Restaurant Garzón.

Tucked into a sleepy, historic 19th-century village just inland from José Ignacio, Restaurant Garzón is legendary chef Francis Mallmann’s love letter to the Uruguayan countryside. Housed in a beautifully restored brick building, the dining experience centers entirely around the primal art of open-fire cooking. There are no shortcuts here; local meats, coastal seafood, and seasonal produce are coaxed to life over embers, wood fires, and in earth ovens. Guests can dine in the rustic-chic interior or out on the terrace overlooking the vines and rolling hills, sipping robust tannats from the nearby Bodega Garzón. It is a slow-paced, atmospheric destination where the crackle of the flames, the scent of woodsmoke, and a deep respect for regional ingredients define the rhythm of the afternoon.