Panama City Restaurant Picks
1. Barandas Restaurant at the Bristol Hotel: For great cuisine and a "Panamanian Food Experience" Barandas is a must- It offers a unique menu of Panamanian-style and international delectable dishes and appetizers made from the freshest, native ingredients and desserts to die for.
Barrandas cuisine compares favorably to the finest restaurantsin the world. A creation of Panama's famous chef Cuquita Arias, who is called "the Martha Stewart of Panama” by Travel and Leisure magazine for her extraordinary culinary talents. Recommended best sellers include the appetizers Plaintain Wantons and for a main dish Sea Bass in Tamarindo Sauce. And beware the desserts.
In the Bristol Hotel in the business district.
Tel: 265.7844
2. La Posta: A popular gourmet bistro with a tropical classic menu of culinary excellence, and pizza from wood burning oven. Housed historically in a turn-of-century Panamanian house with a full bar and excelllent wine list. Tel: 269.1076. Reservations required. www.lapostapanama.com
3. Eurasia- European- Asian Fusion cuisine: Daring European-Asian fusion cuisine chef in a setting of lavish decor and art with some of the best service in Panama. Favorites include jumbo shrimp in tropical tamarind sauce, rice pilaf with coconut milk and the fabulous all-you-can eat dessert buffet. Euruasia has received numerous rave reviews in publications such as the New York Times and Frommers Panama Guide and the Lonely Planet. lt was twice awarded the Five Star Diamond from the New York Academy of Hospitality Sciences.
4. 1985/Rincon Suizo- If European cuisine is your favorite don't miss this famous restaurant. Prize winning Chef Willy Diggelman 1985 Restaurant is called the "best of France in Panama". 1985's best sellers include Tenderloin Steak in Fresh Green Pepper Sauce and for dessert a tropical mousse-Guanabana Mousse with Passion Fruit Sauce. 1985/Rincon Suizo is the only establishment in Latin America to receive Wine Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence and the British magazine PrivatAir calls its wine selection one of the top seven in the world.
Adjacent Rincon Suizo, is called "the best of Switzerland in Panama". It offers moderately priced fine European and Swiss cuisine.
In the El Cangrejo section of the business district near the El Panama Hotel.
Tel: 263.8541
5. Café Barko: For an unforgettable night out or lunch swept by sea breezes, Cafe Barko on the spectacular Amador Causeway has panoramic views of the Panama City skyline and the Panama Canal. This great eatery specializes in a wide variety in seafood, sushi and traditional Panamanian cuisine including fresh lobster and King Crab from the Atlantic Ocean, jumbo prawns and shrimp, clams, calamari, octopus. Barko sushi is some of the best anywhere. Best sellers include the house ceviche, Panama's famous corvina with a choice of tropical and asian sauces and the sushi. Barko has one of Panama's complete wine list,a full cocktail bar,the best sangria in town and a bi-lingual staff. Recommended in the Boston Globe as the place for seafood in Panama. Dining at Cafe Barko means a visit to Amador Causeway- a tourism must-do.
Tel:314.0000
6. Madame Chang's - Widely regarded as the top Chinese restaurant in Central America and with good reason. This chic, quietly elegant restaurant is a very popular place. The menu selection includes the usual favorite Chinese dishes plus some unexpected dishes, all of them prepared with a gourmet flare.
In the restaurant section of the business district.
Tel.269.1313
7.Miraflores Restaurant at the Panama Canal. Called by Lonely Planet one of the top 5 places to dine in Panama and recommended by the New York Times, the Miraflores Restaurant is the only place in the world where you can dine and watch 4 million ton vessels pass silently by through Canal locks. Offering excellent seafood and international dishes, the restaurant is also is part of the Panama Canal Visitors Center- that means you can combine seeing the Panama Canal Museum with an unforgettable lunch. Or dine at night when night views of the lit up locks and ships are no less stunning.
Tel: 232/3120 Located just 20 minutes from downtown Panama City,serving 11am to 11pm.
8. Restaurante de Las Americas: Regarded as having the best Italian food in Panama, Chef Rafael, with 40 years of experience, invents new dishes every week using fresh seasonal ingredients. Favorites include seabass with fresh salted mushrooms, our green ravioli stuffed with salmon in tarragon sauce, as well as our fresh home-made pasta. The ambience is elegant Mediterranian. Ask for Chef Rafael and he will personally assist you with the menu. A separate Vinoteca room for private events, has its own wine cellar, for an evening of wine tasting from an extensive selection, complemented by a special“Vinoteca menu.” In the Obarrio section of the Business district, 58th street. Tel:223.7734/4676
9.Trapiche - Widely regarded as the place for typical Panamanian food. Delicious Panamanian cuisine at this very popular restaurant, centrally located on Via Argentina-breakfast lunch and dinner- generous portions and very reasonable prices. Try the covina in garlic sauce and the "tamal de olla"-. Recommended by the New York Times. Tel: 269.4353
10. Martin Fierro - The place for meat lovers: A wide selection of grilled meats and an international menu. In the El Cangrejo section of the business district near El Panama Hotel.
Best Views:
Miraflores Restaurant at the Panama Canal
TGIF’s at the Country Inn and Suites on Amador Causeway. Spectacular view of the Panama Canal with ships floating by, the Bridge of the Americas with mountains in the background. Especially recommended at sunset.
On Amador Causeway.
Tel: 211.4500
Cafe Barko, Las Pencas, Albertos,Bucanero and other smaller establishments all on Amador Causeway offer sweeping views of the Panama City skyline on Panama Bay - views are great by both day and night.
On Amador Causeway.El Barko: Tel: 314.1000 Las Pencas: 211.2579 Bucanero: Tel: 314.0880
IN CASCO VIEJO: Great Ambience in Casco Viejo:
Las Bovedas - Built in the historic stone vaults of Spanish colonial days, once used as dungeons and facing Plaza Francia on Panama Bay. Fine French and international dishes.
