The best traditional Panamanian restaurant in the city — a no-frills lunch spot in Casco Viejo serving sancocho (chicken broth soup), ropa vieja, and rice and beans at prices that remind you that not everything in Panama City is gentrified. A local institution.
Why It Belongs on the List
Donde Fran is the antidote to Casco Viejo's restaurant scene — a simple, affordable lunch counter serving traditional Panamanian food to locals who work in the quarter. The sancocho de gallina is the national dish done right; the ropa vieja is excellent. Cash only, no English menu, completely worth it.
What Stands Out
- Best traditional Panamanian food in Casco Viejo
- Sancocho de gallina — Panama's national dish
- Ropa vieja
- Local prices
- Cash only
- Lunch only