Barbecue, street food are stars of Uruguay's food scene

The food of Uruguay is as heterogeneous as its people: a cross mostly between Spanish and Italian, with some indigenous influences.

“It’s a melting pot,” said Ignacio Mattos of his native country. He is chef and co-owner of the New York City restaurant Estela. “Nothing is completely authentic.”

That’s why dishes that seem familiar to Americans are, upon first bite, surprising. Take pizza, for example. On top of a wood-fire-cooked pizza, ordered by the meter, you may find a thin chickpea flatbread called fainá. Its earthy flavor and crispy crust add an unexpected taste and texture, not to mention more carbs.

“Starch and starch,” said Mr. Mattos. “We’re starch maniacs.”

Below are edited excerpts from a conversation with Mr. Mattos on how to experience Uruguay’s surprising flavors.

Q. What’s a classic dish in Uruguay?

A. Asado, our barbecue, is very traditional. It involves a lot of meat, grilled at different times, and you eat each when it’s ready. You start with sausages, blood sausages, then chinchulines — that is the intestine. We do sweetbreads. Pretty much the whole animal gets grilled. It’s kind of ceremonial, you know? It’s a whole experience on a Sunday afternoon.

That’s difficult to find if someone doesn’t invite you to their home. But some estancias — ranches, right? — they organize it, so you can actually experience it. Estancia Vik, a nice old quiet villa in José Ignacio, a beautiful beach town, is known to do it.

Q.Any other spots you like in José Ignacio?

A. Parador La Huella is a gorgeous and very charming restaurant on the beach. They grill beautiful seafood and nice meats. Very simple, straightforward. You can go in the morning, have coffee, and you find yourself going there two to three times a day.

Marismo, this is a gorgeous restaurant outside the main town. It’s kind of in the woods, and they cook pretty much everything in a wood-fired oven. The food is very Mediterranean and exceptional. The tables are in the sand. At night, you can go and stay for hours.

Q.Any street food staples?

A. There’s a sandwich called chivito that’s very characteristic of Uruguay. It’s a steak sandwich — the steak must be thin, very tender so it melts on your mouth — with some bacon, cheese, onions, tomatoes. People get crazy and start adding things, like they’re making the biggest sandwich on earth. For me, the bigger they get, the worse they are, because it’s all about the ratio and the quality of the meat and bread. And the small ones, you can always keep ordering. The place to find it is Montevideo, and the best chivito in Montevideo is El Tinkal. This is a small place on La Rambla, the boardwalk by the Río de la Plata. It’s a very neighborhood joint, but the products, the care that they put, is very good. It’s a family-run business, and they don’t take short cuts.

Q.Any other restaurants you like in Montevideo?

A. La Ronda is a really nice bar with different types of snacks and sandwiches that are quite tasty. They play really good rock ’n’ roll, and they have tables outside where people hang out. It’s bohemian, a great place to go at night. Jacinto is a very good restaurant. It does a bunch of homey stuff like empanadas, but in a way that’s elegant. In the Mercado del Puerto there is a very good parrillada, a barbecue place called El Palenque.

All of these restaurants are in Ciudad Vieja, the Old City. It’s touristy during the day, but more local at night. It transforms at night. Montevideo is a pretty melancholic and nostalgic city, and you feel it in Ciudad Vieja. It’s in the DNA of Uruguayans. We’re leaning on the past always. The past always was better.