6 Best Restaurants in Asuncion Paraguay: All-You-Can-Eat Delights
Having spent several weeks in Paraguay’s capital eating out daily, I can share with you the 6 best restaurants in Asuncion.
It is easy to find super cheap food here. You can have a filling meal for little more than £2/US$3 if you go to a modest family-run cafe. But even luxury dinners are cheap by western standards in Paraguay.
There is a certain type of restaurant I have fallen in love with. All-you-can-eat steakhouses with unlimited buffets, including a large selection of starters, sides and desserts. Even if you don’t like steak, the buffets alone are often full of variety. It should be noted that drinks are not included in the prices.
Usually, waiters will come over to your table and offer a variety of delicious meat cuts. South American meat is the best in the world and I highly recommend the following restaurants from personal experience. I’ve been to all of them and would say that these are the 6 best restaurants in Asuncion.
1 Paulista Grill
Cost: Monday-Thursday lunch: 140,000 guaranies (£14/US$18), Monday-Thursday dinner: 145,000 guaranies (£14/US$19), Friday-Saturday dinner: 150,000 guaranies (£15/US$19), Saturday lunch: 145,000 guaranies (£14/US$19), Sunday lunch: 150,000 guaranies (£15/US$19), Sunday dinner: 99,000 guaranies (£10/US$13). Conversions rounded to the nearest pound or dollar
Opening hours: Daily from 11:30am-3:30pm and 7pm-12am
Address: PC4F+6GC, Av. Gral. José de San Martín, Asunción 001408, Paraguay
Website: None, but they do have an active Instagram page
Phone number for reservations: +595974674925
Not just the best restaurant in Asuncion, but the best restaurant I have ever been to in any of the 70 countries I’ve visited at the time of writing this article.
My first impressions of Paulista were positive, and experiences inside the restaurant only went further to cementing this view. The establishment near upmarket Villa Morra looked classy from the moment we walked through the door with the ambient lighting, calming music, and smartly-dressed waiters.
When you arrive, the host will take you over to your seat, where a waiter will come to take your drinks order.
You can then take your plate to the buffet which has a variety of hot and cold foods. There is a salad bar, a sushi selection and a series of hot options ranging from sides (rice, fries etc.) to what would be considered the main course elsewhere (milanesas, pasta and more). You can choose traditional Paraguayan dishes with local foods including mandioca and sopa Paraguaya, or plenty of more familiar western options. Paulista has no shortage of choices.
Once you have some buffet food on your plate, the waiters will see that as their signal to come over to your table and offer various meat cuts.
One thing I noticed about pretty much all of these places, is that they will generally offer sausages first. Then they will follow with chicken, pork and many famous steak cuts including vacio, picanha and costilla (ribs) among others. You can read more about which steak cuts are which in my guide to ordering steak in Argentina, Paraguay’s neighbour which serves up equally fantastic meat.
The waiters will continuously come to your table offering more and more delicious meat. Unfortunately, your belly will eventually struggle to take any more and you will have to say “no gracias” despite the temptation to say “si” to every cut.
The meat here overall is of the highest quality possible. The vacio is particularly tasty in my opinion, and the ribs are another must-try. My girlfriend loves the picanha and would say that should be your go-to. But in all honesty, everything is great here.
Once you’re done, it’s dessert time. And my goodness, the desserts are top notch here. There are 18 to choose from, not including the various toppings, chocolates, marshmallows and small additions you can add on top. And they are seriously unreal. I particularly loved the dulce de leche cheesecake. Would highly recommend it.
You have to go up to the dessert counter, and staff will serve you whatever you want. They do give you tiny slices of the desserts, but you can keep coming up for more, so there’s no problem here.
During our time in Asuncion, we’ve made a ritual of coming to Paulista every Sunday evening, which is the cheapest time to come. Reserve with the phone number above however if you wish to do this, as it does get busy. I recommend coming for opening time at 7pm for the best experience.
I would say it’s worth visiting Paraguay for dinner at Paulista alone. It’s that good.
Best for: Overall experience, and the incredible desserts
Ratings:
| Overall | Meat quality | Buffet | Desserts | Atmosphere | Staff | Price |
| 5/5 | 4.5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 |
2 Acuarela
Cost: Monday-Saturday lunch: 160,000 guaranies (£16/US$21), Monday-Thursday dinner: 165,000 guaranies (£16/US$21), Friday-Saturday dinner: 170,000 guaranies (£17/US$22), Sunday or holiday lunch: 170,000 guaranies (£17/US$22), Sunday dinner: 140,000 guaranies (£14/US$18)
Opening hours: Daily from 11:30am-3:30pm and 7pm-12am
Address: Avda Mariscal Lopez casi, Av. Gral. José de San Martín 4049, Asunción, Paraguay
Website: None, but they have an Instagram page
Phone number for reservations: +595971230255
Acuarela is the most upmarket restaurant in Asuncion. If you want a taste of the high life, then this is the place to come. It’s also the most expensive restaurant, pretty much level with O Gaucho, but by western standards it’s still very affordable with prices no higher than £17/US$22, although this may change for special occasions. Check their Instagram page for any updates.
This one works similarly to Paulista Grill. You sit down, order drinks, then take your plate up to select whatever you want from the buffet.
The the staff will come over to your table with various cuts of meat for you. And the meat here is good. I would say Paulista edges it overall, but the meat quality in Acuarela is still very high. The service from staff was also good, with waiters coming over sporadically to ensure you never run out of meat.
The buffet selection is very good, and the desserts are too. You can choose between western favourites and Paraguayan cuisine. We didn’t utilise the bar here, but they served a lot of drinks and unlike bars in some of the other restaurants, this one was continuously staffed.
Acuarela is the place to come for an upmarket experience. It’s posh, classy, and the sort of place that attracts both rich Paraguayans/expats and locals celebrating birthdays and other major events.
Best for: A classy experience
| Overall | Meat quality | Buffet | Desserts | Atmosphere | Staff | Price |
| 4.5/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 4.5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 |
3 Brasa y Leña
Cost: Usually 140,000 guaranies (£14/US$18), but 160,000 guaranies (£16/US$21) for two people from Monday-Thursday
Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday 11:30am-2:30pm and 7:30pm-11pm, closed Mondays
Address: Av. Dr. Guido Boggiani esquina, Asunción 001418, Paraguay
Website: Brasa y Leña
Phone number for reservations: +595985491751
Brasa y Leña does things a little differently to the others. As usual, you will be assigned a table, and allowed a free run at the buffet. However this time, you will have to go up to the parrilla to get your meat.
Once you’re there, the process is simple. Just ask the asador behind the counter which meats you would like, and he will gladly serve them to you.
Now, this restaurant doesn’t seem as classy as Paulista or Acuarela, and the dessert selection is much weaker than both others. However, Brasa y Leña does have one trump card which fires it right up this list.
There is one cut of meat called cupim, it’s a tender cut which comes from the hump of Brazilian Zebu cattle. And holy sh (edit: this blog is family friendly), this is the best food I have ever tasted in over 30 years on this planet. I am not exaggerating.
My girlfriend says it would be joint-top for her alongside picanha she has had elsewhere. So it’s not just my opinion. This cut alone is worth the full cost of coming here.
And speaking of the cost, this is the cheapest restaurant on this list… if there are two of you. From Monday to Thursday it costs just 160,000 guaranies (£16/US$21) for two people to dine here. Acualrela and O Gaucho will charge that for a single person on certain days.
The cupim and the two-for-one offer help propel Brasa y Leña into third-place on this list of Asuncion’s best restaurants. But the poor dessert selection and less upmarket feel to the place mark it down slightly.
Take a bus around Asuncion or a taxi with Uber, Bolt or Yango to get here.
Best for: The cupim here is the best cut of any meat we have ever had anywhere in the world
| Overall | Meat quality | Buffet | Desserts | Atmosphere | Staff | Price |
| 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 2.5/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 |
4 O Gaucho
Cost: Monday-Friday lunch: 160,000 guaranies (£16/US$21), Tuesday and Thursday dinner: 160,000 guaranies (£16/US$21), Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday dinner: 170,000 guaranies (£17/US$22), Saturday lunch: 165,000 guaranies (£16/US$21), Sunday and holiday lunch: 170,000 guaranies (£17/US$22), Sunday dinner: 160,000 guaranies (£16/US$21)
Opening hours: Monday-Saturday: 11am-3pm and 6pm-11:30pm, Sundays: 11am-3:30pm and 6pm-11pm
Address: Mc Arthur, Esq, Dr. Toribio Pacheco 4444, Asunción, Paraguay
Website: O Gaucho
Phone number for reservations: +595981214200
O Gaucho is the Manchester United of steakhouses in Asuncion. It used to be unstoppable, far superior to all other options. But it has gone from the dizzying heights of Scholes, Rooney and Ronaldo to a rather more modest lineup of Antony, Rashford and Mount.
Don’t get me wrong, O Gaucho is still very good, hence making the top 4 on this list of the best restaurants in Asuncion, but it’s not as good as it was in its prime.
And that’s where the Manchester United comparisons continue. It was unbeatable in its heyday, yet now somehow scrapes into the top 4 despite being in a perpetual decline. Although many people still view it with glossy eyes, and would rank it as their best restaurant in the Paraguayan capital. Its reputation still puts it top in the view of many.
I first went to O Gaucho in 2022. And wow, I loved it so much that I took “all-you-can-eat” a little too literally and had horrific stomach pains for the rest of the day.
But this time around it was different. Like others, they will bring meat to your table here. Yet they’ve scrapped a traffic light system they had before which would have given them an edge over others in this list. Previously you could flip a coaster on your table between green (come and offer us meat) or red (please don’t approach us).
They really could have done with that system in place, because the levels of attentiveness were a little too excessive. Even with full plates, we would have staff coming over every minute or so to offer more meat. They asked repeatedly if we were finished as we paused between rounds. This was the one restaurant where we didn’t feel we were allowed to eat in peace.
Now don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of good stuff going for O Gaucho still, it wouldn’t be in this list otherwise. The buffet was very generous with numerous options to choose from. And the dessert selection was fantastic. One of the better places for desserts still, with both a buffet and a dessert cart serving all sorts of treats for when you finish.
And the meat here is still pretty good. None of it has the wow factor like the cupim at Brasa y Leña, but the overall standard is still high.
I would say however that the staff here weren’t the friendliest and rarely left us alone. The price is also very high. Acuarela can justify its high price, likewise Paulista grill. O Gaucho would be better as a mid-range option.
Asuncion isn’t the only place where this restaurant is based. There is also a branch you can check out whilst visiting the popular holiday resort San Bernardino.
It’s still a very good restaurant. Just not the undisputed world-beater it once was.
Best for: O Gaucho has the best reputation overall, although we would say there are better options now
| Overall | Meat quality | Buffet | Desserts | Atmosphere | Staff | Price |
| 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 |
5 Rodizio
Cost: Monday-Thursday all-you-can-eat: 110,000 guaranies (£11/US$14), Monday-Thursday price by weight: 12,000 guaranies (£1.20/US$1.50) per 100 grams, Friday-Sunday all-you-can-eat: 115,000 guaranies (£11/US$15), Friday-Sunday price by weight: 12,500 guaranies (£1.25/US$1.60) per 100 grams
Opening hours: Monday-Friday: 11:30am-3pm, Saturday: 11am-3:30pm and 7:30pm-11:30pm, Sunday: 11am-3:30pm
Address: Palma 591, Asunción 1230, Paraguay
Website: None, but they do have an Instagram page
Phone number for reservations: +595991202020
Rodizio is unique compared to other restaurants on this list. It offers the choice between all-you-can-eat for the prices listed above, and paying by the weight of what you eat. If you want to go for the all-you-can-eat option, be sure to ask for a wristband, otherwise they will charge you a minimum of 200,000 guaranies (£20/US$26). At least according to the slip they give you. Whether this is strictly enforced or not, I do not know.
As with the others, your experience starts with being seated and offered a drinks menu. Once you’ve ordered beverages, it’s time to hit the buffet.
Now this is one of the budget options on this list, and that is reflected in the options available. The buffet selection is very limited.
As with Brasa y Leña, you will have to go up to the parrilla to order meat here. Ask the asador what you would like and he will gladly serve you.
The meat quality is good at Rodizio, and all the standard steak cuts are available. I also found the staff to be exceptionally friendly and helpful.
It’s the buffet and the lack of choice which let this restaurant down compared to the others on this list. The desserts are great, but there are only 6 options to choose from, less than a third of what other places have to offer.
Given its price and location, Rodizio is still a great restaurant. It is located in downtown Asuncion, right by several of the best things to do in Paraguay’s capital.
Unlike the other restaurants which open for both lunch and dinner, Rodizio is only open at lunchtime, with the exception of Saturdays when it opens from 7:30 in the evening as well.
Ignoring promos, this is the best budget restaurant in Asuncion.
Best for: The option to choose between all-you-can-eat and paying by weight
| Overall | Meat quality | Buffet | Desserts | Atmosphere | Staff | Price |
| 3/5 | 4/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 3/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 |
6 Sul Brasil
Cost: Monday-Thursday: 100,000 guaranies (£10/US$13), Friday-Saturday: 115,000 guaranies (£11/US$15), Sundays and holidays: 135,000 guaranies (£13/US$17)
Opening hours: Daily 11:30am-3pm and Monday-Saturday 7pm-11pm. Closed Sunday evenings
Address: Av. Gral. José de San Martín 535 c, Asunción 001411, Paraguay
Website: None, but they do have an Instagram page
Phone number for reservations: +595972911351
Last but certainly not least is Sul Brasil, a budget churrasqueria that costs a lot less than its glossier rivals.
The system is pretty familiar here. You go in, sit down, order drinks from the waiter who comes to your table, then go to the buffet before meat is brought over to you.
The food is great, but the lack of options at the buffet hold this place back a little.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s still an awesome restaurant, hence its place on this list. But alongside Rodizio, it has by far the weakest buffet option.
The staff here are polite, and there is still a reasonably generous dessert offering available.
I liked Sul Brasil but would only recommend it if you’re looking for a budget option. Because the others on this list have a lot more to offer.
That being said, it is still good enough for me to place it on this list of Asuncion’s best restaurants. So don’t be afraid to check it out if you want good food for low prices.
Best for: An all-you-can-eat experience on a budget
| Overall | Meat quality | Buffet | Desserts | Atmosphere | Staff | Price |
| 3/5 | 3/5 | 2.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 |
Is it Necessary to Book in Advance?
Usually, these restaurants aren’t necessary to book in advance. But there are some exceptions, and it’s always a good idea to do so just to be on the safe side.
I have provided the phone numbers for each restaurant which you can use to book tables.
If you go to Paulista for dinner on a Sunday evening, you should always book in advance. This is because they run a promo making it very cheap, and it’s incredibly popular. We generally get there for opening time at 7pm when it’s still fairly quiet, but by 9pm there are often queues at the door.
O Gaucho also gets very busy as it maintains its reputation as the best restaurant in Asuncion, despite others surpassing it in terms of quality nowadays.
Therefore you should always book there too.
Of the others, Brasa y Leña can get busy, but not to the point where you won’t find a table.
The others are generally quieter, although you should always book when dining on a national holiday.
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