Estancia del Puerto — Local services in Montevideo

Mercado del Puerto is a lively place to be. Best souvenirs and food stalls. As you wander around the market, the smell of food tempts you to try Uruguayan BBQ (wood fired) meats. The BBQ stalls look so tempting that I settled on Estancia del Puerto because it was near an entrance (you definitely need air to get the smoke off you and especially on your clothing) and a good place for people watching. The atmosphere was pleasant and stall workers were friendly, courteous and prompt. It was like one big family. We had conversations with the people besides us and the food stall staff. Everything on the menu was a la cart. We got a filet of mignon, one order of rice, one order of beans and one bottle of local beer for under $50. The meat was tender and melted with each bite. I must say the beef is so much better than the U.S. So, whenever you are in Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina or Brazil, eat a steak. You won't forget it and it's not as expensive as it is in the U.S. Better than...

It's right by the cruise port so set your expectations accordingly low. We ordered the asado short ribs and vegetable skewer with a liter of local beer. The ribs were tough as leather and difficult to cut. Our server showed up with a wine cooler for the beer and I thought what a nice touch until I realized the beer was basically warm and got cooler and cooler the longer we were there. The meal included bread in a pre-sealed plastic bag, not exactly a fine dining experience. But our server was great and spoke very good English. Our meal was about $50 US so not exactly cheap for this part of the world. The main draw is that it's close to the cruise port and does not close for siesta like many others do in the city. But there are better...

Great service, very good food. Differently from other places at the market there is no promoter harassing you trying to get you to eat there. The waiters do this job answering questions and making suggestions while you're looking arround. We had an Entrecot to share (as per waiters suggestion) and it was a very good choice. Amount was more than enough for the both of us and the meat was very good. People were very friendly while still not invasive. That's a very good thing on my book. Everything was a bit pricy but it is to be expected since it's the same all over. It's a tourist's place after all. I'd easily come back for...