Panama
The food scene in Panama was amazing. I highly recommend this country for its culinary scene and other attributes.
Fast Food
Pio Pio
According to their website, Pio Pio is the largest chain restaurant in Panama. I was curious about it as I had seen many location driving throughout the country, and decided to stop to give it a try. In addition to fried chicken, they have traditional items on the menu like Sancocho (a soup which I first had in the Dominican Republic, and in my opinion, is the best place I’ve had it, the Panamanian version is not as flavorful). We started with the crispy chicken sandwich:
This was delicious. The combination of a crispy filet with American cheese, and soft bread is hard to mess up. The fried chicken was just ok. Jollibee has the best fast food fried chicken in my opinion (get the spicy with some gravy).
Restaurant
Maito
My last dinner on a recent trip to Panama was at Maito, rated as the “6th Best Restaurant in Latin America” by the 50 Best List. I think it was well deserved. Flavors were full of umami, and creatively incorporated Asian elements, into Panamanian dishes. As I wrote about in a previous post, Asian cuisine is actually a big part of the Panamanian food scene.
I went with the tasting menu which started with this delicious broth. The broth was their take on a classic San Cocho and was smoky and good.
Restaurant
Riesen
On a recent trip to Panama, I had the absolute pleasure of dining at Riesen. A couple weeks before our scheduled reservation, I had been in communication with the chef. He informed me that although they usually close on Easter Monday, he would open the restaurant the day we had reserved, and that he had a soft spot for Canada, as that was where he had completed part of his training. Nothing could of prepared us for the surprise that was to come…
When we arrived at the restaurant, we realized that we were the only ones dining there that evening!
Restaurant
Luna Rooftop Bar
Just before dinner, we decided to start the night out at this amazing rooftop bar in Panama City – Luna. The views are just gorgeous and you can see the entire skyline.
The music and service were really good too…
Aside from that, the food was surprisingly good, a recurring theme ANYWHERE we went in Panama. These ceviche truffled tacos were so DELICIOUS:
If you find yourself in Panama City, I highly recommend this place. I would go back; in fact, I can’t wait to go back to Panama City and explore the venues more. I was highly impressed by the city! A highly underrated destination.
Restaurant
Caleta
My first meal in Panama surprised me. My second meal in Panama (lunch) confirmed for me that the country was an amazing place to eat. Everyone is so passionate about the food and ingredients. We were staying at the newly opened Sofitel in Casco Viejo. Casco Viejo is the old part of the city with amazing colonial architecture. The hotel itself is amazing too, and I will review it in a separate post. I would recommend anyone visiting Panama City to spend at least one night in Casco Viejo and the rest in the newer areas of the city.
Before departing Panama City for the next leg of our Panama trip, we had lunch at the hotel’s restaurant Caleta.
Restaurant
Kaandela
Before a recent trip to my 52nd country, Panama, I did what I always do prior to travelling somewhere, research where to eat. What I expected to get in Panama, and what I actually got, were completely different. The Panamanian food scene was so good, and blew away all my expectations. In fact, I would consider Panama to be on my Top 10 best countries to eat (maybe Top 5) list. I would compare it to Peru, which is widely praised for its gastronomy, and is one of my more memorable trips both in terms of food and culture.
One of the places that was recommended to me was Kaandela, which was described to me as “fusion Panamanian cuisine”. This immediately turned me off.
Hotel
Isla Palenque – Day 1
One of the more unique experiences I had on a recent trip to Panama was staying a couple of nights at Isla Palenque. Its basically jungle “glamping” on an exclusive island. In order to get here, you will need to get to the docks at Boca Chica. From there, the hotel rep will meet you and a boat will take you to the island where the hotel is the only inhabitant. There are two ways to get to Boca Chica:
1. Fly to David from Panama City and then car to Boca Chica
2. Drive (this is what we did, its 6 hours from Panama City or 4 hours from the Buenaventura Golf and Beach resort where we were staying prior to coming)
Hotel
Isla Palenque – Day 2
Day 2 at Isla Palenque started with breakfast being brought to our casita:
This was followed by a boat excursion which started with some snorkeling. It was ok and there were some colorful fish, but it wasn’t great compared to other snorkeling spots around the world and then a picnic on a private island set up by the boat crew.
Although the setting was incredible, you should note that the Pacific side of Panama does not have white sand beaches or crystal blue water like you will find on the Caribbean side. This was a typical view during the boat ride.
Hotel
Isla Palenque – Day 3
I woke up on day 3 in Isla Palenque to another amazing breakfast. Today, there was a beef, and some sort of starch which I don’t recall the name of, recommended to me by our server. Apparently, it was local to the region and only served on special days.
After breakfast, we went on a kayak excursion to a nearby cave. To be honest, the excursion was a bit disappointing because the actual kayaking time was very short and I was looking forward to a workout! Also, the cave was not that interesting.
Hotel
Sofitel Casco Viejo
The Sofitel Casco Viejo is located in the old part of Panama City. Its a new hotel (opened in October 2022 I believe), and if you are going to Panama City, I would highly recommend you split your stay between here and another hotel in the “newer” part of the city so you can experience all that the city has to offer. The lobby is gorgeous and has some nice tile work of the Panama Canal.
The hotel is set on the water and here is a night time shot of the hotel and pool from our balcony.
Upon check in, we were upgraded due to our Accor status. The room was fantastic.
Buenaventura Golf and Beach Resort
El Faro
When booking my trip to Panama, it was an impulsive idea and I didn’t know that the trip was over the Holy Week, and apparently, everything in Panama shuts down during this time so my idea was to get out of Panama City, see some beaches and jungle, and then explore the city at the end of the trip, after the Holy Week.
We drove about 2 hours from Panama City to the Buenaventura Golf and Beach Resort. The resort itself is ok, the beach had a beautiful sunset.