Improved airlinks will make it easier to get to this diverse South American country. Montevideo's laid-back beaches and under-the-radar food and wine scene will be on travelers' wish lists.
You can eat your way through South America's secret gourmet destination on a four-day trip.
I’m a dual Uruguayan-American citizen and travel journalist who has been on the road full time for over seven years, visiting nearly 80 countries. Yet Uruguay will always be home. I’ve written about Uruguay’s delights for USA Today, Refinery29, Wine Enthusiast and other publications – in addition to keeping up my own responsible travel blog, MissFilatelista.com.
Montevideo is a metropolitan city – yet within 30 minutes you can reach the verdant campo, where Uruguay’s countless cows and sheep graze on sprawling grass farmlands. Nearby are vineyards where you can taste Uruguayan tannat and albariño varieties or a pitcher of fruit-infused white-wine sangria called clericó. Thanks to Uruguay’s 410 miles of coastline, you can enjoy freshly caught seafood in the once-fortified city that juts out into the gigantic, ocean-like Río de la Plata. It’s baffling that Uruguay is still, somehow, a well-kept secret among foodies.
Most hotels have a breakfast spread with toast, ham, and cheese. You can find a good cup of coffee in the Ciudad Vieja and Buceo neighborhoods if you walk for 90 minutes. Walk through the bookstore and find a table in the outdoor cafe. Order a cortado, which is half milk and half coffee, and enjoy it while you sip.
Before you eat the chivito for lunch, make sure you have enough to eat. It comes with beef, bacon, lettuce, tomato, eggs and cheese, and is served over a bed of fries. It is possible to get it at one of the oldest fast-food chains in the country. You can get a table by a window.
If you feel sleepy after lunch, go back to your hotel and take a nap.
The longest sidewalk in the world is 14 miles long and can be reached from your hotel. The skate park, the letters sign, and the Holocaust Memorial are some of the places you will pass. It is possible to see the sunset over the Ro de la Plata.
Believe it or not, 9pm is an early dinnertime in Uruguay. After sunset, order an Uber for the 10-minute drive to local haunt El Rastro Parrillita. Known for excellent cuts of meat and mid-range prices, this restaurant is where you can experience asado, Uruguayan barbecue, and enjoy meat prepared to order on the parilla (grill). Order the grilled provolone cheese and the meat of your choice such as the ojo de bife (steak) – then go all out for dessert with the flan doused in dulce de leche.
Walk through the Puerta de la Ciudadela before entering Ciudad Vieja. Cafe La Farmacia is a cozy cafe that is better than Cafe Brasilero, which is the oldest cafe in the country.
There is a museum about the story of the rugby team that died in a plane crash. After the crash, 16 passengers turned to cannibalism.
You can take a stroll down the main drag of Ciudad Vieja and think of Anthony Bourdain, who loved morcilla blood sausage. You must order the milanesa, a traditional dish of chicken or steak, at the chef's place of business.
Merenda is a national pastime. The mid-afternoon snack is usually a baked good such as a pionono or a ham-and-cheese sndwich de miga. The Federacin bakery is located in Ciudad Vieja. An alfajor is made with two flaky cookies stuffed with Dulce de Leche and rolled in coconut flakes.
Touristy and a bit expensive, the historic Mercado del Puerto de Montevideo, which first opened in 1868, is still worth visiting. Grab an early light dinner at Empanadas Carolina: try the beef with raisins, and ham with corn. Then stroll a few blocks to the Montevideo Wine Experience to learn about Uruguayan wine culture and try varietals from some of the country’s most celebrated wineries. Bodega Garzón, for example, has won international awards and was the first LEED-certified winery in South America.
The Lab Coffee Roasters is located in the Parque Rod and you can enjoy gourmet coffee outdoors. Pedro Figari and Juan Manual Blanes have pieces in the National Museum of visual arts. You can get a donut after your cultural outing at the new In Her Oven bakery.
Parrillas, sushi, pizza, pasta, burgers, churros and more can be found at food-hall markets. Take a 20-minute walk from Parque Rod to Mercado Ferrando and you will be able to try pizza a caballo. The majority of the population of the country are of Italian heritage. This pizza isn't made with horse meat, but with mozzarella and fain on top. The churros are stuffed with a dessert of dulce de leche.
There is a vegan scene in Montevideo and a number of plant based restaurants. It's a good idea to go green for the night with plant-forward cuisine. Don't skip the chocolate peanut butter cookie, it's vegan. Walk down Blvd Espaa after dinner to try some of the best beers in the country.
Several restaurants serving breakfast food from the Middle East and other countries have opened in the area. If you sleep in after 11 you can enjoy a wrap of tabouli and hummus for breakfast.
In less than 30 minutes, you will be at the Bodega Bouza. Europe left behind a wine culture that has only recently begun to become internationally acclaimed. Take a guided tour of the winery and vineyards after enjoying the wine-pairing lunch. After soaking up the scenery, head back to the city for a meal.
On the 29th of the month, oquis is the only dish to have for dinner in the country. At the end of the month, Italian immigrants would only have potatoes and flour left to make big batches of potato-pasta for their new friends. The newcomers would try to pay but the hosts wouldn't. For good luck, we do this every month. At Morelia, you can find the best potato dumplings.
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