Bar 62

*** (That's the rating! Out of 5)
This is a fun restaurant in hip--if that word can be used in Montevideo--Pocitos, a residential neighborhood of Montevideo that is a short bus ride from the center. If you go to Montevideo, stay in the Pocitos area; this is where the better restaurants and cafes can be found. Plus there's the beach.

The restaurant is welcoming, the service solid and friendly, and the food is good.One thing I'm learning about Uruguayan restaurant etiquette is that you just walk in and sit down where ever you like. You don't have to wait to be seated, just take your pick. (Unless of course it's a reservations type place--but I have yet to see or eat at one of those.) At Bar 62 I started with a Uruguayan rose of Cab Franc that was  very enjoyable. (You'd think it would be easier to find local wines on the menu, but unless you go to a restaurant that specializes in Uruguayan wine, the wine selection tends to favor Argentina.) They serve nice bread (which I presume was made on site) with a mayonnaise accompaniment. I'm learning that instead of butter Uruguayans opt for mayo. Nothing wrong with that when they season it so well. I ate the whole ramequin full! For lunch I had a sesame-coated seared tuna (definitely more cooked than I normally like my tuna, but still pink on the inside). This was served with an avocado, mango, and cherry tomato salad as well as a nice arugula salad. The portion was quite large--and I ate every last bit of it.