Settling in Punta del Este off-season changes how you handle everyday life. The question is no longer where to book a table, but where to buy vegetables free of agrochemicals on a Tuesday in August, which bakery works with sourdough, or which café to go to with someone who doesn’t eat gluten.
This guide organizes the options into three blocks: sourcing (markets, farms and producers), bakery and fish, and cafés and restaurants with a healthy focus. It brings together businesses in Punta del Este, Maldonado, Punta Ballena, La Barra and Manantiales, plus the markets that reach as far as José Ignacio.
Selection criteria: we included businesses with an explicit healthy-eating proposition (organic, agroecological, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free or seasonal), with a verifiable public presence and direct contact. Opening hours change with the season in several cases; it is best to confirm them on Instagram or WhatsApp before going.
1. Where to shop: markets, farms and producers
Brote Mercado Saludable
A market of healthy products with a focus on gluten-free, keto, vegan, organic and bulk options. Besides the shop, it serves food and coffee, and ships orders throughout Uruguay. A single stop for the weekly pantry.
Address: San Francisco at the corner of Pascual Gattas, Punta del Este
Hours: Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Google Maps: View on map
Instagram: @brote_puntadeleste
Website: brotemercadosaludable.uy
Phone / WhatsApp: 092 014 664
Bio Chácara Ecológica
An organic food farm open to the public, on Route 104. It sells vegetables in its shop, on harvest days when customers pick directly from the soil, and at local markets. It delivers to order between José Ignacio and Punta del Este and supplies restaurants.
Address: km 6 of Route 104, Manantiales, Maldonado
Shop hours: Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 5 p.m.
Points of sale listed by the producer: Mercado Verde, José Ignacio (Tuesdays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.); La Linda, Manantiales (Thursdays, 4 to 8 p.m.); Picniquería, Punta del Este (Fridays, 2 to 7 p.m.)
Google Maps: View on map
Instagram: @bio_chacara_ecologica
Website: biochacaraecologica.com
Phone / WhatsApp: 098 870 721
MIBRO, agroecological shop and farm
A venture led by agronomist Juan Miraballes Abreu. It operates as an agroecological shop and farm, with orders and home delivery, and runs workshops and activities at the farm.
Address: Camino de los Ceibos, Maldonado
Hours (per Google Maps): Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Google Maps: View on map
Instagram: @mibro.uy
Phone / WhatsApp (orders): 091 722 304
Feria Orgánica del Prado
An organic produce market held on Sunday mornings in the Prado area of Punta del Este. It is one of the few options for buying organic on a non-working day for people who live in the city.
Address: Prado area, Punta del Este (see location on the map)
Hours (per Google Maps): Sundays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Google Maps: View on map
Huevos Felices Uruguay
A poultry farm selling eggs, on a rural road in the department of Maldonado. Pick-up is arranged by phone; there is no storefront with public opening hours.
Address: Rural road, Maldonado (arrange pick-up by phone)
Google Maps: View on map
Phone: 098 573 718
Free-range and organic chicken
This is the category with the least documented supply in the area. While Modo Punta completes its survey of farms with pasture-based production and organic certification in Maldonado and Rocha, anyone who raises or distributes organic chicken can write to info@modopunta.com to be included in the next update of this guide.
Modo Punta Guide
Gastronomy, wellness, services and design on the east coast, gathered in a directory curated by Modo Punta. To find the professional, business or service you need when you arrive, visit the Modo Punta Guide.
2. Bakery and fish
BO’PAN Masa Madre
A sourdough bakery on the Interbalnearia highway, in Punta Ballena. A convenient stop for those traveling between Punta del Este and Piriápolis or Montevideo.
Address: Ruta Interbalnearia General Líber Seregni, km 118, Punta Ballena
Hours (per Google Maps): Tuesday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sundays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Google Maps: View on map
Phone: 098 117 473
Pescadería La Familia
A fish shop in Maldonado with extended weekday hours and Sunday opening. A neighborhood option for cooking fish at home.
Address: Avenida Joaquín de Viana, Maldonado
Hours (per Google Maps): Tuesday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sundays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Google Maps: View on map
Phone: 098 293 343
3. Where to eat and have a coffee
In Punta del Este
Harvest
A kitchen serving “real food all day,” with breakfast, lunch, an afternoon snack and early dinner. The kitchen stays open throughout the day, which is useful for those who work flexible hours.
Address: Avenida Pedragosa Sierra, Punta del Este
Hours: every day, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Google Maps: View on map
Instagram: @harvestpde
Phone / WhatsApp: 092 669 977
La Casita by Cari
Chef Cari’s venture, with food and specialty coffee all day. It works with gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, keto and sugar-free options, and offers lunches, made-to-order items and delivery.
Address: Avenida Pedragosa Sierra and San Ciro, Punta del Este
Google Maps: View on map
Instagram: @lacasitabycari
Phone / WhatsApp: 092 424 612
Picniquería
Open every day from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., with a dine-in menu, takeaway products, a refrigerated display and services for celebrations. It is the sister venture of the restaurant Boulevard de las Palmeras. According to Bio Chácara Ecológica, it hosts its market on Fridays from 2 to 7 p.m.
Address: Avenida Italia, Punta del Este
Hours: every day, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Google Maps: View on map
Instagram: @picniqueria
Website: picniqueria.com
Phone: 095 611 449
Vitaminas
A beach house and café at Playa El Emir, open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. year-round, according to its profile. It has added a second location on Avenida Roosevelt.
Address (Playa El Emir): calle 28, Los Meros area, Punta del Este
Address (Roosevelt): Avenida Roosevelt, Parada 15, shop 14, Punta del Este
Hours (Roosevelt, per Google Maps): every day, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Google Maps (Playa El Emir): View on map
Google Maps (Roosevelt): View on map
Instagram: @vitaminas.uy
Phone: 092 200 103 (Playa El Emir) · 095 465 113 (Roosevelt)
Mahalo Bowls, Punta del Este
Bowls under the motto “Healthy Bowls for Healthy Souls.” The Punta del Este location is open every day from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to Google Maps.
Address: Punta del Este (see location on the map)
Google Maps: View on map
Instagram: @mahalobowls
In Maldonado
Hay Amor
A restaurant with a shop, café, dishes, desserts and ready-made boxes, with a proposition that combines food with environmentally responsible consumption. Open Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to Google Maps.
Address: 25 de Mayo 890, corner of Zelmar Michelini, Maldonado
Google Maps: View on map
Instagram: @hay_amor2021
Phone: 091 644 022
Por amor al arte
A vegan kitchen with takeaway service. Its offering includes a daily menu, breads, small tarts, sweets, gluten-free savory products, frozen items and plant-based milk. Open Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to Google Maps.
Address: Arturo Santana 976, between Avenida Joaquín de Viana and Maldonado
Google Maps: View on map
Instagram: @por_amor_al_arte.veg
Phone: 098 586 084
In La Barra and Manantiales
Natural y Popular “El Popu”
A vegetarian canteen and specialty café in La Barra that describes itself as a social club, with morning, daytime and evening menus. It reopens on October 8 after its seasonal break.
Address: Route 10 and Juan Pedro López 1018, La Barra
Google Maps: View on map
Instagram: @naturalypopular
Mahalo Bowls, La Barra
Mahalo’s second location, on Route 10. Open every day from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to Google Maps.
Address: Route 10, La Barra
Google Maps: View on map
Instagram: @mahalobowls
Pachu Café
A specialty café open all day in La Barra. Open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and weekends, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., according to Google Maps.
Address: Route 10 at the corner of Las Sirenas, La Barra
Google Maps: View on map
Instagram: @pachu.cafe
Mar de Verdes
A restaurant in Manantiales serving fresh, local, healthy, seasonal food, with vegan and gluten-free options, plus pastry, breakfast and sandwiches. According to its profile, it remains closed until the next season.
Address: Route 10, km 163.5, Manantiales
Google Maps: View on map
Instagram: @mardeverdes.uy
Phone: 098 882 811
How to plan your week
Based on the markets reported by the producers themselves, vegetable shopping can be spread out like this:
- Tuesday and Saturday: Mercado Verde, José Ignacio (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.)
- Thursday: La Linda, Manantiales (4 to 8 p.m.)
- Friday: Picniquería, Punta del Este (2 to 7 p.m.)
- Sunday: Feria Orgánica del Prado, Punta del Este (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.)
- Monday to Saturday: Bio Chácara Ecológica shop, Route 104 (8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 5 p.m.)
Living on the east coast year-round depends, to a large extent, on a network of producers, cooks and businesses that work far from the rhythm of the season. Modo Punta exists to connect those who arrive with those who already produce, cook and serve here, and to give visibility and scale to the local market.
If you run a business, a farm or a service related to healthy eating, or would like to add a place that is not listed to this guide, write to info@modopunta.com.
