Verne

Fine dining in an aromatic herb garden

This is a Guru’Guay Top Pick

Guru’Guay only recommends businesses and service providers in Uruguay that we absolutely love, who love what they do and demonstrate constant quality.

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Should we dine at a table in the aromatic herb garden or in the library on a leather couch surrounded by books and art?

Verne offers surprisingly elegant dining on the coast in Ciudad de la Costa—a string of leafy beachside communities, minutes from Uruguay’s international airport.

“We aim to surprise,” says chef Martin, “and noone is surprised by beef in Uruguay.” Four out of the six exquisite main courses were vegetarian when I visited. Fresh fish and risottos are the most popular dishes. Everything is remarkably fresh and flavourful—the fish caught locally, the grilled mushrooms in parmesan and roquefort sauce seasoned with herbs from the garden. There is beef of course, a bife ancho, served with a mix of ten different roasted vegetables for good measure.

Verne has a dedicated pastry chef and the desserts are something else. Some patrons drop in just for coffee and dessert. The ice creams are all made on-site. Summer flavours include coffee and Bailey’s, date and banana, and natural sorbetes of blueberry, red fruits and ‘olive and rosemary’. Winter focuses more on warm chocolatey options. Look out for the ‘Amazing’ —100% sugar-free. 

Patricia Cuevas and her sons Martin and Nicolas, opened Verne in March 2020, a week before Uruguay closed its borders to international travel for the next nineteen months. Despite that, Verne has become a firm favourite with discerning diners— many who drive in from Montevideo or choose Verne for their last supper before boarding a plane. After all, we are just five minutes drive to Carrasco international airport.

Verne’s unique design features reclaimed materials—the flagstone pathway used to pave a Montevideo street a century ago. The cuisine, together with the art, the well-stocked family library, the piano, the tasteful lighting and careful acoustics, the comfortable seating imported from India and the well-informed servers, conspire to make a trip to Verne a feast for the senses.

What you should know

  • Verne is open for lunch on weekends and dinner Wednesday through Saturday. Reservations recommended. Feel free to reserve in English.
  • 50% of Verne’s menu is vegetarian. It wasn’t a deliberate objective but the result of Chef Martin’s pursuit of flavour. He is currently studying vegan cooking with an eye to adding options to the menu shortly.
  • Verne’s wine cellar features around sixty labels—over half from Uruguay. Check out their craft and signature cocktails using herbs from the garden.
  • Wine tasting events Follow Verne on social media to book for their special limited events. Live music on Thursday evenings.

Contact

Verne Restaurante
www.vernerestaurante.com.uy
Rambla costanera esq. Río dulce
Ciudad de la Costa, Canelones

Reservations +598 91 374 948

Int’l airport by car: 5 mins
Camino de los Horneros and/or Carrasco: 10′
Pocitos: 25 minutes

Opening hours

Wed-Thu 7 p.m. till midnight
Fri 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Sat noon to 5 p.m. / 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Sun
 noon to 5 p.m.

One Response

  1. Syd Blackwell
    I read Karen Higgs´s review on Friday night. I made a reservation on Saturday for Sunday at noon. It was also Gundy´s 71st birthday. We were, of course, the first to arrive. The special appetizer or the day was a fusion version of ceviche, made with corvina, mango infused vinagrette, mango pieces, a dollop of guacamole, and deep-fried boniato strips on top. Nice presentation. Delightful flavors. We shared it to start. For the main course, Gundy chose the fish dish, also corvina, with an interesting boniato zanahoria purée with an orange flavoring. I chose two more appetizers instead of a main dish. I had to try to mollejas with the crema de maize, recommended in Karen´s review, and added the lamb croquettes that came with salad greens with toasted slivered almonds and a plum purée sauce. We also had a bottle of Ombú, a tannat-syrah-petit verdot blend, from an Atlántida area winery. For desserts, we chose the chocolate volcano and the tiramisu and shared them too. The service was excellent the surroundings were pleasant, every dish we ate was exceptional. We will go back again soon.

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