Beyond the cobblestones in Colonia del Sacramento: five tips

Just across the River Plate, Colonia del Sacramento is one of the most popular day trips for visitors to Buenos Aires — a one-hour ferry ride to a true colonial spot with original cobblestones, an actual 17th century fort, a lighthouse and, of course, amazing sunset views on the river.  Among porteños, though, there’s a tongue-in-cheek notion: couples who take a day tour there are actually on the verge of breaking up. Myth or not, beyond the postcard Old Quarter and the tourist-trap parrillas offering huge double-size chivitos lies a quieter, more authentic food scene.  A short wander can reveal some of the town’s best bites — from a destination bakery to no-fuss Napolitanean pizza, homemade ice cream, a beloved chivito spot and inventive sushi with river views. Albertine Pan y Café 18 de julio 233Thursday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Set in a beautiful colonial house right next to the Old Quarter, Albertine is nothing less than one of the finest bakeries in the whole River Plate area, easily beating most of the high-profile pastry shops in Buenos Aires.  Ran by friendly Brazilian expats Thiago and Juliana — and their children — Albertine is a warm, family place where you can expect great music, amazing bread, dedicated coffee choices, a pitch-perfect pao de queijo — they sell frozen packs of them, which we highly recommend — and a variety of excellent pastries, from cinnamon rolls to lemon and banana breads. The very definition of cozy, Albertine also offers a couple of lunch choices. Napo General Flores 112Tuesdays to Sundays, 8 p.m. to midnightSaturdays and Sundays also noon to 4 p.m. Colonia del Sacramento’s finest pizza is as discreet as its ambiance. While located on the town’s main avenue, a few meters away from the river, Napo gives out a quiet feel with simple decor and lots of natural light coming into the ample salon, crowned by the huge pizza oven.  The menu features more than a dozen choices of Napolitanean-style pizza, so expect to have one per person. There is not much else to choose but pizza — but you don’t really need to. In a town where good pizza options are pretty scarce, Napo is the go-to place for a thin-crusted treat.   Knuss  General Flores 111Tuesdays to Thursdays, 2 p.m. to 11 p.m.Fridays and Saturdays, 1 p.m. to midnightSundays, 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. The Danish word for ‘hug’ fits the glove for this family-friendly ice cream parlor and coffee shop founded by Argentine owners. Knuss features a limited offer of 14 flavors (one of them rotates every week) based on local, seasonal produce.  It’s all about quality over numbers, as they use hand-picked produce and a thorough, precise process that includes extended maturing times — think actual mint leaves to produce chocolate mint flavor. Popular choices include dulce de leche (duh!), pistacchio and a combination of orange+lemon+ginger.Knuss is also a coffee shop that uses Brazilian specialty coffee from Montevideo-based toasters Ranch — so try the affogato!. If you want to stay away from the downtown tourist area, you can try their food truck at the Plaza de Toros.  Mi Carrito Don’t fall for the tourist-trap, overpriced chivito you’ll get in the Old Quarter fancy joints and the restaurants on Flores avenue. If you take a 15-minute walk into the town of Colonia to the corner of Lavalleja and Rivadavia you can dive into local life at one of the most popular “carritos” (foodtrucks) in town.  Mi Carrito is the go-to-place for lunch-breaks, so expect to see everyone greeting each other, from phone company Antel workers to teenage football teams coming out of the club a block away.  There is limited seating — a few plastic tables scattered around the corner — but the places serves what is hands-down the best chivito in town, with the toppings of your choice and a mandatory Pilsen bottle-neck beer. SIO Sushi Rivera 379Monday to Saturday, 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.Sundays, 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Chef Manuel Bernal serves the best fusion of Japanese and Peruvian food in town — probably in the whole of Uruguay. In a quiet salon that overlooks the River Plate, away from the hassle, the menu features reinterpretations of classic Nikkei sushi rolls, like their classic Sea and Earth, which combined fried prawns with lamb sweetbreads in Parmesan cheese and Huancaína sauce. Apart from fresh amazing rolls and tiraditos — and a solid step menu — SIO’s differential is the use of black truffles and foie gras, which delivers some surprising niguiris, like the Maguro Foie — tuna and duck foie gras with wild figs sauce — or the Geisha — a gratin sirloin with foie gras, truffle and demi-glace. You can pair all these with their craft beer options.