Exploring Uruguay

Expat & Travel Resource Guide

Food and Drink

Buenos Aires, Argentina – It’s like New York… but Bigger

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We knew when we moved to Montevideo that we’d eventually have to take a trip to Buenos Aires to get our passports stamped. Not to mention, we just wanted to check it out.

As we cruised across the Rio De La Plata from Montevideo on the Buquebus (ferry liner) we really had no idea of what to expect of Buenos Aires. We had heard it was “dangerous” and to be “very careful.”

On the other hand, we also heard that Buenos Aires had wonderful shopping, had every type of restaurant you could think of and that it was a wonderful city.

As with traveling anywhere in the world, if you let yourself become a victim, you will be one. We had no problems in Buenos Aires.

Our first stop to plan our trip to Buenos Aires was Buquebus Turismo by Punta Carretas Shopping (not the one inside, but the one on the other side of the street from the front gates).

We were able to book our tickets for the Buquebus, reserve a hotel and get a transfer from the Buquebus Station in Buenos Aires to and from our hotel in one package (the location inside Punta Carretas Shopping only sells ferry tickets).

We chose the ferry that went directly from Montevideo to Buenos Aires in three hours opposed to taking a two-hour bus trip to Colonia and a one-hour ferry ride to Buenos Aires. The total for the three of us: U$S 320.

On the morning of our departure, we took a cab from our apartment to Ciudad Vieja (Old City) where the Buquebus terminal is located. Going through customs was extremely easy.

There was an Argentinean official and an Uruguayan official sitting next to each other at a counter. We handed our passports over with our Buquebus tickets… BAM BAM BAM BAM… Our passports were stamped by both countries’ customs officials, we walked through the “Duty Free” area and we got on to board the Buquebus ferry.

The Buquebus ride over to Buenos Aires was nice. There were plenty of little ones for Zoë to play with. She seems to make friends everywhere we go. There was a galley, where you could buy food and drinks… A little overpriced for what it was, but I’ve had a lot worse… They sold alcohol too.

For the kids who were a little bit older, there was a PS2 set up so they could play video games. On the way to Buenos Aires, there were a half a dozen 10-14 year old kids playing Futbol… On the way back, there was one lone kid who had the whole system to himself…

When we arrived at the Buquebus port in Buenos Aires, we had to pass our stuff through an x-ray machine, which went so fast there is no way possible they could have seen anything inside of it.

We then headed to the left to the Buquebus counter, handed our voucher for the transfer to our hotel to the attendant who had us escorted to a bus and away we went with front door service to our hotel.

At the Buquebus Turismo office, we had 30+ hotels to choose from. We ended up randomly picking “The Liberty Hotel.”  LOL…  That night, we felt like Kramer in that episode of Seinfield where the bright red light keeps flashing outside of his window… That was the same position of the ‘Hotel’ sign to our room.

It was pretty funny looking back on it, but getting to sleep was a different story. The noise outside didn’t help (we were on a busy street). The next time we go, we’ll be choosing a different hotel.

Once we checked into our hotel… We decided to go get food. What type?  Thai… We found a place through Google and went. My iPod Touch came in super handy, there were free connections to the Internet everywhere we walked.

Empire Thai was fantastic. The owner Kevin is originally from New Jersey, but has owned his restaurant for about eight years. We had breaded and fried prawns to start, which were phenomenal.

Then Chrystal and I both had Chicken Panang Curry. We both like spicy food and ordered ours spicy at a 7 on a scale of 1-10… Next time, we’ll be ordering a 6. We ordered Zoë the chicken Pad Thai, which was really good too.

If you are in Buenos Aires and you want extremely good Thai food in a cool place, check out Empire Thai. By the way, if you are a vodka drinker, Empire Thai has one of the largest selections of Vodka I’ve ever seen in a bar… and I’ve been to more bars than most. Our food was in the U$S8-10 a plate range.

We spent about 24 hours in Buenos Aires. We walked all over the city. There is a lot of beautiful architecture, although it’s a little hard to appreciate with the hoards of people on the streets. There are tons upon tons of places to shop and restaurants to eat at. One thing we found was that children’s toys were less expensive in Buenos Aires than in Montevideo. The city doesn’t sleep… It’s a very busy city, and a very big city. It’s like New York, but bigger.

Uruguay Food: Exploring the Food of Uruguay

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We heard it put best when someone said that Uruguay food consists of, “Pizza, pasta and parrilla.”

Really, that’s pretty right on. Parrilla (Uruguayan barbeque) and Italian foods are quite common in Uruguay. However, there are a few local dishes that are also popular in Uruguay.

Chivitos are one popular Uruguay food. You can either get the Chivitos plate or the Chivitos al Pan. Typically, the Chivitos plate consists of layers of lomo (beef), ham, pancetta (bacon), mozzarella and fried egg. It’s usually served either on top of or with a plate of French fries, tomatoes, lettuce, potato salad, olives and some pickled red bell peppers.

The Chivitos al Pan is simply the layered lomo, ham, pancetta, mozzarella and fried egg between two pieces of bread. These sandwiches are usually huge and may or may not be served with French fries.

As far as Uruguay food goes, this is one of our favorite meals to order.

Another popular Uruguay food is the Milanesa. Again, this can either be served as a plate or al pan. A Milanesa is basically either a piece of chicken or beef, beaten very thin, breaded and then deep friend.

If you order the plate, it’ll usually come with a huge serving of fries, but you can also order it with mashed potatoes if you want. Sometimes it will also be slathered with ham and cheese, depending on where you order it.

The Milanesa al Pan is basically the same thing, but slapped between two pieces of bread. We typically have to take half of the Milanesa home because they are typically huge. Zoë loves Milanesas. They’re basically like huge chicken nuggets. Throw fries in with that and she’s a happy camper 🙂

Hamburgers are one type of food we expected to be universal. They do serve hamburgers in Uruguay, but they’re different than in the U.S..

How you ask?

I guess it just wouldn’t be a hamburger without ham. Well, if you order a hamburguesa completa (complete hamburger), you not only get the burger, ham and the bun, but you get mozzarella, a fried egg, pickled peppers, onions and more! Luckily you get to choose which toppings they put on.

Let’s loop back around to pasta now. You can get pretty much any type of pasta in Uruguay, but there are some interesting differences.

The first difference we noticed was that the pasta is made fresh at a lot of restaurants. I mean, when you place your order they make the pasta from scratch right then. It’s awesome. Not everywhere does it, but we love it when they do. I guess it helps cut back on food costs.

Another thing we noticed is that if you order lasagna, it will almost always have ham layered in!

We thought it was strange at first but ham seems to included with almost every type of Uruguay food, so I guess we shouldn’t have been surprised.

Another type of pasta that is very popular is gnocchi or, as you often see it spelled in Uruguay, noquis.

Actually, most restaurants (and even some of the grocery stores) serve gnocchi on the 29th of every month. Argentina also holds the same tradition. Apparently the reason it’s served every month on the 29th is because it is traditionally the day before payday, when most people are usually broke. And, gnocchi is a cheap and filling meal. It’s also really good.

Pizza is pretty self explanatory, but there are some differences from the average pizza in the US.

The pizza is typically all made fresh and oven baked. You can’t order thick crust or thin crust… it is what it is.

Not all pizza has cheese… the first pizza Brian tried didn’t have cheese. They don’t use a lot of sauce and some of the topping choices are different. And unfortunately, you won’t find a delicious by the slice joint like you would in New York, but overall it’s not bad.

Parrilla is, like we’ve said, Uruguayan barbeque. Although after thinking about it, I think it deserves a blog post all its own. More to come on that in a future Exploring Uruguay blog.

Uruguay Restaurant Review: Taco Munoz

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From the name of this Uruguay restaurant, Taco Munoz, we thought we had stumbled across yet another Mexican restaurant in Montevideo. Not so. The restaurant is named after the owner, host, server and chef, Taco Munoz.

The atmosphere at this Uruguay restaurant is inviting… jazz music was playing in the background and a wood burning stove heated the small dining area. We really felt like we were being welcomed into Taco’s home (actually the restaurant is located in an old home).

You could see into the kitchen from the dining area, which was quite neat. Taco Munoz has a small parrilla going in the kitchen, but offers a full menu not predicated on the parrilla.

It’s amazing to me that one man runs this entire restaurant. It’s the first time I’ve seen that at an Uruguay restaurant (or any restaurant for that matter). He literally greets you, seats you, takes your order and does all of the cooking (from scratch) and you never feel like he’s stretched too thin. Outstanding service.

The meal started out with fresh baked warm bread, as well as some delicious cheese bread. And, of course Brian had to try the house wine, labeled with the restaurant’s name, Taco Munoz, which he said was quite delicious (no more wine for me with a baby on the way!)

Zoë had a huge plate of penne pasta with butter and fresh herbs. It must have been good, because she at over half of the very large plate.

Brian had a seafood stew, filled with fish, shrimp, mussels, tomatoes, zucchini and lots of yummy herbs. He said it was one of the best seafood stews he’s ever had.

I had the orange glazed chicken, which was cooked on the parrilla and layered with carrots and a rich orange sauce that was absolutely delicious. It was served with a side of potatoes covered in a thick, flavorful cream sauce. This was one of my best meals yet at any Uruguay restaurant.

And, we must be gluttons for punishment, because we ordered the Taco Munoz house dessert to share (we tried to order two and Taco let us know it was gigantic and enough for two people). It was an enormous plate consisting of a pancake (similar to a crepe), ice cream, dulce du leche, pineapple slices and some frozen melon.

Zoë had her favorite dessert, the apple pancake, which was loaded with baked apples and raisins.

I would have to say that Taco Munoz is one of my favorite Uruguay restaurant experiences so far. We will definitely be going back to see what other delicious specialties Taco can whip up for us.

Taco Munoz is located at Francisco Ros 2781, between Cnel. Mora and Luis de la Torre.

Mexican Food in Uruguay

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Coming from San Diego, we didn’t expect to find great Mexican Food in Uruguay (San Diego has the best Mexican food around… I know you probably disagree if you’re from Texas, but that’s okay). Hopeful that we’d be wrong, we decided to look around Montevideo to see what Mexican restaurants Uruguay has to offer.

Our first couple weeks here, we were referred to Roma Tijuana Mexican Restaurant, located at Cnel Mora 533, as being a great Mexican food restaurant. So, we decided to check it out.

We ordered a chips and salsa sampler as our appetizer. Let’s just say we were very happy we brought our own hot sauce with us. The salsa was actually a slightly spicy ketchup, but we fixed that right up with some Tapatio and we were good to go.

I ordered enchiladas, and while they weren’t bad, they definitely weren’t what I was expecting. I thought enchiladas were supposed to be covered with sauce? Not at Roma Tijuana.

Brian got the fajitas. He said they weren’t too bad, but definitely nowhere near to what we’d get in San Diego.

Roma Tijuana is sort of like Mexican food meets Italian food. Interesting, but not what we were looking for. So, strike one in our search for good Mexican food in Uruguay.

We love roaming the streets of Montevideo in search of our next favorite restaurant. Last Friday night we came across La Lupita Mexican Restaurant. It’s located at Luis de la Torre 565, at the corner of Gregorio Suárez in the Punta Carretas barrio of Montevideo.

From the street, it doesn’t look like anything special. But, once you walk inside you know there has to be something special about this place. From the pictures on the wall to the red, white and green streamers across the ceiling, the décor screams Mexico.

The restaurant is small, so if you don’t get there early, expect a wait. The place was packed, and halfway through dinner, we noticed there was a line out the door. But, so far, I would say this is the closest thing to authentic Mexican food in Uruguay that we’ve found.

They served chips and salsa when we sat down. The sauce they served was very mild, but when we asked if they had salsa mas picante, our waitress happily brought out a bowl of spicy salsa (yah!) and a bottle of habanero hot sauce. We never even had to break out our own hot sauce at La Lupita.

I ordered the enchiladas rojas and they actually had sauce on them. They were good, definitely not as good as my homemade ones, but much better than the ones from Roma Tijuana.

Brian got the enchiladas verdes, which were also good, and a cerdo (pork) taco.

Zoë has had an enormous appetite lately, so we ordered her a plate of mini taquitos and tostadas. She just loved dipping the taquitos in the bowl of guacamole. Believe it or not, she finished off this whole platter!

La Lupita also serves Corona (which Brian happily ordered since we haven’t found Corona in too many places in Uruguay) and a full bar of tequilas (which we didn’t sample).

Overall, I would recommend La Lupita Mexican Restaurant if you’re looking for Mexican food in Uruguay. I’m sure we’ll stumble across a couple more Mexican restaurants before long, but for now, La Lupita will be our choice for Mexican food in Uruguay.

Food in Uruguay: What’s For Dinner?

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You know what is really interesting to me about Uruguay? It’s the price and quality of food in Uruguay. I bought 0.8 kilos (1.75lbs) of grass-fed Black Angus Rib Eye steak for 177 pesos (U$S 7.64); 1 nice sized zucchini and a medium sized onion for 12 pesos (U$S .52); and a huge bunch of fresh spinach for 26 pesos (U$S 1.12). Add a little sea salt, pepper, garlic and cayenne pepper. We just got done eating it for dinner… “mmmmmm” as Zoë would say.

What about pesticides? Well I’m glad you asked. I just learned today that a lot of small farmers do not use pesticides. Not because they don’t want to, but because it’s too expensive. I’m cool with that. On the other side of the fence though… The majority of larger farmers do use pesticides. There are some farmers in Uruguay who use pesticides that have been banned in the US for years…

So, we try to get all of our fruits and veggies from the smaller farmers at the local feria (kind of like a farmer’s market and swap meet all in one) rather than at the grocery stores and giant stands at the feria…

What U$S 15.75 Will Buy You…

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Since moving to Uruguay, we get all of our fruits and vegetables, and some of our meat and other household items, at the weekly ferias (open air markets) here in Montevideo. There is a smaller feria on Tuesdays and a larger one on Saturdays only a block from our apartment.

You can buy “anything” at these Markets. Jackets, makeup, hoodies, dvds, video games, hats, clothes, incense, art, food, furniture, toys, diapers, etc.

It’s nice to always have easy access to fresh fruits and vegetables. We’ve been making homemade chicken stock to make delicious soups and stews every week with the vegetables.

Just to give you an idea of how far the US dollar goes in Uruguay when it comes to food…

Earlier this week, for U$S 15.75, we got:

24 farm fresh eggs
4 pears
4 apples
3 limes
1 head of lettuce
1 large leek
20 jumbo strawberries
1 large Broccoli crown
4 large red bell peppers
2 giant carrots
2 large zucchinis
2 large tomatoes
3 onions

And, on a smaller trip to the Uruguay feria, for 280 Uruguayan pesos (U$S 12) we got:

24 farm fresh eggs
2 giant carrots
4 large tomatoes
2 ears of corn
1 head of purple cabbage
2 large red bell peppers
1 package of fresh Brussels sprouts
2 large zucchinis
3 apples
½ kilo. strawberries
2 red potatoes
1 garlic bulb

Not too bad… There are ferias all around Montevideo, some better than others… some cheaper than others. We live in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Montevideo (Pocitos)… So our feria is probably a little more expensive than the ferias outside of our neighborhood.

The Most Baby-Friendly Place On Earth

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When you take your infant or child to a restaurant in the US, what is expected of you from other diners?  What does the restaurant expect from you as a parent?  What does everyone expect your child to do?

They expect your child to sit in their high chair or your lap throughout the meal and for you keep your child quiet. You wouldn’t want to disturb the other diners, right?

Well, the culture in Uruguay is completely the opposite of that in the US when it comes to babies. Our first day in Uruguay, the relocation guy took us to a nice steak house in Carrasco for lunch. They brought over a high chair for Zoë, which she happily sat in while she snacked on bread sticks and chorizo.

If you have kids, you know they can only sit still for so long. Being only one-year old, Zoë has a short attention span. She started to fuss so I pulled her out of the high chair so she could sit with me for a while… the standard action I would take in the US.

Immediately, we were instructed to put her on the floor and let her run around… What?

I must have had quite a look of confusion on my face as I insisted that she was fine with me. After all, we were at a white tablecloth restaurant in the most exclusive community in Montevideo.

It would be like letting her run around Donovan’s or Fleming’s in La Jolla. Surely, he couldn’t be serious. He again insisted that I put her down. “Let her be a child… put her on the floor, she’ll be fine.”

So, reluctantly, I stood her up on the floor and she took off running across the room. Before I could jump up and chase after her, we were told, “Leave her.” It was explained it is customary for children to be allowed to roam around the restaurant in Uruguay when they are finished eating.

The wait staff keeps an eye on them while you enjoy your meal and makes sure they don’t run out the door or anything (or if you’re out shopping, the store’s staff will keep an eye on them so you can shop). Don’t get me wrong, we keep an eagle eye on her, it’s nice knowing that others are watching out for her too.

While letting Zoë run around and enjoy herself in restaurants was a foreign concept to Brian and I (hey we are in a foreign country) we had both agreed when moving to Uruguay that we would fully embrace the culture.

So, as uncomfortable as it made us, we let her run around and enjoy herself. We were equally surprised when all of the other diners were smiling and waving at her, and happily chatting away to her. No one was annoyed that a baby was running around the restaurant singing away.

It was at that moment Zoë discovered she is a rock star in Uruguay.  Everyone loves to come up and talk to her and fawn over her. Her head might grow to be as big as her daddy’s if we’re not careful ☺

Wow, what a breath of fresh air. I think it’ll be nice living in a country where babies are seen as beautiful blessings that should be allowed to enjoy themselves and their childhood.

By the way, for lunch we had:
Chorizo and grilled provolone
A green salad
Pumpkin
3 normal Uruguayan portions of prime rib (15-18oz cuts)
Potatoes with rosemary
3 bottles of very fine wine
3-4 bottles of mineral water
Coffee
Dessert (a massive fruit cup and flan)

We were there for 2 ½ to 3 hours.  Our bill came out (with tip) to less than U$S 100.  Again, this was a Donovan’s / Fleming’s style white tablecloth restaurant.