Atelier Francis Mallmann review: The celebrity chef's restaurant with rooms in the 'Marfa of South America'

Chef Francis Mallmann is responsible for transforming a beautiful, but forgotten town in Uruguay, into an internationally-renowned culinary and Arts hub.

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Atelier Francis Mallmann
(Image credit: Atelier Francis Mallmann)

Atelier Francis Mallmann

(Image credit: Atelier Francis Mallmann)

At dinner on my first night at Atelier Francis Mallmann, I watched as a pair of German bikers ordered the entire menu. It’s a common sight. The restaurant — in the small ranching town of Garzón — is chef Francis Mallmann’s flagship and has become a Mecca for people who travel on behalf of their appetites. Each breakfast, lunch and dinner is a chance to devour succulent grilled steaks, wood-oven empanadas, dulce de leche ice creams and the seasonal dishes that have secured his reputation as one of Latin America’s culinary greats.

Opened in 2003, on the site of a former general store, the hotel is also famous for revitalising Garzón, a forgotten, yet undeniably beautiful town in the heart of Uruguayan wine country that now an upscale culinary and artistic hub. There is a sculpture park, a myriad international art galleries and modern art residencies, including CAMPO Garzón.

The area is accessible by car or by a bus that, the driver’s mood permitting, departs for Montevideo on Tuesday mornings.

After a week by the coast, and on invitation from his daughter Allegra, I jumped at the chance to stay.

Like the German bikers, I was prepared to enact La Grande Bouffe (1973) on Mallmann’s menu, but, in the moments between those gluttonous sessions, my bungalow became a home and I fell for Garzón’s village life. ‘We wanted a place where people could feel at peace,’ said Mallmann.

I wandered the streets meeting the locals. Some were gallerists, photographers or architects — others friendly gauchos. I am still in touch with a few of them.

Atelier Francis Mallmann

(Image credit: Atelier Francis Mallmann)

Atelier Francis Mallmann is laissez-faire luxury. The rooms are whitewashed, spacious and sparsely decorated — save for hallmarks such as bowls of fresh lemons.

Atelier Francis Mallmann

(Image credit: Atelier Francis Mallmann)

There are two pools, both of which are heated, asado barbecues and outdoor kitchens. If I wanted five-star hotel service, all I had to do was make a quick call to reception, or strike up a conversation with a member of staff at breakfast, but I was just as able to disappear into the rhythms of village life at my own pace.

Mallmann was among the first to recognise Garzón’s charms. It has since been described as his ‘Macondo’, from Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s 100 Years of Solitude —a forgotten corner of the world revived by outsiders, where the heavy, peaceful silence is punctuated by bird song.

Like its fictional counterpart, Garzón is hard to leave. That trip, I extended my stay twice.

Rooms at Atelier Francis Mallmann start from $450 (about £335) per night. Visit the website for more information and to book.

Chris Cotonou
Chris Cotonou

Chris Cotonou is a writer who lives between London and Tunis. He is the deputy editor of culture journal A Rabbit's Foot and is the author of Columbia Pictures: 100 Years of Cinema, published by Assouline. Over the years, he has been fortunate to interview a variety of great artists and filmmakers — including Martin Scorsese, Jeremy O Harris and Luca Guadagnino ‚ for the likes of Esquire, the London Evening Standard and GQ. His great passion lies in writing travel stories, and he has published essays for the Financial Times and other outlets on Lebanon's Golden Age haunts, new Athens, Florentine sandwiches, Cypriot holy wine, and Tunisia's harissa trail.