Restaurants and Bars in Uruguay

Below are a list of restaurants we’ve personally visited in Uruguay and can recommend. All reviews were as of the time we visited.

Montevideo

• Baar Fun Fun – Great little bar/restaurant that has live music in the evenings. They make their own wine liqueur called Uvita. More in this post.
• Bar Rodó – Bar Rodó is, not coincidently, right near Parque Rodó. It has a cool and funky vibe, and really good drinks. The food was good, too! More in this post.
• Bar Tasende – Bar Tasende is a wood-fired pizza restaurant. We liked it so much we went back several times! More in this post.
• Café Brasilero – The oldest café in Montevideo. We only had coffee, but it was good! More in this post.
• Escaramuza Libros y Café – A very cool bookstore with a café in back. Perfect place to take a break. More in this post.
• El Perro Que Fuma (The Dog Who Smokes) – A fun little bar with a funky-cool vibe. More in this post.
• Gato Tuerto (One Eyed Cat) – A cafe and bar that has a very refreshing drink called Dr. Gato. More in this post.
• Jacinto – Another Bourdain spot. We had a date night here, and it was great! More in this post.
• La Corte – Nice restaurant in the old town area. They do a Prix Fixe menu that includes an entree, drink, and dessert. More in this post.
• La Pasiva – This is a chain, and you’ll see them all over town. The food is solid, so this is a decent option if you’re hungry and one pops up along the way. More in this post.
• La Ronda – Another Bourdain spot. It’s a bar that serves food (the pizza was on-par with Tasende!) It’s right on La Rambla, so you have a nice view. More in this post.
• La Sin Rival – At first it looks like a deli selling fresh pasta, but look to the left and there’s also a restaurant, also serving fresh pasta. We loved it. More in this post and this post.
• La Tienda de Quesos Doña Isabel – Great spot for happy hour (which they call “after office”). Meats, cheeses, wines, and beers. More in this post.
• Lonely Star Mexican Restaurant – Legit Mexican food! We’re from California, so we know good Mexican. If you’re craving tacos (which aren’t really a thing in Uruguay), this is your place. More in this post.
• Mercado del Puerto – Anthony Bourdain ate here, so of course so did we. It’s a large market with several restaurants inside, all serving traditional Uruguayan BBQ. We ate at Estancia del Puerto, which was excellent, but I’m sure they’re all good. More in this post.
• Mercado Williman – This is a more “modern” mercado, with a variety of stalls (including Philly Cheesesteaks). Hit and miss. The Spanish stall was excellent (4 out of 5 stars), but the Mexican stall was horrible (1 out of 5 stars). More in this post.
• Noa Noa – Lovely restaurant right on the water. Primarily seafood, but they do have other options. More in this post.
• Pausat Cafè i Pans – Our favorite cafè! We had coffee and pastries here every morning. More in this post.
• Piwo Helados Artesanales – Very cool (and delicious) ice cream shop. More in this post.
• Verde Comidas Naturales – They specialize in pasta (there’s a long history of Italian immigrants in Montevideo, dating back to the 1800’s, so Italian food is prevalent). More in this post.
• Vittatime café – Nice little café. They serve breakfast all day, but also have sandwiches. They also have some gluten free options. More in this post.

Punta del Este

• Zazú Puerto – Pretty much every restaurant in Punta del Este is a tourist restaurant, this one included. Be that as it may, it was really good! More in this post.