Steam rises from enormous fresh pita breads while smoke rises from sweet-smelling hookahs at Beirut, a Lebanese restaurant decked out in imitations of classical stonework and mosaic tables from the fountain on its shaded patio to the columns dotting the spacious interior. The menu lists treats like falafel and dolmas, dips like hummus, baba ganoush, and foul, soups, salads, meat and seafood dishes, Lebanese oven specials and pasta plates including plantain gnocchi. At the end of a delectably flavored meal, guests might be lucky enough to enjoy a complementary sweet mint tea to ideally wrap up the experience.
In the heart of Panama City's nightlife scene, the sultry scents and blissful flavors of Middle Eastern cuisine fill the dining room at Habibi's up to the white canopy-draped ceiling and spill out to the tables placed on the open-air roofed porch. Hookahs and various drinks make great accompaniments to mainly Lebanese cuisine; light fare includes treats like hummus or baba ganoush with hot pita bread or baklava for customers in the mood for a sweet. Heartier meals include falafel and shish kabobs, or more familiar fare such as pizza, pasta dishes, and Cajun chicken. Patrons are often treated to the shimmies and jingles of a talented belly dancer on Friday and Saturday nights.
Battling through the high-rise and pavement jungle, it seems only natural to start craving some chlorophyll sooner or later. Greenhouse is happy to oblige with nothing but thin walls of glass between the dining room and the luxuriant foliage colonizing the façade around the entrance and the patio, where patrons can choose to be seated for an alfresco meal. The place retains a chilled-out ambiance even on weekend nights, when revelers can escape from the typically high-energy bars and clubs of Calle Uruguay for a quiet drink. Smooth electronic beats play late into the night, and the kitchen serves lunch, snacks, and casual dinner plates to fill up the rest of the day. Sandwiches, wraps, or appetizers are typically preferred by the clientele, all of which come in plenty of hot and cold options like a veggie burger, salads, or hummus. Happy hour, with half-priced drinks between 5p and 8p, is a good moment to appreciate the cool atmosphere created by stained glass windows, indoor fish tank, live plant fronds, and air conditioning. A second location can be found on Vía Argentina.
It is not easy to decide between the tables set outside on the historical Plaza Bolívar or the white-cushioned leather seating inside the elegant dining room of Restaurante Casa Blanca. It is situated on the ground floor of Hotel Columbia in the old San Felipe neighborhood, where waiters in classy button-up shirts and dress pants scoot efficiently between the kitchen and the Plaza across the street carrying salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, seafood, and meat dishes. Excellent accompaniments include an extensive wine list and treats like an imported cheese platter or mushrooms cooked with mozzarella, serrano, or garlic. Performances of live acoustic music add their allure on Wednesday and Saturday nights.
Just beside the Parque Andrés Bello is situated another place you might go to appreciate a bit of nature, even if only in name. Los Cedros has a bright and welcoming atmosphere boldly hued in clean silvers, oranges, and greens, plus open-air seating out on the patio with its lush leaves spilling out towards the sidewalk. There are plenty of tables inside too, and free wireless internet helps keep busy schedules on track; meanwhile, the executive set menu provides extra incentive to fit a decent lunch into even the busiest day.
Mendoza Sports proves that marvelous views and authentic sports bars co-exist spectacularly under one roof, especially if there are shaded tables outside as well. The bar and restaurant proudly affirms that it is 100% Panameño, and serves up a wide range of típica cuisine with beers or tequilas. Try out patacones rellenos, almejas, various traditional snacks, fish and other seafood, burgers, and order up special combo meals for the kids. On Friday nights, called noches típicas, the bar is themed to demonstrate Panamanian traditions in cuisine and music.
It is not easy to decide between the tables set outside on the historical Plaza Bolívar or the white-cushioned leather seating inside the elegant dining room of Restaurante Casa Blanca. It is situated on the ground floor of Hotel Columbia in the old San Felipe neighborhood, where waiters in classy button-up shirts and dress pants scoot efficiently between the kitchen and the Plaza across the street carrying salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, seafood, and meat dishes. Excellent accompaniments include an extensive wine list and treats like an imported cheese platter or mushrooms cooked with mozzarella, serrano, or garlic. Performances of live acoustic music add their allure on Wednesday and Saturday nights.
Just beside the Parque Andrés Bello is situated another place you might go to appreciate a bit of nature, even if only in name. Los Cedros has a bright and welcoming atmosphere boldly hued in clean silvers, oranges, and greens, plus open-air seating out on the patio with its lush leaves spilling out towards the sidewalk. There are plenty of tables inside too, and free wireless internet helps keep busy schedules on track; meanwhile, the executive set menu provides extra incentive to fit a decent lunch into even the busiest day.
Mendoza Sports proves that marvelous views and authentic sports bars co-exist spectacularly under one roof, especially if there are shaded tables outside as well. The bar and restaurant proudly affirms that it is 100% Panameño, and serves up a wide range of típica cuisine with beers or tequilas. Try out patacones rellenos, almejas, various traditional snacks, fish and other seafood, burgers, and order up special combo meals for the kids. On Friday nights, called noches típicas, the bar is themed to demonstrate Panamanian traditions in cuisine and music.
At Maito the emphasis is on providing the customer with a meal wherein all the dishes are made from completely organic material. This is done by using produce from local farmers markets and fish markets while they are still completely fresh. Some of the vegetables and herbs like basil, cilantro, garlic, lemongrass, chives, rosemary, thyme and others are grown in the restaurant's own garden. These fresh herbs when used in the different Latin American dishes give them a unique flavor which cannot be found elsewhere. Sit out in the patio on a summer night and enjoy delicacies like stuffed squid, salmon, black rice, risotto and more.
From the blazing ají hot sauce to the Peruvian national drink pisco sour, Machu Picchu serves patrons with a flavor-filled meal that runs from marine specialties like pan-fried sea bass and ceviche prepared according to Peruvian tradition, to land-locked stewed beef or chicken in chili cream sauce. Traditional and unequivocally spicy Peruvian cuisine defines the menu and is served on lovely woven tablecloths which add color to the pretty roofed patio and the dining room, among paintings of Peruvian landscapes on the walls. Machu Picchu is located in El Cangrejo, a busy neighborhood in the downtown area.
Emulating the Greek style of cooking, Athanasiou is a European-style bakery where the food is made fresh by expert pastry chefs. You can observe the chefs in action in the open kitchen area as they cook up one delicacy after another. The menu consists of a wide variety of cakes, pastries and other sweet-treats as well as sandwiches, fresh-made juices, tea, coffee and more. You can also get a box of sweets as take-out to eat later.