Ask any local what defines Panamanian food and you will get a passionate answer involving a grandmother’s sancocho. This is a cuisine built at a crossroads — Indigenous, Spanish, Afro-Caribbean, Chinese and more — which makes it the tastiest possible expression of the country’s new brand, “Panamá, Anfitrión del Mundo” (“Panama, Host of the World”). A nation that defines itself by diversity and generosity inevitably cooks that way too.
Panamanian Food 101: The Dishes to Know
- Sancocho: the national chicken soup, fragrant with culantro and hearty with ñame (yam). It is breakfast, lunch, hangover cure and family ritual.
- Ceviche: corvina cured in lime with onion and ají — the Mercado de Mariscos in Panama City serves it by the cup for a few dollars.
- Patacones: twice-fried green plantain discs, the universal side.
- Ropa vieja and arroz con pollo: comfort classics on every fonda menu.
- Hojaldres and tortillas: fried dough and thick corn cakes, the backbone of a Panamanian breakfast with eggs and queso blanco.
- Caribbean coconut cooking: in Bocas del Toro and Colón, rice with coconut milk, fresh seafood and rondón stew show the Afro-Antillean soul of the coast.
- Raspao: shaved ice with syrup and condensed milk — street-corner happiness.
Geisha Coffee: Panama’s Liquid Gold
The highlands around Boquete and Volcán grow Geisha (Gesha), repeatedly ranked among the most expensive and celebrated coffees on Earth at international auctions. In origin, though, a cup at a farm or specialty café is an accessible splurge. Tasting Geisha where it grows — jasmine aroma, tea-like body — is one of the country’s signature experiences and a point of enormous national pride.
Where to Eat: From Fondas to Fine Dining
Fondas and markets
The cheapest, most authentic route is the fonda: a family-run lunch spot serving the daily comida corriente. Add the fish market’s ceviche stands and roadside grills, and you can eat brilliantly on a modest budget.
The new Panamanian kitchen
Panama City’s dining scene has exploded over the past decade, with chefs reinterpreting local ingredients — culantro, coconut, corvina, cacao — in tasting menus that hold their own anywhere in Latin America. Casco Antiguo and the banking district concentrate the standouts; find current favorites in our restaurants directory.
Food events
Food fairs, coffee harvest events in the highlands (roughly November to March) and patron-saint festivals across the Azuero Peninsula are edible culture at its best. Keep an eye on the events calendar to time your visit around one.
Tips for Eating Like a Local
- Lunch is the main meal; the fixed-price “menú del día” is the best value in the country.
- The economy runs on US dollars, so there is no exchange math between you and a second ceviche.
- Ask for hot sauce — ají chombo is fiery and fantastic.
- Seafood is safest and best where turnover is high: markets, busy fondas, beach towns.
Generosity is the first attribute of the Host of the World brand, and in Panama it is usually served on a plate. Come hungry.
Hungry already? Browse the best restaurants and dining spots of the Host of the World in the Panama Digital Directory and eat your way across the isthmus.
