Panama Restaurants
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Panama - browse our top choices for Restaurants during your stay.
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1. El Ultimo Refugio
$$$ | |For a break from plantains and battered fish, this darling tin-roof restaurant with live music and a menu based on the freshest-of-the-fresh, is truly the “ultimate refuge” from the typical Bocas culinary scene. Strings of bulbs dangle above wooden tables on wide-plank floors perched over the water. Vegetables are refreshing and vibrant, and salsas are sweet and tangy atop mahimahi and tuna tartare served with homemade chips. The beetroot salad with blue cheese is excellent, as are mains like octopus on white bean puree or creamy shrimp risotto with sun-dried tomatoes and fried pumpkin seeds. The chef caters to vegans with flavorful yellow curry on coconut jasmine rice. The peanut butter Snickers pie has been known to make repeat customers out of those only in town for a week.
Calle 6a, Bocas del Toro, Bocas del Toro, Panama507-6726--9851Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. -
2. Guari-Guari
$$$$ | |Wooden tables, plastic chairs, and a tin roof hardly do justice to the spectacular six-course, prix-fixe dinner served here. A great deal of effort (and love) goes into each dish, prepared by Spanish chef Monica, who abandoned her law profession to be with German engineer "Ossi" (who serves as the restaurant's charming waiter). Together they have managed to break the barriers of Bocas's typical fare with a tasting menu that includes tuna carpaccio, spinach salad, and pork tenderloin with roasted potatoes and blue cheese sauce. Adding to the experience is the sound of crashing waves near the open-air restaurant. The menu changes daily, and special vegetarian courses can be provided upon request. Since the restaurant is surrounded by lush vegetation, mosquito coils are lit beside each table to keep the bugs away.
Bocas del Toro, Bocas del Toro, Panama507-6627--1825Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed., Reservations essential, No credit cards -
3. La Casa de Lourdes
$$$ | |After years of running one of Panama City's most popular restaurants, Lourdes Fabrega de Ward built this elegant place across from her retirement home so that she wouldn't get bored. It now seems unlikely that she'll ever retire, since old clients and a growing list of new fans pack the place on weekends, drawn by Lourdes' inventive menu and the magical ambience of her Tuscan-style casa. Meals are served on a back terrace with views of her garden and Cerro Gaital framed by high columns, arches, and an elegant pool. It is truly a house, and you enter through a spacious living room with couches, a piano, and family photos. She changes her menu frequently, but it always has a good mix of seafood and meat dishes, as well as amazing desserts. Reservations are essential on weekends.
Calle El Ciclo, El Valle, Coclé, 0211, Panama507-983–6450Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted -
4. La Posta
$$$ | Bella Vista |Elegant ambience and an innovative mix of Latin American and European flavors have kept La Posta one of Panama City's most popular restaurants. Located in a refurbished house just off Calle Uruguay, it has a classic Caribbean feel, with ceiling fans, cane chairs, colorful tile floors, and potted palms. There is usually Latin music playing, and the shiny hardwood bar stretching down one end of the dining room is the perfect place to sip a mojito. The menu changes regularly, but it always includes fresh seafood, USDA beef, and organic pork and chicken prepared in inventive ways, plus a few risottos and pastas. You can check current offerings on the restaurant's website. Reserve a table in the back, overlooking the small, tropical garden, and try your best to save room for dessert.
Calle 47 and Calle Uruguay, Panama City, Panamá, Panama507-269--1076Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun., Credit cards accepted -
5. Market
$$$ | Bella Vista |This trendy steak house a block off busy Calle Uruguay is the best option for a meat lover, whether you're in the mood for filet mignon or a cheeseburger. You can get USDA Omaha beef here, but it costs considerably more than the Panamanian beef. The chicken and pork are organic and free-range from the restaurant's own farm. You can also get such American classics as a Cobb salad or a side of macaroni and cheese, which are no doubt novelties for the predominantly Panamanian clientele. The steaks are excellent, but so is the Moroccan-style chicken with couscous, and the salmon grille beurre maitre d'hôtel. There's an extensive wine list, and the service is excellent. You may want to reserve a table on weekends, when this place gets packed and noisy. They also serve brunch from 11:30 to 2:30 on weekends.
Calle 48 between Calle Uruguay and Aquino de La Guardia, Panama City, Panamá, Panama507-226--9401Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Restaurante Panamonte
$$$ | |Though Boquete's first hotel now faces stiff competition, its stately restaurant remains one of the best in town. Created by award-winning Executive Chef Charlie Collins, inventive dishes are based on traditional Panamanian cuisine and might include pumpkin soup, shrimp-and-plantain croquettes, butter-poached trout, wild boar with chocolate demi-glace, and grilled beef tenderloin topped with a three-pepper sauce. Service is flawless in a historic European atmosphere that's hardly changed over the past century. Sunday breakfast is popular.
Av. 11 de Abril, Boquete, Chiriquí, Panama720–1324Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted -
7. Sugar and Spice Dulces Gourmet
$ | |Owned by master pastry chef Richard Meyer, this colorful café is perhaps the most popular place in town, meaning guests wait in line, all while being tempted by the glass case displaying strawberry cream cake, chunky brownie muffins, walnut cranberry pie, and coconut mousse cake. Travelers on a budget come for the $1 empanadas or the lunch specials of wraps, soups, sandwiches, and salads. The Italian melt with prosciutto and provolone is perfectly toasted, and the hot pressed pastrami on rye or roast beef on ciabatta makes it clear why Sugar & Spice supplies most Boquete hotels and restaurants with breads, all made from natural starters.
7th at Main Bajo Boquete, Boquete, Chiriquí, Panama730–9376Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed. -
8. The Dining Room at American Trade Hotel
$$$$ | |Set in the high-ceilinged lobby of the American Trade Hotel, The Dining Room is an elegant venue that pays great attention to detail. The stylish decor blends antique and contemporary touches, and the cuisine is largely the work of chef Clara Icaza, a well-regarded culinary expert who was named one of the top 20 young chefs by the Spanish-language Gato Pardo magazine. Top dinner choices feature an array of meat and seafood creations, including corn-dusted filet of cobia served with spicy piccata sauce, and beef tenderloin served with a sweet potato tamale and guava sauce. The wine list is equally impressive, with varietals from regions including Argentina, Australia, Chile, Italy, and Spain.
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9. 1985
$$$ | El Cangrejo |Named for the year it opened, this restaurant serves traditional French and Swiss cuisine in an eclectic mix of dining rooms. It holds the strange distinction of occupying the only building in Panama City that resembles a Swiss chalet. The owner, chef Willy Dingelman, trained in Lausanne then moved to Panama three decades ago, and has since developed a small restaurant and wine-importing empire. They consequently have an excellent wine cellar. When President Ricardo Martinelli was on the campaign trail, Dingelman promised he'd share a $15,000 bottle if he won the election; there's a photo of the post-election moment on the wall at the entrance. Dingelman's original Swiss restaurant, called the Rincón Suizo, is now a rustic dining room in the back of 1985—two menus under one roof. The decor is a bit of this and a bit of that, with a cluttered collection of chairs and couches in the long entrance, but people come here for the food, such as chicken cordon bleu, tenderloin in green peppercorn sauce, raclette, bratwurst, or Zürcher Geschnetzeltes (veal chunks in a mushroom cream sauce).
Calle Eusebio A. Morales, Panama City, Panamá, Panama507-263–8301Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted -
10. Alberto's
$$$ | Calzada Amador |The best tables here are across the drive from the main restaurant, overlooking the Flamenco Marina and the city skyline beyond, but they are also the first ones to fill up. The other options are to sit on the large covered terrace, cooled by ceiling fans, or in the air-conditioned dining room. The food here is good, but the service can be leisurely. The menu has something for everyone, including a good selection of pizzas and pastas, but seafood is usually the best choice. You can start with duo de mar (corvina and lobster in béchamel sauce) or mero (grouper) carpaccio, and move on to pizza, salmon ravioli in a creamy tomato sauce, corvina al cartucho (sea bass and julienne vegetables broiled in foil), or langostinos provençal (prawns sautéed with fine herbs and tomatoes). You may want to walk around the island a few times before visiting their Italian ice cream shop.
Panama City, Panamá, Panama507-314--1134Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted -
11. Beirut
$$ | Area Bancária |The interior of this Lebanese restaurant goes a bit overboard, with faux-stone columns and arches, but the food is consistently good, and the waitstaff is attentive. The extensive menu goes beyond the Middle East to include dishes such as grilled salmon and pizzas, but the best bets are the Lebanese dishes, which include an array of starters such as falafel, baba ghanoush, and nearly a dozen salads that can make for an inexpensive, light meal. It's a good choice for vegetarians. Be sure to order some fresh flat bread to go with your meal. Belly dancers perform on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 9 pm. There is a collection of hookahs for smoking on the patio, which is a nice place to eat at night, as long as it isn't full of hookah smokers. The owner also has a restaurant on the Amador Causeway.
Calles 52 and Ricardo Arias, Panama City, Panamá, Panama507-214--3815Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted -
12. Blue Coconut
$$ | |Only in Bocas del Toro would you find the area’s best bar built on stilts over the water in the middle of nowhere. Ten minutes outside of Bocas Town on Isla Solarte, this palapa bar-restaurant lures travelers who show up even before it opens at noon. Blue Coconut is known for its cold beers, fruity cocktails, reggae music, and crystal waters so clear you can see the bottom. Soak up the powerful drinks with a plate of yucca fries, fish tacos, coconut chicken, and blackened fish sandwiches. There are complimentary lounge chairs, hammocks, and snorkel gear, as well as stand-up paddleboards ($7/hour). This ultimate chill spot has excellent snorkeling, especially beneath the dock where neon fish nibble at pylons and coral. A boat taxi from Bocas runs about $10.
Bocas del Toro, Bocas del Toro, Panama507-6762--2058 -
13. Bruchetta
$ | |This small Italian restaurant next to the lobby of the Anton Valley Hotel has a covered terrace where you can watch the townsfolk roll by. The food is quite good and the menu includes an ample selection of salads and pastas, half a dozen different bruschetta, corvina (sea bass), salmon, and beef tenderloin. The nicest seating is on the front terrace, which has a view of the main road and the church, and access to Wi-Fi.
Av. Prinicpal, El Valle, Coclé, 0211, Panama507-983–5118Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Thurs., No credit cards -
14. Buena Vista Bar & Grill
$$ | |As one of Boca’s first restaurants catering to tourists, this waterfront bar and grill has been offering fresh ingredients with a view since 1997. Perched over the water, the back deck is one of the most pleasant places in town to have a meal since it overlooks the sea and nearby Isla Carenero. Start with the bean dip blended with cream, and move on to tasty dishes like the Greek wrap dribbled in homemade tzatziki or the fresh catch of the day. The menu ranges from filet mignon to the more daring jambalaya, enchiladas, and ginger-orange shrimp. Salads, burgers, and sandwiches made with imported meats and cheeses makes it a popular lunch spot. Save room for the Bocas Brownie made with organic Cerutti chocolate. Breakfast is served daily and there’s Happy Hour from 5 to 7.
Calle Tercera, Bocas del Toro, Bocas del Toro, Panama507-757--9035Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted -
15. Burricos
$ | |This Mexican grill might seem out of place in Volcán, but it’s a favorite among locals with its authentic street tacos piled high with battered fish, chorizo, and chicken. Rice, beans, slaw, and salsas come with main entrées, or you can opt for lunch classics like hamburgers or panini. The Michoacán-born Chef Jamie Ortega delivers traditional Mexican dishes of sopa de tortilla, enchiladas, mole, and chiles rellenos. Start with a sweet mango margarita and end with tasty tres leches. The colorful wooden tables and walls displaying ponchos and sombreros might make you forget where you’re traveling.
Via Volcán, Volcán, Chiriquí, Panama771–4325Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No dinner Sun. -
16. Caffé Pomodoro
$$ | El Cangrejo |Decent Italian food at reasonable prices served amidst tropical foliage make this restaurant in the Hotel Las Vegas a local favorite. Though there is a small air-conditioned dining room, the nicest tables are on the hotel's large interior patio, with its tropical trees, potted plants, and palms decorated with swirling Christmas lights. At lunch, it feels like a jungle oasis in the heart of the city, with birds singing in the branches above. The food is standard Italian, with eight varieties of homemade pastas served with any of a dozen different sauces, a variety of broiled meat and seafood dishes, personal pizzas, and focaccia sandwiches. For dessert, choose from chocolate cheesecake, tiramisu, and other treats. There is usually a guitarist playing at dinnertime Monday through Saturday, and the Wine Bar next door has acoustic Latin music until late.
Vía Veneto and Calle Eusebio A. Morales, Panama City, Panamá, Panama507-387--4455Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted -
17. Costa Azul
$$$ | Area Bancária |A bit of an institution, this large, 24-hour restaurant half a block south of Vía España is where locals head for a good meal at a reasonable price. The decor in the large, bright restaurant is functional, and the service can be slow when it's busy, but the terrace in front is a good place for people watching. The menu ranges from Panamanian classics such as bistec a la criolla (steak in a tomato sauce) to Spanish dishes such as corvina a la vasca (sea bass in a shrimp and clam sauce). An extensive list of daily specials printed on a piece of paper inserted into the menu is usually the best option, both in terms of price and freshness. They also make about 40 different emparedados (sandwiches), including the classic Cubano with salami, ham, roast beef, cheese, and toppings.
Calle Ricardo Arias, Panama City, Panamá, Panama507-269--0409 -
18. El Oasis
$$ | |Perched on the banks of Caldera River, this pleasant restaurant is Boquete's go-to place for an intimate meal. The smoked trout and pasta with prawns are delicious, but it's the rack of lamb in a rosemary crust that is a local favorite. For a romantic dinner, the fireside gazebo has the best view. A more social setting can be found at the bar, appropriately named "La Roca" (The Rock) for a boulder that washed onto the property during a rainstorm in 1970; the boulder remains. There's often live music, which can be enjoyed with a glass of wine or the tres leches dessert. Lighter fare of soups, salads, and sandwiches is also on the menu.
Boquete, Chiriquí, Panama720–1586Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted -
19. El Rincón del Chef
$$ | |In a colonial-style building on the road to Playa Coronado, this attractive restaurant serves a good variety of quality dishes. The menu changes daily, but always offers a good mix of meat and seafood dishes that feature a mix of Panamanian and international fare. There is invariably corvina (sea bass), langostinos (prawns), and grilled (rather expensive) USDA-certified beef, including a good burger. The ambiance—terra-cotta floors, ocher walls, and a high wooden-beams ceiling—is right out of the 19th century, except for the TV and ceiling fans.
Playa Coronado, Coclé, Panama507-345–2072Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted -
20. El Trapiche
$ | El Cangrejo |El Trapiche is a popular spot for traditional Panamanian food, thanks to its convenient location and reasonable prices. The menu includes all the local favorites, from ropa vieja (stewed beef) to cazuelo de mariscos (seafood stew) and sancocho (chicken soup). They serve inexpensive set lunches, and typical Panamanian breakfasts, which include bistec encebollado (skirt steak smothered in onions), tortillas (thick deep-fried corn patties), and carimañolas (cassava croquets stuffed with ground beef). The decor is appropriately folksy, with drums, Carnaval masks, and other handicrafts hanging on the walls, and a barrel-tile awning over the front terrace, at the end of which is the old trapiche (traditional sugarcane press) for which the place is named. The owners also have a branch location at Albrook Mall.
Vía Argentina, Panama City, Panamá, Panama507-269--4353Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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