Washington D.C. born chef Dave Soady embarked on a remarkable culinaiy journey through Latin America, before settling in Asunción to launch his newest dining endeavor. Patio Colonial opens this week: a restaurant where the Michelin Guide recommended chef weaves his personal story and that of Paraguay, into every dish.
When Dave speaks, his beautifully tattooed hands move in sync with the rhythm of his voice, as if mere words alone can’t fully release the passion that surges from within. Sitting inside his new restaurant, located in Asunción at Teniente Irrazabal near the old town, the 45-year-old American chef marks a bold new chapter after closing his celebrated ‘13 Fronteras‘ restaurant in Buenos Aires last year.
The name 13 Fronteras honored the 16,000-kilometer journey he began in 2014, crossing 13 borders from the United States to Central America, then South America – before landing in Argentina.
Small town in El Salvador
“I’ve been cooking since I was 18 years old and my intention was always to start my own restaurant”, Dave begins. “Eleven years ago I packed all of my belonings in a red Toyota Tacoma and after crossing many countries I landed in a small town in El Salvador. Super small even, we only had running water two days a week.”
“There I ended up cooking for Nayib Bukele, now the president, but at that time mayor of Nuevo Cuscatlán. He was surprised that an American was living in such a small town and he wanted to welcome me. A super charming man.”
Dave’s relocation went beyond a simple change of place; it was a culinary trip that shaped his identity as a chef. Along the way he absorbed flavors, techniques, and stories. El Salvador for him, however, was not the place for settling down.
A remote ranch in Argentina
“Late 2014 I came to the conclusion that at that time the country was not ready for fine dining and the type of food that I wanted to create. I then found a job as a chef in Argentina, on a remote tourist ranch 300 kilometers south of Buenos Aires. It was a beautiful 1870 house without an internet connection and no heating, we were cutting wood to stay warm.”
Soft memories of a lonely outpost. “For cooking they call the cook, right? But for vaccinating horses, at such a remote place? They call the cook. For castrating a bull? They call the cook. For an adventurer like myself, it was paradise.”
Over a year and a half, Dave cooked farm-to-table dishes until the ranch was sold. “That was March 2016. There I was, starting all over again. No house, no job, no residency. I went to Buenos Aires working in restaurants, but soon enough I was tired of working for other people. I wanted to start my own place. In 2017 I quit and six months later I opened 13 Fronteras.”
Every plate tells a story
13 Fronteras wasn’t your typical fine-dining spot. “I served my guests conceptional plates that were telling the story of my perception of Latin America, and how I, being a foreigner, fit into it. With every plate I want to tell a story. I recreated the distances I passed, the mountains I’ve seen, the people I’ve met and the towns I visisted.”
For example with ‘The Blurry Border of the North East’, a dish inspired by the Argentinan provence of Misiones, deep jungle land bordered by Paraguay.
“Gastronomy becomes a bit blurry there in some senses, the two countries share a lot of ingredients and techniques. For that reason I made this dish with a mbeju, very classic in this region. This region is also known for yacaratía, an edible tree that is consumed by indigenous people for centuries. Normally it’s served in sweet preparations, but we were the first to serve it in a savory preparation. With watermelon radish and honeycomb, we create the wild ambiance of the jungle on top of the mbejú, using edible wood.”
Michelin recommendation
It was this dish, Dave suspects, that caught the attention of the Michelin Guide, the globally renowned authority on dining establishments. In 2024 – exactly a decade after leaving the United States – his restaurant earned an official Michelin recommendation following anonymous assessments by its inspectors
“I suspect it was first a German guy, then a French one, but to this day, I’m still not sure,” Dave says smiling. “I could’ve never dreamed this would happen to me. At first, I thought it was a scam and nearly deleted the email. But it was real – I actually got it! That’s when I realised I’d achieved everything I set out to do with 13 Fronteras, and it was time to kill it. Starting in Asunción now, is me turning the page and doing something completely new.”
Arrival in Asunción
At Patio Colonial, Dave continues his signature storytelling through food, now weaving his Latin American odyssey into Paraguay’s rich narrative. “There’s so much culture still here, preserved in the native bloodline. It gives me a lot to play with – both conceptually and with ingredients.”
For example Dave’s signature ‘Surubí en su elemento’; grilled Surubí in a broth of jasmine and tamarind water, with chipa of pine mushrooms. Inspired by that time Dave was wakesurfing at the Paraguay river.
“I was floating in the murky water, waiting for the boat to come back around. I remember thinking about the incredible creatures swimming beneath me, hidden from view, and I wanted to capture that river moment in this dish. The broth made of jasmine flower, tamarind, honey and salt; the river water with the floating camalote. Then I pictured the riverbanks, so I baked chipa right onto the side of the bowl to reflect that. The surubí, cured briefly for two hours, is marinated in tamarind paste and finished on the grill.”
Inspired everywhere
Unlike the fine-dining focus of 13 Fronteras, Patio Colonial in Asunción leans into a more casual, approachable vibe, pivoting to street-food-inspired cuisine in Paraguay. Inside the classical style restaurant and outside on the beautiful patio, Dave aims to capture both locals and curious travelers in an open, communal setting, evoking the colonial architecture and laid-back feel of Asunción’s historic districts. All with the use of local ingredients.
Like in his jackfruit and ginger ice cream with honeycake and a tuile of corn. “Inspired by me just walking down Asunción. The people sell honeycakes everywhere at the markets here. And you can see 10-kilogram jackfruits growing just down the street. Right in the middle of the capital city! It’s just right there, fresh and for the taking. Same as when I just arrived in Asunción and was finding mangos everywhere, free to be picked up and put in my smoothy. So plentiful and so delicious. To a cook that’s gastronomic sexual fantasy.”
Borders crossed and cultures tasted
In Asunción Dave aims to keep arousing. With his voice the beautifully tattooed hands finally fall quiet, their tattoos tracing a map of a life lived through food. What began as a restless 16,000-kilometer journey has evoled into a symphony of flavors, each dish a whispered memory of borders crossed and cultures tasted. Each plate holding the weight of a decade’s wanderlust, shared with anyone who sits at his table.
A must-visit for all VIP Members
Just in case you needed an added incentive to visit one of the most unique and special restaurants in Asunción, and in a nod to the success of 13 Fronteras, Patio Colonial is offering VIP Members of The Asunción Times a 13% discount whenever you show your VIP Member Card – one of many VIP Member Benefits!
Patio Colonial Opening Hours
Patio Colonial opens today, Thursday 27th March 2025, at 5pm, and is located at Teniente Irrazabal in the Nueva Ciudad Barrio of Asunción. The opening hours are as follows:
Monday: 5:00 PM to 0:00 AM
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: 5:00 PM to 0:00 AM
Thursday: 5:00 PM to 0:00 AM
Friday: 5:00 PM to 0:00 AM
Saturday: 5:00 PM to 0:00 AM
Sunday: 5:00 PM to 0:00 AM
One more thing… an empanada from… a cow’s head
“In Paraguay, it’s practically mandatory to have an empanada on the menu of Patio Colonial”, Dave acknowledges. “Since we are on a mission to not waste food and do things uniquely, I decided to craft an empanada from a cow’s head – a traditional ingredient here. Really old-school cooking – that’s what attracts me.”
The empanada is a mix of corn and wheat flours for the dough, with filling of green bell pepper, caramelised onions and cows head that’s been marinated in an adobo for a full day.
“My idea was to cook it into the ground. But since my business partner didn’t allow me to dig a hole in the yard of the restaurant, I decided to bring the earth into the kitchen in a certain form by using medicinal clay.”
“The cow’s head gets wrapped in banana leaves and pork fat, then slow-cooked in the clay at a low temperature for 23 hours. The clay acts like the earth, trapping all the moisture inside so the meat doesn’t dry out during the long cooking process. The result is an unbelievably tender, one-of-a-kind dish.”
Follow Patio Colonial on Instagram here.
All the food looks so delicious! It’s very tempting to try that cow’s head empanada!