Montevideo · Punta Carretas
Cafés in Punta Carretas
The lighthouse point, a prison turned mall, the Villa Biarritz fair and late hours on Zudáñez.
Photo: Nikolai Kolosov, Pexels License
Punta Carretas is the point between Parque Rodó and Pocitos, bounded by Bulevar Artigas, the rambla, Avenida Sarmiento and Juan María Pérez.1 Sailors first called it Punta Brava, for the underwater rock that wrecked ships, and later Punta Carretas, after the cart shape they saw in the rocks.1 About 24,679 people live in its 2.7 km².2
Its best-known address is a prison turned mall: the Punta Carretas penitentiary opened in 1915, was emptied after a riot at the end of 1986, and reopened as Punta Carretas Shopping in 1994.2 Avenida Ellauri, the main road, carries most of the shops.1 The cafés are spread through the side streets, from Guipúzcoa to Jaime Zudáñez.
Local tip: Saturday is the day for Punta Carretas: the Villa Biarritz fair is on, and Hoy Te Quiero on Zudáñez serves from 08:00 until midnight.
At a glance
16Cafés listed
3With opening hours
08:00Earliest opening
00:00Latest closing
- Opens earliest: Bulka, from 08:00 (Mon–Fri 08:00–19:30 · Sat 10:00–19:30 · Sun 14:00–19:30).
- Closes latest: Hoy Te Quiero, until 00:00 (Mon 10:00–22:00 · Tue–Sat 08:00–00:00 · Sun 12:00–22:00).
- Most common features: indoor seating (19%), card payment (19%), outdoor seating (13%).
Hoy Te Quiero
- Outdoor seating
- Indoor seating
- Open late
Koffee Skates
- Outdoor seating
- Indoor seating
- Card payment
Acento Café
Brownies Luis
- Indoor seating
- Card payment
Casa dulce
Donut City
La Dulcería
Le Pain Quotidien
- Card payment
Philomene
Reencontraté
The Lab Coffee Roasters
Viaggio
Villa Elma Café
Coco
El Cafecito
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Coffee chains in Punta Carretas
The lighthouse, the golf course and the rambla
The Faro de Punta Brava, the lighthouse on the tip of the point, was built in 1876.2 Along this shore the rambla goes by Rambla Presidente Wilson and Rambla Mahatma Gandhi, and a statue of Gandhi stands on it.31 The Club de Golf del Uruguay fills the ground between Bulevar Artigas, the rambla and Parque Rodó.2
Wikivoyage sums up the barrio as upscale, with golf greens, a hotel and the mall built on the remains of the prison.4 The rambla here is good for cycling on less windy days, though many city streets lack bike lanes.4 In summer the Tourism Police patrol the promenade, which is also used for jogging, fishing and sunbathing.3
Late hours on Zudáñez, skates on Coronel Mora
Hoy Te Quiero, at Jaime Zudáñez 2601, keeps the longest hours in Punta Carretas: 08:00–00:00 Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00–22:00 on Mondays and 12:00–22:00 on Sundays, with tables inside and out. Bulka, at Guipúzcoa 416, opens at 08:00 on weekdays and 14:00 on Sundays, with Wi-Fi.
Koffee Skates, at Coronel Mora 495, is a skate and roller shop with a café, open Monday to Friday from 12:00 and Saturday from 10:00.5 The Lab Coffee Roasters counted a Punta Carretas branch among its six Montevideo cafés in 2024.6
In 2019 Perfect Daily Grind's specialty tour stopped at Craft, on José Luis Zorrilla de San Martín near the rambla and the Museo Zorrilla, for Chemex and V60 coffee from local roasters such as MVD, served with vegetarian food.7 Donut City is at 21 de Setiembre 2689 and El Cafecito at Doctor José Scosería 2435.
The Saturday fair at Villa Biarritz
Parque Juan Zorrilla de San Martín, better known as Villa Biarritz, is the green block bounded by Leyenda Patria, Vázquez Ledesma and José Ellauri, and its street fair runs on Saturdays.2 The stalls lean to women's fashion and home decoration, with some food.4
Viaggio is on José Ellauri itself, and Coco on Luis de la Torre. Bulka closes at 19:30 and Koffee Skates at 20:30, so for coffee after an evening walk on the rambla, Hoy Te Quiero on Zudáñez is the one still serving.
Sources
- Punta Carretas, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
- Punta Carretas, Wikipedia (Spanish), accessed October 2026
- Rambla of Montevideo, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
- Montevideo, Wikivoyage, accessed October 2026
- Koffee Skates: café y tienda Montevideo, Koffee Skates, accessed October 2026
- Uruguay's The Lab Coffee Roasters launches first franchise programme, World Coffee Portal (July 1, 2024), accessed October 2026
- A Specialty Coffee Shop Tour of Montevideo, Uruguay, Perfect Daily Grind (July 26, 2019), accessed October 2026
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In Punta Carretas, also browse: Specialty coffee Wi-Fi Outdoor seating
FAQ
Punta Carretas cafés: questions
What was Punta Carretas Shopping in Montevideo before it was a mall?
Punta Carretas Shopping occupies the former Punta Carretas penitentiary, which opened in 1915 and was emptied after a riot at the end of 1986. It reopened as Punta Carretas Shopping in 1994. It stands in the barrio of Punta Carretas, between Parque Rodó and Pocitos.
When is the Villa Biarritz fair in Montevideo's Punta Carretas?
The Villa Biarritz street fair runs on Saturdays in Parque Juan Zorrilla de San Martín, the park bounded by Leyenda Patria, Vázquez Ledesma and José Ellauri. Its stalls lean to women's fashion and home decoration, with some food. Hoy Te Quiero on Jaime Zudáñez opens at 08:00 on Saturdays.
Which café in Montevideo's Punta Carretas stays open latest?
Hoy Te Quiero, at Jaime Zudáñez 2601, is open 08:00–00:00 from Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00–22:00 on Mondays and 12:00–22:00 on Sundays, with indoor and outdoor tables. Bulka on Guipúzcoa closes at 19:30 and opens on Sundays from 14:00, and Koffee Skates on Coronel Mora closes at 20:30.
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