Cafés in Ciudad Vieja

Café Brasilero and the lost cafés of the old town

Café Brasilero, at Ituzaingó 1447, was founded in 1877 by Correa y Pimentel, whose names are set in the threshold.³ It keeps its facade, Italian chairs and Art Nouveau bronze fittings, and it was the first café the Intendencia declared of cultural interest.³ José Enrique Rodó, Mario Benedetti and Idea Vilariño drank here, Juan Carlos Onetti is said to have begun El pozo at its tables in the 1930s, and the menu carries a café Galeano.³

It outlived grander rooms. The original Tupí Nambá stood opposite the Teatro Solís and was long called the most luxurious café in South America, with halls dressed like Japanese palaces, mirrors and a stage for bands.⁵ Café Brasilero opens Monday to Friday 08:30–19:00 and Saturday 10:00–19:00, with Wi-Fi.

Sarandí, Bacacay and Cerrito

Sarandí became a pedestrian street in 1992 and was extended beyond Plaza Matriz, the old main square, in 2005.² Cafés line much of it, among them The Lab Coffee Roasters at Sarandí 285, Almazara at 301, Culto at 493 and La Molienda at 550. Almazara keeps the longest hours in the old town, to 23:55 every night, from 08:00 on weekdays and 10:30 at weekends.

On Bacacay, four cafés share a block: La Diaria at 1306, Palacio del Café at 1309, Flor de Kaffee at 1333 and Nectarena at 1338. La Diaria serves from midday and stays open until 00:00 from Wednesday to Sunday, with tables inside and out. Farmacia Café at Cerrito 550 opens at 08:00 on weekdays and 09:00 on Saturdays, and Culto opens at 08:00 too.

The port market and the corner of Misiones

The Mercado del Puerto opened on 10 October 1868 under ironwork made in Liverpool, and its restaurants grill asado over open parrillas.⁶ It serves lunch and closes at 18:00.⁷ Café Roldós, on the port side of the rambla, has been a meeting place for the city's writers and artists since it opened in 1886.⁴

Inland, Las Misiones at 25 de Mayo 449 is the small bar on the corner of Misiones that a 2005 Página/12 piece singled out for its facade of green-and-cream majolica, probably English, which the writer called unique on the continent.⁸ On Ciudadela, La Ronda Café at 1182 has outdoor tables and ChesterHouse is at 1397.

The old town after dark

Montevideo nightlife starts late: before midnight, Wikivoyage notes, there is very little going on.⁷ Wikivoyage advises caution in the port area near the terminals and suggests avoiding the alley by the sexual diversity monument after dusk.⁷ For a weekday coffee after 19:00, Almazara on Sarandí and, from Wednesday, La Diaria on Bacacay are the two that stay open.