8 cafés in 2 citys. Places change: check opening hours before you go.
Founded in 1882 by Manuel Facal and his brothers, Galician immigrants; it started as a chocolate and quince-paste factory. Outside are a life-size statue of Carlos Gardel and the Fountain of Padlocks; there is tango at lunchtime.
Order: Churros · Café con leche
💡 The menu comes in braille, large print and English.
Montevideo's oldest café, founded in 1877 in the Ciudad Vieja and still with its Italian chairs and art nouveau bronzes. Juan Carlos Onetti began writing El pozo here in the 1930s, and Eduardo Galeano was a regular for more than twenty years.
Order: Café Galeano · Croissant
💡 There's regular live music and theatre; check the café's site for show dates.
A café-restaurant right across from the Teatro Solís, near Plaza Independencia, open all day for a coffee or a meal.
Order: Café
💡 Handy before or after a show at the Solís.
Fewer recent sources for this one: check it's open before you go.
A bar-restaurant in Punta Carretas with a classic interior.
Order: Café
Fewer recent sources for this one: check it's open before you go.
A small evening café with a cosy interior and music, serving a mix of Uruguayan and Mexican food.
Order: Café · A drink with the music
💡 Opens in the evening (from 5 or 6 pm).
Fewer recent sources for this one: check it's open before you go.
A Montevideo roaster of specialty coffees with its own café.
Order: Filter coffee · Espresso
💡 Open weekdays 9 am to 8 pm.
Fewer recent sources for this one: check it's open before you go.
A specialty café inside a cultural centre in Punta del Este, surrounded by art and close to the beach. It runs cuppings and brewing workshops and serves a plant-based menu.
Order: Pour-over · Plant-based brunch
A specialty café and roastery born in Punta del Este, with the roaster right in the room. It mixes espresso and filter coffee with food and hip-hop and electronic music sessions.
Order: Filter coffee · Espresso