Behind the Name: Edmonton's Kanto 98 St. Eatery

How Edmonton's first contemporary Filipino restaurant got its name

After helming the kitchens of two of Edmonton’s most popular restaurants, Rostizado and Tres Carnales, celebrated chef Edgar Gutierrez announced in 2018 that for his next culinary concept, he would be going back to his roots. 

Later that spring, chef Gutierrez opened the doors to Edmonton’s first contemporary Filipino restaurant, Kanto 98 St. Eatery, where he's been serving up a bold, fresh, and comforting assortment of Filipino street food dishes ever since.  

In Tagalog, the name Kanto directly translates to “where two streets meet, or a corner”. “In the Philippines, these kantos would fill up with people after work and school to socialize, read comics and some would include barbecue and gambling,” explains chef Gutierrez.

According to Gutierrez, only “Lasa”–which translates to “Taste” in Tagalog–was considered in place of Kanto 98, but Gutierrez believed that Kanto would work more aptly as an homage to Filipino street foods.

Kanto 98 St. Eatery is open for dine-in, takeout, and delivery Wednesday through Monday from 5 to 10 p.m.