El Charrua Sport Bar

El Charrua is what I imagine the «old boys» club in Uruguay is like. There are two TVs tuned to South American sports channels, a large Uruguay flag hanging on the wall, and a table of middle-​aged men playing cards, who are always there without fail. I might feel out of place going there, but they’re always so friendly and welcoming. The restaurant-​bar itself is clean but plain, with bare tabletops, metal-​backed chairs, and a large beer fridge sitting next to the bar. Basically, it’s more about function over form. So the reason to come to El Charrua? The amazingly delicious steak, done Argentinean/​Uruguayan style. It’s cheap (around $ 16), the meat tastes really fresh, and they don’t over season it: the steak is grilled with salt only (or so it tastes) and they just hand you the chimichurri sauce on the side. Plus they serve cuts of steak that you can’t find in a typical North American restaurant, like entrana and asado. Although that being said, I still like their new york steak the best. Asides from the meat, the beer and wine is reasonably priced as well. If you want to experience some South America in Toronto, or you miss South America, or you want to make card-​playing friends, or you want to watch some regional soccer played by clubs I’ve never even heard of in South America, you should check out El Charrua.