Everything I Ate in Panama

I realized I have never had authentic Panamanian food before so I took a spontaneous solo trip to Panama City, Panama. I spent the duration of my trip going on excursions to different beaches and exploring the city while trying their cuisine any chance I got. Here is everything I ate while in Panama.

Dinner at Concolon Street Food Cafe

My first meal in Panama was at Concolon Street Food Cafe in Panama City. After passing by so many American fast-food restaurants, I resorted to Google to find a spot for Panamanian food. The restaurant was located near my hotel in the Financial District. They have an outdoor patio, but it was really hot out so I sat indoors. I was the only one sitting inside which I liked because I got the undivided attention I deserve (kidding…kind of).

The waitress served me what she said was chicken soup. It was literally just chicken broth. I ordered a rum and coke with Flor de Caña rum. I like to try different things on the menu so I ordered ceviche, the patacones con ropa vieja (fried plantains with shredded beef) and chicken wings with french fries. I honestly don’t know why I ordered the last one. I should have gotten an authentic Panamanian dish instead. The ceviche was served with crackers. It was nowhere near the best I’ve had. The patacones were delicious though.

I also ordered what was called “one pot” on the menu. It’s coconut rice with mixed seafood. That dish was the highlight of the meal. Before I left I ordered another drink. I had another rum and coke this time with seco (Panamanian sugar cane rum). The bill came to about $65 which isn’t bad at all considering how much I ordered. I had so much food leftover that I took it back to the hotel with me. I do not like to waste food.

Breakfast at Riu Plaza Panama

My first full day on the trip was spent on an excursion to Taboga Island. You can read about that here. I started the day off with breakfast at my hotel, Riu Plaza Panama. I specifically chose this hotel, because the reviews raved about the breakfast buffet and it did not disappoint. The buffet is similar to the ones at the resorts. There was a broad selection cereals, fruit, eggs, pancakes, waffles, bacon, sausage and home fries and also Latin American food like rice and beans and arepas. They also had a variety of salads and several different fruit juices. They serve you coffee at your table. I ate outside in the dining area by the pool.

I had to eat quickly so I could take an Uber to the meeting location for the excursion. I got an omelet, oatmeal pancake, sausage, an arepa, an empanada, french toast, a chicken finger and a hash brown. I thought it was funny they had chicken fingers, because that’s usually a picky eaters go-to. There really is something for everyone even if you aren’t a person who likes breakfast foods. I didn’t have time to have the omelet made to order, but the same chef at the omelet station was making the ones that were out at the buffet so they were fresh. I liked the oatmeal pancake a lot. I forgot to get syrup so it was a little dry, but I still enjoyed the texture and taste of it. It wasn’t as sweet as a regular pancake. I’m not a big fan of things that are too sweet. There was also an arepa station. I had one with cheese, but you can also add meat or keep it plain. It was fine, but nothing remarkable. The empanada was a mini one filled with meat. It was pretty tasty. The hash brown is a staple with the Riu brand; never disappoints. The chicken finger was your standard tasty chicken finger. I was full and didn’t eat the french toast or sausage which I felt bad about, because as I previous stated, I hate wasting food. To drink, I had green juice and orange juice. The green juice was sweeter than I thought it would be whereas the orange juice wasn’t. I forgot that outside of the United States things don’t have a significant amount of unnecessary added sugar. I liked it better that way. It was refreshing. A waitress came by to my table and offered much needed coffee. You have to have that cafe con leche. Overall, the meal hit the spot and held me down until my next one hours later.

Lunch on Taboga Island

Lunch was included in the excursion to Taboga Island. When we boarded the boat there were fruit and pastries, but I was still full from breakfast. For lunch we were served chicken, rice, macaroni and potato salads and regular salad. I obviously ate everything. We ate on the boat after we left Taboga Island. By then we had a long morning/afternoon of swimming and drinking so I was really hungry. The meal was satisfying. The chicken was flavorful and the sauce was delicious. It was a good homecooked-style meal.

Fresh Fruit & Lunch on the San Blas Islands

A must-do if you’re in Panama is a trip to the San Blas Islands. It’s gorgeous protected land of the indigenous people, the Kuna aka Guna. It’s difficult to get to which is why it’s so beautiful, because it’s not overrun by tourism. We visited several islands. We first arrived at Isla Perro Grande (Big Dog Island) where we ate fresh fruit and swam. Later after another stop swimming in a natural pool we had lunch on Isla Perro Chico (Little Dog Island). We had the option of getting either fried fish, fried chicken or a whole fish with rice, french fries or fried plantains. I got fried fish and I tried my friend’s fried chicken. Both were so delicious. I washed it down with a cold Balboa beer named after Spanish conquistador and governor Vasco Nunez de Balboa (also the name of the Panamanian currency). We ended at Diablo Island (Devil Island) where we swam and mingled with other travelers. All the islands were super relaxing and even though the rides there and back were less than pleasant overall the experience was worth it.

Empanada En Route to San Blas Islands

On the way to San Blas while driving, we made a rest stop at a convenience store. I got a chicken empanada which was pretty tasty. I like trying different types of empanadas. This style was baked not fried which was good since it was 6:30 in the morning. The chicken was tasty and it was light, but satisfying before the remaining hour or so ride and then boat adventure.

Poolside Brunch at Riu Plaza Panama

My last day in Panama was the first day I didn’t have anything planned in the morning so I was able to sit and enjoy a nice brunch by the pool without any time constraints. I filled my plate with some of the things I did before including French toast and sausage, that I was too full to eat the last time. This time I remembered syrup and the oatmeal pancake was delicious. I honestly should prepare them that style whenever I finally cook at home again. This meal was even more random than the last. I added nachos to my plate. The guacamole was almost finished so I skipped instead of looking like a scavenger scraping up the remains and instead gluttonously Ioaded the chips with cheese and sour cream. This time I ordered my arepa con carne, queso and salsa verde con crema (with meat, cheese and creamy green sauce, yeah you like my Spanish). It was way more enjoyable this way. Probably the best thing on my plate. I also got a croissant, one of my favorite pastries and this fancy donut with a name I already forgot. Even though I’m not crazy about sweets, I had to give it a try. It was good, but of course too sweet for my preference. I loaded a small plate with maracuya (passion fruit) and naranjilla (a small sour, yellow fruit that looks like a tomato when cut open – aka lulo in Colombia where I first tried it) as well as watermelon, cantelope and pineapple. Tropical fruits are my favorite. They are so sweet and delicious; nature’s candy if you will. This time to drink, I had what was labeled “fruit juice,” don’t know which fruits it was made of and mango juice which was brown, but again I had to remember everything in America is processed and this is what natural mango juice looks like. It was sweet and delicious. I love mangos. Glad I didn’t judge a book by it’s sus brown cover. This meal was great and again held me down through the day until my next ones.

Dinner #1 at Tantalo

After brunch I visited the Panama Canal and did a walking tour (in the rain). The weather was perfect the whole time and of course it rained the day I finally took the time to explore Casco Viego. The tour guide, Alex, provided umbrellas, which was nice, but the experience was still subpar due to the weather. I originally wanted to do a food tour, but unfortunately didn’t schedule it in time. Regardless, the walking tour was an experience I don’t regret, because it was my last opportunity to explore the old city. While on the tour, we passed by Tantalo Hotel which is known for its rooftop bar. The tour guide recommended eating at the restaurant there so after the tour, that’s what I did.

The restaurant was practically empty since it was still a little early for dinner. I started off with a mango margarita, recommended by who I think was the manager who approached me when I came in. It was pretty good. I ordered the Sushi Madre, a sushi roll with smoked salmon, caramelized onion and cream cheese and the Tantalo ceviche that he also recommended. I figured I needed some good ceviche to make up for the one I had the first night. I also wanted the Tantalo mac and cheese. It has shrimp in it and is the dish my server recommended. He said that would be a lot of food for one. Although, that doesn’t usually stop me, I decided against it since I didn’t want to have to carry my leftovers with me all night if I didn’t finish. The sushi was good, but I was over it after a few rolls, but of course finished the whole thing. I felt the same way about the ceviche, but again I didn’t feel like eating all of it. It was a meal that I would have preferred to share with someone (and also get the mac and cheese) so I can have a little of everything. The meal was good, but I wasn’t fully satisfied. After I ate, I checked out the rooftop which had a nice view of the city.

Dinner #2 at Tacos La Neta

This was my second time at Selina Casco Viejo. The first time I went it was super packed and took me forever to get a drink. I went back earlier this time so it was less crowded, plus it was cloudy so not many people were out to watch the sunset. The sunset would have been so beautiful to watch there though. I had heard good things about the restaurant Tacos La Neta so I ordered the drink special of the day (they have daily drink specials) and tacos. I got chorizo, which is one of my favorites and birria. I didn’t love the chorizo one. They had several salsas so I added the salsa verde and it tasted better. The birria taco was delicious. Wish I ordered two of them instead of getting the chorizo. After l had a pubcrawl that I had booked so I could go out with other people which met inside of Selina so I just went downstairs to meet the group. Since I ate two dinners, I didn’t eat anything else that night. I bought an empanada at the airport the next day which was similar to the one I got on the way to San Blas. That concludes everything that I ate on my solo trip to Panama City.