Panama City's most important restaurant — chef Mario Castrellón's exploration of Panamanian culinary identity, using indigenous ingredients, Afro-Caribbean techniques, and coastal produce in a tasting menu that makes the case for Panamanian cuisine as a serious subject. Listed on Latin America's 50 Best.
Why It Belongs on the List
Maito is the restaurant that serious food travelers come to Panama City for — Mario Castrellón's tasting menu-focused kitchen in a converted house in San Felipe is the most credible argument that Panamanian cuisine deserves international attention. Indigenous ingredients from the Darién, Afro-Caribbean preparations from the Bocas del Toro coast, and tropical produce treated with genuine sophistication. Latin America's 50 Best listed.
What Stands Out
- Latin America's 50 Best
- Panama's most important restaurant
- Mario Castrellón
- Panamanian tasting menu
- Indigenous ingredients
- Afro-Caribbean technique