Why Casco Viejo is Panama's best food neighbourhood
Casco Viejo has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past 15 years. Where abandoned colonial buildings once stood, you now find some of the most creative and well-sourced kitchens in Central America. The neighbourhood draws chefs from around the world — but the best ones are Panamanian, cooking with local ingredients and indigenous techniques that you simply won't find anywhere else.
Our food guide Valentina has spent years eating her way through every kitchen in the neighbourhood. This list contains only restaurants she has personally visited and would return to. There are no sponsored placements here.
Fine dining & rooftop restaurants
The most important restaurant in Panama City and one of the most discussed in all of Latin America. Chef José Carles serves a 10-course tasting menu of entirely Panamanian ingredients — including ingredients sourced from indigenous communities and traditional fishing families. Every dish tells a specific story about Panama's food geography. Book weeks in advance. This is a once-in-a-trip experience.
Order: You don't — it's a fixed menu. Just say yes to everything.
The ground-floor kitchen of Tantalo Hotel is one of Casco Viejo's most reliably excellent restaurants. The menu spans creative Panamanian-Latin dishes — think ceviche with local peppers, grilled fish with plantain risotto, and rotating seasonal specials. Head upstairs to the rooftop bar for cocktails after.
Order: The ceviche of the day and whatever whole fish is on special.
A beautifully restored colonial building with a courtyard dining room and a kitchen that bridges Mediterranean technique with Panamanian ingredients. The octopus and the local beef short rib are exceptional. The wine list is the best curated in the neighbourhood.
Order: Octopus starter, short rib main, and a glass from the Argentinian section of the wine list.
Authentic Panamanian spots
Run by Fernando Batista and his family, this is the real deal — a home-style Panamanian kitchen where the sancocho de gallina (chicken soup) is made the way grandmothers made it. No tourist menus. Plastic chairs. The best carimañola in Casco Viejo. Ask your hotel for directions — it changes tables occasionally.
Order: Sancocho de gallina on Sundays. Ropa vieja any day of the week.
Specialising in food from the Azuero peninsula — Panama's most culturally traditional region — this tiny lunch counter does things you won't find elsewhere in the city. The pesado en salsa and the tortillas de maíz are made fresh every morning. Get there before 1pm.
Order: The daily plate (plato del día) — it changes daily and it's always the best thing on offer.
Casual dining & cafés
The best specialty coffee in Casco Viejo, period. All beans are Panamanian — including rare Geisha lots from Boquete — and the baristas genuinely know what they're doing. Excellent light breakfast menu: avocado toast with local herbs, fresh fruit, and good pastries from a nearby bakery.
Order: Pour-over of the single origin Panamanian offering and a fresh fruit plate.
A Casco Viejo institution for over 20 years, Manolo Caracol is beloved for its ever-changing menu of Panamanian seafood and tropical produce. The chef sources what's available that day and builds the menu around it — often 7 or 8 small courses served over 90 minutes. Good value for the quality.
Order: The full set menu — it's the only way to experience it properly.
Budget eats
Not everything in Casco Viejo is expensive. Here are the spots where you eat like a local for under $8:
- The market near Avenida A — Fresh fruit, ceviche, and warm pastries in the morning. Get there before 9am.
- Empanada carts on Plaza de la Independencia — Fried corn empanadas stuffed with chicken, beef, or cheese. $0.75 each. Eat four.
- Los Años Locos — A simple counter near the seawall doing grilled fish with patacones and salad for under $9. Locals eat here.
- Supermercado Rey near the entrance — For self-catering: incredible local bread, cheese, and tropical fruit at market prices.
Booking tips & when to go
- Donde José: Book 2–4 weeks ahead online. They fill up fast, especially weekends.
- Lunch is cheaper: Many of the fine dining spots do excellent fixed-price lunches at 40–50% of dinner prices.
- Reservations: For most other places, walk-ins work fine on weekdays. Friday and Saturday evenings benefit from a same-day reservation via WhatsApp.
- Peak hours: 1pm–3pm for lunch, 8pm–10pm for dinner. Arrive 15 minutes before these peaks for best seating.
- Payment: Most restaurants accept cards. A few local spots are cash only. ATMs are available at the neighbourhood entrance.
Want to eat through Casco Viejo with a local guide?
Our Food Tasting Tour visits 5–6 stops across the neighbourhood with local guide Valentina — the same guide who wrote this article. Ceviche, patacones, street food, and more. Small groups only.
Book the Food Tasting Tour →