Restaurants in Montevideo

La Casa Violeta

In a country of meat eaters, the capital’s best steak restaurant is well worth a visit. With large windows facing out onto the charming Puerto del Buceo fishing port, this chic bistro also has a spacious veranda where patrons can sit out and enjoy views over the lively harbour whilst enjoying specialities like espeto corrido (juicy chunks of meat on long skewers). La Casa Violeta has an amazing meat buffet too, which serves everything from sweetmeats to Swiss sausages. As an aside, there’s a well-stocked salad bar here as well.

Cafe Misterio

Cafe Misterio has clung to its crown as one of the city’s most select eateries for almost a decade now, and with good reason. One of the first restaurants in town to serve sushi, this dimly-lit, orange deco eatery in the residential Carrasco district draws a posh crowd who come to sip champagne and sup on select dishes in the restaurant’s cosy ambiance. Try the sirloin with truffle sauce or Chilean sea bass with smoked potato pasta.

Arcadia

Right up on the 25th floor of the Radisson Victoria Plaza Hotel, with stunning views via the restaurant’s floor to ceiling windows, Arcadia is a sparkling space decorated with crystal chandeliers and soft furnishings imported from Italy. Some may find it a little chintzy but the menu is adventurous and international, while the vistas of the bay and hills around Montevideo are breathtaking. Try the succulent pheasant terrine marinated in cognac or the confit of duck with strudel pastry.

Es Mercat

For fresh seafood that’s served straight from the waves to the plate, you can’t do better than Es Mercat. This charismatic little restaurant is hidden along a side street in Montevideo’s old town, where its chef creates a daily menu based on the freshest finds from the Puerto del Buceo fish market. Depending what’s been caught, expect dishes like calamari spaghetti or the seafood gnocchi served with a rich porcini and coffee sauce.

Pizzeria Trouville

One of Montevideo’s most popular eating spots, this charming diner in the Pocitos district serves upmarket versions of local snack foods. Established back in 1978, it plates up the best pizzas in town, but also does well-loved, Uruguayan dishes including glazed chicken with pineapple, steak served with a creamy walnut sauce and a range of pastas and desserts. It gets packed at lunchtime so arrive early to get a table.

Punta Pocitos

Enjoy riverside dining at Punta Pocitos, a chic restaurant along La Rambla with wall to ceiling windows and a terrace with outdoor tables and parasols. Renowned for its large servings of simple, yet excellently prepared, traditional Uruguayan food, stop by for snacks and beers in the afternoon, or indulge in a gourmet meal in the evening. Don’t miss its morcilla dulce (blood sausage) or pastel del carne, a rich meat pie.

El Tinkal

Wonderfully situated on La Rambla, this budget snack restaurant is a great place to watch the sun set over the river as you quaff a cool beer and munch on traditional local delights. Renowned for its chivito al pan, Uruguay’s hefty traditional meat sandwich, El Tinkal’s specialities include a luscious grilled beef blockbuster, where the sandwich is packed with slices of beef then smothered with tomatoes, mozzarella, pickles and mayonnaise.

La Paponita

The best value food in Montevideo has to be the traditional chivito (steak sandwich). These hefty stomach-fillers are readily available around town, but if you want to try one with a difference head for La Paponita, an atmospheric diner that serves a wide range of different chivitos. If you’re stuck on what to chose, grab a Canadian chivito where the steak is buried under mounds of thick cut bacon, boiled egg, cheese and lettuce. If you’ve got room, follow with the creamy Peach Melba ice cream.

Café Bacacay

Just opposite the Solis Theatre, this character-packed little restaurant is housed in a 19th-century building and is popular with the student crowd who come here to drink, flirt and chat. House specials include a range of healthy salads, carefully prepared vegetarian dishes and tasty soups, but the sirloin steak in a Tannat wine sauce is the top stomach filler.