acatras del mercado - galeria de arte

very courteous and helpful staff, and the artwork was amazing. We loved all the local artwork and even went back to buy more on our trip. Would definitely recommend this art gallery. Close to the cruise ship port.

We talked with the helpful owner, and bought one piece to bring home. Lovely work by local and Uruguayan artists. Don't confuse this with the tourist souvenir shops

Yamandu (the owner) is awesome and very helpful. Great authentic art at great prices. Highly recommended to visit!!!!

I've been in Montevideo in the Ciudad Vieja for a few weeks now, and feel a little sorry for the people getting off cruise ships without an idea what to do, wandering among the typical souvenir stand. Note that as you wander into the old city toward the Plaza Independencia on the Sarandi pedestrian street, the neighborhood continues to get more interesting, with decent shopping and restaurants (See reviews for Estrecho and El Corte restaurants for lunch). But Acatras, one of the closest stores to the port, is a MUST, and should not be overlooked. This place offers wonderful arts and crafts by local artists and artisans at very fair prices. The staff is knowledgeable, friendly, and multi-lingual, and they see their role not only to sell, but to represent and share their enthusiasm for the full breadth and richness of Uruguayan artwork. They pack for shipping, and do it very well. They are low-hype and no-pressure. I bought a small sculpture and my friend bought a painting -- both packed for us to be able to put in our suitcases. (I know my little sculpture will become one of my most prized possessions.) You'll find lots of items that are small enough to carry with you. Whether you want to spend $8 or $500+, you'll find something here in your price range that's interesting and unique and beautiful. I love this place!

On our way back to the cruise ship, we saw this little shop filled with people. Curiosity called me inside. There were watercolours, oil & acrylic paintings, glass art, local crafts and hand made jewelry. Many unique items you only can see there. I ended up spending all my Uruguayan Pesos there. The staff was very polite and helpful. They wrapped every customer purchase with care. Highly recommend for this little shop. Happy Travelling!

The owner is an amazing business man. His merchandise is high quality and unique. He packed and shipped a vase for s friend of mine in California. Arrived in perfect condition. This store is a must see in Montevideo.

We stumbled on this art gallery as we were heading to the market. WOW! It is filled with arts and crafts of all kinds. There were so many things I would have loved to purchase, but I could not carry all the fragile items. I did find some unusual birthday gifts for my family. I love to shop in "unusual" shops where you won't find a thousand of the same item. Beautiful gallery to wander in, tho it is small in space. Backpacks are too big here.

Hands down go here! If I ever move to MVD, I will no doubt go here to help furnish my place with cool, hand & local made art, vases, etc. They also have a nice hand made jewelry selection (ranging in prices from $15-over $200 USD). The person that helped us (I forgot to ask her name) is SO nice and helpful. A lot of times when you go into nice shops like this, the people who help you can be a little snobby, especially if they know you are not going to drop $1000 in their shop. Not here! She was polite, kind, and really sweet. We ended up buying a necklace as a present and I will go back later to get another gift for a friend of mine. I highly recommend this shop. They have everything from watercolor, oil & acrylic paintings, jewelry, 3D glass art, any many other things. I'm so glad we came across it, I'll definitely tell everyone I know about it!

We just got back from a South America cruise and fortunately I stopped into this gallery close to the port. They had great local art works, all by Uruguayan artists. I fell in love with the pottery and bought myself a gorgeous plate in vivid colors of yellows and oranges that comes ready to hang on the wall but is food safe for use as a serving plate. I also bought a lovely pitcher for a friend who collects them. As Aimee L says, they meticulously wrapped them separately, put the pitcher inside the plate and then wrapped them again so that they would make the trip home to California safely. I hand carried them to make sure. The staff were indeed helpful and friendly. I could have done all my Christmas shopping there as there is such a variety of beautiful things.

This is not your usual tourist gift shop selling useless knick-knacks but a real art gallery with lots of interesting and beautiful things, especially pottery. Around the corner from the old market hall, definitely worth a short detour.

A great small gallery of art and crafts. We found 3 small pottery sculptures that we love;there were more but the logistics of getting them home was a problem. We liked their collection of prints and pots especially well.

As far as I am concerned, no trip to Montevideo would be complete without a visit to this gallery. There are truly unique pieces in every price range. The staff is very friendly and helpful. We bought 2 paintings as well as some pottery. We decided to ship the pottery back home. It arrived meticulously wrapped in a specially-made crate. Everything arrived in perfect condition. Needless to shape, the shipping is well-worth the cost. If I lived in Montevideo, you can bet I would be going to this gallery on a regular basis to see what was new. It is a great place to find souvenirs for yourself and friends/family as well!

The shopping highlight of our stop in Montevideo was Acatras del Mercado. We found a wonderful selection of creative contemporary work by local artists. A perfect spot for memorable gifts as well as art worth hanging in our home. The owner was knowledgeable and helpful. Shipping arrangements were easily made.

American artists and gallerys could learn alot by visiting this gallery, as well as collectors and first time art buyers...the originallity and edgyness are difficult to find in such high percentages in galleries in the United States. I wanted so many pieces...

My husband and I have been visiting this store since 2009. I love to walk around and look at the different art buying things for my collection and as presents. Last November, I was again able to travel to Montevideo and I bought a beautiful painting by Uruguayan artist Diego Cousillas that my husband and I had seen on an earlier trip. It's so unique and beautiful. I purchased the painting while in Montevideo but had it shipped home to NYC. The gallery packaged it safely and well, were so organized in asking me when I might need it to arrive and made the whole transaction pleasant and easy. It's one of our favorite treasures and always makes us think of Montevideo, a very special city. If you find yourself thinking about a piece of art you saw here when you get home, you can always email the gallery and have it sent to you. They ship worldwide and at very reasonable prices. My painting was shipped stretched and fully ready to hang and the shipping cost was much less than if I had to have it framed here in the U.S. Of course, it's better to just pop in for a visit if you get the chance and get a unique piece of Uruguayan art on the spot. I can't wait until I get the opportunity to return to Montevideo so I can visit Acatras del Mercado. They always have something new, colorful and amazing.