Bocas del Toro Restaurants

When we sat down, we placed our food and drink order. My wife ordered a Caipirinha and when she received her drink it was apparent the drink was not what we had expected. It was extremely acidic and had way too much lemon juice in it. We asked that more sugar be added to the drink but this did not make much difference so we asked to have the drink switched to a Cuba Libre. Instead of the waiter bringing the drink back, the bartendar came over with both drinks in his hand, introduced himself as the manager/owner and began giving us a lecturer on the fact that he had spent three years in Sao Paulo, Brazil and we pretty much didn't know anything about this drink.

It was extremely rude for any manager to treat his customers this way. We may not have had the "training" he had received in the finer art of making Caipirinha, however, we have had this drink in a variety of differnet places in the US, Canada and Panama and never encountered one made with so much lemon juice and so acidic.

My suggestion to anyone reading this is to avoid this place. The food is ok, but nothing worth putting up with this guys attitude. There are much better places to eat in Bocas (El Pecado and Casbah to name a few).

Favorite Dish: None

This friendly and quaint American-owned bar has a relaxed atmosphere with great music and five flat screens televisions with sports on all day. On the menu they've got burgers, quesadillas, chicken fingers and wings, salad, chili, mozzarella sticks, just to name a few things. All meals are $6 and under. While you wait for your food you can play darts, take advantage of their free Wifi or just talk to friends and enjoy the music.

Favorite Dish: Great burgers and quesadillas!

After months on the road I was craving a burger. But not just any burger, I needed a juicy, fresh off the grill burger with all the fixings. Now in my travels, I've been to many places that claim they have the "best (insert item) in town!" Usually this is not the case, but I certainly found the best burger in Central America at the Palma de Roca Bar and Grill on Red Frog Beach. Its everything I hoped for and more. Not only was the burger great at Palma de Roca, but the ambiance as a whole was spectacular. Located right on Red Frog Beach, the bar is a great spot to grab a cold beer and take in the natural beauty of the area.

Favorite Dish: Hamburger! Grilled to perfection w/ a special marinate, this burger will fill you up and then some!

After spending the day at Red Frog Beach, I got word that there was a hostel w/ a full restaurant a short walk away from the beach. Once I cam across the Bocas Bound Hostel, I decided to take a load off and relax at their island lounge and restaurant, Kayukos. Located in a large, open air building -- Kayukos is a great spot to chill out and grab a great bite to eat. They serve breakfast lunch and dinner, and most of the dishes are traditional Panamanian meals. They also have sandwiches and daily specials. The food was great, and very reasonably priced -- but my favorite part of the restaurant was the large common area. Equipped with pool, ping pong, and free wifi -- it was a great spot to relax and get out of the sun for a bit while enjoying a great meal. And since its part of a hostel, you will always find interesting people to talk to from all over the world. If you're going to Red Frog Beach, I highly recommend stopping in at Bocas Bound and Kayukos.

Favorite Dish: Favorite dish would definitely be the Chipotle BBQ Chicken Sandwich. Its the perfect size, and if you get it with a side of patacones, you still feel like you're experiencing the local culture! the best of both worlds.!

This was my favourite and I would have had all my food there if I could...
Its values are: Excellent food, flawless service, superb taste, warm candle lit atmosphere and a narrow but breezy balcony with view to the main street. I met the French Canadian owner who pointed out to me that he cares for quality. I heard they sometimes stay open until very late if the clients are in the mood! Among others I remember the delicious fish dishes including lobster and salmon. There are also Thai, Lebanese and Mexican dishes. Try it!
Calle 3rd just off the main square, 2nd building to the Park on the 2nd floor.

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This was my friends' favourite so we frequently visited it. And not undeservedly. It has nice views from the large terrace. The owner describes it as 'Asian bistro' and points out the Asian Fusion Cuisine. Its menu includes mostly Thai dishes but local tastes, too. It was recommended to me by Europeans living there, too.
Juices are at 2.5$, appetizers at 5$ and mains at 10-20$ and stays open from 11:30am to 10:00pm

Yarisnori is the only restaurant in the area of Bocas de Drago beach at the northwest part of Colon island but it manages to satisfy all the customers. Their food is tasty, especially the fish, which I tried, and the prices are not bad. The service is very good, the lady who runs it very nice and the location is convenient. You can start or end your excursion with it! There are some hammocks on the beach in front.
Cold showers are free in order to get rid of some salt off your body. You can also rent snorkel gear and kayaks.

At the Calle 1, the road that follows the coastline in the centre of Bocas del Toro, there are many restaurants and bars where you can have a meal or drink AND enjoy the seaview. Buena Vista (nice view in Spanish) is one of these places at the beginning of this street.

At Buena Vista there is a restaurant where you can have seafood meals that look very tasty. I didn't try them, but the smell and looks were very good. When we were here we only sat down for a drink: a orange juice and a pineapple juice. Especially the orange juice was very nice.

But the disadvantage is that the places with seaview are much more expensive then the ones without. And so a juice at Buena Vista's costed about 3 dollar: ridiculously expensive for Central American standards. And another thing I felt was that I didn't feel welcome being a dirty, sweaty backpacker. I had the feeling that you are only "really welcome" here with some clean clothes and a pocket full of money.