Restaurants in Montevideo
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Mercado del Puerto
Mercado del Puerto, on the Ciudad Vieja waterfront, is the classic place to eat in Montevideo. The densely packed parrillas here cater to every budget, competing like rutting elk to show off their obscenely large racks – of roasted meat and veggies, that is!
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La Corte
OK, so maybe you'd rather not eat in a place once patronized by George W Bush, but the food is excellent at this elegant twin-level restaurant on Plaza Constitución. The lunchtime menu ejecutivo (business lunch) is a bargain.
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Kazbah
The restaurant scene in Montevideo is just starting to get interesting, and this Middle Eastern inspired place is one of the forerunners. Come here for all your faves, like falafel, schwarma (doner kebabs), couscous and tagines.
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Panini's
For fine dining, Italian style, try this place in the pedestrian zone just off Plaza Independencia. Pasta lovers will appreciate the degustación de pastas - a veritable smorgasbord of noodley delights.
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Confitería La Pasiva
This perfectly placed branch of Uruguay's famous chain confitería has outdoor seating on Ciudad Vieja's main square, with excellent, reasonably priced minutas (short orders) and good breakfast specials.
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Che Montevideo
The menu here features seafood with an international twist, but the biggest attraction is the open-air deck, providing spectacular views of the Río de la Plata and its sailboats at sunset.
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Lobizón 7
Popular with young montevideanos, with inexpensive lunch specials including gramajo (a calorie-packed house special of eggs, ham and French fries). Live music some nights.
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Cantina Vasca
Eat among the card-players at this cozy 2nd-floor Basque social club overlooking a leafy street. Daily seafood specials, pasta and paellas are complemented by glasses of house wine.
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Euskal Erria
An excellent selection of Basque and Spanish dishes are on offer here, as is the best paella in town. Cheap jarras (jugs) of red wine are bound to keep you hanging around.
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Mediterráneo
This trendy, dimly lit pizzeria in Palermo, with brick walls and high beamed ceilings, is on the expensive side, but the lunchtime menu ejecutivo is a great deal.
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Rincón de Zabala
This modern corner place serves up free wi-fi along with affordable breakfasts, sandwiches and cafeteria-style daily specials.
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El Viejo y El Mar
This waterfront eatery specializes in fish, served at thatched shelters in a grassy area outdoors.
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Da Pentella
This is one of Montevideo's finest Italian restaurants, with over a century of history.
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La Pizzeria
Open for dinner only.
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El Esquinazo
With its blazing fire and irresistible aroma of grilled meat, this popular parrilla epitomizes the Mercado de la Abundancia’s cozy, relaxed ambience. Lunchtime prices are about half what you’d pay at the more touristy Mercado del Puerto – the menu ejecutivo includes a mixed grill and a glass of wine for UR$220. There’s live jazz two Thursdays per month, plus tango or salsa on Saturday nights.
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Las Refranes
Good set meals.
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Umaga
Umaga offers a concise menu of beautifully presented gourmet dishes in a comfortable old Punta Carretas home, done up in modern style. The innovative offerings range from grilled salmon with leeks and strawberries to desserts such as an apple-cinnamon-clove roll flambéed with grappa.
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Ruffino Pizza y Pasta
Extremely popular for Sunday lunch, Ruffino’s is a good midrange Italian option. Try the Caruso (mushroom and cream) sauce, a uniquely Uruguayan specialty named for Italian tenor Enrico Caruso, who visited Montevideo in 1915.
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Mercado de la Abundancia
The more central Mercado de la Abundancia is a popular and atmospheric spot for lunch or dinner and often has live music on weekend nights.
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Los Leños Uruguayos
This favorite haunt of Montevideo’s business set has a nice salad bar and a big rack of meat always roasting on the fire up front. The lunchtime menú ejecutivo (fixed-price lunch menu; UR$240) and sugerencias del chef (chef’s suggestions; UR$225) are both great deals, including cubierto, main dish, dessert and coffee.
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La Silenciosa
With stone and brick walls, high ceilings and checkerboard marble floors, this restaurant has a fascinating history including stints as an 18th-century Jesuit seminary and as the tailor’s shop where Carlos Gardel and other Uruguayan luminaries had their shirts made. The food is divine – from homemade pasta to scrumptious meat and fish dishes to desserts such as moist orange cake with green-tea ice cream. Three-course lunch menus including starter, main dish, dessert and a glass of wine is excellent value at UR$320.
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La Pulpería
The epitome of an intimate neighborhood parrilla, La Pulpería doesn’t advertise its presence (drop by before 8pm and you won’t even find a sign outside!); instead, it focuses its energy on grilling prime cuts of meat to perfection, and relies on word of mouth to do the rest.
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Comi.K
Inside the Brazilian cultural center, reasonably priced meals – including feijoada (Brazil’s classic meat-and-black-bean stew) – are served in an elegant 2nd-floor salon with high ceilings and stained glass. There’s live Brazilian music most Friday evenings.
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Cervecería Matriz
Join the crowds enjoying beer and chivitos (Uruguay’s classic steak sandwich) under the trees at this informal eatery on Ciudad Vieja’s most picturesque square.
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Café Bacacay
This chic little cafe across from Teatro Solís serves a variety of mouthwatering goodies: fish of the day with wasabi or limoncello (lemon liqueur) sauce, build-your-own salads with tasty ingredients such as grilled eggplant, spinach and smoked salmon, and a wide-ranging drinks menu. Desserts include chocolate cake, pear tart and lemon pie.
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