Art Cafe La Crepe (Avenida Central next to Zanzibar, tel. 720-1821, 11 A.M.–9 P.M. Tues.–Sat., 9 A.M.–9 P.M. Sun., closed Mon.) is on everyone’s list of favorite places to eat in Boquete these days. It offers excellent savory and sweet crepes, as well as a range of salads, seafood, and meat dishes. Most crepes are around US$6.50. A daily three-course set menu is US$12. There’s a popular Sunday brunch (9 A.M.–noon). Service is gracious and the atmosphere is cheerful, with vibrantly painted café furnishings.

Café Kotowa (tel. 720-1430, www.kotowacoffee.com, 7 A.M.–7 P.M. daily) has two coffee shops in Boquete. The one in Los Establos Plaza shares space with Boquete Tree Trek. The other is in the CEFATI building in Alto Boquete. Both offer a full range of espresso drinks and a handful of snacks. Brightly colored, gift-worthy packages of coffee are sold in both shops.

The gourmet coffee company Café Ruiz (Avenida Central, tel. 720-1392, www.caferuiz.com, 7 a.m.–6 p.m. Mon.–Sat., 10 a.m.– 6 p.m. Sun.) has a coffee shop that serves espresso drinks, cakes, snacks, and other goodies at its roasting and packaging plant just north of town on Avenida Central. Keep left at the fork past the church. It’s the white complex on the right, near Mi Jardín Es Su Jardín. The espresso here is among the best I’ve ever tasted—strong but not bitter. You can also buy a wide range of packaged coffees fresh from the plant. They come whole bean (grano) or ground (molido), sealed in plain packaging or a variety of gift packs. You can book tours of the entire Ruiz operation.

Café Punto de Encuentro (7 a.m.–noon daily, US$2.50–5.50), one block west of Pensiçn Marilós, is a cute little outdoor breakfast café attached to a home. Also known as Olga’s, in honor of its proprietor, it serves pancakes, French toast, well-stuffed omelets, and other breakfast goodies. It’s a simple, friendly place.

Choko Chetta (Avenida Central and Calle 5 Sur, tel. 720-1997, 10:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m. daily, US$3–9), across from Plaza Los Establos, gets its peculiar name from its dessert-on-a-stick shtick: It offers goodies such as strawberries and marshmallows on a brochette, usually drowned in chocolate and ice cream. Dessert purists can go for the brownie with ice cream, which is delicious. Other offerings range from salads and sandwiches to full meals. The mod decor—all glass and steel—is something new for Boquete. A plus here is they’ll deliver to your hotel.

Anyone can come for breakfast on the terrace at Pensión Topas (Avenida Belisario Porras, tel./fax 720-1005, 8–11 a.m. daily, US$2.50–7), but guests staying at the pension get priority. The pension does not serve other meals.

Pastelería Alemana Marianne’s Café (approximately 12:30–8 p.m. Thurs.–Mon., usually closed Tues. and Wed.), a little German pastry shop on the main road through Alto Boquete, is a popular place to stop for a sugar fix on the way to or from downtown Boquete. Its pies, cakes, and other sweets are delicious, and the prices are good—about US$1.25 for a slice, or US$5 for an entire pie. Try the lemon meringue pie, the pineapple pie, the choco-vanilla cake, or the chocolate chip cookies. It’s about a kilometer south of the CEFATI building. The café is closed in June.

Fresas Mary (tel. 720-3394, 10 a.m.– 7 p.m. daily, US$2.25 or less) is an attractive snack kiosk built into the front of a house just a half kilometer down the Volcancito road from the turnoff at the CEFATI building. It’ll be on the left as you head toward Volcancito. The strawberry batidos (milkshakes) here are so good and fresh they’ll make your knees buckle. The other nine flavors of helados caseros (homemade ice cream) include papaya, banana, zarzamora (blackberry), and guanábana (a tropical fruit sometimes known in English as soursop). Hamburgers and other hot bites, coffee, and sweets are also available. There’s a comfortable indoor sitting area if it’s raining.