What a joy! Lunched there today w. a group of friends and EVERYTHING each ordered was fresh, beautifully prepared and presented, and OH so tasty. I was "in 7th heaven" with the luscious tuna poke bowl I ordered--so difficult to find a great poke bowl, and this one was one of the best I've ever eaten. Others enjoyed their various bowls, burgers, soups and won-tons. I am hoping this lovely cafe is well-patronized. It deserves to succeed. Gracious service and pleasing ambience--and across the street (almost) from Petit Paris, so on the way home, you can pick up the best breads, croissants, and pastries in PTY.

Magical setting in the outside "garden area" (old church sanctuary ruin) or comfortable seating inside with delicious and eye-appealing Spanish tapas--ALL tasty. The lamb mac and cheese, grouper croquettes with red pepper salsa, grilled vegetable platter and fresh tuna on flatbread with arugula were standouts. Inventive cocktails (try the cucumber/gin) and refreshing sangria. The live music (violin and guitar) made the evening enchanting.

This is our new favorite fresh-creative-comfort food bistro since the demise of our beloved Crave. All the dishes are beautifully prepared and presented and so, so delicious. Most highly recommended are the corvina, the Chinatown pork, salads, and the roasted vegetables. Gino and staff are welcoming and warm. We love this place; look at their FB photo album and see what you are missing. Just go! (Brunch/lunch too)

For the umpteenth time, we enjoyed another luscious dinner with friends last night (and, today, my husband enjoyed his lunch with a friend). This is one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants. The food is ALWAYS delicious. Consistency is the key--from the wonderful bread (crispy crust; yeasty flavorful inside) to the salads/starters, entrees and dessert. The arugula salad with roquefort, walnuts and apples is a perennial fave...but we also love the fried raviolis (try the pumpkin/squash) and eggplant starters...hey, ALL the starters are delish. I can/have made a meal from just a few of them. In all our visits, we have never had a bad entree. Men friends tend to go "meat" (veal, osso buco or fish) and I tend toward the perfect al dente pastas or one of the langostino dishes. ALL DELISH. My only complaint (as I love the intimate space, the calicanto walls, etc.) is the NOISE FACTOR. If only they would add some heavy fabric parachuted on the ceiling or draped on the windows (just to absorb the noise--which can be headache-producint for the sensitive; conversation-inhibiting for all), it would be a 5-star on all ratings.

Nine of us dined @ Casa Ajeno on a MONDAY night (when it's not easy to find a good restaurant open). The reviews are mixed. All of us enjoyed our entradas: most notably, the tacos and the VERY flavorful tuna. (REALLY delicious!). The plato principals were not as successful. My lamb chops were so tough they were almost inedible, but the pureed carrot base and quinoa side was delicious. One person ordered the steak w/ roquefort cheese sauce; prepared perfectly and enjoyed. The risottos were deemed "good." My husband ordered the pasta w. langostinos and devoured every bit. Those who ordered the pulpo with coconut rice said it needed a salsa or some herbs (cilantro, parsley, something/anything) to bring out the flavor...plus, while the pulpo was tender, it was not smoked, so rather bland...with the bland rice w/o herbs/vegetables/salsa. @ people ordered desserts to share around the table (the chocolate lava cake and the creme caramel/flan...and both were yummy. The seating was quiet and cozy (as Hurricane Otto downpoured outside) and the service was gracious and attentive.

Six of us had another fabulous dinner at Pastissima. The only "damper" on the experience was a large group (over 12) seated at a long table behind us. With the calicanto walls, the din was so great from the boisterous group that we had to cease conversation among us. Unfortunate that they did not have a Private Room in which to accomodate this large group. That being said (just an unusual and unfortunate occurence), the food was as good as ever. "Consistency" is the downfall of so very many restaurants and over the many months we have dined at Pastissimina (and we take guest there, as we did last night), the food and service quality has remained consistently high. Tried a new dish last night (the fettucini con tartufos) which I benchmarked in my mind to order again. Others variously ordered the primo osso buco, lamb chops, lasagne, risotto and corvina with a seafood medley on top. All delicious. For starters, we and others ordered the tomatoes with burrata con balsamic vinegre. Always good with the wonderful bread they bring to the table. Great wine selection. Excellent attentive and friendly service. Love this place. Hopefully next time we go--soon--it will be a bit quieter. ESSENTIAL to make a reservation (you can do so easily online via Degusta Panama).

Such a beautiful, intimate setting--love the calicanto walls, the beautiful bar--for a luscious dinner. We enjoyed everything... from the fresh ingenious green salad combination with tasty bread/ balsamic to the pastas/mains through the desserts. Special highlights were the tuna and the panna cotta; however, all was superlative: fresh, tender, well-seasoned, attractively presented. Great service, Found one of our favorite Spanish wines on the wine list. All reasonably priced and presented with efficient, unobtrusive, warm service. One of our newest neighborhood favorites.

This could be the "Cheers" of Casco Viejo. A Friendly service, casual come-as-you-are place (with pool, ping-pong, and comfy bar). Definitely order the hot melty cheese appetizer with crunchy flavorful "the real deal" tortilla chips. Try out each of the 4 delicious salsas (there is a line up from cool to smoky to picante). Suggest you then order the MIXTA 3-for-$10 tacos so you can indulge in/taste the variety of offerings for your next visit. Personally especially loved the taco with the pineapple (piña) bits and the one with the crunchy chicharrones. Still, I bet you will be pleased with anything you order. A real bargain for a casual lunch/ dinner and, yes, the cerveza es frio (and the mixed drinks at the next table looked VERY refreshing.

Now in its 4th incarnation, this version of Las Clementinas (the bistro) is my favorite. So glad they preserved the decor/ambience over the transitions. The concept is small-plate (though larger than tapas) "fresh comfort food," so I recommend ordering an entrada --my very fav being the Vietnamese spring rolls, veggie-version (you can order with meat). You get 4 very plump ones with piquant salsas. Still you have ~ dozen salads, soups, edibles to choose from...and from what others ordered and finished to clean-plate-status, all good. For the main, I recommend the baklava (veggie dumplings w. beets on the side), the catch of the day (served on a wooden board with a plethora of fresh veggies), or the luscious burger. Many others to choose from; looking forward to trying the oxtail stew...AND you can order bread, rice, veggies, papas and other "adds" on the side. Still, the menu is well-priced for sampling...and the bar menu is interesting. Since we live in Panama and know the local wine prices, we found the bottle prices grossly inflated (i.e. a $12 bottle for $40), so we gave wine a pass. Some in our party ordered beer or wine-by-the-glass (generous pour), but I opted to try the ingenious cocktails. Highly recommend the gin/orange/clove number (name escapes me)...but I bet the others w. fresh basil or mint, etc. are refreshing, too. Only downgraded the service as calculating multiple checks (even though we clearly specified who went on individual tabs) added almost an hour to our dinner (waiting, waiting...) Why servers in Panama can't take an order for a couple in a group and then flip to cuenta #2 for couple 2 and then flip to cuenta #3 for the third couple/individual is lost on me. A chronic issue. Anyway, there are several appealing desserts on the menu, too, but we always by-pass dessert at Casco restaurants for gelato pops dipped in bittersweet chocolate down on 8th st.

Our favorite place in Casco to dine for small plates. We usually order the salmon taquitos and chicken "cigars" to start, followed by a course of the luscious fish balls and various sushi (NO!! cream cheese; always fresh). We've tried them all, and while partial to the eel and spicy tuna, they are ALL good. The Japanese beer is cold. Olive, Brittany's little chihuahua is endearing. The atmosphere is cool, arty, comfy. Love this place.