Mercado Agrícola de Montevideo — Attraction in Montevideo

Fans of the American actress Mae West (“Too much of a good thing is…terrific!”) will find this revitalized historic marketplace to be a spectacle worth a visit (at least once). Uruguay has come a long way since being a relatively poor country in the 1980’s, witness this palace of contemporary consumption. There are a variety of stores, places to eat, bars and places to hang out. Prior to its rebirth as an urban shopping venue, it was a collection point for farm produce. I remember being able to drive into the building, where there were stacks of fruit and vegetable crates. Now you can buy US$1500 per bottle wines at Iber if you have bank. Nice meat market and “chicken boutique” (I’m not kidding!). Have a chivito in the food court and top it off with an ice cream sundae!

The neighborhood of the market has also been upgraded, though it retains a bit of the urban grit that characterized its now distant past. Convenient parking out front but bring some small bills to tip the attendants.

Les Halles in Paris are long gone, but Mercado Agricola...

Monyevidéo's Mercado Agricola could be so much more than it is. There are a number of small shops and cafes (many closed for COVID and/or January holidays) in this pleasant old building. Unfortunately, most do not offer much special to differentiate them from others scattered around town. I have been about 5 times, and am always left underwhelmed. Today, a Sunday, there were lines of 30 or more people waiting to pay for vegetables ar the 2 big veggie stalls, which seems a long time to wait instead of going to a good green market on your neighborhood. As far as the cafes go, they don't offer anything you can't find better elsewhere. As I said at the outset, this could be so much better. If they had small farm stalls selling specialty items and creative cafes, I would come back frequently; as it is. Once or twice a year is about as frequent as...

A really nice market and place to go try new food, buy your groceries for the day, fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry and so much more.

There are mini-markets, a pharmacy, two nice coffee shops, various fast food places, pizza places and a whole bunch of other choices for your lunch or dinner.

Is also a nice place to visit for a while, it’s big and spacious. It has a place for kids, however it’s not the best place to bring kids specifically, it’s more of a family plan.

The only downside is that it is a noisy place when it’s crowded, acoustics don’t help the space when there too many people...