Welcome to the new home of A Chef's Tour. Bigger, bolder and tastier than ever.

Panama City

Fresh fish disappears into citrus, plantains crisp in hot oil and wood smoke drifts from neighbourhood seafood grills.

No. 402Salting Atlantic sardinesBab Doukkala, 2026

01  Food tours

Original food tours, curated with our local tastemakers to showcase the neighbourhood kitchens, markets and family-run eateries that define Panama City.

Panama Plates
Lunch Food TourNo. 001

Panama Plates

Panama City

US $69(NEW)

A curated food tour through the streets, markets and family kitchens of the destination — flavour by flavour.

4 HoursMultiple Tastings

02  Meet the tastemakers

The local food experts who help us research, refine and lead every A Chef's Tour.

Jonathan Guerrero

head guide

Jordi Escudero

guide

Julio Espinosa

guide

03  Field archive

Archived photographs from our tours and the Panama City food scene that tell you what the city actually tastes like.

No. 627
No. 760
No. 677
No. 407
No. 661
No. 038
No. 706
No. 763
No. 695
No. 218
No. 663
No. 941
No. 789
No. 459
No. 914
No. 996
No. 192
No. 699
No. 554
No. 913
No. 806
No. 965
No. 802
No. 018
No. 139
No. 944
No. 490
No. 589
No. 500
No. 306
No. 966
No. 749
No. 311
No. 716
No. 561
No. 278

Sancocho hen stew, ceviche with lime and habanero, hojaldras fried dough for breakfast, chicheme drunk cold. Panama cooks the Isthmus at its Caribbean seam.

04  The pantry

  • Culantro, saw-leaf coriander at the base of Panamanian sancocho
  • Aji chombo, Panama's habanero-strong chilli
  • Fresh corvina, sea bass from Pacific waters
  • Coconut milk, folded into rice and stews from the Caribbean coast
  • Otoe, malanga root for sancocho and mashes

05  In the kitchen

  • Simmering sancocho de gallina hen soup with culantro for hours
  • Curing ceviche de corvina in lime, onion and aji chombo
  • Frying hojaldras fry-bread for breakfast
  • Cooking arroz con coco on the Caribbean coast in coconut milk
  • Blending chicheme fresh corn drink with milk and cinnamon

06  Eat this first

  • Sancocho, hen and culantro soup that anchors the Sunday table
  • Ceviche de corvina, sea bass cured in lime and aji chombo
  • Hojaldras, fry-bread for breakfast with cheese and coffee
  • Ropa vieja, shredded beef in tomato-and-pepper sofrito
  • Chicheme, sweet corn drink cold with cinnamon and milk
Map of Panama City

Field Guide

Our curated eating guide to Panama City. Independent spots chosen by our local tastemakers.

Coming soon

08  Stories

Dispatches from the kitchens of Panama City.

What happens inside a hammam kitchen

A morning with the cooks who feed the neighbourhood before dawn. Charcoal, dough, the smell of a bakery working its second oven.

The bread that fed the medina

Field report

The bread that fed the medina

Learning to pour mint tea

Field report

Learning to pour mint tea

10  Field Notes

Quick field notes to help you get accustomed to Panama City.

Field notes
No. 189Carving roasted mechoui lambMedina
1

Weather

Tropical — hot and humid year-round (26–32°C). Dry season January to April is peak; wet season May to December brings afternoon storms.

2

Currency

The US dollar (USD) circulates as legal tender alongside the Panamanian balboa. Cards work in restaurants and hotels; cash for markets and taxis.

3

Language

Spanish; English is widely spoken in business and around the Canal Zone.

4

Etiquette

Warm and cosmopolitan. Modest dress at churches. Casco Viejo is safe by day and evening; be street-smart in older neighbourhoods.

5

Getting around

The metro (two lines) is fast, cheap, and clean. Uber is reliable and cheap; taxis are cheap but rarely use the meter. The Casco is walkable.

6

Prayer

Predominantly Catholic. Growing Evangelical, and a strong Chinese-Panamanian community keeps Chinese temples active downtown.