Restaurants in Panama City
Casco Viejo is home to some of the city's best international restaurants, like S'cena. High-end and mid-range options, such as Madame Chang and S'cena, cluster around El Cangrejo, Obarrio, and the Amador Causeway. There are budget eateries serving typical almuerzos corrientes (daily menus) throughout the city, but they tend to close early. Most restaurants are open until at least 10pm on weekdays and later on weekends. A 10% service charge is generally included.
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18 Results
- Greek
Athanasiou
The senses are overwhelmed by the sweet smell of baked goods at this classy Greek pastry shop and café on a busy road in the San Francisco neighborhood. This is a family-operated chain that dates to 1938, and includes locations in Greece, Boston, and now Panama. Athanasiou is a…$San Francisco - Cafe
Bajareque Coffee House and Roastery
Though Panama doesn't grow nearly as much coffee as Costa Rica or neighboring Colombia, it does have some exceptional beans, particularly those from the Boquette area. This small roastery and café in a narrow colonial building is the Panama City home of the region's Elida Estate…$Casco Viejo - Spanish
Bon Vivant
Part gourmet grocery and part tapas bar, Bon Vivant opened in 2013 to much fanfare. Aside from carrying many hard-to-find culinary products like craft beers, Spanish cheeses, and spices from around the world, the dining area here is one of the most relaxed spots in town for a bite…$San Francisco - Ice Cream
Granclement
Cool down in this one-room, stylish, French-style ice cream shop, with checkered tile floors and stone walls, while doing the rounds in Casco Viejo. First absorb their air conditioning, then savor one of their artisan-style ice creams and sorbets. Flavors range from the obligatory…$Casco Viejo - BBQ/Panamanian
Humo
Humo could be called the world's first Panamanian barbecue restaurant. Mario Castrellón, who owns nearby Maito, has combined American-style Southern barbecue with local ingredients to stunning results. The two-level space in a wooden house definitely has an Austin-like vibe going for…$$San Francisco - Italian
La Posta
The flagship of a mini-empire of restaurants from David Henesy and Carolina Rodriguez, La Posta has been attracting the jet set since it opened in 2005. Evoking 1950s Havana with its wicker ceiling fans, patterned tile floors, tropical foliage, and plantation-style architecture, this…$$Bella Vista/Area Bancaria (Financial District) - International
La Trona
Set in the landmark former home of a famous pollera dancer named Ramona Lefevre, La Trona is one of the most original restaurants in Panama City. The décor combines wall-size Renaissance oil paintings, lots of mirrors, coffered ceilings, and red curtains, resulting in a space…$$Bella Vista - International
Las Clementinas
This intimate restaurant, carved out of a meticulously restored colonial building that also houses the Las Clementinas boutique hotel, is one of Casco's most stylish. The bar area is exceptionally lovely, though I still prefer the patios, if the temperature allows it. One outdoor…$$Casco Viejo - Panamanian
Las Tinajas
Sure it's touristy, maybe to a fault, but Las Tinajas became a popular attraction for a reason. The primary draws here are the excellent costumed folkloric performances that take place at 9pm on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings ($5 cover charge, $10 minimum). This is…$El Cangrejo - Spanish/Contemporary
Madrigal
After helming some of Madrid's most renowned restaurants (Balzac, Alboroque), Spanish chef Andres Madrigal moved to Panama. In mid-2013 he opened this sleek two-level restaurant in a beautifully renovated building in the Casco Viejo. The restaurant features impossibly pretty…$$Casco Viejo - Panamanian/Contemporary
Maito
Though it feels more laid-back than some of Panama City's classic fine dining restaurants, the food coming out of this kitchen is the most innovative and exciting in the city, if not the entire country. Maito is set in a Canal-style house with stone floors and plenty of patio…$$San Francisco - Panamanian
Manolo Caracol
There's no menu for the most part at Manolo Caracol, only a prix-fixe set lunch or an elaborate 10-course dinner. Spanish owner Manuel Madueño works with seasonal, high-quality ingredients that he finds in Panama City's markets, integrating them beautifully into simple yet original…$$Casco Viejo - Steakhouse
Market
Market is Panama City's premier American-style steakhouse and burger bar and it's often crowded. As with owner David Henesy's sibling spot La Posta, the atmosphere here is clean and the space is beautifully designed (zebra-print floors, polished concrete, walls lined with bottles of…$$Bella Vista/Area Bancaria (Financial District) - Chinese
Palacio Lung Fung
This busy, out-of-the-way dim sum palace might offer the most classic Panama City restaurant experience. It's best at breakfast, as is the Cantonese way, though you can stick around for midday or dinner to find no-frills Chinese-Panamanian classics like chow mein, which was created…$ - Seafood
Restaurant Mercado del Mariscos
The freshest seafood in Panama City is without a doubt at the Mercado del Marisco (Fish Market), where a fleet of more than a thousand small fishing boats from villages all along Panama's Pacific coast unload their catch. While some visitors may be frightened off by the sheer number…$Caledonia - Panamanian/International
Riesen
Chef Hernan Correa Riesen opened this small, casual, farm-to-table restaurant in a nondescript space in El Cangrejo with prize money from annual food festival Panama Gastronomica. He also had some help from his mother and grandmother, who can be seen at the restaurant taking orders.…$El Cangrejo - Panamanian/Contemporary
Salsipuedes
In 2012, local celebrity chef Cuquita Arias de Calvo reworked her space in the posh Bristol boutique hotel into Salsipuedes, which quickly made a name for itself. Decorated with hand-painted clay tiles, contemporary photography, and plenty of flowers, the restaurant takes in the best…$$El Cangrejo/Area Bancaria (Financial District) - Contemporary
Solo
With so many mediocre hotel restaurants in Panama City, Solo, inside the Riande Urban Granada, is a breath of fresh air. The sleek, formal space, with large windows looking out at the lovely pool area, is filled with pop art and design features like ambient lighting. The two…$$El Cangrejo/Area Bancaria (Financial District)
