This is a Guru’Guay Top Pick
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The Port Market—Disneyland for carnivores—is not to be missed but don’t fall into the tourist traps. At Verónica’s, you’re guaranteed great steak & Uruguayan asado.
Yes, if you have a look at Don’s comment below, he perceptively notes that to the untrained eye, the stands in the Port Market, billowing with smoke and flames, all look the same. But it’s really not the case. Some—as Don found out—are total tourist traps.
That’s why we realised it was really important to be able to recommend you a great place so that you’re left with a great taste in your mouth, not a sour one.
Cabaña Verónica is our top pick in the Port Market for a guaranteed high quality Uruguayan parrilla* adventure done right.
We’d recommend a Uruguayan asado. Also known as tira de asado, it’s a huge portion of beef short ribs and it’s what the locals order.
Foreign visitors tend to go for the baby beef (ribeye steak), which is well-marbled and positively luscious.
If you’re feeling adventurous consider mollejas (sweetbreads), morcilla (blood sausage) or a pork or chicken pamplona.
The Guru’Guay Guide to Montevideo goes into lots of details about these dishes and other unique-to-Uruguay delicacies and we interviewed Verónica on how to ask the correct meat ‘doneness’ in Uruguay.
Owner Verónica took over the business years ago from her parents, who established the restaurant in 1987. It continues to be a family affair, with her brother owning the stand next door. La Cabaña de Verónica is the only woman-owned stand in the Port Market. We salute Verónica for her resilience!
Definitely choose to sit at the bar and watch the grill meisters at work. The restaurant can get busy on weekends and the team handles it like a well-oiled machine, with time to spare to pose for photos with guests.
Consult your friendly waiter before ordering The staff may look young but they’ve all been around for years and are happy to guide you toward the right dishes and cuts for your preference. Half portions are available.
This is a meat-heavy experience You’re after the best steak experience in Montevideo, right? However there are seafood and vegetarian options available. A side dish not to miss (if you have room enough!) is the baked potato (papa al plomo) topped with roquefort cheese.
*parrilla = barbecue in Uruguay
Mercado del Puerto = Port Market in Spanish
Cabaña Verónica
en.cabanaveronica.com
Port Market, Stand 038, Montevideo, Uruguay
Starters – 250 pesos
Meat entrees – 750 pesos
Open daily from 11.30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Follow their Instagram for getting the most updated information on opening hours and news in the menu.
Photos: Cabaña Verónica
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2 Responses
Hi Karen, your recommendation for La Cabaña de Verónica in the Mercado is right on! We are in Montevideo for the month of January and took friends to the Mercado looking for a good carnivorous meal. Walking through, most of the restaurants look pretty much the same to the untrained eye and we ended up at La Maestranza. Frankly, the beef was a bit disappointing and when the bill came, the waitress told us that they do not accept credit cards but would take Uruguayan pesos or U.S. dollars. Fortunately we had enough cash to pay the bill but since we could not use a credit card from out of the country, we were not able to get the VAT rebate.
Yesterday we had another group of visitors (it’s amazing how popular people can become when they have an apartment in Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo!) and went to La Cabaña de Verónica in the Mercado per your recommendation. Our meals were outstanding, the service was attentive, and they accept credit cards. The standard propina (gratuity) is 10% so it is nice that the amount charged to a credit card is less than the amount of the bill, even after the tip!
Thanks for the wealth of information in your new book. It has already paid for itself with the VAT savings from this one meal, not to mention that it was deliciousl!
Hey Don, soooo great to hear and brilliant review. Unfortunately it is easy to have a mediocre experience in the Port Market (and indeed anywhere) – that’s why the Guru recommendations are soooo valuable! Loved it that you’ve already paid for your book. — all the best, Karen PS, anyone looking for The Guru’Guay Guidebook to Montevideo you can download it from our store or get the link to buy it in paperback on Amazon.