Cafeography
Ciudad de Panamá

Cafés in Panama City Geisha in the old town

Geisha pour-overs on Casco Viejo's Avenida Eloy Alfaro, brew bars along Vía Argentina, espresso at the foot of the Calle 50 bank towers and roasters in San Francisco's Calles 70s.

Browse the cafés
  • Map and “near me”
  • “Open now” filter
  • Paid placements always labeled

Photo: Jesus Vidal, Pexels License

61Cafés listed
2Open by 6am
4Open past 10pm
11Specialty & roasters

In Panama City, Geisha is a café drink as well as an auction lot. Sisu Coffee Studio, at Calle 9 and Avenida B, is the city outlet of Lamastus Family Estates, which has grown coffee in the Boquete highlands since 1918 and serves nothing from outside its own farms.1 Leto pours a Geisha from Finca Mil Cumbres at its San Francisco bar, and Siete Granos sold Geisha from US$8 a cup in 2026.23

The old town, Casco Antiguo, was settled on its walled peninsula in 1673, and its coffee bars cluster around Plaza Herrera and Calle 9.4 North of it, Vía Argentina in El Cangrejo, Calle 50 in Obarrio and the Calles 70s of San Francisco hold most of the rest. Café Unido, the largest local chain, ran 10 shops in Panama by late 2022 and roasted on a 15-kilo Giesen in the capital.5

In October 2026 the city hosted World of Coffee Panamá at the Panama Convention Center. At its gala on October 23, Coffee Geeks Panamá named Toño's Factory in Corozal the country's best coffee shop, ahead of Sisu Coffee Studio and Kotowa Coffee House, and gave Café Unido its award for an international franchise.6

Start with a barrio

Panama City by area

Addresses name a corregimiento (district ward), but cafés are found by barrio: Casco Antiguo lies in San Felipe, El Cangrejo and the Calle 50 offices in Bella Vista, and Coco del Mar in San Francisco.4141516

Casco Viejo

The walled old town of 1673: Geisha bars on Avenida Eloy Alfaro and Calle 9, delis on Plaza Herrera.

16 cafés

El Cangrejo & Vía Argentina

Vía Argentina's palm-lined café strip, from Mentiritas Blancas to Café Unido, on Metro Line 1.

8 cafés

Obarrio & Marbella

The banking district on Calle 50: Geisha in a bank tower, a brew bar on Calle 61 Este, Marbella side streets.

9 cafés

San Francisco & Coco del Mar

Brew bars on the Calles 70s, Café Unido's roastery at SF69 Plaza and Coco del Mar's new seafront park.

10 cafés
Or start with what you need

Browse by mood and hour

Café de especialidad

Specialty coffee

Geisha bars, house roasters and pour-over counters from Casco Viejo to San Francisco.

11 cafés
Terrazas

Outdoor seating

Terraces and sidewalk tables from Bella Vista to Vía Argentina, with rainy-season timing.

9 cafés

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi cafés for a working day, from Casco Viejo to Calle 71, with opening hours.

8 cafés

Casco Viejo 16 cafés

More about cafés in Casco Viejo

El Cangrejo & Vía Argentina 8 cafés

More about cafés in El Cangrejo & Vía Argentina

Punta Paitilla & Punta Pacífica 5 cafés

Obarrio & Marbella 9 cafés

More about cafés in Obarrio & Marbella

Avenida Balboa & Bella Vista 6 cafés

Parque Lefevre 2 cafés

San Francisco & Coco del Mar 10 cafés

More about cafés in San Francisco & Coco del Mar

Albrook, Ancón & Balboa 4 cafés

El Dorado & Betania 1 cafés

No café matches all of those filters. Try removing one, or tell us about a café we're missing.

Coffee chains in Panama City

Branches by area

Before you sit down

How coffee works in Panama City

The specialty menu is the international one: espresso, americano, cortado, macchiato, cappuccino, cold brew and pour-over, with soy, almond or lactose-free milk at Café Unido.7 Filter coffee is ordered by brewer. At Leto, as of October 2026, a 250 ml V60 or an AeroPress costs US$6 and a 430 ml Chemex US$8; the US$3.25 house espresso is a natural from Carmen Estate, grown at 1,450–1,900 m, and a cappuccino costs US$4.50.8

Away from the brew bars, coffee is plainer. In a fonda, a counter serving home-style daily plates, a cup ran US$0.50–1.00 in 2022 depending on whether it came black or with milk, and ordinary cafeterías charged US$1.50–4.00.910 The standard breakfast pairs hojaldra, a round of fried dough, with strong coffee.10

Prices are in US dollars. The balboa, pegged one to one with the dollar since 1904, circulates only as coins, so change often mixes dollar notes with balboa coins.11 Tipping is voluntary under consumer law: Acodeco, the consumer agency, says most places suggest 10%, a tip may be added to the bill's total, and the customer decides whether to pay it.12

Laptops are a daytime habit. Leto's Obarrio bar on Calle 61 Este pitches itself as a coworking stop with fast Wi-Fi and outlets, and on Vía Argentina the morning café crowd is largely people working.213 Many cafés close at 17:00 or 18:00, so an evening session means picking one of the few that stay open later.

What coffee costs in Panama City

DrinkTypical price
Café negro / con leche
Coffee at a fonda (lunch counter)		US$0.50–1.00
Fondas, 2022
Café
Coffee at an ordinary cafetería		US$1.50–4.00
Cafeterías, 2022
Espresso
Espresso at a specialty bar		US$3.25
Leto, October 2026
Cappuccino
Cappuccino at a specialty bar		US$4.50
Leto, October 2026
Geisha
A cup of Panamanian Geisha		from US$8
Siete Granos, 2026

Prices in US dollars. The fonda and cafetería ranges are from Metro Libre's April 2022 survey; specialty prices are from Leto's menu in October 2026; the Geisha price is Siete Granos', from Sugarbmd's guide as updated in May 2026.983

Sources

  1. Sisu Coffee Studio: Panama's coffee, told from its origin (locations, hours, shop), Sisu Coffee Studio, accessed October 2026
  2. Leto Coffee: cafetería, brunch y café Geisha en Panamá (locations and hours), Leto Coffee, accessed October 2026
  3. Las 11 mejores cafeterías de especialidad en Panamá 2026, Sugarbmd (November 11, 2025, updated May 2026), accessed October 2026
  4. Casco Antiguo de Panamá, Wikipedia (Spanish), accessed October 2026
  5. Cafe Unido Puts Panama on a Pedestal in Washington D.C., Daily Coffee News (Howard Bryman, December 2, 2022), accessed October 2026
  6. Las 12 mejores cafeterías de Panamá en 2026, La Prensa Panamá (Katiuska Hernández, October 24, 2026), accessed October 2026
  7. Cafe Unido Casco Viejo is the Second Location of the Panamanian Coffee Chain, Panama Casco Viejo, accessed October 2026
  8. Menú y precios, Leto Coffee (menu as of October 2026), accessed October 2026
  9. El precio de una taza de café en Panamá va de $0.50 a $4.00, Metro Libre (Mayela De Sedas, April 25, 2022), accessed October 2026
  10. 15 Traditional Panamanian Dishes to Try, All About Panama City (June 5, 2026), accessed October 2026
  11. Panamanian balboa, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  12. Propina en restaurantes es voluntaria y no puede ser exigida, recuerda Acodeco, TVN Noticias (May 4, 2026), accessed October 2026
  13. A Quick Guide To Panama's Via Argentina Neighborhood, pty.life (Joey Bonura, June 6, 2024), accessed October 2026
  14. El Cangrejo, Wikipedia (Spanish), accessed October 2026
  15. Alcaldía de Panamá publica pliegos para licitar renovación de la calle 50 por $8 millones, La Prensa Panamá (José González Pinilla, February 2, 2026), accessed October 2026
  16. Coco Parque: abren al público un espacio frente al mar cerrado por décadas, La Prensa Panamá (April 22, 2026), accessed October 2026
FAQ

Cafés in Panama City: common questions

How much does a coffee cost in Panama City?

In 2022 a cup of coffee cost US$0.50–1.00 at a Panama City fonda and US$1.50–4.00 at an ordinary cafetería. At Leto, a specialty bar, an espresso cost US$3.25 and a cappuccino US$4.50 in October 2026, and Siete Granos sold Geisha from US$8 a cup. Prices are in US dollars.

Which neighborhood of Panama City has the most cafés?

Casco Viejo and San Francisco & Coco del Mar have the most cafés, followed by Obarrio & Marbella. Casco Viejo's cafés sit within a few blocks of Plaza Herrera and Calle 9; San Francisco's line the numbered streets from Calle 70 to Calle 79.

Where can you drink Geisha coffee in Panama City?

Sisu Coffee Studio, at Calle 9 and Avenida B in Casco Viejo, serves Geisha only from the Lamastus family's farms in Boquete. Leto's San Francisco bar pours a Geisha from Finca Mil Cumbres, and Siete Granos sold Geisha from US$8 a cup in 2026.

Do you tip in Panama City cafés?

Tips are voluntary in Panama City. A tip may be included in the bill's total, but the customer decides whether to pay it, and Acodeco, Panama's consumer protection agency, says the most common practice is to suggest 10%.

What currency do Panama City cafés use?

Panama City cafés price in US dollars. Panama's own currency, the balboa, has been pegged one to one with the dollar since 1904 and exists only as coins, so change often comes as dollar notes mixed with balboa coins.

For café owners

Run a café in Panama City?

Your free listing is probably already on this page. Claim it in two minutes, or turn it into a featured page in your own design, with photos, a menu and your own link.

Get listed, free See a page in its own design