Country dossier
Restaurants, hotels, bars and wineries across Panama in the En Primeur Club guide.
Accolades in Panama
Panama City's wine-led rooms cluster in Bella Vista, Casco Antiguo, Casco Viejo and Obarrio, with several places built around exceptional programs.
In Bella Vista, Olivo Wine Bar & Shop is a compact wine bar and shop with owner expertise, a wine list, natural wine and tapas. The selection includes natural, organic and biodynamic bottles from Old World and New World producers. It holds a Star Wine List award for 2026.
In Casco Antiguo, Corcho is a Mediterranean wine bar with an exceptional wine program and an extensive wine list. It serves small plates and a la carte, with Mediterranean-inspired dishes and a global wine selection. It holds a Star Wine List award for 2026.
In Casco Antiguo, 1739 is a modern French bistro with an exceptional wine program, an extensive wine list and sommelier-led service. The bistro is set in a historic French Colonial chapel and serves a la carte. The wine cellar holds 1800 bottles.
In Casco Viejo, Lazotea combines an extensive wine list, craft cocktails and small plates. Chef Jorge Rausch directs the high-end Latin American cooking, served on the rooftop and in an enclosed dining area. The restaurant holds a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence and a Star Wine List award for 2026.
The kitchens in this section are in Coco del Mar and San Francisco. Maito and La Tapa Del Coco offer tasting menu and a la carte formats, and Cantina del Tigre offers a la carte and small plates.
In Coco del Mar, Maito pairs a wine list with tasting menu and a la carte formats. Chef Mario Castrellón's modern Panamanian fusion draws on Afro-Caribbean, Asian and indigenous influences, with native ingredients and the restaurant's own organic garden. Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants placed Maito at #18 in 2025.
In San Francisco, Cantina del Tigre serves modern Panamanian Caribbean cooking with a wine list, a la carte and small plates. Chef Fulvio Miranda reimagines Panamanian dishes at the restaurant. Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants placed it at #47 in 2025.
In San Francisco, La Tapa Del Coco offers tasting menu and a la carte formats for modern Afro-Panamanian Caribbean cooking. Chef Isaac Villaverde's kitchen works from Afro-Antillean and Afro-Colonial traditions. Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants placed the restaurant at #61 in 2025.
This section covers Japanese izakaya, modern Japanese Edomae sushi, Italian dining and Argentinian grill cooking in Panama City.
In Obarrio, Umi Restaurante Bar Izakaya combines small plates and a la carte dining with a wine list, craft cocktails and a sake program. The refined Japanese izakaya serves hand rolls and nigiri. Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants placed it at #72 in 2025.
In Obarrio, Vinoteca is a family-run authentic Italian restaurant with an extensive wine list and a la carte service. The Italian chef-owner focuses on homemade pasta and wine pairings, in a room with over 50 years of tradition. It holds a Star Wine List award for 2026.
In Panama City, Patagonia Grill serves Argentinian grill cooking with an extensive wine list and a la carte service. The kitchen specialises in Argentine meat cuts, and the owner curates the wine program. It holds a Star Wine List award for 2026.
In Obarrio, Makoto serves modern Japanese Edomae sushi from Chef Makoto Okuwa, with a wine list, a sake program and craft cocktails. Omakase and a la carte are both served, and the kitchen uses traditional Edomae technique with regional ingredients.
Nayara Bocas del Toro on Isla Frangipani shapes its dining program around local producers and seasonal availability, and Isla Palenque in the San Lorenzo District serves meals from ingredients grown on the island. Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo is in Panama City, and its dining program draws produce from Panama's Pacific provinces.
On Isla Frangipani, Nayara Bocas del Toro is a hotel with Michelin 2 Keys, a zero-kilometre kitchen philosophy and a dining program shaped by local producers and seasonal availability. Executive Chef Joseph Archbold anchors the dining program. The hotel is a Leading Hotels of the World member and ranked #20 on Condé Nast Best Resorts in 2025.
In the San Lorenzo District, Isla Palenque is a private-island resort with Michelin 2 Keys, eight casitas and one six-bedroom villa. It offers organic farm-to-table dining in the Gulf of Chiriquí, with meals drawn from ingredients grown on the island itself.
In Casco Viejo, Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo, Panama is a Panama City hotel with a Michelin 1 Key. Its dining program draws produce from Panama's Pacific provinces. This waterfront hotel sits in the capital, and La Liste ranks it at 90.5 points for 2026.
Casco Antiguo is the Panama City neighbourhood with exceptional wine programs in our guide. Corcho, a Mediterranean wine bar, and 1739, a modern French bistro, both hold those programs there, each with an extensive wine list. 1739 also has sommelier-led service and an 1800-bottle wine cellar.
Panama has no Michelin-starred restaurants in our guide. Corcho and 1739 in Casco Antiguo have exceptional wine programs and extensive wine lists. Lazotea in Casco Viejo holds a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence.
Coco del Mar, San Francisco and El Cangrejo are the Panama City neighbourhoods with tasting menus in our guide. Maito in Coco del Mar, La Tapa Del Coco and Intimo in San Francisco, and Riesen in El Cangrejo each offer a tasting menu.
Lazotea in Casco Viejo holds a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in our guide. It is the only Panama venue on this page with that award listed, and it sits alongside a wine list and extensive wine list.
By Emmett Haley · Updated October 8, 2026 · Editorial standards
Panama
Selected entries from the current guide for Panama.
Panama City, Panama
Umi Restaurante Bar Izakaya brings a refined Japanese izakaya format to Panama City's Plaza 54, pairing Japanese mixology with fine seafood and hand rolls under the Kome Hospitality Group. A new entry on Latin America's 50 Best list, it occupies a distinct position among the city's internationally oriented dining addresses. The bar program runs parallel to the food, making it equally viable as a drinking destination.
Panama City, Panama
Panama's most internationally recognised restaurant, Maito occupies a firm position on the Latin America's 50 Best list and ranked #9 on Opinionated About Dining's Casual North America list in 2025. Chef Mario Castrellón builds a menu around Panamanian ingredients sourced from indigenous communities, framing traditional cuisine through a contemporary land-and-sea structure. Open Monday through Saturday in Obarrio's Kenex Plaza.
Panama City, Panama
Cantina del Tigre at Plaza Centenario brings Chef Fulvio Miranda's reimagined Panamanian cooking to one of Panama City's most historically resonant addresses. The kitchen works within a tradition of local ingredients and regional flavour, presenting dishes with a visual boldness that has earned growing attention across Central America. It occupies a distinct position in the city's evolving contemporary-Panamanian dining tier.
Panama City, Panama
Spanish cooking in the middle of Panama City's corporate east side, Atope occupies a specific niche: upscale casual, European in reference, and positioned for a crowd that moves between international business and serious dining. Costa del Este gives it a particular kind of diner, and the kitchen responds with food that travels well across both registers.
Panama City, Panama
Caleta operates inside the Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo, positioning itself at the formal end of Panama City's seafood dining tier. Led by Michelin-starred Executive Chef Lorenzo Di Gravio, the kitchen draws on Pacific Ocean sourcing and applies European technique to Panamanian ingredients. It is one of the few addresses in the city where that combination carries documented international credentials.
Panama City, Panama
A wine bar in the heart of Casco Antiguo, Corcho takes its name from the Spanish word for cork and positions itself squarely within Panama City's growing interest in serious wine programming. The colonial neighbourhood provides a atmospheric backdrop for an evening that moves between glass pours and the broader food and drink scene concentrated in this UNESCO-listed district.
Panama City, Panama
Fonda Lo Que Hay occupies a spot in Casco Antiguo where Panamanian culinary history meets a deliberately modern frame. The kitchen draws on the country's layered food traditions, while the bar program treats local mixology with the same seriousness. For anyone tracing where Panama City's restaurant scene is headed, this is a useful reference point.
Panama City, Panama
La Tapa Del Coco operates at the intersection of culinary preservation and contemporary technique, bringing Afro-Panamanian gastronomy into formal dining conversation. Led by Chef Isaac Villaverde, the project treats Afro-Antillean and Afro-Colonial traditions as living reference points rather than museum pieces. It sits among Panama City's most purposeful dining addresses, alongside places like Maito and Caleta, where national identity is the actual subject on the plate.
Panama City, Panama
Lazotea occupies a rooftop perch in Casco Viejo, Panama City's colonial district, serving high-end Latin American cuisine shaped by the culinary direction of Chef Jorge Rausch. The restaurant divides between an open-air rooftop and an enclosed dining area, offering two distinct ways to read the same city skyline. It sits at the premium end of Panama's restaurant scene, where regional technique meets contemporary ambition.
Panama City, Panama
Los Años Locos San Francisco brings the Argentine parrilla tradition to Panama City's Calle 74 Este, anchoring a menu of substantial meat cuts within a spirit that reads more Buenos Aires than Panama. The kitchen works across a wide range of dishes beyond steak, making it a practical choice for mixed groups. For visitors comparing it against Panama City's local-ingredient-led options, it occupies a distinct lane.
Panama City, Panama
Maito Restaurante on Calle 50 is Panama City's most discussed address for contemporary Panamanian cooking, where indigenous ingredients and Afro-Caribbean techniques are reframed through a modern kitchen lens. The restaurant sits at the centre of a broader conversation about what Panamanian cuisine actually is, drawing on the country's agricultural interior and coastal diversity to build a menu rooted in provenance rather than performance.
Panama City, Panama
Patagonia Grill brings Argentine asado tradition to San Francisco, one of Panama City's most food-forward districts. The kitchen specialises in Argentine meat cuts, while an owner-wine list treats the bottle as equal partner to the plate. It occupies a distinct position in a neighbourhood that already draws serious diners from across the city.
Panama City, Panama
Siamo a City, per questo locale fondato da Marco Carlesso e Leonardo Carrero. A farla da padrone in questo locale è la tradizione napoletana, quella del cornicione poco pronunciato, con l’impasto morbido e scioglievole. Proprio la passione è il motore importante di questa piccola e curata pizzeria. Passione per Napoli e l’Italia, che portano a rispettare la tradizione e la materia prima, vi consigliamo di provare senza alcun dubbio i grandi classici come margherita e marinara, fatte con Pomodoro San Marzano, ottimo olio extra vergine d’oliva e, nel caso della margherita anche una spolverata di Pecorino Romano, così come vuole la tradizione. Tra le pizze base bianca vi consigliamo di provare la Salsiccia e funghi. Tra i dolci invece da provare il tiramisù. Buona anche una piccola selezione di panini, molto essenziale la carta del bere. Allegria e convivialità in una pizzeria che potremmo definire di quartiere, così come si dice a Napoli, solo che siamo a Panama City. We are in City, at this restaurant founded by Marco Carlesso and Leonardo Carrero. The dominant feature in this restaurant is the Neapolitan tradition, with a slightly pronounced crust, soft and melt-in-your-mouth dough. Passion is the driving force behind this small and well-kept pizzeria. Passion for Naples and Italy, which leads to respecting tradition and high-quality ingredients. For dessert, don't miss the tiramisu. There is also a small selection of sandwiches, and the drink menu is essential. Joy and conviviality in a pizzeria that we could define as a neighborhood one, as they say in Naples, only we are in Panama City.
Panama City, Panama
An Italian-rooted restaurant on Calle 57 in Panama City's Marbella district, Vinoteca pairs a wine-forward approach with a menu shaped by Italian culinary tradition and the owner's personal connection to Italian food culture. The kitchen draws on family roots rather than hotel-style polish, placing it in a small tier of Panama City's independently run European dining rooms.
Panama City, Panama
Panama City, Panama
American Bazaar belongs to Casco’s old-quarter dining circuit, where Panama City’s cooking is shaped by port history, Caribbean supply routes, and a growing interest in provenance. With no public awards or chef-led tasting format attached, its value sits in how it fits the neighbourhood: a restaurant to read against the city’s market-driven, cross-cultural table rather than as a trophy booking.
Panama City, Panama
BRIO Brasserie on Calle Uruguay sits inside Panama City's most concentrated dining corridor, where European brasserie format meets a cosmopolitan local crowd. The room rewards those who understand how a well-run floor operation, attentive service, considered pacing, a wine list aligned with the kitchen, can matter as much as the food itself. It is a reliable address in a city whose restaurant scene has grown considerably more serious in recent years.
Panama City, Panama
On Calle 51 Este in Panama City, Casa Alejandro Restaurante sits within a dining corridor that has become one of Central America's more closely watched addresses. The restaurant draws on Panama's position as a crossroads of ingredients and culinary influence, placing it in a conversation about where the country's restaurant scene is headed and what sourcing from this particular geography can actually produce.
Panama City, Panama
Casa Stizzoli - Gastroteca Italiana brings the Italian gastroteca format to Panama City's Calle Matilde De Obarrio de Malex, occupying a niche that sits between casual trattoria and considered fine dining. In a city where Italian restaurants tend toward either pizza-and-pasta informality or generic continental menus, the gastroteca model signals a more deliberate relationship with Italian regional produce and wine culture.
Isla Frangipani, Panama
Coral Café belongs to the casual poolside side of Isla Frangipani dining, where the setting matters as much as the plate. With no public awards trail or formal chef narrative attached, its value is contextual: a low-friction island stop that fits the Bocas del Toro rhythm of water, heat, short transfers, and meals built around the day rather than ceremony.
Panama City, Panama
On Vía Argentina in the Bella Vista corridor, El Trapiche has served as Panama City's most consistent address for traditional Panamanian cooking for decades. The menu anchors on dishes that most of the capital's upscale restaurants have long since retired: sancocho, carimañolas, ropa vieja. For anyone mapping the city's dining heritage before moving on to its newer voices, this is the logical first stop.
Panama City, Panama
On Calle 72 Este in Panama City, Intimo draws a loyal local following that returns not for novelty but for consistency and a particular kind of intimacy that larger venues in the city rarely sustain. The room operates at a register that rewards repeat visits, where the experience accumulates meaning across multiple evenings rather than delivering everything in a single sitting.
Panama City, Panama
KAVA sits in Obarrio, one of Panama City's most active dining corridors, at Downtown Plaza on Calle 59 Este. The venue operates within a city where the dining ritual has grown considerably more considered over the past decade, and its address places it among a cluster of restaurants that take format and pacing seriously. Details on cuisine type and booking remain limited, making a direct inquiry a reliable first step.
Panama City, Panama
On Calle José María Icaza in Panama City's financial district, La Casa del Marisco holds a focused position in a city whose seafood tradition runs deep through both Pacific and Caribbean influences. The address places it within easy reach of Casco Viejo and the modern towers of Punta Pacifica, making it a practical anchor for anyone mapping the city's serious seafood options.
Panama
Selected entries from the current guide for Panama.
Isla Frangipani, Panama
A Leading Hotels of the World member on Isla Frangipani in Panama's Bocas del Toro archipelago, Nayara brings a zero-kilometre kitchen philosophy and Condé Nast-recognised design to one of Central America's most biodiverse coastlines. Executive Chef Joseph Archbold, a Bocas native trained at Le Cordon Bleu and Le Grand Véfour in Paris, anchors a dining programme built around local producers and seasonal availability.
Isla Frangipani, Panama
Sixteen overwater villas built on stilts above the Caribbean in Panama's Bocas del Toro archipelago, designed by architect Andres Brenes in a style that reads as local and thoroughly modern. The private-island setting cuts off ambient noise and crowds in equal measure. Reef snorkeling, kayaking, and open water swimming form the core of the daily rhythm here.
San Lorenzo, Panama
A 400-acre private island in the Gulf of Chiriquí, Isla Palenque holds eight casitas and one six-bedroom villa across seven beaches, giving it a guest-to-space ratio that no mainland resort can replicate. Designed by an architect-owner who lived on site for five years, the thatched-roof structures are embedded in forest, out of sight of one another, with meals drawn from ingredients grown on the island itself. Rates from $1,489.
Panama City, Panama
Occupying the former Union Club in Casco Viejo's UNESCO-listed waterfront district, Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo opened in 2022 as one of only six properties in Accor's rarefied Legend sub-brand. The 159-room hotel pairs a Belle Époque colonial facade with a peninsula position, the district's largest outdoor pool, and a dining program that draws produce from Panama's Pacific provinces. La Liste ranks it at 90.5 points for 2026.
Panama City, Panama
Set in a restored Art Deco building in Panama City's Casco Viejo, American Trade Hotel occupies one of the neighbourhood's most architecturally significant addresses. The property combines boutique scale with serious design credentials, placing it in a distinct tier among Casco Viejo's hotel options. Its position on Avenida Central España puts guests within the historic district's core, where colonial streetscapes and active cultural programming define the immediate surroundings.
Panama City, Panama
The Santa Maria sits within a gated residential estate on Panama City's southern corridor, operating at the upper tier of the capital's luxury hotel market. A global winner in the Luxury Hotel category and a continental winner for Luxury Golf Resort at the 2026 Star Wine List awards, it combines a championship golf course with the full-service infrastructure of the Marriott Luxury Collection. For travelers who want distance from the city's older colonial core, this is the address that delivers it.
Panama City, Panama
In Panama City's financial district, Bristol Panama occupies a quieter register than its address might suggest. Double-glazed windows seal out the banking corridor's noise, while 130 rooms across two towers deliver Egyptian cotton sheets, Abuelo rum-stocked minibars, and a spa on the 25th floor with unobstructed views across the Pacific and Metropolitan Park.
Panama City, Panama
Latin America's first Waldorf Astoria, positioned in Calle Uruguay within walking distance of the Cinta Costera and less than 15 minutes from Tocumen International Airport. The 127-room property carries a 2025 Forbes Recommended designation and offers a spa, rooftop pool terrace, and three dining and bar venues including Peacock Alley and the Spanish-focused Matiz. A coherent urban wellness anchor in Panama City's most active commercial and social district.
Portobelo, Panama
El Otro Lado occupies a colonial-era compound on the shores of Bahía Portobelo, where Caribbean light and dense tropical forest define the physical experience as much as any interior detail. The retreat format places it in a small category of Caribbean properties where seclusion, not scale, is the organizing principle. For travelers who find Panama City's hotel corridor too urban and the resort coast too managed, Portobelo offers a different entry point into the country.
Panama City, Panama
Hotel La Compañía occupies three historically distinct wings in Casco Antiguo, spanning structures built between 1688 and 1904 on the original Jesuit settlement site. The property sits among Panama City's most architecturally specific luxury addresses, with five in-house restaurants and two bars, and walkable access to the UNESCO-listed district's cathedral, plazas, and colonial streetscape.
Panama City, Panama
A Michelin Selected hotel occupying a restored colonial building in Panama City's Casco Antiguo, Hotel la Compañia offers one of the district's most architecturally considered addresses. The property sits at the junction of Avenida A and Calle 8, within walking distance of the neighbourhood's Spanish colonial plazas and 18th-century churches. For travellers who prioritise design and location over resort scale, this is a reference point in the Casco Antiguo accommodation tier.
Boca Chica, Panama
Fourteen islands, nine casitas, a maximum of eighteen guests: Islas Secas operates at a capacity that makes most private-island resorts look crowded. Set within a 50,000-acre marine reserve in Panama's Gulf of Chiriquí, roughly twenty miles from the nearest town, this all-inclusive property positions itself at the intersection of serious conservation work and open-air luxury design, with sport fishing, diving, and wildlife access built into the architecture of every stay.
Panama City, Panama
A MICHELIN Selected hotel occupying a restored colonial building on the edge of Casco Viejo, Las Clementinas places guests inside one of Panama City's most architecturally compelling neighbourhoods. The property sits in the boutique tier of the city's heritage accommodation market, where building character and neighbourhood access matter as much as room count. It is a reference point for travellers prioritising Casco Antiguo immersion over tower-hotel convenience.
Volcán, Panama
Named Panama's Leading Boutique Hotel at the 2025 World Travel Awards, Los Brezos sits in Volcán, a highland town on the Chiriquí slopes where cool temperatures and agricultural terrain define a different Panama than the capital or the coasts. The property operates in a specialist tier where design coherence and setting matter more than room count or brand affiliation.
Punta Caracol, Panama
Punta Caracol Acqua Lodge sits above the Caribbean waters of Isla Colón in Bocas del Toro, a Michelin Selected property built on stilts over the sea. The overwater bungalow format here is not imported from the Maldives but grown from the local vernacular of Caribbean stilt architecture. For travellers seeking seclusion in Panama's island archipelago, it represents the upper tier of what the region offers.
Panama City, Panama
A former radar tower converted into a natural history lodge inside Soberanía National Park, Canopy Tower occupies one of the few places on Earth where a single structure puts birders directly at forest canopy level. The lodge draws serious ornithologists and wildlife photographers from across the world, positioning itself in a narrow category of purpose-built, access-first wilderness properties that trade comfort amenities for ecological proximity.
Panama City, Panama
Le Méridien Panama occupies the Torre Vista Marina on Avenida Vasco Núñez de Balboa, positioning it at the intersection of Panama City's Marbella financial corridor and the Bay of Panama waterfront. The address places guests within walking distance of the Cinta Costera and a short drive from Casco Viejo. For travellers who want proximity to both the city's commercial centre and its historic quarter, the location carries practical weight.
San Lorenzo, Panama
On Isla Boca Brava off Panama's Pacific coast, Selva Terra Island Resort occupies a position that few properties in Central America can match: true island isolation without the scale of a resort complex. The surrounding Gulf of Chiriquí frames a setting where the architecture defers to the forest and water rather than competing with them. For travellers prepared to reach it, the reward is proportional to the effort.
Panama City, Panama
Sortis Hotel, Spa & Casino occupies a prominent position in Panama City's Marbella district, combining full-service accommodation with a casino floor and spa under one roof. The property sits within the city's established business and entertainment corridor, making it a practical anchor for travellers who want after-hours options without leaving the building. For a wider view of Panama City's hotel scene, see our full city guide.
Panama City, Panama
Tántalo occupies a converted colonial building in Casco Viejo, Panama City's UNESCO-listed old quarter, operating as a hotel, ground-floor kitchen, and rooftop bar across three distinct registers. The property sits in a neighbourhood where adaptive reuse of Spanish-era architecture has become the defining development pattern, placing it in the same conversation as larger flag-bearing properties without replicating their scale or formula.
Panama
Selected entries from the current guide for Panama.
Panama City, Panama
Umi Restaurante Bar Izakaya brings a refined Japanese izakaya format to Panama City's Plaza 54, pairing Japanese mixology with fine seafood and hand rolls under the Kome Hospitality Group. A new entry on Latin America's 50 Best list, it occupies a distinct position among the city's internationally oriented dining addresses. The bar program runs parallel to the food, making it equally viable as a drinking destination.
Panama City, Panama
A compact wine bar and retail shop on Avenida 1a B Norte, Olivo brings natural, organic, and biodynamic bottles from both Old World and New World producers to Panama City's emerging wine scene. The format pairs a considered wine list with tapas for sharing, positioning it closer to a Barceloneta-style bodega than a conventional Latin American cocktail venue. For wine-led evenings in Panama City, it sits in a distinct tier of its own.
Panama City, Panama
Panama City, Panama
Panama City, Panama
Panama City, Panama
Panama City, Panama
Panama
Selected entries from the current guide for Panama.
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