I don’t think I had one bad meal while we were visiting Panama. It was all just fantastic! This post will cover The Wonderful Foods of Panama.
The Wonderful Foods of Panama
First and foremost, if you are a seafood lover then you are in for a treat. As Panama is an isthmus (a narrow strip of land with sea on either side) there is some of the best seafood in the world located there.
I am a seafood nut and ate as much of it as I could. This was a seafood and rice dish from Mundi’s on Taboga Island. The small restaurant is somewhat a hole in the wall with a lovely view and fantastic food.
While there Mr. Decor ordered an entire fish.
He ate 95% of it.
New Things
Sweet Guy tried calamari for the first time and loved it. Now, this might be the place where some of you might say “My kid would never eat that.” I am very thankful that both of my kids are great, adventurous eaters. From the time they were small, we introduced them to different foods. We also regularly have food theme nights. (You may have seen “Greek Night” recently on Instagram.) I think it’s also helpful to bring your kids into the kitchen. They normally will always try what they themselves cook.
Some local Panamanian fare includes…
Fried Plantains. The secret is to add a bit of salt.
Delicious ceviche can be made from a variety of seafood. We ordered this appetizer at several places, to include the Balboa Yacht Club. Mr. Decor can also whip up a batch like nobody’s business.
Empanadas are fried meat pies. They can be made from either corn (shown here) or flour, which is our family’s favorite.
Coconut rice. Oh my yum! I am still dreaming about the coconut rice I had at Pencas.
Diablicos
But our favorite meal was probably at Diablicos.
We went there specifically as they offer shows featuring traditional Panamanian music and dancing at certain times.
Tip: The restaurant is small, make a reservation.
But the food turned out to be just as spectacular.
I had the “Ropa Vieja” which is shredded tenderloin. It was so good!
The Mr. had Arroz Con Pollo (rice with chicken). It was served with a beet and potato salad which was different, but good. I did not care for the fried banana.
You can, of course, get traditional “American” food such as pizza, hamburgers and chicken nuggets but I promise that you won’t be disappointed to try the foods of Panama.
Buen provecho!
Laura
OMGGGGG!!! This all looks SOOOO good! I adore seafood and I would have loved all of that wonderful food I can tell you that much! I just finished eating lunch and I'm hungry again now LOL!! Thanks for sharing
Now I am hungry. This all looks soooooooo good.
I have a friend from Panama and she raves about the food, want to take a trip with her eventually. I do love seafood also and the coconut rice sounds heavenly.
Ann
This post made me sooooo hungry – and Im on a diet! 😉
It took me awhile to get the never to read this post, after reading the title.
I KNEW I'd want to eat everything!
D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S !!
Glad you had a great trip. It was interesting to hear about your food. Good to get a feel of Panama.
Was this a pleasure trip or did your husband have some business there?
Love, love ceviche and haven't had it in a long time! Everything looks good and mostly healthy!
Leslie Anne
Hi Laura, Looks like you had a great trip and enjoyed delicious dishes.
All your photos are making me hungry!! Have a nice weekend.