How to Experience Panama's Cuisine

Panama has a rich culinary history that visitors can explore during a visit to the country.

Its indigenous traditions are deeply rooted in the country's epicurean heritage which has many layers. As Panama grew as a nation, the country developed its culinary traditions from many places around the world, including Spanish colonists, enslaved people arriving from Africa, Chinese railroad workers and the French, West Indians, Europeans and Americans who worked to construct the Panama Canal.

This exchange of ingredients has come to create unique and distinct Panamanian dishes that visitors can try in the country today.

Panama City has been designated a UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy and is home to a stellar bar scene, buzzing restaurants, traditional cart vendors and more. It is also a hotspot for young chefs, coming to debut their contemporary dishes that have been derived from Panama's gastronomic traditions.

Visitors can visit Chef Ariel Zebede's A to Z restaurant in Panama City where they will find an immersive, pop-up experience and a multicourse chef's table tasting menu.

José Olmedo Carles Rojas is the executive chef at Fonda Lo Que Hay in Casco Viejo and La Barca y Los Náufragos at Eco Venao in Playa Venao. Fonda Lo Que Hay serves up a shareable menu filled with Panamanian dishes that have tantalizing names such as "Concolon Sexy," pan-stuck fried rice.

Chef Patricia Miranda-Allen heads Cerro Brujo Gourmet, a restaurant in the rural city of Volcán. The establishment has been serving up sustainable gastronomy and dishes made with local vegetables from area farms since 1999.