Demorondanga Bar

"Manuel González Arnao, Santiago Perdomo, Diego Fernández, and Alfonso Cretenze met in the kitchen at Montevideo’s bar El Mingus. After years working and traveling abroad together, they decided to open a little corner bar in the Cordón neighborhood, at the time a sleepy area far from the most popular restaurants in the city. There they stood out from the beginning, with tables made from upside-down barrels and a tiny open kitchen. The space was so basic that the quartet called it De Morondanga (“minimal” in local slang). The stuffed mushrooms, prawns from Valizas (a fishing village on the Uruguayan coast), and clams from La Coronilla are the most famous dishes on the menu. All the food is served tapas-style, and dinner costs about $25 per person. In 2021 they expanded to a second restaurant across the street with a larger dining room and more kitchen space, called Nueva Esquina (“New Corner”). They don’t do reservations, so it’s best to get there early around 7 p.m. when they open. — MB" - Marcela Baruch, Nell McShane Wulfhart