Panama City shines as UNESCO Creative Gastronomy City. Record-breaking Geisha coffee and indigenous cacao in Bocas del Toro captivate. Dive into traditions and innovations via immersive tours.
Panama City: Culinary Cultures Mosaic
Panama City holds UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy status. Its culinary identity blends indigenous, Afro-Antillean, Spanish, Asian, Middle Eastern and Caribbean traditions into a distinct mosaic. Global influences enhance local flavors.
Chefs drive purposeful innovations with social impact. Over 2,400 restaurants and kiosks draw travelers. Behind the scenes, the Collaboratory program advances research, sustainability and gastronomic education.
Gastronomic Corridors turn neighborhoods into flavor hubs. Chef-led tastings, community projects and curated tours bring Panama City’s evolving gastronomic story to life.
Coffee: Geisha Record and Tours
Panama’s coffee heritage stems from family farms and high-altitude terroir. In 2025, an Elida Estate Geisha lot fetched US$30,204 per kilo at the Best of Panamá auction, the highest ever.
Travelers enjoy immersive tours in Boquete and Tierras Altas, Chiriquí province. They walk farms, meet producers and taste premium coffee affordably. Visit during harvest season from November to February.
Cacao: Bocas del Toro Black Gold
In Bocas del Toro, over 1,000 Ngäbe-Buglé indigenous farmers grow “black gold” organic cacao across 5,000 hectares. It’s exported worldwide, including to Europe for Swiss chocolate.
Community tours preserve ancestral practices. Guests hike cacao trails, learn harvesting rituals and grinding, then craft their own chocolate. This supports 1,500 farming families.
