7 Best Places to Eat in Montevideo
Uruguayan food centers on wood-fired asado and the chivito, a loaded steak sandwich invented in 1944 in Punta del Este and considered the national dish, not a snack. Here are seven verified places to eat well in Montevideo.
1. El Palenque
Inside Mercado del Puerto, the 1868 market hall in Ciudad Vieja, El Palenque has been the top parrilla since 1958. Go for lunch, especially Saturday, and expect a full grill of Uruguayan beef.
2. Estancia del Puerto
Also inside Mercado del Puerto, this is a cheaper alternative to El Palenque with the same market-hall atmosphere and solid grilled classics.
3. Roldos
A market bar rather than a full parrilla, Roldos is the birthplace of medio y medio, a mix of white and sparkling wine invented here in 1888. Stop in for a drink and a snack between meals.
4. La Pulperia
This one is easy to mix up: La Pulperia is in Punta Carretas, not Mercado del Puerto. It’s dinner-only, takes no reservations, and is worth the wait for a proper sit-down Uruguayan meal.
5. Mercado Ferrando
Don’t confuse this with Mercado del Puerto. Mercado Ferrando is a separate, more modern food hall with a broader mix of stalls beyond the classic parrilla format.
6. Jacinto
A contemporary restaurant in Ciudad Vieja worth booking for a dinner that leans into local ingredients rather than the standard tourist grill circuit.
7. Cafe Brasilero
Open since 1877, this is Montevideo’s oldest cafe and a longtime haunt of writer Eduardo Galeano. Come for coffee and a sandwich and soak in the history.
A Few Food Notes
Asado here is wood-fired, not charcoal, which locals consider a point of pride over Argentina’s style. Tannat, not Malbec, is Uruguay’s signature red. Tip around 10%, and note the “cubierto” cover charge on your bill is separate from the tip itself. Paying with a foreign card also triggers Uruguay’s tourist VAT break, dropping restaurant tax from 22% to 9% automatically at the register.
Other Uruguayan Dishes Worth Trying
Beyond the parrilla and the chivito, look for choripan (a grilled sausage sandwich), morcilla (blood sausage, served savory as “salada” or sweet as “dulce”), provoleta (grilled provolone), and milanesa, often served “a la napolitana” with cheese and tomato on top. On a rainy day, torta frita, a simple fried dough, is the local comfort food. For dessert, dulce de leche shows up everywhere, often paired with alfajores, and Montevideo has a genuinely strong ice cream culture worth seeking out on a warm afternoon.
What to Budget
A market lunch at El Palenque or Estancia del Puerto runs $15-25 per person with a drink. A full sit-down dinner at La Pulperia or Jacinto costs $20-40. Coffee and a sandwich at Cafe Brasilero is closer to $5-10. Mealtimes run later than in North America, with dinner typically starting around 8 or 9pm, so don’t expect much open for a proper meal much earlier than that.
Read more: things to do in Montevideo to pair with a meal at any of these spots.