Tip Top: Panama Restaurant


Tip Top: Panama Restaurant

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Written by Matt Landau

Sunday, February 19 2006

Would I go back again? Depends on how adventurous im feeling. (Location: El Carmen) FOOD: xx SERVICE: x AMBIENCE:xx PRICE:$ OVERALL:xxx

This is the ultimate loveable road-side disaster. The building its in appears to have been some sort of meat market or something, although the restaurant part itself only takes up about 1/8th of the area. There's a giant barbeque grill sizzling away outside with roasted chickens and searing sausages. Inside, I stood in line for a minute or so, then appeared face to face with the Panamanian Soup Nazi.

This guy was so serious and angry that when I made my order beginning with beans, he initially refused service. The seating here is every man for himself, and if you can find a spare table (none of which are ever cleaned after use) it's your lucky day. However callous the service, and however mediocre the food, there's something endearing about this joint.

Something endearing about sitting beside a 4-lane Panama City highway, eating garlicy yuka out of paper bags, about having crispy chicken smoke blown through the air, and about sitting along side locals who do it every day. Definitely not for the gastronomically faint of heart.

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