I could have eaten chivitos every day in Uruguay. I only didn’t because of the cost of living on a travel budget. Still, in three weeks I enjoyed one chivito platter and two chivito sandwiches. Each time, I immediately wanted another chivito.
So what is a chivito? I found a huge hardcover book dedicated to the sandwich. Inside was a detailed diagram of the anatomy of a chivito, below. You can see that the sandwich is enclosed in a simple bread bun. Inside are layers of beef, ham (plus bacon, if it’s a Canadiense chivito), fried egg, mozzarella, tomato, mayonnaise, lettuce, and whatever other condiments.
This is very different from your average burger. A burger is made from ground beef, a mincing of meat and fat and whatever else might be tossed inside for filling. A chivito is made from filet mignon, an untainted prime cut of steak tenderloin. Not that I don’t love burgers, but there’s something respectable about the chivito.
Uruguayans take their chivitos seriously. And I came to do the same.
My first chivito was in the form of a platter at Mercado del Puerto (“Port Market”) in the old city of Montevideo. I could smell the market from a block away, and walking inside was like hitting a wall of mouth-watering smoked-meat goodness from all the restaurants’ grills and racks of roasting meats.
Here’s a photo of the chivito platter, which sat atop of a bed of potato salad, French fries, and lettuce, and was topped with a red pepper and green olive (about $17 total).
And here’s my first chivito sandwich, from the easygoing restaurant Chez Piñero in the neighborhood of Punta Carretas, which was recommended by my editor at Americas Quarterly who used to live in Montevideo. It came with a side of excellent thin-cut fries (about $11 total).
My third (and last, alas) chivito was at the legendary Bar Tinkal (about $9), which opened on the riverfront in 1970 and is now run by the grandaughter of the original owners. The place earned a photo in the aforementioned chivito Bible, and it’s recommended by locals and guidebooks. It was simple chivito most notable in the tenderness of the meat. Apparently the cook pounds the filet before frying it, making it extra soft.
