2 Best Restaurants in Chiriqui Province, Panama

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.

Next to The Riverside Inn, this place's greatest asset is its view of the Palo Alto River and the forest beyond it. If the weather is nice, you may want to sit outside near the riverbank, though the large picture windows also let you enjoy the scenery from inside. The food is tasty and inventive, though service can be slow. Starters range from corvina (sea bass) ceviche to hydroponic salads. Entrées worth sinking your teeth into include pork ribs with sugarcane and papaya sauce and a sesame-crusted salmon filet on a creamy risotto. The grilled portobello burger with cream cheese and cranberry filling makes for a unique vegetarian option. Monday night features live jazz and two-for-one cocktails from 6 to 7.