Welcome Buenos Dias Pupusas!

Thursday, May 1, 2025

Tell us how Buenos Dias Café came to be! When did you first open?

Buenos Dias Café started (what is now Buenos Dias Pupusa) as a dream to bring fresh, affordable, and nourishing Latin food to our community. We opened in 2013 in downtown Atlanta, just steps from Georgia State University. Our mission was simple—serve food rooted in culture, made with love, and accessible to all. The Pupusa became one of our star items, quickly winning hearts with its simplicity and bold flavor.

Can you tell us about La Bodega, too? How are Buenos Dias Café and La Bodega different?

Buenos Dias Cafe was our restaurant at Georgia State University that closed during the pandemic. La Bodega was started in 2019 in Adair Park as our sister concept and culinary incubator. It’s a convenience store with fresh produce and the essentials. We are now located in Sylvan Hills. Buenos Dias Pupusas is all about delicious Salvadoran-inspired meals, it’s where we hand-make our frozen Pupusas.. La Bodega is our retail hub. and support other food entrepreneurs through our Entrepreneur Propagation Program. And we will be selling mostly local products.

What’s it like working as a husband-and-wife team?

It’s a wild ride! We met while working in a restaurant in 1993 in San Francisco. I bring the flavors and community spirit, and Ken brings the systems and structure. We balance each other and share a vision of nourishing our neighbors and honoring our heritage through food.

Can you tell us exactly what a pupusa is? Where did they originate?

A Pupusa is a traditional Salvadoran dish and the National dish of El Salvador. It consists of a thick corn tortilla stuffed with flavorful fillings like cheese, beans, or meats. Served with our house-pickled cabbage packed with probiotics, and our roasted red tomato sauce, it’s comfort food made from scratch. There are no shortcuts and no can openers in our kitchen!

If you had to pick, what’s your favorite type of pupusa?

The classic cheese and loroco pupusa is my favorite—it’s nostalgic and full of flavor. Unfortunately, Loroco doesn’t grow in the US. However, I’m proud of our chorizo and cheese Pupusa made with ingredients from Caribe United Farm in Athens. We love highlighting seasonal, local ingredients.

Do you have anything new coming up?

Yes! We’ll be reopening our brick-and-mortar location in Sylvan Hills very soon. We regularly pop up at Atlanta’s local farmers' markets, on weekends, Saturdays at Freedom, Piedmont, and on Sundays, Grant Park, at The Beacon. We're working on new Pupusa flavors just in time for seasonal summer ingredients—so stay tuned!

What does it mean to you to be part of our local food community?

It means everything. Being part of Atlanta’s food community is about more than selling—it’s about showing up for each other, sharing culture, and building resilience. We’re grateful to Garnish & Gather for supporting local makers and creating a space where real food and real stories are celebrated.