Guides
Danielle Issa

Five Of Our Favorite Uruguay Street Pubs

For most Lebanese, the mention of “Uruguay” doesn’t conjure up images of the South American country nestled between Argentina and Brazil. Not at all. Around these parts, Uruguay refers to the pub-lined passage behind Annahar and Samir Kassir Square, where nearly a dozen watering holes teem with revelers every night. Each pub has its own flair, its own crowd, and certainly its own specialties.

You don’t have to crawl very far if you intend to hit a couple (or all of these) in one run!


1. Main Street and Wall Street


At the very top of Uruguay, adjacent to Classic Burger Joint, stand sibling pubs Main Street and Wall Street. Imported from Makdessi in Hamra where it met with resounding success, Main Street moved into Uruguay less than two years ago, followed closely by Wall Street, and every night, the two are the first to fill along pub row. Come here for the refreshing fruit cocktails—the Aperissima muddles fresh grapefruit and lime with aperol in a tribute to Italy. There’s also an extensive food menu shared between Main and Wall Streets, and if you visit between 12 and 3 PM midweek, entrees, salads, and sandwiches are half off!

Main Street
Mob.: +96171090953

Wall Street Bar & Grill
Mob.: +96171090953


2. Checkpoint Charlie


Around the bend from Main St. is Checkpoint Charlie, a themed venue owned by the same folks behind wacky February 30. The pub captures Cold War Berlin when it was divided between East and West. On one side, the walls are caked with graffiti in an ode to the communist shantytown that was the East. On the other side, a dazzling black-red-gold mosaic and a reflective bar counter glam up the wealthier, capitalist West. Even the beverage menu poses as a passport littered with stamps and visas. Opt for a Zeitgeist Ernest Hemingway daiquiri, the preferred drink of the renowned author. For grub, I highly recommend the Flammkuchen Rauchlachst, an ovoid German flatbread pizza layered with sour cream, smoked salmon and rucola.

Checkpoint Charlie
Tel.: +9611989811


3. Gatsby


Gatsby is a self-described 1920s Town Social & Kitchen reflecting the era of the Roaring Twenties. Floral wallpaper, mock brickwork, a la mode lamps, ritzy chandeliers, and bourbon-whiskey-based drinks all paint a soothing, speakeasy spirit in this Uruguay Street stronghold, which recently extended its patio to where Nü once perched. Even the bartenders are decked out in suspenders and tweed caps. New cocktails are featured weekly—girls will adore “Gatsby’s Roses,” a sweet rose-petal infused martini. The food is scrumptious, with briskets, salads, signature burgers, and other American Midwest delicacies.

Gatsby
Mob.: +96170875758


4. New Yorker

(Image via Zomato)

Neighboring Gatsby is New Yorker, one of the few pubs to slash food prices by 50% during the 5 – 8 PM daily happy hour. Get yourself situated in this very casual drinking spot with the drink of your whims—that’s right, New Yorker doesn’t have a bar menu, so you name it, and the bartender will craft it. Order the trio mini burgers, which at happy hour go for an enviable 8,000LL. A moist lean beef patty, a slice of tomato, crisp lettuce, and a finger-licking sauce are bound beautifully between two sesame buns, and on the side, an order of slender French fries to round out the meal. We always knew burger and booze made a heavenly match.

New Yorker
Mob.: +96176860960


5. Palmilla


Want to get your salsa mojo on? Head to Palmilla, a Mexican-inspired pub with full kitchen service. Leaf through pages and pages of delicious potions, including house-special margaritas fashioned from tequila, triple sec, lemon juice and agave, to more traditional offerings like the Vodka Gimlet, Moscow Mule and Cosmopolitan. Plan on noshing while you sip, because Palmilla’s quesadillas and fajitas are excellent.

Palmilla
Tel.: +9611999798
Mob.: +96170999798