Editor Pick
El Trapiche
- May 28, 2008
- Rated 4 of 5 by
IMSAustin from Austin, Texas
El Trapiche is a family restaurant located in the El Cangrejo district of Panama City. My wife and I headed there on our first evening in the city, itching for some local cuisine. The restaurant is well known, so most taxi drivers know how to get there.
The menu is casual dining, which means (as everywhere in Panama City) polo shirts or dress shirts for men and blouses or dresses for women. We were dressed more casually than this, but this is not generally a problem. The walls were also informal, covered with the occasional colorful mask or simple framed portrait. A wide-screen TV also provided our first captivating look into Panamian television. You can choose to sit inside the air-conditioned restaurant or oustide (afuera) by the sidewalk and watch the passers-by.
The food was reasonably priced, ranging from about $5 to $15, depending on your appetite. We had ropa vieja and grilled octopus (pulpo), which were accompanied by the ubiquitous rice and beans, fried plantains, and tasty yucca with a consistency similar to mashed potatoes. We practically cleaned our plates! The local beer was also a decent, but very light, brew called Balboa for $2 each.
Service was equivalent to what we experienced everywhere in the city: not exactly speedy. But this is part of the difference between Central America and the United States or elsewhere. As a U.S. citizen, I've come to expect a short waiting time for a meal. But in other cultures, the time waiting for a meal is also a time to sit, relax, talk, and observe the surroundings. It is part of the traveling experience. After some adjustment, it is not so noticeable. Just exercise a little patience and enjoy the ones you're with!
Also, please note that you must typically request the bill (la cuenta) from your server, as it is not automatically brought to your table. Some servers also stood beside us while we fished out our cash, cards, or other forms of payment AND while we decided the appropriate amount of a tip and signed the credit card slip. We experienced this at El Trapiche and I felt a bit self-conscious while being examined in this way. Our server was also very curt and aloof. But I've found that this is not the norm in the city. My best advice is to smile, be polite, and try to use a little Spanish when you can--it means a lot that you're making an effort to learn their language!
From journal Panamá: The Green, the Blue, and the Feathered