil or cooking fat. Mama Margie's (4 San Antonio area Tex-Mex restaurants, open 24 hours) fries tortilla chips, crispy taco shells, chalupa shells and taco-salad shells; the industry default of soybean oil is assumed for those. The restaurant does not say whether its refried beans and flour tortillas are made with lard or vegetable shortening, so they are scored as vegetable shortening, the higher-PUFA case. Fajitas, barbacoa, carne guisada and menudo score low. Mama Margie's publishes no nutrition panel, so every value for this restaurant is an estimate..
The 5 cleanest things to order at Mama Margie's
Learn this once: a salad with grilled protein and the dressing left off is nearly always the lowest seed oil order anywhere. So the list below sticks to real meals, salads included, never just a water.
| Item | PUFA |
|---|---|
| Big Red | 0.0g |
| Frozen Pina Colada | 0.1g |
| Add Cheese | 0.3g |
| Sour Cream (3oz) | 0.6g |
| Add Bacon | 0.7g |
Lower PUFA is cleaner. These are estimates from published nutrition data and disclosed oils; preparation varies by location.
Build your Mama Margie's order
Pick your meal, sides, sauces and drink in the app and see your seed oil total before you order. It logs to your day in one tap. Free on iPhone and Android.
Build my orderWhy the frying oil matters
Most fast-food chains fry in seed oils like soybean, canola, corn, or a blend of them, which are high in polyunsaturated fat (PUFA). A handful still use beef tallow or other stable fats, which are far lower in PUFA. The oil a kitchen fries in is the single biggest driver of how much seed oil ends up on your plate. See the full breakdown on the Mama Margie's report card, or where it lands on the Seed Oil Index.
Frequently asked
Does Mama Margie's use beef tallow?
No. Mama Margie's cooks with No official statement found on fryer oil or cooking fat. Mama Margie's (4 San Antonio area Tex-Mex restaurants, open 24 hours) fries tortilla chips, crispy taco shells, chalupa shells and taco-salad shells; the industry default of soybean oil is assumed for those. The restaurant does not say whether its refried beans and flour tortillas are made with lard or vegetable shortening, so they are scored as vegetable shortening, the higher-PUFA case. Fajitas, barbacoa, carne guisada and menudo score low. Mama Margie's publishes no nutrition panel, so every value for this restaurant is an estimate., not beef tallow. See which chains fry in real fats on Tallow Watch.