(Panama Gringo) Although I’m one of the farthest things on earth from a vegetarian I appreciate good food whatever the type. A friend recently recommended a small little restaurant called El Jardin Vegetariana in very close proximity to my house so I decided to give it a shot even though it was vegetarian. Spending only $2.50 for a meal consisting of 4 dishes of delicious fresh vegetables, beans, pasta, an eggroll and fresh juice I felt incredible and sad all at the same time. The incredible feeling came from food that was tasty, fresh and with an excellent selection that left me feeling good afterwards. The sad feeling was from knowing that I have been in Panama for so long and didn’t know about this fantastic little spot so close to my house. In all honesty I would have eaten here on a daily basis had I known about its splendor. The patient and friendly owners are from Taiwan and even have a board of Spanish translations into their language in the restaurant.
The food seems to alternate on a daily basis with a wide variety of Asian and Panamanian style vegetarian food so you can eat here often and get something different every time. Each scoop of food is $0.50 as is the price of a cup of the delicious fresh juice. The place is located on Via Venteo in the little strip mall next to the Casino. Free cold water and tea with a plethora of newspapers lying around this restaurant is a great hangout and my new favorite place to eat in the El Cangrejo area. El Jardin Vegetariana is open from 7am- 9pm Mon – Fri and 7am – 5pm on Sundays.