Panama has a large Spanish community who has contributed considerably to the development of the country. Many Spaniards came to Panama running away from the Spanish Civil War during 1936 to 1939. Others came to work at the Panama Canal and stayed.
One of these respected Spanish immigrants who decided to plant his roots in the Isthmus of Panama was Francisco Ruiz M. On December 20, 1972 along with his wife, Enriqueta Sánchez Ruiz and a group of twenty-two partners, opened a restaurant called Churrería Manolo. It grew to become one of the best churrerías and restaurants in Panama City.
Churrería Manolo sells prepared food which can be grouped in sandwiches, appetizers, soups, meals, desserts, soft drinks, coffee and the specialty of the house—churros.
If you are not familiar with churros, let me explain that churros are sausage-shaped, deep-fried doughnuts, dusted or sprayed with sugar. Similiar to a cruller, this Spanish and Mexican specialty consists of a sweet-dough spiral that is deep-fried and eaten like a doughnut. Churros are usually coated with a mixture of cinnamon and confectioners’ (or granulated) sugar.
Churros, sometimes referred to as a Spanish doughnut, are fried-dough pastry-based snacks, sometimes made from potato dough, that originated in Spain. They are also popular in Latin America, France, Portugal, the United States, and Spanish-speaking Caribbean islands.
The snack gets its name from its shape, which resembles the horns of the Churro breed of sheep reared in the Spanish grasslands of Castile.
There are two types of churros in Spain. One is thin (and usually knotted) and the other, especially popular in Madrid, is long and thick (porra). They both are normally eaten for breakfast dipped in hot chocolate.
There are two Churrerías Manolo in Panama City; one is located at Via Argentina and the other at Barrio Obarrio (Abel Bravo Avenue and Juan R. Poll Street).
Churrería Manolo is open eighteen hours a day, from 6:30 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. (-5 GMT). Below are a couple of photographs of Churrería Manolo located at Via Argentina on an early Sunday morning. Here we go.
Photograph of the exterior sign of Churrería Manolo at Via Argentina in Panama City, Panama. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)
Another view of Churrería Manolo's sign at Via Argentina in Panama City, Panama. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)
If you’re a late sleeper, like Spanish food, and enjoy churros, this place might be just what you’re looking for in Panama City. Good Day.
