Bar Notable · Pocitos · Montevideo
La Giraldita
A 1913 almacen bar on a Pocitos corner, closed once, mourned loudly, and reopened in 2019 with its original wood and floor intact.
The Pitch
The Corner Pocitos Refused to Lose
La Giraldita opened in 1913 on the corner of Jose Benito Lamas and Enrique Munoz and spent decades as a working almacen bar, part corner store, part drinking room. Cafe Contado records its reputation for the best cold cuts in Montevideo, ham fine enough that Spain's embassy held gatherings there.
The shutters came down for a stretch, then the corner reopened in 2019 under the affectionate banner Mi Querida Giraldita. The restorers kept the original wood, the original floor, and the furniture that made the room.
Who would hate it? Trend chasers. Nothing here changed in a century, and that is the product.
The Room
Original Wood, Original Floor
Evendo describes the interior as a time capsule: wooden tables and chairs, antique shelving, and the patina only a working century produces. Viajeros Conectados notes the atmosphere survived the reopening with its intensity intact. Sit by the window for the corner light, or at the bar for the conversation.
The Drinks
Vermouth, Tannat, and the Picada
Order a vermouth or a glass of tannat and build the table around the fiambres; the cold cut tradition is the house's century old claim, per Cafe Contado. The kitchen runs classic Uruguayan bar food, milanesas and tortillas included, in portions sized for sharing. Nobody leaves hungry, and nobody orders a spritz.
The Crowd
Three Generations Per Table
Pocitos families, old regulars who remember the almacen years, and a newer wave who found the corner after the 2019 revival. Evenings run conversational; weekend lunches are the loud shift.
What regulars say:
- Cafe Contado calls its ham the best in Montevideo's almacen tradition.
- View Montevideo lists it among the city's notable heritage bars.
- TripAdvisor reviewers praise the preserved interior over everything else.
Who it is for:
- Anyone who measures bars in decades, not openings
- A slow vermouth and picada afternoon in Pocitos
- Avoid if you need a cocktail list; Inmigrantes covers that brief
Good to Know
Visit Information
Getting there: Corner of Jose Benito Lamas and Enrique Munoz in Pocitos, a short walk from the rambla.
Timing: Lunch through midnight most days; weekend lunches fill first.
Cost: Honest neighborhood pricing; the picada is the only line item that scales.
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