Panama City has the best food in Central America, and the reason is historical rather than culinary ambition. A canal needs labour, and labour arrives from everywhere.
Chinese workers from the nineteenth century, Afro-Caribbean workers from the islands, Spanish and Italian migration, and indigenous ingredients from two coasts. What came out of that is a kitchen with no regional equal, and visitors who came for beaches routinely rebook a night for it.
What to eat
Ceviche, at the fish market, standing up, for the price of a coffee. This is the first thing to do in the city and almost nobody is told that.
Sancocho, the chicken and root-vegetable soup that is the national dish, and the thing Panamanians eat when they are homesick.
Ropa vieja and carimañolas, which are the everyday comfort food.
And Chinese-Panamanian food, which is a genuine cuisine rather than an import: a century and a half of adaptation has produced dishes that exist nowhere else. This is the thing visitors never order, and it is the most interesting food in the country.
The tiers
The fish market and the fondas. Cheap, excellent, and where the city actually eats. A fonda lunch costs almost nothing and is better than most hotel restaurants.
The neighbourhood restaurants in San Francisco and Obarrio, which is where the middle of the city eats and where the Chinese-Panamanian places are.
Casco Viejo, which holds the design-led and the ambitious. Some of it is excellent and some of it is priced for tourists; the difference is not obvious from the street.
And the fine-dining tier, which is small, serious, and the only one of its kind between Mexico City and Lima. This is the part that surprises people.
When to eat
Panamanians eat lunch as the main meal and dinner late. The fondas are a lunch phenomenon and many close by mid-afternoon, so a visitor who plans to eat cheaply at eight in the evening has missed the point of the day.
What to know
Tap water is drinkable in the city, which removes a friction most of the region has.
The dollar means no currency conversion on the bill.
And reservations matter in Casco Viejo on weekends in the dry season, in a way they do not elsewhere in the country.
The coffee, which is a separate argument
Panama grows the Geisha varietal that regularly sets world auction records, and almost none of it stays in the country. What does stay is poured in a handful of specialist cafés in the city, and it is the cheapest place on earth to drink coffee that expensive.
Ask for it by name, because it is rarely the default and rarely on the menu board. A café that has it will tell you the farm and the lot, and one that cannot is selling you something else.
Where it fits in a trip
This is an argument for two nights in the city rather than one, and it is the argument that works on people who are not interested in colonial architecture.
We fly year-round. In the rainy season the pilot in command decides; if weather stops a flight, it is rescheduled at no cost. It is also the reason a wet afternoon in Panama City is a smaller loss than a wet afternoon anywhere else in the country: the city is the place to absorb bad weather, and the food is why.
For anyone connecting through Tocumen with a long layover, the city is 11,8 nautical miles from Albrook and the two airports sit either side of it — which means a long connection is enough for a proper meal if you plan the traffic. We show a "from" price per route; the final fare depends on the date, the group and the baggage, and is confirmed in writing before booking.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the food in Panama City so good?
The canal drew labour from everywhere. Chinese, Afro-Caribbean, Spanish and Italian migration met ingredients from two coasts.
What should I eat first?
Ceviche at the fish market, standing up, for the price of a coffee.
What do visitors never order?
Chinese-Panamanian food, which is a genuine cuisine after a century and a half of adaptation and the most interesting food in the country.
Where does the city actually eat?
The fish market, the fondas at lunch, and the neighbourhood restaurants of San Francisco and Obarrio.
When are the cheap places open?
Lunch. Many fondas close by mid-afternoon, so planning to eat cheaply at eight in the evening misses the day's rhythm.
Is the tap water safe?
In the city, yes, which removes a friction most of the region has.