Though it feels more laid-back than some of Panama City's classic fine dining restaurants, the food coming out of this kitchen is the most innovative and exciting in the city, if not the entire country. Maito is set in a Canal-style house with stone floors and plenty of patio seating, plus its own organic garden, the harvest of which gets incorporated into the menu. The kitchen infuses elements from the cuisine of the country's many ethnicities, ranging from Chinese to indigenous groups to the Afro-Panamanian fare of the Caribbean coast. The menu changes often, though expect to find plates like farm-raised octopus with a honey glaze, or short ribs with coconut aioli, representative of the new class of future-forward Panamanian food that's being invented here. Spanish-trained chef Mario Castrellón and his team form the foodie core of Panama City, and their elaborate—yet unbelievably valued—tasting menus are not to be missed. (There are a la carte options as well).