Cafés in Centro & Cordón

La Giralda, Bar Facal and 18 de Julio

The Palacio Salvo, built from 1925 to 1928 to designs by Mario Palanti, rises 27 floors at the corner of 18 de Julio and Plaza Independencia.³ It replaced La Giralda, a popular confitería where Gerardo Matos Rodríguez first played "La Cumparsita" in 1917.³ The western half of Plaza Independencia covers the site of the old Ciudadela, whose demolition began in 1833.¹

Bar Facal, at 18 de Julio and Yí, was founded in 1882 by the Galician Manuel Facal and his brothers, first as a maker of chocolates and quince paste, and it is the oldest bar in downtown Montevideo.⁴ A statue of Carlos Gardel sits outside, and a tango show runs Monday to Saturday at 13:00.⁴ Café Montaña, at number 1980, is a bakery café, and Café Central, also on 18 de Julio, has Wi-Fi.

Colonia, Constituyente and the confiterías

Confitería Oro del Rhin, at Colonia 887, is the confitería a December 2025 Brazilian guide to eating cheaply in Montevideo names next to Café Brasilero.⁵ Opposite, Cafelino at Colonia 890–894 has Wi-Fi and takes cards, and Healthyway at 1260 has outdoor tables. In the same grid, Bilú Guidaí is at Soriano 757 and Iki at Río Branco 1449, weekdays 08:30–20:00.

In Cordón, Constituyente has two cafés that take cards: Inocencio at 1794 and Paraíso at 1866, open Monday to Saturday 09:00–20:00. Savia is at Juan D. Jackson 1301, and Macoco Café, at Maldonado 1775, offers vegan food, Wi-Fi and outdoor seating on weekdays from 09:00 and Saturdays from 12:00.

Tristán Narvaja on Sunday morning

Every Sunday the Feria de Tristán Narvaja fills Tristán Narvaja street in Cordón from 18 de Julio to La Paz, and the stalls spill into side streets as far as Fernández Crespo and Minas; secondhand books gather on Paysandú.⁶ It first set up on 3 October 1909, after a Sunday produce market that had been held in Plaza Independencia.⁶ Stalls open very early and pack up by mid-afternoon.⁶

The Universidad de la República has stood in Cordón since 1911, and the barrio's limits were fixed in 1861.² Few cafés here open on Sundays: Healthyway on Colonia does, and La Casa de Abajo at Nuestra Señora de la Encina 1663 opens Wednesday to Sunday, 10:00–20:00.

Getting around by bus

Buses are Montevideo's only mass transit, and an STM card, free at Abitab counters such as the one in the Tres Cruces terminal, makes every fare cheaper than cash.⁷ From 5 January 2026, a one-hour ticket cost UY$52 by card and UY$64 in cash.⁸ The CA1 line between Tres Cruces and the Ciudad Vieja charges the boleto céntrico, UY$38 by card.⁷⁸