There’s a kosher cafeteria/bakery, a kosher restaurant, and even a kosher supermarket clustered together in Punta Paitilla. These have good, unusual (for Panama) offerings that may be of interest even to those who don’t keep kosher. They are great options on Sunday, when many other places are closed, but expect crowds.
Pita-Pan Kosher (Vía Italia, tel. 264-2786 or 265-1369, 7 a.m.–9 p.m. Mon.–Thurs., 7 a.m.–5 p.m. Fri., 9 a.m.–9 p.m. Sun., US$3.50–6) is an air-conditioned kosher cafeteria in the upscale Bal Harbour shopping center just off Avenida Balboa. It serves fish, salads, pasta, sandwiches, pizza, quiche, hummus with falafel, and so on. It even has kosher sushi. The food here is tasty. Another plus is that it serves pita and other fresh bread by the loaf. It’s closed Friday evening through Sunday morning for the Sabbath.
Next to Pita-Pan Kosher is Foodie Market (Bal Harbour shopping center, 7:30 A.M.–8:30 P.M. Mon.–Fri., 8 A.M.–7 P.M. Sat., 9 A.M.–8 P.M. Sun.), a small market that has good veggies and fruit.
Super Kosher (Calle 56 Este, tel. 263-5253, 8:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m. Sun.–Thurs., 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Fri.) is an upscale kosher supermarket one street north of the Bal Harbour shopping center. It has good veggies and products from the United States. There’s a cafeteria inside that serves breakfast items, sandwiches, and other goodies, all kosher.