Inside Patio Tropical, a Tiny but Mighty Caribbean Colombian Supper Club
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During the day, Patio Tropical by LaTropikitchen operates as a café serving Colombian-inspired pastries and dishes like king mushroom empanadas, pan de bono (cheese bread made with yuca flour), and maduros, alongside coffee and coquito lattes. There’s the occasional DJ, playing Afro Caribbean beats for the laptop crowd, and a staff that makes a point to learn all the regular’s names.
At night, on Fridays and Saturdays, however, the real fun begins. That’s when chef and owner Stephanie Bonnin hosts a six-course tasting menu “Supper Club” dinner that changes seasonally, featuring Caribbean and Colombian flavors inspired by her own cultural heritage, with a fiercely personal touch.
“[Visiting us] is an opportunity to feel at home, to feel safe. It’s a safe space for everyone. It’s very important to say that, and to support people that are trying to do the best that they can with what they have,” Bonnin says.
The supper club is open just two days a week, on Friday and Saturday, with just one seating per evening. We sat down with Bonnin to find out everything you’ll need to know about what to expect before you go.
The Resy Rundown
Patio Tropical
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Why We Like It
Once a roving pop-up, Patio Tropical’s permanent home inside of the This is Latin America shop has all of the same lush vibes and personal touches for which chef Stephanie Bonnin is known. The supper club series, limited to just 10 guests a night, features an ever-changing, seasonal menu of Colombian and Caribbean fare. -
Essential Dishes
You’re limited to the tasting menu but “limited” is absolutely the wrong way to describe how you’ll feel after tasting Bonnin’s six or so courses. -
Must-Order Drinks
You can BYOB, opt for the wine pairing, or order one of their excellent zero-proof cocktails.
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Who It’s For
Anyone who loves to eat food made by someone with true passion — and to talk about it with them while they eat it. The intimate table is ideal for those who aren’t afraid to get to know their neighbors. -
How to Get In
Reservations drop two weeks in advance. -
Fun Fact
The playlist features vinyl from the chef’s personal collection.
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1. Patio Tropical is finally in their permanent home — for now.
Patio Tropical started more than nine years ago as a series of pop-ups under various names and concepts, preceding the pop-up boom that followed the beginning of the pandemic. It was a way for Bonnin to celebrate her culture’s cuisine and develop her love of cooking while avoiding the stressful and high-pressure environment she saw in traditional kitchens.
“I was afraid that the only path for me was to go to a restaurant and work the crazy hours and in the toxic environments. That’s why my whole career has been selling food on the street or doing something completely different,” she says.
Now, the restaurant has a home in the back of the Williamsburg store, This Is Latin America, which sells items like home decor and handcrafted trinkets from Latin American countries. It’s an arrangement that Bonnin says was perfect at the time as a transition from her home kitchen and pop-ups.
However, in the future, Bonnin hopes to move into a solo location.
“I’m ready to find my own space [that isn’t] behind a store. Eventually, I really want to have my own place, to be able to do more hours and bring different kinds of experiences,” she says.
2. Bonnin’s background is as storied as her food.
Before she decided to go to culinary school, Bonnin was a lawyer in her home country of Colombia.
“I don’t regret it, because going to law school taught me a different perspective on how I do my storytelling and even how to understand humans with different beliefs,” she says.
Recently, she was able to get to know her country on a deeper level, travelling to places like the Amazon rainforest and the desert of La Guajira to explore the food culture found there.
“[I had the] opportunity to get to know an indigenous community, Afro descended community of immigrant women, and learn from their culinary traditions. For people from my country, cooking and food is a form of resistance and cultural preservation.”
3. The menu changes often, but do expect seasonal ingredients and Caribbean Colombian flavors.
The menu, priced at $100 per person, at Patio Tropical’s Supper Club is fiercely seasonal. Bonnin heads to the farmer’s market before each service to select ingredients, and fish and meats get delivered on the same day of service.
In practice, this looks like a Joe crab cassava croquette, which is a yuca-based, Caribbean twist on an empanada, or a tomato salad with uchuva (cape gooseberry), cucamelon, purple basil, and panela dressing. There’s duck served pebre style, with rice infused with lemongrass and wrapped in bijao leaf.
For dessert, you could score strawberries macerated in Ron Viejo de Caldas Gran Reserva rum with hyssop oil and cream. No matter when you visit, you’re sure to be in for a surprise. Patio Tropical intentionally doesn’t promote their full menu, as things tend to evolve and change so often.
They also offer an optional wine pairing, or a large variety of beautifully crafted mocktails like the La Miguelona, made with passionfruit, chamomile, and habanero. Alternatively, Bonnin says guests are welcome to bring their own drinks, too.
4. The design is intimate.
The space is filled with greenery, with plants around the restaurant and flowers on the table. During the day, there’s a distinct greenhouse feel, but at night, the lights go way down.
“The table is fully illuminated and framed,” Bonnin says. “It gives people a certain level of intimacy.” The frame was designed by Braulio Zenteno. The layout is communal and relatively small, with 10 seats, so Bonnin has the opportunity to really connect with everyone and share the story behind each of the dishes.
The dishware is sourced from different places in Latin America, with plates in the shape of hands or delicately marbled ovals, highlighting the intricately plated food that Bonnin presents to guests.
5. It’s personal, both for guests and for Bonnin.
The menu is deeply personal to Bonnin. Each is a reflection of her rich cultural background as a Caribbean Colombian woman, she says, and a way to connect with people of different backgrounds. There are rules for keeping the dinner civil, too; political discussions have no place at the table, for one.
Before each meal, Bonnin personally contacts the night’s diners to check on any dietary preferences or restrictions. The results mean that each meal is customized; for example, those who can’t eat the initial oyster course might be served a mushroom substitute in a ceramic oyster shell, and all of the guests will find their names on their menus.
“One of the reasons [I call everyone is that] in New York City it’s such a fast-paced world and everything is changing all the time. It’s a way for us to just slow down a little bit. I know that sounds super complicated, but it works for us,” she says.
Her personal touches go beyond the food, too, with the soundtrack coming from her personal record collection and each menu typed personally by Bonnin on her typewriter.
“When the dinner ends, people leave, or stay talking to us while we clean the kitchen, or some of them just dance. The whole idea is that it’s so personal you feel like you’re in somebody’s house, but you’re also having amazing food,” Bonnin says.
Patio Tropical’s Supper Club seats diners at 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Ellie Plass is a freelance writer based in Brooklyn. Follow her on Instagram. Follow Resy, too.
