Funchos owner Alfonso “Al” Zavala didn’t have his first burrito until he was 21 years old.
The Peruvian-American owner of the 23-year-old Mexican restaurant, with locations in both Riverhead and Westhampton Beach, was certainly no stranger to Latin food — he grew up eating his mother Dora’s authentic Peruvian fare, eventually cooking it alongside her.
“My dad worked at Entenmann’s 60 hours a week,” Zavala recalls. “And on [his days off] Fridays and Saturdays, he’d set up parties at their home in Patchogue with his brothers and sisters from Peru.”
Zavala’s family parties included, of course, his mother’s delicious cooking, which she eventually taught him. Zavala fondly recalls those family parties. “I loved that!” he says. “And that’s how I feel every day right before I open the restaurant.”
But back to that burrito. Zavala’s first burrito was an experience he describes as “a package full of flavor and good ingredients.” It was so inspiring, it gave him an idea: why not combine his love of Dora’s Peruvian dishes with a Tex-Mex vibe? The result is something flavorful and colorful on the East End that is unlike any other restaurant of its kind.
Mother and son
Zavala’s love of cooking goes back to when he was a kid. He’d get home from school and his mother would be home cooking. Zavala’s two sisters shunned the kitchen, but Zavala watched his mother’s natural, effortless cooking with rapt attention.
“I’d get home from school at 3 p.m. I liked to eat, and my sisters didn’t get home ’til 5 p.m. and didn’t like to cook,” Zavala says. “I would watch my mom cook and be like, ‘I wanna do that!’ ”
Zavala also draws inspiration from his mother’s salsa, which wasn’t smooth like the mass-market jarred stuff. Instead, it was filled with diced tomatoes, lime, onions, salt and pepper; more akin to a robust pico de gallo.
“Italians have Parmesan on the table at home,” says Zavala. “Every day, our table had some sort of salsa.”
Dora was born in Peru and came to the United States in 1969. She always appreciated her son’s love of cooking.
“He’d come in from school and [want to cook with me],” she says, adding with a laugh that indeed, her daughters didn’t share her son’s love of cooking. “I’m so proud [of him].”
A massive menu
Zavala worked in various kitchens on Long Island as a line cook and bartender before finally deciding to open a restaurant of his own.
Funchos — Zavala’s nickname growing up — opened in 2001, when Tex-Mex food was just starting to trend on the East Coast. “Growing up, we didn’t have tacos or burritos,” he says, noting that in other Latin American countries, the Tex-Mex cuisine we know didn’t really exist. Instead, Dora made traditional Peruvian food — including lomo saltado, which you’ll find on the Funchos menu.
After trying that fateful burrito at 21, though, Zavala had an idea. “I was mind-blown. I grew up with Peruvian, Latin food all the time. And I would tell my mom, ‘wow, you gotta open up a restaurant!’ She would just cook her everyday cooking, and I was blown away,” he says. After that first burrito, packed with rice, beans, cheese, meat and spices, he had a vision. “I could put my mom’s kind of food in a burrito, and it’s pick-up-and-go.”
While Tex-Mex food features many of the same ingredients repackaged in different dishes — tacos and burritos tend to have similar rice, beans, cheese and meat — Peruvian food has Spanish, Italian, Asian and West African influences. But wrapped in a tortilla, it still offers the same kind of portable flavor punch.
One dish exemplifies Zavala’s philosophy when it comes to creating new menu items.
“It’s basically lomo saltado. Steak fajitas are pretty close to it, so I just added the peppers and went from there,” he says, referring to the Peruvian dish he grew up with. “It’s a really popular Peruvian dish. There’s an Asian influence in Peru, and they use soy sauce. It’s like a stir fry with steak, tomatoes, onions and I put peppers in. You serve it with rice and potatoes.” Zavala still uses his mother’s recipe for marinating the meat.
The idea of taking the traditional lomo saltado and adding peppers extends to the creativity of Funchos’ huge menu of burritos, tacos and entrees.
Funchos is known for its wild burrito menu, which includes creative offerings like the Jalisco Dip — think a French dip sandwich but via a burrito stuffed with birria (a meat stew marinated in adobo), mozzarella and beef consommé for dipping — the Argentino, with chorizo, french fries, mozzarella and chimichurri; and a dozen others. There are think-outside-the-tortilla tacos, including chipotle BBQ, battered fish, shrimp, and pineapple marinated pork. Flavors that hit every spot and sensation on your tongue — sweet, spicy, salty, savory, tangy, citrusy, piquant.
The Funchos menu winds further down the road of influence from burritos and tacos. There’s a lineup of cauliflower-crust pizza, from the Mexican (Jack cheddar, ground beef, olives, pico, jalapenos, sour cream and guacamole) to the Mango (mozzarella, mango, sour cream, jalapenos, guac, cotija, green onions, cilantro with choice of meat).
And what’s a good Tex-Mex restaurant without a good cocktail? Zavala makes his signature margaritas with larger limes, made specifically to be squeezed for the iconic, popular drink. He was determined to make good, fresh versions after witnessing some cocktail sins as a bartender at places like Applebee’s and Bennigan’s when he was younger.
“Working at Applebee’s, they used to make margaritas with sour mix,” Zavala shudders. “How can you do that, man? We squeeze limes every day. I bought an orange-juicing machine [to squeeze them].”
When you’re here, you’re family
Zavala employs a large staff of local teens and adults at Funchos, and to him, his staff is everything.
“It’s all about them. In the beginning, it was just me cooking, but slowly I built up my staff so I could do more things,” Zavala says. “I couldn’t do anything without these guys.”
Most of his staff has been working at Funchos for 15 years or more, and many of them are of Latin descent. Some are even family: Zavala’s three children help out in his business, too.
The restaurant had always been a family business, but during COVID, it was vital for Zavala to evolve and figure out a way to stay open. He decided to create an expanded outdoor section in Riverhead that guests could enjoy when outdoor dining was the law of the land.
The alfresco area at Funchos is filled with bursts of funky, bold colors and splashy art created by Zavala’s daughter, G., a student at the School of Visual Arts who was able to use her father’s business as her canvas.
“It’s a lot of fun,” says G., who constantly works on the colorful outdoor area. “Just going through the different stages of Funchos, even the seasonal atmosphere.”
She is currently developing an installation of 1950s-inspired movie posters for the outdoor space. Zavala’s son, also named Alfonso, recently finished his work at the Coast Guard and has begun learning about the business.
“I work under my dad,” says Alfonso. “He’s kind of shown me the ropes, both in the back and front of house stuff, helping out customers, learning about the business.”
As for Zavala’s other daughter, Angelina?
“She’s the one that shoots it to me straight!” says Zavala.
Like its expansive food and drink offerings, Funchos continues to grow and evolve, both in Riverhead and Westhampton Beach. The vibe hearkens back to his family parties growing up, with upbeat music, the innate feeling of being welcomed to the table — and, of course, food made from the heart.
As the menu continues to grow, Zavala can’t bring himself to make cuts. “I can’t eliminate anything!” he admits with a smile. “I just love everything on it.”
