Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
dough, which at best are delightfully crispy and tasty but at worst are chewy and dripping in
grease). Costa Rica's national dish,
gallo pinto
(literally “speckled rooster”), is another pop-
ular way to kick-start the day, a moist rice, beans and onions mix often accompanied with
a dollop of
natilla
- a local sour cream that is also lavished on strawberries in the Chiriquí
Highlands - and fried or scrambled eggs.
If such a heavy plateful is more than you can stomach first thing in the morning, head for a
panadería
(bakery) for a pastry and a shot of coffee, or pick up some fresh fruit at the local
market. In the more expensive hotels in Panama City and in European or North American-
owned establishments outside the capital, you can also expect combinations of cereals, fruit,
yoghurt and toast.
Lunch and dinner
While it's possible to grab a light
lunch
- a flaky
empanada
(pasty) with a beef-, pork- or
chicken-based filling or an
emparedado
(sandwich) - in urban areas, for most Panamanians
lunch is the main meal of the day. In the
fondas
and cheaper restaurants ordering an
almuerzo
or
menu del día
(lunch of the day) will get you a filling plate of chicken with rice, plus beans
or lentils, or maybe fish and plantain down on the coast, for $3-4. Some places throw in a
soup starter and dessert to give you a three-course set meal at very little extra cost. Set-meal
cenas
(dinner of the day) are also available early evening in some places. Otherwise,
evening
eating
is generally more low-key except when dining out for a special occasion.
Predominantly self-service
cafeterías
- the Panamanian equivalent of American diners -
keep going from around 6 or 7am until 11pm or midnight in the urban centres. Out in the
countryside, local restaurants and
fondas
may also open for all three meals but shut up shop
shortly after nightfall, depending on demand. Lunch in formal dining establishments is usu-
ally served from noon until 3pm, dinner from 6 or 7pm until around 10pm, with the midday
meal usually offering better value for money. Mid-range and high-end restaurants often add
the seven-percent sales tax (ITBMS) on top of the advertised fare, and some even add an
obligatory ten-percent
service charge
, which is not always included on the menu price list.
Where we give meal prices we have factored in these extra charges.
Street food and snacks
Street food
, though not widespread, can range from chunks of fresh pineapple or watermelon
to plantain crisps (
platanitos
) deep-fried on the spot. Small
roadside grills
often serve
carne
en palito
(meat on a little stick) - fairly miniscule kebabs comprising slivers of (occasionally
spicy) marinated beef, which take the edge off your appetite. During the day, you'll also see
men pushing carts laden with fluorescent liquids and blocks of ice around the main squares,
peddling
raspados
- paper cones filled with shavings of ice, drizzled over with a sickly fla-
voured liquid, made still sweeter by a slurp of condensed milk and much loved by kids.
