Delicious Vegan Food in Panama

Panama is one of those countries where you might not expect to find a lot of vegan food options… but trust me when I tell you there is plenty of vegan food to be enjoyed in Panama! You might face more of a challenge in the rural parts of the country, but in Panama City, Panama the vegan options are plentiful! Traveling to Costa Rica as well? Be sure to check out all the amazing vegan eats I enjoyed there too!

We spent 3 days staying right in Panama City, and then 4 days at a super luxe beach resort about 30 minutes outside of the city. I ate very well, and want to share some of my favorite meals with you guys!

Panama City

My very favorite (all vegan!) restaurant in Panama City is called Karma Cafe. Karma was bright and fun, and the food was delicious!

On our first visit, I had the Karma Burger which comes on a hot pink bun with bacon, lettuce, tomato and tons of gooey cheese. It was decadent and delicious! And 100% vegan!

Mom went with the Karma Klub which had seitan-like slices, bacon, lettuce, and lots of mayo and sweet mustard. And fries!

Our second trip featured the Nachos Taquilleros for me, with lentils, cheese, pickled onions and jalapenos, and of course, guacamole. I had been craving nachos and while these were good, they’re nothing like Mexican or American nachos.

Mom had the Karnivora, which was a veganized pastrami sandwich. She let me have a bite and it was really good!

10/10 would eat here again in a heartbeat! The prices were very reasonable coming from the US (~$12 per sandwich), but a bit more than you might pay at other restaurants. Still not bad though.

On our very first afternoon in Panama we took an Uber to Casco Viejo, a beautiful part of the city that is unlike any other part. Ancient buildings, some refurbished and some decaying… but all breathtaking. The history in this city is amazing!

But okay, this is a food blog, so here you go. We were a little bit over the humidity (Tropical + sea level = HOT) so we started looking at menus, and as always the word “vegan” just pops out at me, haha! We ended up at Aki Sake Bar & Japanese Kitchen where I had some really great sushi!

This was the Vegan Roll, made with tofu tempura, avocado and cucumber:

And a glass of chilled red wine because, for some reason, that is how its served at most Panamanian restaurants. TBH I didn’t mind because I was so hot all the time, but it did take some getting used to. My mother hated it.

I also finally got to try Loving Hut! I’ve heard so much about this chain and have been in cities where they are, but hadn’t ever eaten there. Now I have.

Now, I can’t tell you exactly what I ate because the nice ladies behind the counter didn’t speak English, but that was okay since we knew everything was vegan! Fried plantain, fried rice, and fried “beef and peppers” It was all quite delicious, albeit a little oily. And cheap! I think it was around $4 for all of this food:

There was really only one meal that was… questionable. I mean, it was definitely vegan, and it felt adventurous, but I wouldn’t eat there again. The spot was called El Jardin Vegetariano and it made Loving Hut look expensive, if you can imagine that. We got two plates for food for less than $3, and although the employees didn’t speak English, there was a student there (Panamanian, I believe) who did, and she helped us (some of the items were vegetarian, not vegan). A spring roll, carrots, and seitan (?) in barbecue sauce.

I was really proud of my mom for eating her plate because the restaurant was in a slightly scary mall, and honestly, it wasn’t very clean in there. But that’s part of the fun of travel- being adventurous and open to trying new things!

The rest of these plates are from the buffet at our beach hotel, the Westin Playa Bonita. VERY vegan-friendly resort as it turns out. If you’re looking for a schmancy beach resort in Central America with lots of vegan food, I definitely recommend it.

We had the all-inclusive package, which for me meant mimosas with breakfast and rum punch all day by the pool, and red wine with dinner!

Most of my breakfasts were similar to this (although I did have cereal once or twice, because they had soy milk!). Toasted bread with peanut butter and pineapple jam, and roasted veggies.

A typical lunch looked like this (although I definitely changed it up a bit each day)- Bread with ahhhmazing hummus and a huge salad:

And something a little warmer and heartier for dinner. Each night had a different theme, and while I don’t remember the theme on the night this picture was taken, I enjoyed spicy lentils over rice, flavorful roasted veggies, and crispy potato wedges!

Okay, that’s (most of) what I ate in Panama City, Panama!