Smokewood Garzón – Magical 50-acre off-the-grid vacation rental
This magical 50-acre modern off-the-grid oasis is one of the best places to stay in Uruguay.
Mealtimes in Uruguay and restaurant opening hours are similar to those in Argentina—breakfast and lunch at “normal” times and what can appear to be a shockingly late dinner.
But read on, and I’ll help you get aclimatised.
Breakfast* – around 9am until about 11am. Though it is possible to find some restaurants in more commercial neighbourhoods like Ciudad Vieja and Centro opening around 7.30am. Hotel restaurants of course open early.
Lunch – from 12 noon until 3pm. The locals will arrive at 1pm so to avoid waiting for a table arrive before then. Most restaurants stop serving by 3.30 or 4pm.
Dinner – from 8pm till closing. Uruguayans typically go out for dinner at 9.30 mid-week and even as late as 11pm on weekends. So you can get served from 8pm but expect to be the only people in the place for the next couple of hours! Closing hours in a popular restaurant midweek may be about 1am and later on weekends.
In Uruguay, restaurants and shops tend to use Facebook for their marketing. So if you want to check up on opening times of a given restaurant rather than TripAdvisor, visit their Facebook page which they are much more likely to keep updated.
Very few restaurants will even take reservations—perhaps because of the nation’s infamous lack of punctuality. So if you want to get a table straight away at a popular place, get there before the locals ie by noon for lunch or 8pm for dinner and problem solved.
You may be surprised to hear, given the late dining hours that the typical Uruguayan work day is 9am till 5pm with just an hour break for lunch.
The secret is that on their way home from work they’ll typically stop off at a bakery or fancier confiteria (a cake shop – they don’t usually sell bread) to pick up something for their merienda (tea-time).
This is typically bizcochos (savoury pastries) or masitas (sweet ones), which they’ll scarf down with mate or coffee. Then they’ll take an hour-long nap. And then it’s time for dinner!
While you’re in Montevideo, I’d definitely recommend you get into the same habit—wicked early evening snack, delicious siesta, decadently-late dinner—that way you can take advantage of all the shows and music, which also start 9pm at the earliest and often much later.
At the seaside, restaurants may open earlier. Il Tano in Punta del Diablo, thinking of families, opens from 6.30pm in the summertime.
Cover photo: dinner at Casa Flor
Smokewood Garzón – Magical 50-acre off-the-grid vacation rental
This magical 50-acre modern off-the-grid oasis is one of the best places to stay in Uruguay.
Uruguay Festivals – Sea Goddess Day on February 2
It’s Yemanjá Day on February 2. Don’t miss this special festival of the Goddess of the Sea at Playa Ramírez in the Parque Rodó neighbourhood.
Getting around: buses, taxis and walking
Getting around like a local. Flag down the bus—or it won’t stop. Don’t tip your taxi driver—but don’t expect him to load your luggage! Essential maps.
Montevideo Carnival 2023 dates
Uruguay carnival is back in 2023! The world’s longest carnival returns to Montevideo. We’ve got the when and where.
Brisas de la Pedrera – Boutique hotel in Rocha
Uruguay’s best beaches are in Rocha. La Pedrera is the best-kept beach town in Rocha. Here’s the La Pedrera hotel most foreigners prefer.
Mark Teuten & Associates – Lawyers & notaries
Finding an English speaking Uruguay immigration lawyer who can advise on real estate, employment law, & mediation, as well, can be a huge relief.
Uruguay’s Kentucky Derby – January 6
One of the best things to do in Montevideo is visit the horse races. Fun for the family and for architecture buffs the art-deco stadium. Fridays & Sundays.
How to avoid paying top dollar at the beach in Uruguay
Some beaches are just so darn popular. Tips for when & how to get best rates on hotels and rentals in Uruguay.
Montevideo over New Year? 5 things you need to know
Between Christmas & New Year, Montevideans leave town in droves. So what to do you do? There’s still the beaches, tango, fireworks and… water fights!
Great little car rental company in Uruguay
Shout-out for local car rental company, Mariño Sport, in Uruguay. I’ve been impressed by their great service and personal touch since 2010.
A full half of all of the wineries in Uruguay are located in Canelones. These were founded often 4-5 generations ago by European immigrants.
Following a textbook harvest, experts and winemakers are heralding Uruguay wines of 2020 as some of the best in decades, reports sommelier Adriana Rossi.
One in every three bottles of wine produced in Uruguay is a Tannat. What does Uruguay’s flagship wine taste like? Here’s a guide to get started, by locals.
The food scene in New York City had turned Javier’s head. Would Montevideo mean having to trade great food for the luxury of time and money to enjoy it?
Typical Uruguay foods —chivito, tira de asado, pamplona, torta frita, alfajor, dulce de leche… We go through each one, what it is and how you say it.
One in three bottles of Uruguay wine is a Tannat. Yes, Uruguayans LOVE this red. Nowadays there’s a Tannat for every occasion. We celebrate the Top Tannats.
Proudly made in Uruguay
Follow us
Subscribe
To receive two emails a month about travel, life and sometimes investment opportunities in Uruguay
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
What’s your interest in Uruguay?
Travel interests
Store
About us
Guru’Guay is part of UruguayNatural, the official country brand of Uruguay
Proudly made in Uruguay
Follow us
Subscribe
To receive two emails a month about travel, life and sometimes investment opportunities in Uruguay
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
English
Español
Русский
Português
Deutsch
Français
9 Responses
Please note that the reimbursement of the 22% VAT expired on March 31 🙁
Hi, the good news is that the automatic reimbursement is still valid. I can find no updates from the government however numerous guests of mine have been using their international creditcards and getting the 22% back automatically on their restaurant bills this month.
Greetings,
Nice article! One little correction though. We do eat late indeed, and we do love masitas also 🙂 however the real secret of hanging out all day until dinner is not masitas, it’s “mate”, the traditional (green) tea we drink all day long to the tune of a liter or two per person/day. That, and bizcochos. These are little baked goods resembling miniature croissants, danishes, and many other sweet and savory pastries. We do love masitas too, but we traditionally eat those at parties, birthdays, and new years/Christmas etc. Actually masitas are a lot like “petit fours” that french people eat during new years and similar festivities. People can go to school for several years to be trained and certified in the “construction” of masitas or bizcochos.
Thanks for taking the time to comment, Andres!
Thank YOU for hosting such awesome website about my native land! Super cool! I live in Illinois but I am actually coming to Montevideo for an international congress (of neuroethology). I took the liberty of posting a link to your website on the meeting’s website because your site will be undoubtedly very useful for the 400 or so folks that will descend on Montevideo next month. Thanks again!!!
Andres
Thank you so much, Andres! Our little guesthouse is just two blocks from the Radisson Hotel where the conference will take place, so if anyone is looking for accommodation, they should feel free to check out Casa Sarandi Guesthouse. Oh and of course, check out the Guru’Guay Facebook page for suggestions of great things to do in the evening while you are here.
Bonjour Karen,
There is mention of mate in this section so I thought I might ask for some advice in purchasing, not the mate itself but a calebasse and bombilla from a local artisan. Are there specialty shops or markets where I could look out for more interesting works?
Michel
We are always, always the first people to sit down in any restaurant. Maybe we need to try the merienda strategy – more food is always fine by me.
Thanks for starting the blog, it looks great and is already useful. Keep it up.