Panama through its cuisine
Panama's gastronomy is a melting pot of indigenous, Afro-Caribbean, Spanish, Chinese and American influences. This guide features real restaurants with verified reviews on TripAdvisor, OpenTable and Degusta Panama.
Panama City
The most diverse culinary scene in Central America. Skyscraper-view restaurants, market stalls, ceviche for breakfast and world-class steakhouses — all within one city.
🦞 Seafood & Ceviche
Market / Street Food
Mercado de Mariscos
✦ Must try: Fresh corvina ceviche, shrimp and octopus cocktails. 70+ stalls.
💡 The temple of ceviche in PTY. Breakfast ceviche like the locals.
Panamanian Cuisine
Cantina del Tigre
✦ Must try: Fried aranitas, octopus croquettes, seafood rice with concolón, coffee flan with white cheese.
💡 Share plates at the center of the table. The coffee flan is the most talked-about dessert on social media.
Mediterranean Fusion & Seafood
Azahar Panama
✦ Must try: Ceviches, tiraditos, sushi, handmade pasta, risottos. 90+ wine labels.
💡 One of Panama's top-rated on TripAdvisor. Elegant ambiance.
Traditional Seafood
La Casa del Marisco
✦ Must try: Seafood zarzuela, lobster salad, seafood soup.
💡 Cocktail bar at the entrance. Perfect for celebrations.
Traditional Panamanian
El Trapiche
✦ Must try: Ropa vieja, seafood cazuelo, sancocho, carimañolas, bistec encebollado.
💡 The Panamanian favorite for authentic local food. Always packed.
🥩 Steakhouses & Grills
Artisan Steakhouse
Caliope Steakhouse
✦ Must try: Premium cuts, brisket, ribs, the iconic Anti-Coquette burger.
💡 International chefs. Burger Week 2024 winner.
Artisan BBQ
BBQ Fellas
✦ Must try: Slow-smoked brisket, ribs, artisan burgers. Homemade desserts.
💡 Grand Master Champion BBQ Fest 2022. Outdoor terrace and family atmosphere.
Premium Smokehouse
THE Restaurant HH
✦ Must try: Smoked meats, artisan bread, gourmet desserts. Restored colonial space.
💡 A unique gastronomic experience in Panama. For special occasions. Reservation required.
🌿 Vegetarian & Plant-Based
Vegetarian / Vegan (90%)
Dodo Bon Pan Café
✦ Must try: Vegan sandwiches, avocado toast, Sunday brunch, vegan tres leches.
💡 Charming atmosphere in Casco. Run by its owners. Fills up fast.
Vegan
Loving Hut
✦ Must try: Asian-vegan cuisine. Changing daily menu. Very affordable.
💡 Global chain with excellent local reviews. Multiple locations in PTY.
Desserts
Healthy: Dodo Bon Pan Café (vegan tres leches, key lime pie $5–$9) · Indulgent: Cantina del Tigre (coffee flan with white cheese $8–$12) · Azahar Panama (gourmet pastries $9–$15) · Traditional: Tembleque de coco · Bienmesabe · Chicheme · Arroz con leche · Tropical fruit raspao
Boquete & Highlands
The cloud forest capital of Panama doubles as a culinary destination. Farm-to-table dining, world-famous Geisha coffee and the best ratings in the country outside the capital.
☕ Specialty Coffee & Top Restaurants
Italian Farm-to-Table
RetroGusto Restaurant & Bar
✦ Must try: Handmade pasta, wood-fired pizzas, carpaccio, lobster, Angus burgers.
💡 #1 in Boquete. 4.8★ with 1,394 reviews on TripAdvisor. Closed Mondays.
Contemporary International
Nomad Restaurant & Lounge
✦ Must try: Seasonal menu with regional ingredients. Curated wine list.
💡 4.9★ — the best rating in Boquete. Intimate and sophisticated. Reservation required.
Steakhouse & Grill
Butcher Chophouse
✦ Must try: Premium cuts, grills, smoked ribs with volcano view.
💡 4.8★ — the best steakhouse in Boquete.
Fine Dining & Highland Coffee
T'ACH Restaurant — Hotel Panamonte
✦ Must try: Finca Lerida Geisha coffee, fireplace, local trout, seasonal menu.
💡 Referenced in Condé Nast Traveller. Nelson lighting the fireplaces is an experience.
Specialty Coffee
Buckle Tip Coffee Studio
✦ Must try: Geisha and Chiriquí varieties with precision filter methods.
💡 4.9★ on TripAdvisor. One of the best specialty coffee shops in the country.
Desserts
Strawberries with cream (the most famous dessert in Boquete, $3–$7) · Otto Gastronomia Italiana (artisan tiramisu $5–$12)
Bocas del Toro
Caribbean flavors, coconut, fresh fish and lobster. Bocas mixes bohemian energy with authentic Afro-Caribbean recipes passed down through generations.
🌊 Seafood & Caribbean Cuisine
Caribbean Cuisine & Fusion
El Pecado de Josefina
✦ Must try: Lobster, shrimp, seared tuna and Bocas cacao dessert.
💡 Reviews highlight the seared tuna and cacao dessert. Live music.
Healthy & Vegetarian
Leaf Eaters Café
✦ Must try: Fish burgers, vegan Portobello French Dip, fresh salads.
💡 Panama's best fish burgers according to reviews. Isla Carenero, 5 min by water taxi.
Seafood & Caribbean Tapas
Caballito del Mar
✦ Must try: Creole shrimp, Caribbean ceviche, fish tacos.
💡 Over the water. A manta ray passes under the dock regularly.
Desserts
Bocas cacao dessert · Coconut bread with honey · Artisan coconut ice cream · Fresh tropical fruit juices
Pedasí & Azuero
The most authentic food in Panama. No menus, no online presence — just honest cuisine made the way it's always been made in the interior.
🐄 Traditional Food — The Most Authentic in the Country
Fresh Pacific Seafood
Beach Ranchos — Pedasí
✦ Must try: Fried corvina, shrimp ceviche, seafood cocktails. Tables facing the Pacific.
💡 The ranchos facing Playa El Toro and La Garita are the most authentic.
Traditional Azuero Cuisine
Market Fondas — Chitré & Las Tablas
✦ Must try: Pesé chorizos (the country's best), ropa vieja, sancocho de gallina criolla.
💡 No menu, no online presence. The most honest cooking in the interior.
Desserts
Dulce de nance · Sopa borracha · Mazamorra · Passion fruit flan · Festival raspados
Coronado & Central Pacific
1.5 hours from the city, the Central Pacific coast offers fresh seafood on the beach and the flavors of El Valle de Antón's highlands.
🏖️ Seafood & Family Grills
Fresh Pacific Seafood
Beach Ranchos Coronado
✦ Must try: Fried corvina, shrimp ceviche, seafood cocktails with Pacific view.
💡 Informal beach ranchos are the most authentic experience.
Local Cuisine & Coffee
El Valle de Antón — Local Restaurants
✦ Must try: Trout, pollo al disco, criolla food. 45 min from Coronado.
💡 Their own proposal based on river trout and highland vegetables.
Desserts
El Valle artisan ice cream (soursop, passion fruit) · Highland fruit jams from the market
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