Potpourri of Restaurants at Via Argentina

Via Argentina is a beautiful and centrally located area in Panama City. It’s known best for its many delicious restaurants, parks and flocks of orange chinned parakeets which line the main avenue each evening at sundown.

One merely has to visit this famed entertainment area, and wander around where you will find exactly what sort of restaurant or night out you’re looking for.

Today I have selected several small restaurants you can find walking less than an area of three blocks at Via Argentina:  Here we go.

An attractive exterior sign of El Grillo's Cafe located at Via Argentina in Panama City, Panama. "Grillo" means cricket in English. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

Photograph of a sign of Los Venezolanos Restaurant, Bakery and Cafeteria located at Via Argentina in Panama City, Panama. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

This small Venezuelan restaurant sells arepas, empanadas, sandwiches, breakfasts, lunches and juices.  Let me explain two dishes that perhaps you are not familiar with, since they are typical Latin American dishes—arepas and empanadas.  Wifi service is also available here, for those of you who carry your laptop everywhere in order to remain connected.

An arepa is a bread made of corn originating from the northern Andes in South America, and which has now spread to other areas in Latin America (e.g., Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic, where it is now popular). It is similar to the Mesoamerican tortilla and even more to the Salvadoran pupusa. The word “arepa” may originate from the language of the Caracas natives (northern coast of Venezuela) which means “maize.

In Spain, Portugal, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Philippines, an empanada (Portuguese empada—a different dish) is essentially a stuffed pastry. The name comes from the Spanish verb empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread. Usually the empanada is made by folding a thin circular-shaped dough patty over the stuffing, creating its typical semicircular shape.

Photograph of the sign of Taberna 21 Restaurant located at Via Argentina in Panama City, Panama. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

Taberna 21 carries wines, sangrías, beers, appetizers and Spanish paellas.  Home delivery is also available.

Photograph of one of the many Subway restaurants in Panama. This chain has a solid presence in the country due to the high quality of its sandwiches and salads. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

As you can see, Via Argentina is a sweet spot for lovers of good food. Bon Appétit and Good Day.

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Venezuelan Investments in Panama

It was recently in the news, that Hugo Chavez didn’t renew the frequency license to thirty-four radio stations in Venezuela.  Free press organizations all over the world protested.  Hugo Chavez was unmoved.  It’s not a secret, he’s slowly transforming Venezuela into a Communist country assisted by his mentor Fidel Castro of Cuba.

Chavez is also creating a Communist block in Latin America to fight the presence of the United States in the region.  His leftist alliance include Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Cuba.  Honduras was in process of joining the bandwagon,  but the intentions were interrupted when President Manuel Zelaya was toppled by the Honduran army because he violated certain articles of the country’s constitution.

As Chavez flexes his muscle, more and more members of Venezuelan well educated middle class are leaving the country in search of greener pastures.  Such is the case of the owner of a small restaurant located on Via Argentina called Mestizo Music Cafe. She speaks fluent English, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese.

Mestizo serves excellent vegetable creams, pastries, sandwiches, coffee, salads, soft drinks and spirits.  The owner of Mestizo Music Cafe boasts she has the best Italian cook in town.

There’s a wide variety of ambient music to satisfy the most demanding client, and on week ends, Mestizo has live music featuring invited artists, mostly typical Panamanian musicians.

For those of you who are struggling with the Spanish language, let me explain that “mestizo” is a Spanish and Portuguese (Mestiço) term that was used in the Spanish Empire and Portuguese Empire to refer to Latin people of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry in America.  It is also used in some parts of Asia-Pacific to refer to people of mixed European and other indigenous ancestry.

The term is mostly used specifically of those people of the particular racial mixture of European and American Indian who inhabit and comprise much of the population of Latin America.  I am considered a mestizo. I have European blood from my father (Spain)  and Indian blood from my mother.

This is how Mestizo looks like at Via Argentina.  Here we go.

Photograph of Mestizo's canopy-covered entrance at Via Argentina in Panama City, Panama. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

Mestizo's exterior sign emphasizing that there is good music inside this bohemian spot at Via Argentina in Panama City, Panama. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

If you like good music and frosty beers, this is your sweet spot in Panama City.  Good Day.

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Presence of Spanish Cuisine at Via Argentina

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.

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Elegant Lamp Posts at Via Argentina

I don’t like dark parks.  I think they’re dangerous and some evil persons will take advantage of the darkness to do harm.  Well illuminated parks convey the feeling of protection and safety.

When I visited the Andrés Bello Park at Via Argentina a few weeks ago, that was one of the positive attributes I noticed of the park.  It has beautiful lamp posts very well distributed within the area of the park.  At night, when I drive through, it’s full of children and adults enjoying the soft evening breeze.

Also light reminds me of the last words of the famous the German writer, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. As he sat in his Weimar house holding the hand of his daughter-in-law, Ottilie, Goethe spoke of the walks he would take in the warmer months ahead, made some reference to a girl of his youth, and breathed the name of his equally famous, long-dead friend, Friedrich von Schiller. But wanting another shutter opened to the morning sun, the author of Faust called to a servant for “Light, More Light!” (“Licht, Mehr Licht”).  Then his finger traced a word on the air, he shifted in his chair, and he fell asleep, dying at some moment well before anyone realized.

Whether he was only calling for more light to be able to see as his visual powers were in decline or foreseeing a heavenly radiance is unclear.  What is clear, though, is that the idea of providing more light on any given subject is important in every field of endeavor.

Sorry of the digression.  It’s just that I associated the lamp posts of the park with Goethe’s last words, requesting more light.  It’s funny the way our brain works.

I liked the lamp posts so much, I decided it would be a good idea to share them with you today.  You’ll have a better idea of how Panamanian parks look like.  Here we go.

Photographs of an attractive lamp post illuminating the Andrés Bello Park in Panama City, Panama. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

Another view of a nice-looking lamp post that provides lighting to the Andrés Bello Park in Panama City, Panama. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

It’s interesting that Goethe wanted more light while his own inner light was fading.  Good Day.

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Finding Meditarranean Food at Via Argentina

Via Argentina is the center of many classy and tasteful restaurants, bars and social get together. The area borders the banking district of Panama City, and is so locally situated that one can walk to virtually any desired amenity, available close by.

One merely has to visit this famed entertainment area, and wander around where you will find exactly what sort of restaurant or night out you’re looking for.

For example, if you’re looking for Lebanese food, there’s a restaurant that can satisfy those uncommon culinary needs.  The name of this diminutive restaurant is Los Cedros.

While the menu offers sandwiches, soups and salads, its main dishes are Mexican and Lebanese.  Here’s where this small establishment excels.

If you want to run away from the steamy temperature you can order Lebanese Lemonade. It comes in various fruit blends and other flavors like the Mint Lemonade. One of the dishes that really stand out is “Mesa Libanesa-Lebanese Table” as it seemed to offer a wide sampling of the various food served as well as the Lebanese Appetizer Plate.  They say this plate is for two persons, but you can easily squeeze two more with the amount of food they serve.

Since the owner, Mr. Rodicio Boulos, lived more than twenty-five years in Mexico, you can order Mexican food, even though the Lebanese food is where Los Cedros shines.  Some options of Mexican dishes are  enchiladas, fajitas and tacos.

Whatever cuisine you decide to try, Lebanese or Mexican, you should definitively end your meal with a glass of Arab Tea. Fresh-brewed tea leaves flavored with cardamom and other spices is poured over fresh mint leaves which produces a sipping beverage that blends perfectly with the meal and is a perfect close to a hearty and enjoyable dining experience at Via Argentina.

Below are two pictures of Los Cedros which I recent shot while scanning Via Argentina for tropical images.  Here we go.

Photograph of a large sign of Los Cedros announcing their Mexican and Lebanese cuisine. Succulent steaks also form part of their exquisite menu. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

Another view of an excellent Lebanese restaurant at Via Argentina in Panama City, Panama. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

There is definitely a venue or adventure spot waiting for you in this entertainment and culinary hot spot in the tropics.  The name is…Via Argentina. Good Day.

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Photograph of the Day: Don’t Fence Me In

Photograph of the fence around Parque Andrés Bello at Via Argentina to protect the park against intruders at night. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

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A Rockin’ Gorilla at Via Argentina

Via Argentina is not only a concentration of restaurants offering a wide variety of delicious food, but also a meeting place to dance and have fun.  While walking up and down the street, I found at least two discotheques where young people were having a good time.

One of the discotheques is the Rockin’ Gorilla which displays a large black gorilla playing an electrical guitar on the roof of a building.  It’s a peculiar figure placed there in an effort to attract the attention of young Panamanian revelers.

Below are several photographs I shot at this energizing  place of entertainment.  Here we go.

Photograph of the Rockin' Gorilla Discotheque located at Via Argentina in Panama City, Panama. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

A panoramic view of the Rockin' Gorilla Discotheque with an entertaining gorilla playing an electric guitar on the roof of a building. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

Photograph of a large singing gorilla on top of the Rockin' Gorilla Discotheque at Via Argentina in Panama City, Panama. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

Via Argentina is an stimulating place where visitors will find a wide variety of entertainment choices.  Here you will find restaurants, discotheques, cafes and parks.  There is definitely a venue or adventure spot waiting for you in this entertainment and culinary hot spot in the tropics.  Even gorillas gather at Via Argentina to try out their singing skills.  Good Day.

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Pizzas and Pastas at Via Argentina

Via Argentina is a beautiful and centrally located area in Panama City. It is known best for its many delicious restaurants, parks and flocks of orange chinned parakeets which line the main avenue each evening at sundown.

One merely has to visit this famed entertainment area, and wander around where you will find exactly what sort of restaurant or night out you’re looking for.

You won’t find a McDonald’s or KFC at Via Argentina, but you’ll certainly find pizzas and pastas at this vibrating street in Panama City, Panama.  For example, if you are one of those who love to throw your coins at Italian food, you’ll bump into La Trattoria Da Lina where pizzas and pastas are cooked with charcoal.

This is how La Tratoria Da Lina looked like during a recent journey to Via Argentina in search of entertaining and fun.  Here we go.

Photograph of a place where you can enjoy pastas and pizzas cooked with charcoal in Panama City, Panama. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

Photograph of the exterior sign of Trattoria Da Lina Italian pizzeria at Via Argentina in Panama City, Panama. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

Trattoria Da Lina is one of multiple options you will find at Via Argentina to enjoy a cool tropical evening.  I encourage you to go out, invite your friends and family and take a bite out of life.  Good Day!

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A Tex-Mex Restaurant at Via Argentina

For food lovers, Via Argentina is a place to visit.  For example, while hunting for photographs at this sweet tourist hot spot, I found a small chain of Tex-Mex food restaurants called Mrs. Mendoza’s – Tacos al Carbón.

This small chain consists of three restaurants in Panama (e.g., one at Via Argentina, one at Coronado and one at Albrook Mall).  This restaurnat is another option for people in the area that enjoy eating with their families outside.

They carry an extensive menu that caters to everyone; vegetarians will be pleased.    A good selection of  Burritos and  Quesadillas. The Big Classic Fajitas had 4 tortillas  already filled with both beef, chicken, grilled onions and peppers. A special dish is the Bandeja de Degustation which includes quesadillas, nachos, taquitos, mini burritos and fautas.

I shot several photographs of Mrs. Mendoza’s Restaurant at Via Argentina.  This is what I saw on an early Sunday morning.  Here we go.

Photograph of Mrs. Mendoza's Restaurant outside sign at Via Argentina, Panama City, Panama. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

Another view of Mrs. Mendoza's Restaurant at Via Argentina in Panama City, Panama. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

Photograph of the cozy entrance of the Mrs. Mendoza's Restaurant offering Tex-Mex food in Panama City, Panama. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

If Tex-Mex food is your cup of tea, then please head towards Via Argentina.  Don’t forget to take your wife.  Good Day.

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Sensual Sign at Via Argentina

As I roamed through Via Argentina on July 26th. my eyes were captured by a blue sign of a small business selling fruits and CDs.   Above the blue sign was a gigantic photograph of a beautiful woman surrounded by bright yellow flowers.  I knew I had to take a photograph of this marketing scene.

This is what came out of my Birthday camera lens excited to take the pictures.  I hope you enjoy these shots as much as I did—and still do.  Here we go.

Photograph of a sensual picture of a beautiful woman above a small sign at Via Argentina in Panama City, Panama. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

Betcha the owner of the fruit shop was taking advantage of the photograph of the beautiful woman above, to promote his business. I would. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

I wonder if the fruits and CDs this guy sell are as pretty as this young lady. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

I’ve said all along, life in the tropics isn’t boring at all.  If you like tasty tropical fruits and exciting CDs, you know now  where to find them—Via Argentina of course.  Good Day.

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