(Panama Gringo) If you’re searching for a lot of quality Peruvian food for not a lot of money in Panama head straight to La Jarana in San Francisco. If you love fresh seafood, ceviche, piles of fried rice dishes, grilled meats, and Peruvian beer for under $10 a plate then this is your place. The atmosphere of the place is warm, slightly small and very festive. The tables and walls are painted vividly and artwork spans the dining area. The smell however, surpassed the scenery. I couldn’t wait to order and see what all the fuss was about.
Our first course came in the form of arroz con pollo or rice with chicken. The portion was enough to feed 3 or 4 adults if not more. I had a bowl of seafood soup with mussels, octopus, squid and assorted vegetables that was likely the best seafood soup I have tasted up until this point. Our second dish was a steamed seafood and potato dish. It had a nice garlic and butter sauce mixed in with mussels, scallops, shrimp and fish as well as diced potatoes and onions. Then came the ceviche. This was by far the best ceviche I’d ever tried at a restaurant in Panama; big chunks of fresh sea bass, sliced red onion, garlic, cilantro, steamed yams and corn. It was all there and it was amazing.
We washed it all down with a Trujillo beer and passed on the fresh fruit we were offered for dessert. Our meal for four came in around $50 and was more than worth every penny. La Jarana is located in the San Francisco neighborhood of Panama City close to the Evergreen building and the convention center. I recommend getting their during the non rush hours before and after lunch and before dinner or a bit later if you want a table; because they get super crowded nearly every day.