Great first parrilla experience but incredibly slow service: Restaurant La Chacra del Puerto @ Mercado del Puerto (14. October 2017)

After finally having arrived in Montevideo after quite an odyssey, it was time to start exploring the city and the first stop was the Mercado del Puerto. It is basically one huge former warehouse turned into a collection of different parillas. So basically what you get there is meat. A lot of different meats. Therefore, I decided to start with a “Morcilla Salada” (120 UYU) and a “Morcilla Dulce” (120 UYU). The salty black pudding was decent but nothing special. However, the sweet one was a flavour of its own – truly delicious due to its sweetness. Nothing I would expect but definitely loved it.

As a main course, I went for the “Picaña” (620 UYU) which was cooked a bit too much for my personal gusto but definitely delicious if you turned the meat in its own juice. The French fries on the other hand were only enjoyable in combination with some sauce.

The “Salsa Pimienta” (190 UYU) which is a peppercorn sauce was fine to dip the fries but wasn’t something I’d recommend much beyond that. So, to sum it up in terms of food quality, make sure you order meat, have meat, eat meat, enjoy meat. For the rest you should probably go somewhere else.

When you are arriving in a restaurant after traveling like 30 hours, you will eat anything. And the spread which was kind of like chimichurri and the mix of tomatoes, pepper and onions are perfect with some bread.

The place itself is simple in design but it is super atmospheric as you get to view what is happening in the hall. And it is quite entertaining.

But it is also nice because of the way the market hall is designed. It is an old market hall with a clock tower in the middle – quite appealing in terms of view.

The prices are not as low as I would have expected but for the drinks it’s kind of okay, e.g. 1l of Cerveza Pilsen accounts for 195 UYU, a bottle of sparkling water for 90 UYU and the cover charge for 70 UYU. When it comes to the service though, that wasn’t really an example of great service. The guy was friendly, admittedly, but he didn’t really manage to be attentive. I asked for more beer. Twice. And for more water. And it always took him like three or four reminders until he finally managed to deliver. Quite annoying to be honest. Still, the whole thing is worth trying as it is quite an experience in itself.

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Contact Details:

Restaurant La Chacra del Puerto @ Mercado del Puerto

Mercado del Puerto

11000 Montevideo (UY)

Tel.: +598 29 16 60 46

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.