The Best Seafood Restaurants In Uruguay

Uruguay has a global reputation for its beef and meats, so its seafood often gets overlooked. Being a nation that hugs the coast, its waters are brimming with fish of all shapes and sizes that make their way to your plate fresh from the sea. Uruguay also has different cooking styles and influences in their preparation of fish, from Peruvian and Japanese, to Mediterranean and Spanish. Check out this list of restaurants where you can find the best seafood in Uruguay.

1. Es Mercat

Restaurant, Market, Fusion, Seafood, South American, Spanish, American

Es Mercat is an incredible restaurant with character as high as their quality. Many would contend that Es Mercat is one of the finest seafood restaurants in Latin America and they wouldn’t be far wrong! Only a few blocks away from the biggest port in Uruguay’s capital, Montevideo, the fish are fresher than they’ll ever be when the chefs get them. Its fish of the day special is a certain treat, but there are always other wonderful options like paella, shrimp linguini, and corvina negra.

2. Francis

Restaurant, Bar, Healthy, Seafood, Sushi, Fusion, Wine, Cocktails

This restaurant is very popular in Uruguay for its sushi and Mediterranean cuisine. It is elegant and serves only high-quality ingredients prepared exquisitely. Each meal is presented like a work of art with a fantastic selection of wines and cocktails. You won’t be able to resist their rich desserts if you see one as it passes to another table.

3. El Viejo y El Mar

Bar, Restaurant, Fusion, Healthy, Seafood, Sushi

‘The Old Man and The Sea’ is named after the novel by Ernest Hemingway and it’s a fantastic place for all things from the ocean. The location is along the coastal promenade of Montevideo, with wide open windows for you to enjoy a full view of the sea while you eat. The building is rustic and has a spacious outdoor seating area in a grassy garden where you’re surrounded by vegetation.

5. La Marea

Bar, Restaurant, Seafood, Fusion, European

La Marea is in an ideal location along the coastal promenade of Punta del Este where you can watch the gentle lapping waves rush up the beach while you enjoy an array of succulent seafood dishes. For the more adventurous diners their salted octopus is a treat, but for those who don’t like getting their feet too wet there is plenty of scampi, grilled salmon, and fish and chips to go around.

6. Parador La Huella

Bar, Restaurant, Seafood, South American, Mediterranean, Dessert

Close to Punta del Este, in José Ignacio, La Huella is definitely worth a visit. This restaurant is found right on the beach so it’s perfect for those who like to eat in the sea breeze. It has a rustic fisherman’s shack atmosphere, but retains all class and quality where it matters: on the plates! There is plenty to choose from, like their grilled corvina or prawn risotto.

7. Picasso Restaurante

Restaurant, Healthy, Seafood

Picasso is in one of Uruguay’s lesser known coastal cities, Piriapolis. It is a testament to traditional Uruguayan dining that serves authentic fish, calamari, scampi, and more in a warm environment. Its gardens are a wonder when the flowers are in bloom, and inside the walls are covered in various paintings and pictures. You’re guaranteed to feel like you’re at home.

8. La Pe

Bar, Cocktail Bar, Restaurant, Healthy, Seafood

When you walk through the doors of La Pedrera’s iconic La Pe seafood restaurant you know you’re in for a treat. The walls are overrun with foliage, as if the vines and trees are trying to reclaim the building. This wonderful restaurant transports you to a magical world whether it’s in the gardens or in one of its many beautifully stylized rooms. You can enjoy fish empanadas, seafood salads, and grilled salmon, among others. La Pe surpasses all expectations and is the perfect place to visit, even if you just want to sit at their cocktail bar and soak in the atmosphere.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.