Panama offers safe and cost-effective dining options, perfect for those planning a trip to Panama. Restaurants provide budget meals starting at $5 a plate or offer more upscale offerings of $15+ a plate, ensuring a diverse range of dining experiences for travelers exploring the country.
Panamanians love seafood, with one of their favourite dishes being grilled corvina (sea bass). You can also get it ceviche style or as a crispy fry.
1. Cocadas
Cocadas are sweet coconut cookies that have long been enjoyed throughout Latin America and Panama as a tasty and filling snack. Oven-baked, they’re then served warm to maintain a soft, chewy texture – and some chefs even use food coloring to match national flags for an exciting and patriotic dessert!
This recipe is an ideal activity for kids to help make. By using a cookie scoop, they can measure and scoop cocadas onto the baking sheet before adding in some shredded coconut – although this process should always be monitored since the oven can get quite hot!
Panama City offers both international dining establishments and local eateries serving traditional foods, but one of the best bets is Lo Que Hay (translated “what there is”) with its chalkboard menu featuring dishes like spicy pickled pigs’ feet and fried yuca (similar to French fries). For seafood options during your Trip to Panama head to Mercado de Mariscos where ceviche of corvina or shrimp ceviches and fresh fruit juices are readily available.
2. Ron Ponche
Fried food reigns supreme in Panama, which boasts an array of delectable snacks. Carimanola, made up of small yucca balls stuffed with ground meat or cheese and deep-fried until golden crispness, is one of the country’s signature bites and an ideal way to kickstart a gay Panama City tour experience!
Chicheme, a refreshing beverage created from boiling corn with cinnamon, sugar and nutmeg is another tasty snack option. When fermented it can turn into a popular alcoholic drink in Latin America while its non-alcoholic version remains tasty and refreshing.
Panama is famous for its delicious beverages. Make sure to sample some local beer from one of their many national brands, and try Ron Ponche, Panamanian version of egg nog that tastes best when enjoyed slowly and with friends during Christmas season.
3. Ropa Vieja
Ropa Vieja is one of Panama’s signature dishes: it is an irresistibly succulent meat stew consisting of tender pieces of beef cooked slowly in tomato-based sauce. According to legend, this dish earned its name when an old man cooked up his worn out and threadbare clothing to feed his family! While it’s enjoyed throughout Central America, ropa vieja particularly shines here in Panama.
This dish is often served with boiled rice and patacones or yuca fritters as an accompaniment. Patacones are twice-toasted plantains that look similar to tostones; they’re popular snacks throughout Panama, often being used to scoop up the rich stew that is Ropa Vieja.
Yuca fritters are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside – an ideal pair with the meaty flavors of ropa vieja or as an afternoon treat or sweet treat! Panama is famous for its seafood offerings – you’re likely to find plenty of pargo (red snapper), corvina (sea bass), langostino, and jumbo shrimp dishes available across its territory.
4. Arroz Con Guandu
Panamanian cuisine is an incredible mix of African, Spanish, and indigenous influences and cuisines. When planning your “Trip to Panama,” be prepared to experience a delightful fusion of flavors. Corn, coconuts, yuccas, and plantains are popular ingredients found throughout Panama’s cuisine. While vegetables might appear less frequently due to the challenges they face in tropical regions, you’ll still encounter a rich array of dishes, especially an abundance of grilled fish on menus nationwide during your trip.
Panamanians love starting the day right with delicious breakfast dishes like ‘hojaldres’ – fried bread that’s often filled with eggs and meat – or tortillas de maiz (corn tortillas). Additionally, bolos (boiled corn dough dishes) make an attractive accompaniment, and carimanolas yucca rolls filled with meat or cheese are another tasty breakfast choice.
Rice and beans are staple side dishes throughout Panamanian life and usually served with most meals. But vegetarians and vegans needn’t fret: many traditional Panamanian dishes such as Arroz con Guandu (savoury dish of rice with pigeon peas) and Patacones Frita (fried yucca slices) can still satisfy. As well, sweet drinks such as Chicheme made by boiling corn with cinnamon and sugar or fermented Chicha are great additions!
5. Coffee
Locals of Panama take great delight in sipping on delicious coffee, and the country boasts many top-class roasters. Make sure that during your Panama travels, you visit at least one coffee plantation or farm for the complete experience!
Learn all about chocolate making by joining a workshop at one of Casco Viejo’s boutique cacao shops, where you’ll also get to taste an array of unique chocolate treats such as their famous bonbons. It promises an unforgettable and delicious experience!
Panama boasts an abundance of tropical fruit, making for plenty of delicious juice options, perfect for your Trip to Panama. These include pina (pineapple), fresa (strawberry), sandia (watermelon), or melons. Chicha is another national nonalcoholic drink made by boiling corn with cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg before cooling to create its delicious drink.
Vegetables don’t thrive in tropical regions, so meals in Panama often consist of rice and beans with red meat, fish or poultry. For something sweet and filling try carimanola; handmade yucca balls stuffed with ground meat or cheese before being deep-fried to golden perfection before enjoying alongside refreshing pipas or chicheme drinks.