Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Ovo
Pizza
Chinese
Italian
Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. Offers burgers, pizza, salads, stir-frys with diabetic, vegan, and celiac choices. Owner speaks some English. Menu in English and Spanish. Free Wi-Fi. reported to serve meat March 2025. Open Mon-Fri 11:00am-3:00pm.
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441 Avenida General Flores, Colonia Del Sacramento, Uruguay
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- Outdoor seating
- Accepts credit cards
- Free Wi-Fi
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Last update on 21 Mar 2025 by SP
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Added by blubble on 23 Mar 2013
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29 Reviews
First Review by cincorobles
Audlane
Points +413
Good food - Edit
I liked this place a lot. They have a separate vegan/veg menu - the soup was delicious and the chivito was okay, would go again. The sign does say 100% vegan and it’s def not- maybe they used to be? But regardless there are options!
Read moreGuest
SP
Points +1430
not fully veg - Edit
As of March 17, 2025 Happy Cow has it listed as "vegetarian" but it its not full vegetarian, meat is served here.
Read moreWe ordered the lentil soup which was only okay, and the wok vegetables which was edible but nothing special.
Pros: wifi, clean washroom
Cons: not fully veg
Guest
Iguanamuyverde
Points +57
Rico y casero - Edit
pedimos entrada de sopa de calabaza y otra de espinacas, fondo de espagueti, postre de estrudel de manzana. Carta vegana separada.
Read moreGuest
IgnacioBarquín
Points +27
Irene`s - Edit
Variada comida vegana y vegetariana con menú propio y señalado correctamente en el menú general. La comida es muy rica y hay varias opciones muy ricas.
Read morePros: Buena comida, Variedad de opciones , Menú propio
Cons: Tiempo de espera
Guest
ArielaSchnitman
Points +1393
Excelente chivito vegano - Edit
El Chivito vegano al plato estaba riquísimo! Súper completo y abundante.
Read moreTenían también muchas otras opciones que todavía no probé
Guest
AndreaNygren
Points +165
Good vegan options in Colonia - Edit
They have a vegan menu which you can ask for (although some items are vegetarian where they remove eggs/cheese). I had the Chivito with bread and the apple strudel which were both tasty.
Read moreGuest
milenamantelli
Points +67
Chivito muito bom - Edit
Chivito de seitan bem servido com legumes e saladinha. Várias opções vegetarianas que podiam se tornar veganas retirando queijo e ovo.
Read moreGuest
WilldsonMendes
Points +614
Many vegetarian options - Edit
They have the national dish chivito in a vegetarian version. Other many vegan and vegetarian dishes
Read morePros: Chivito, Many options , Reasonable prices
Cons: The food take longer to get ready , Chivito could be more alike with the original
Guest
ChristianWeng
Points +20
Buenas opciones veganas - Edit
La pasta boloñesa y el chivito de Seitan están excelentes. Muy buena la atención y el strudel delicioso también
Read moreDice en happy cow que cierra a las 15 pero son las 16 y sigue abierto
Updated from previous review on 2023-02-02
Guest
Fredbaeta
Points +47
Muito bom - Edit
Várias opções veganas e vegetarianas, incluindo às versões de pratos típicos, como o chivito e a milanesa!!
Read moreGuest
rodrigoazs
Points +3012
Good food - Edit
Very grateful to find this place with vegan options in Colonia, many of the restaurants only offer meat. Food is good.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2021-06-25
Guest
ana_pas
Points +1851
Bueno! - Edit
Algunas opciones veganas. Las que hay son buenas :)
Read moreGuest
aleal
Points +247
Tasty! - Edit
Im not sure why the bad reviews? We had the chivito and the vegan spaghetti bolognese and both were delicious. Maybe we went early because the service was fine. In a place with limited options, this was definitely good.
Read moreGuest
voyegan
Points +2103
Simple but good - Edit
I had the vegan daily menu which was a lentils stew. It was tasty and rich, could have been a bigger portion.
Read moreStaff was simple and friendly, but could have been a bit more attentive.
Guest
CSL
Points +377
Mediocre at best - Edit
Food was pretty unremarkable. Mixed fruit "smoothie" seemed like just juice from a bottle. I don't usually comment on service, but have to agree with others that this is definitely service without a smile. Wouldn't even have commented on this, but when they asked for a tip, it really felt a bit much.
Read morePros: At least they try to cater to vegans...
Cons: Mediocre in taste, service, & value for money.
Guest
agusdelgado
Points +13
Irene's - Edit
Lugar familiar, agradable. La comida estaba rica, pero nada excepcional. Hay varias opciones vegetarianas y veganas. El precio es razonable.
Read morePros: varias opciones vegetarianas y veganas
Guest
ArynCY
Points +54
Nothing Fancy - Edit
This resto had a few vegan options and a seperate vegan menu, which was super helpful, but the food wasn’t anything special. I got the vegan chivito al Plato which was just a piece of gluten (unlike any gluten I’ve had before) that was fried and placed a top a plate of fries and lettuce and topped with onions, peppers and mushrooms. It was inexpensive by Uruguayan standards, but I don’t think I’ll be heading back anytime soon.
Read morePros: Cheap, Vegan menu, Wi-Fi
Cons: Warm inside, Food was lackluster
Guest
gigiveg
Points +331
Best vegan option in Colonia - Edit
Good food and nice atmosphere! Prices are reasonable for Colonia. Definitely the best place for vegans! Free WiFi
Read moreGuest
bmt1039
Points +34
To get you by - Edit
We were looking for a place that served vegetarian food to get us by in Colonia, which is hard to find since it is all about beef, barbecues, and seafood, and that is exactly what we’ve found. It is a plain site, with plain food, with plain to bad and slow service. However, we were still grateful to find a place with vegetarian options, which I always like to support. A shame tho that food and service quality is was not very good.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2017-10-27
Pros: it is at least one vegetarian option in colonia, price is not too high, free wi fi
Cons: plain food, plain service, slow
Guest
XimenaCibeleRoldán
Points +20
único lugar vegano en colonia - Edit
Es un lugar muy agradable con buena atención, recomiendo el chivito vegano. Pidan la carta vegana que la tienen a parte.
Read morePros: Precio accesible, Tienen tambien postre vegano
Guest
VegRaluca
Points +1622
Awesome - Edit
The restaurant has a vegan menu. I really enjoyed the food (I took the soja bolognaise), and the strudel dessert.
Read moreReasonable prices, and a discount if you pay by card.
Pros: Vegan menu
Guest
itsmichaeldiego
Points +1902
Previous reviews are too picky - Edit
I was hesitating if I should visit the place because the previous reviews, but there was nothing in town besides salads or veggie sandwiches, so I decided to go anyways. The authors of previous comments were probably too used to vegan-friendly cities... For Colonia, the prices in Irene's are normal, it is not a Michelin restaurant but the food is just fine. They offer seitan beefs, soy and lentil burgers, paella (ask for some lemon when you order it), soups, cazuelas (stews), vegan woks and spagetti with veggies or soy bolognese. They also have a separate menu for vegans, tell them you want one when you arrive. If it is important for you that your bottles get recicled (not all of them are in Uruguay) order a 1 liter Coca Cola - normal or light, or 1/2 liter water.
Read moreGuest
monizebn
Points +255
Nothing special - Edit
Irene's is a okay place. Their waitress wasn't the happiest on earth, but she was always kind and polite when we needed her. I ordered spaghetti with vegan bolognese sauce (with soy meat) and my mom ordered spaghetti with wok vegetables. They were good, but nothing special. I believe 220 pesos for a plate of regular spaghetti with soy meat, in a simple place with regular service is just overpriced. There's better places in Colonia with vegan options with better food for similar prices. Irene's had more options, which I didn't get to try, but seemed nice. They have a spare menu with all the vegan options, which I thought was cool.
Read morePros: Vegan menu, Wifi , Accepts credit card
Cons: Overpriced for what's offered
Guest
Bosonwit
Points +62
just meh - Edit
saw it by chance and it's actually only one of two "veg friendly" restaurants in this even more mediocre town.at first I was happy about the options but it turned out to be just really bad tasting food. Better than nothing for sure but still...if you can cook yourselv do it. the service was just plain, neither frindly nor unfriendly. I would call it kinda expensive but I don't know what to compare with in Uruguay. never again. ;)
Read moreGuest
AshleyLorden
Points +1255
Passable. - Edit
Colonia is a tourist town, with limited options and high prices. Although you could probably come up with a vegan dish or two at most of the restaurants, Irene's is the only place that advertises vegan/vegetarian/GF (celiac) options and offers a separate menu listing them. They will serve you this food, and turned the wifi on when I asked about it, and have a working bathroom. And, it's on the main street in the modern part of downtown, walking distance from the historic downtown area if you've taken the ferry to explore on foot like us. So, it will meet all the basic needs, but unfortunately that's where the good parts end.
Read moreService met the basic needs -- answering questions, bringing food. But I think the staff are introverts, or just not cheery people, as there was no extra positivity at all. When bringing the "check" (just an order sheet where she'd written what we got, no actual printed receipt), there was an awkward exchange where she asked us to give her the amount, in person, and asked if we wanted to leave a tip, to tell her verbally, while she was standing there (no place to write anything in).
Food was disappointing. The menu includes an item called "Smiles" for 100 pesos ($4 US). While people probably would be willing to pay this amount to get some smiles from the staff here, it's actually a frozen potato product (a french fry in the shape of a smile), marketed to moms to feed their kids with no effort. It's pretty ridiculous to put this on a restaurant menu, and the other food was similarly uninspired. We wanted to try chivitas, which is just a sandwich really but the only famous uruguayan dish I know, which advertised "wheat meat" as the context. It was unlike any seitan I've had before, soggy, spongy and not good at all.
Many have mentioned that it's expensive. Although it is expensive in the context of South America, at around $10 US per plate, looking at other restaurants in downtown Colonia they were all at this price point so I don't think Irene's was priced unfairly. But, I can sympathize that it feels terrible to pay a good amount and get dishes that come with no sides and look slopped together.
Even though I'd like to support veg food in places like Colonia, I don't think I'd come back to Irene's.
Pros: Vegan menu; menu in English and Spanish, Downtown location, Wifi
Cons: Bland, uninspired food, Service was awkward
Guest
anhaiying
Points +51
Bad food, unfriendly staff - Edit
When they took away our sandwiches at the border of Uruguay, we had no other choice than to go to Irene's since I'm vegetarian and my friend is vegan. I ordered a burger with mashed pumpkin and my friend got noodles with vegetables. The lady of the house was not friendly at all and just seemed in a very bad mood. The food tasted bland (I would even say it tasted bad) and was over priced. I guess she doesn't have any competition in Colonia.
Read moreGuest
citizenInsane
Points +1571
Expensive and not worth it - Edit
I had a cabbage-apple-pineapple salad that was expensive (200 pesos, about 8.5 dollars) and came with canned pineapple. The service was really not very friendly. But as has been said before, it's one of the rare spots where you can find vegan meals in Colonia.
Read moreGuest
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