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Steakhouses in Montevideo
Montevideo's steakhouses are parrillas: grills fed with embers from hardwood burned beside them, serving Uruguayan beef from one of the few countries where every head of cattle has been individually traceable since 2011.
Asado is the central food ritual of Uruguay, and in Montevideo it is served in the parrilla, a restaurant built around an open iron grill. The traditional fuel is leña, hardwood burned down in a brasero next to the grill, its embers raked underneath the meat; charcoal is also used. Typical orders are asado de tira (cross-cut short ribs), entraña (skirt), vacío (flank), bife ancho or ojo de bife (rib-eye), chorizo, morcilla, sweetbreads and provoleta.
The best-known address is the Mercado del Puerto in Ciudad Vieja, an iron market hall opened in 1868 and now filled with parrillas with counters facing the grill; El Palenque has worked there since 1958 and Cabaña Verónica since 1987. Neighbourhood parrillas spread through Punta Carretas, Pocitos, Cordón, Parque Batlle, Prado, Buceo and Carrasco. Two long-running ones closed in 2026: El Tigre in Punta Carretas and La Casa Violeta in Carrasco.
The beef is almost always Uruguayan. According to INAC, the national meat institute, Uruguayans ate about 100.5 kg of meat per person in 2025, around half of it beef. Hereford and Angus are the most common breeds, cattle are raised mostly outdoors on pasture, and hormone growth promoters have been banned since 1962. Individual identification of cattle became mandatory in 2006 and, since July 2011, the entire national herd is registered animal by animal.
No Montevideo restaurant appears in the World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants 2025 or 2026 lists; the only Uruguayan entry in 2022 was Parador La Huella, in José Ignacio, outside the city.
Listed by name, never by payment or score. Facts last verified: 20 Oct 2026.
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Cabaña Verónica
Ciudad Vieja · Est. 1987
Cabaña Verónica
Mercado del Puerto, Local 038, Piedras, Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo
Style Uruguayan parrilla Founded 1987 Why it is listedOpened in the Mercado del Puerto on 20 December 1987 in a space that had been Bar Montevideo, a bar for port workers; run by the same family since, per the restaurant.
Sources: cabanaveronica.com · openstreetmap.org
Not yet verified: fire, beef, aging, price, status
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Don Andrés
Prado
Don Andrés
Av. Lucas Obes 1054 esq. 19 de Abril, Prado, Montevideo
Style Uruguayan parrilla Why it is listedParrilla beside Parque Prado, the largest of Montevideo's principal parks; the restaurant states that every cut is grilled to order.
Sources: donandres.com.uy · wanderlog.com
Not yet verified: fire, beef, aging, founded, price, status
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El Palenque
Ciudad Vieja · Est. 1958
El Palenque
Pérez Castellano 1579, Mercado del Puerto, Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo
Style Uruguayan parrilla Fire wood Beef Uruguay Founded 1958 Why it is listedIn the Mercado del Puerto since 1958; Emilio González Portela, who began working there that year, bought it in 1961. Uses a rotating grill fed with guayabo, coronilla or orange-tree wood (El Observador).
Sources: elpalenque.com.uy · elpalenque.com.uy 2 · elobservador.com.uy · gastronomia.montevideo.com.uy
Not yet verified: aging, price, status
What to order
Nearby
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El Peregrino
Ciudad Vieja
El Peregrino
Pérez Castellano, Mercado del Puerto, Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo
Style Uruguayan parrilla Why it is listedOne of the parrillas inside the Mercado del Puerto, the iron market hall opened in 1868.
Sources: openstreetmap.org · en.wikipedia.org
Not yet verified: fire, beef, aging, founded, price, status
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El Tigre
Punta Carretas · Closed
El Tigre
Dr. José Scosería esq. Luis Franzini, Punta Carretas, Montevideo
Style Uruguayan parrilla Why it is listedClosed in late January 2026 after about 30 years in Punta Carretas (Montevideo Portal, 4 February 2026; El Observador).
Sources: montevideo.com.uy · elobservador.com.uy
Not yet verified: fire, beef, aging, founded, price
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Estancia del Puerto
Ciudad Vieja
Estancia del Puerto
Mercado del Puerto, Rambla 25 de Agosto de 1825, Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo
Style Uruguayan parrilla Why it is listedCounter-seated parrilla inside the Mercado del Puerto; serves mixed grills (parrillada) of sausages, ribs and offal.
Sources: blog.wandr.me · wanderlog.com
Not yet verified: fire, beef, aging, founded, price, status
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Francis
Punta Carretas · Est. 2002
Francis
Luis de la Torre 502 esq. José María Montero, Punta Carretas, Montevideo
Style Modern grill Founded 2002 Why it is listedOpen at this corner since 2002; added a parrilla of premium cuts in 2009 and a Carrasco branch in 2013 (Montevideo Portal / Galería; El Observador).
Sources: francis.com.uy · montevideo.com.uy · elobservador.com.uy
Not yet verified: fire, beef, aging, price
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García
Carrasco · Est. 1967
García
Av. Alfredo Arocena 1587, Carrasco, Montevideo
Style Uruguayan parrilla Founded 1967 Why it is listedOpened in 1967 as a neighbourhood bar near the Hotel Carrasco; celebrated 50 years in December 2017; listed by Eater among 23 essential Montevideo restaurants. A second branch is at Guipúzcoa 331, Punta Carretas.
Sources: montevideo.com.uy · airbnb.be · gastronomia.montevideo.com.uy · wanderlog.com · openstreetmap.org
Not yet verified: fire, beef, aging, price, status
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La Casa Violeta
Carrasco · Est. 1993 · Closed
La Casa Violeta
Av. Bolivia esq. Rambla República de México, Carrasco, Montevideo
Style Uruguayan parrilla Founded 1993 Why it is listedOpened in 1993 at Murillo and Arocena, named for its violet façade; on Rambla Armenia (Buceo) from 2000 to 2019; closed in 2026, with its contents auctioned in February 2026 (Montevideo Portal, 24 June 2026).
Sources: montevideo.com.uy · elobservador.com.uy
Not yet verified: fire, beef, aging, price
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La Chacra del Puerto
Ciudad Vieja
La Chacra del Puerto
Pérez Castellano, Mercado del Puerto, Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo
Style Uruguayan parrilla Why it is listedOne of the parrillas inside the Mercado del Puerto, the iron market hall opened in 1868.
Sources: openstreetmap.org · en.wikipedia.org
Not yet verified: fire, beef, aging, founded, price, status
Nearby
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La Otra Parrilla
Pocitos
La Otra Parrilla
Tomás Diago 758, Pocitos, Montevideo
Style Uruguayan parrilla Beef Uruguay Why it is listedPocitos parrilla described by Montevideo Portal as carrying 30 years of grilling experience; listed by Eater among 23 essential Montevideo restaurants.
Sources: laotraparrilla.com · wanderlog.com · gastronomia.montevideo.com.uy
Not yet verified: fire, aging, founded, price
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La Perdiz
Punta Carretas
La Perdiz
Guipúzcoa 350, Punta Carretas, Montevideo
Style Uruguayan parrilla Why it is listedParrilla one block from the waterfront near Punta Carretas Shopping, with tables beside the open grill (Lonely Planet).
Sources: www-lonelyplanet-com-57e2.imagizer.com · openstreetmap.org
Not yet verified: fire, beef, aging, founded, price, status
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La Pulpería
Punta Carretas
La Pulpería
Lagunillas 448, Punta Carretas, Montevideo
Style Uruguayan parrilla Why it is listedSmall bar-style parrilla built around its grill, without a sign or reservations; diners join a waiting list (Lonely Planet; Ware on the Globe, 2019).
Sources: wareontheglobe.com · www-lonelyplanet-com-6c06.imagizer.com · wanderlog.com
Not yet verified: fire, beef, aging, founded, price, status
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La Tira Parrillita Palermo
Palermo · Est. 2019
La Tira Parrillita Palermo
Magallanes 1104, Palermo, Montevideo
Style Uruguayan parrilla Founded 2019 Why it is listedSmall parrilla opened in 2019 in Palermo; listed by Eater among 23 essential Montevideo restaurants.
Sources: gastronomia.montevideo.com.uy · wanderlog.com
Not yet verified: fire, beef, aging, price, status
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La Vaca
Buceo
La Vaca
Bulevar 26 de Marzo 3572, Buceo, Montevideo
Style Uruguayan parrilla Why it is listedDescribed by El Observador as one of the longest-running restaurants in Buceo, a premium-cut parrilla seating about 100.
Sources: elobservador.com.uy · openstreetmap.org
Not yet verified: fire, beef, aging, founded, price, status
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Lo de Silverio
Parque Batlle
Lo de Silverio
Alejo Rossell y Rius 1655 esq. 4 de Julio, Parque Batlle, Montevideo
Style Uruguayan parrilla Why it is listedTraditional parrillada where President Yamandú Orsi had lunch in February 2026, with the owner working the grill (Montevideo Portal, 12 February 2026).
Sources: montevideo.com.uy · lodesilverio.com
Not yet verified: fire, beef, aging, founded, price
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Parrillada El Alemán
Cordón
Parrillada El Alemán
Acevedo Díaz 1156, Cordón, Montevideo
Style Uruguayan parrilla Why it is listedNeighbourhood parrillada in Cordón serving a full range of achuras (offal) alongside steaks.
Sources: wanderlog.com · enprimeurclub.com
Not yet verified: fire, beef, aging, founded, price, status
Frequently asked questions
What is the Mercado del Puerto in Montevideo?
A 19th-century iron market hall in Ciudad Vieja, opened in 1868, that now houses a row of parrillas where meat is grilled in front of diners at the counter.
Do Montevideo parrillas cook with wood or charcoal?
Traditionally with hardwood (leña) burned in a brasero beside the grill, with the embers moved under the meat; some places also use charcoal.
How much beef do Uruguayans eat?
About 100.5 kg of meat per person in 2025 according to INAC, of which roughly half is beef.
Is Uruguayan beef traceable?
Yes. Individual identification of cattle has been mandatory since 2006, and since July 2011 the entire herd is registered animal by animal in the national system.