mercado del puerto

Great venue, classic old building, glass, cast iron, vaulted ceiling and dozens of charcoal bbq restaurants. Steaks, sausages, chorizo, chicken, prawns etc. We enjoyed ourselves a lot down here the beer was some of the best and coldest we have had in Sth America. The flavours were really good however the meat had a fairly high gristle and fat content which detracted from the experience. Also it was fairly expensive for lunch.

You could find a variety of animals on the grill there but the beef is simply heavenly. Much better than Argentina. Don't skip this place

Beef in South America are generally excellent. However our brief experience in Mercado del Puerto in Montevideo was quite disappointing. After shelling out US$50 for a plate of barbeque at one of the counters/bars, my wife and I could only shared a piece of sausage. The rest of the plate were so tough they were basically inedible.To us this is one of tourist traps where they entice us with those nice meats on the grill, but they are probably of the lowest quality. Most of the crowd are from cruise ships, so both vendor and customer will never see each other again. Be wise with your money in this market.My wife was wiser because she spent her money to buy empanadas in one of the stalls and give them to needy children around the market.

It's s fantastic place for food, especially barbecued meats as the mercado is filled with them and packed with locals as well as cruisers. But, don't go for the shopping or to eat fish - we couldn't find either.

Regretfully nothing has been done to improve this place, which is a very nice glass and iron construction but calls for urgent improvements. We've been there on a Saturday, and the place was crowded with tourists from a cruise ship as well as others that were spending the Carnival holiday in Montevideo. Not was it difficult to find a place to sit and eat, but the service and the food were very poor. As we sat at the restaurant counter, we could see the attendants struggling not to slip on the greasy floor. The food (meat and chicken) had not taste at all. Actually, the smell in the air was tastier than the food itself. If you want to avoid all the mess, go there early.

We ate at Roldos.We ask for chorizo, morcilla and riñon, a ham and cheese sandwich and 3 sodas. Full of fat and tasteless. i ate some and started to feel sick. I didn`t finish. I left the place with $u800 less and starving. Never again!

Great place to eat and very nice place outside and inside you can find places to eat typical port food and parrilla too

This charming building of glass & iron is the old fresh-food market for the city. Although there are a few shops for tourists, most of what you find are restaurants cooking meat over hot coals: Here this is called Parilla. This way of cooking is the main cuisine for all of Uruguay and the Mercado del Puerto is the focal point of this approach to food and eating for Montevideo. If you like meat cooked over hot coals or over fire, you must visit this place, Monday Through Saturday, mid-day only.Outside in the plaza, there are many local artisans selling their hand-made curios, and some of the restaurants have outside tables and chairs with staff inviting you to sit. But, don't decide which restaurant you want to eat at until you have walked around inside to get the lay-of-the-land. I have settled on Cabaña Verónica as my parilla restaurant of choice in Montevideo. It's in the middle of the Mercado del Puerto, so you get to walk past many other massive grills with meats sizzling over the glowing coals. There is fire too, because the Uruguayan Parilla involves a metal basket filled with burning mountain oak wood, which gets poked with a metal rod so the hot coals fall off. These coals are raked over under the grills which are heaped with various meats for you to enjoy. I suggest sweetbreads (molleja) as a starter and the Baby Beef as the main course.

didn't eat lunch but it was an experience walking around seeing all the different types of meats ready to be grilled on large pit fires. Also are several good handicraft shops in the market and surrounding streets

You can not go to Montevideo and not go to Mercado del Puerto! No matter if you eat meat or not, this market is a must in town. There are great restaurants that all offer the famous Parrilla, a typical Uruguayan barbecue you will never again forget. Great meat. Nice atmosphere. Make sure not to come too late, it get's quite crowded (especially when cruise ships are in town). Only open for lunch!

The market has a great atmosphere. Recommend timing your visit around lunchtime so you get a chance to enjoy a meal. Great lunchtime option if discovering/wandering the old town. If you're not hungry enough for a full meal I'd recommend picking up an empanadas from the small empanadas shop near the southern entrance. The markets have a couple of tourist/trinket shops which gives an opportunity to pick up some small quick gifts if needed.

Nice place to have lunch if you are walking around the old city of Montevideo. We were there late (around 16:00) and the place seemed to be closing down. Nevertheless we had a nice lunch (seafood mainly). There are a lot of options and the atmosphere was very nice.

It's a good atmosphere, an old and beautiful one. Also, a good place to eat. You have to try the meats, it's very nice. You must arrive early, the place gets too crowded at 1:00 PM.

Been there a few times on my business trips, nice ambience and the best place to eat all kinds of meats and fish. Several options at any price.Go during the day, you wont be disappointed, really worth the visit. Don't miss the opportunity to visit it.

Wow. Spent New Year's Eve midday here. What a party! Love all the shops and restaurants and spend a full afternoon just hanging out here.