El Antojo Chapin: A Guatemalan Dream Brought to Life in Canton

Sep 16, 2025

Tucked in the Riverplace Shopping Center among the Ingles storefront, El Antojo Chapin is a family-run restaurant that brings the rich flavors and traditions of Guatemala to life through every dish they serve. What began as a simple farmers market booth has grown into a beloved local spot. We sat down with Mario Tzun-Sontay, Filomena Vargas, and their son David to hear how it all began.

"How did your business begin?"

David: “We started out small. Someone told us we could sell at the Farmers market next to their tent, so we brought some pupusas and we began to grow. At first it was just two of us at the booth, but then as we got more popular, my brother and sisters would pitch in.

Filomena: From there, I began to discover my talent. I had always liked to cook, but it was just for my family. When we started selling, I practiced more at home and began to think maybe I could really do this. That’s when I said to myself, ‘I want to do something bigger with my cooking.’”

From left to right: David, Filomena, Mario

"What took you from Farmers markets to a full restaurant?"

Mario: It was her dream for years, to have a place of her own. We sold at the Farmers market for four years, and customers would constantly tell us we should open a restaurant. We would have such a long line at the market, and with customers’ encouragement, it became clear we needed to take that step.

"What were the biggest challenges in opening the restaurant?"

Mario: It took us four months to open this. When we first saw the place the walls were all different colors, the kitchen was in bad shape, it needed a lot of work. All the proofs, coding and permits took a while to get, but we had a lot of help with getting it up and running. Once we opened, I remember being here till three or four o’clock in the morning. It was really hard.

"How does your Guatemalan culture show up in the food and space?"

David: We’ve put 100% of our culture into this business — it’s all Guatemalan. We have flags, traditional tablecloths, a little store with items from home — we want it to feel like you’ve stepped into Guatemala. For customers from our country, it feels like home, and for others, we want it to be a unique experience they can’t find anywhere else.

Filomena: All the recipes are mine, passed down from family, but also learned through experience. I know the basic dishes, so I can always adapt it to something someone from a different state in Guatemala would want.

"What’s a Guatemalan dish you wish everyone would try?"

David: Pupusas are our best seller, but I really wish more people would try our garnachas or our broths. Guatemalans eat a lot of soups — caldo de res, caldo de pollo — and we serve those here. They’re comforting, homemade, and full of the flavors we grew up with.

Caldo de Pollo

"What does it mean to be Hispanic entrepreneurs?"

David: None of us came from entrepreneurial backgrounds, so it was very challenging in the beginning. We just went all in with no experience. But when we started learning all the laws, safety codes, all this, we started realizing that there is so much more that goes into it. It's challenging at the beginning, but I guess you could say that us doing it, with no background, could give hope to somebody else that maybe if they didn't really have an entrepreneurial background, that it’s possible.

"What advice would you give to someone wanting to start their own restaurant?"

David: Investigate and do a lot of research before. We spoke with another first-time entrepreneur and asked questions, like, where do we get started? What do we need to do? How did you go about it? We took a leap of faith with the restaurant, and there are things we wish we had known before starting.

Quesabirria Tacos

"How has this business changed your life?"

Filomena: It’s busy hours and busy days most of the time. In my case, I worked 15 years in cleaning before this and I had time to see my children, take care of the chickens, and be home. Now, it’s different because I’m here. My three kids come, but they come in the afternoon or in the morning, and then they go to rest at home. It was hard at first because I was not used to that sort of schedule or lifestyle.

Mario: The beginning was so hard, but now we have some expertise, and we’re working with the schedule so that she can go home and rest, or at least do things there. David is helping a lot too when she's not here because he’s in the back cooking and preparing.

Garnachas

"What’s something that was unexpected after opening the restaurant?"

Mario: "We’ve had Mexican people, Honduran people, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, Cuba, Puerto Rico, as some of our customers, and they came here and said, “We’ve never had this dish.” So they explained to us how they wanted the dish to be and we tried our best. Well, when we brought out the dish, they were impressed, saying, “Wow, this is what I want."

”Filomena can find the recipe and start cooking. She’ll ask them, “Taste this, do you think it's good?” They say it's great, and this is how she’s learned to make so many recipes.

Churrasco

El Antojo Chapin is located at 150 Riverstone Pkwy, Canton, GA 30114 in the Riverplace Shopping Center. They are open from 8 a.m. every day and close at 9 p.m. (9:30 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). To see their full menu, click here.

Author

Claire Blakey

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