Cafeography
Panama City · Obarrio & Marbella

Cafés in Obarrio & Marbella

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

Photo: Luis Quintero, Pexels License

Obarrio is the center of Panama City's business district, and its spine is Calle 50, officially Avenida Nicanor de Obarrio.12 In January 2026 the city put out to tender a US$8 million renovation of the 1.7 km stretch between Avenida Federico Boyd and Vía Brasil, in the corregimiento of Bella Vista, to fix broken-up sidewalks, bury cables and plant trees.2 Marbella lies between Obarrio and Avenida Balboa.1

Coffee here keeps office hours. Bungla Coffee House is in the Credicorp Bank tower on Calle 50, Leto has a brew bar on Calle 61 Este, and Café Unido has a branch on Calle 54 Este in Marbella. For a coffee at 03:00, Capitol Take Away is open 24 hours.

Local tip: Before 08:00 in Obarrio, the reliable options are Leto on Calle 61 Este, from 07:00 on weekdays, and the round-the-clock Capitol Take Away.6

At a glance

9Cafés listed
2With opening hours
07:00Earliest opening
18:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Leto Coffee Brew Bar, from 07:00 (Mon–Fri 07:00–18:00 · Sat–Sun 08:00–17:00).
  • Most common features: specialty (11%), 24 hours (11%), open by 6am (11%).

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Panama City.

Coffee chains in Obarrio & Marbella

Calle 50 and the glass towers

The Credicorp Bank Tower, finished in 1997 to a design by the Panamanian architect Richard Holzer, rises 146 m and was the first building in the country with a fully glass-glazed facade; it holds about 30,000 m² of offices over 31 levels.3 Its lower floors hold restaurants, copy centers and other services for the offices above.3

A 2019 neighborhood guide counted more than 50 banks in Obarrio.1 The city's renovation plan for Calle 50 also covers climate-suited street furniture and lighting, after years of complaints about sidewalks that stop and start and are hard to use in a wheelchair.2

Specialty coffee between the banks

Bungla serves a Geisha from Finca Garrido, and Sugarbmd's 2026 guide put spending there at US$10–18 a person.4 It shared the design and architecture award with Sisu at Coffee Geeks Panamá's Best Coffee Shops 2026, where MOMO Coffee House also made the list of 12.5 MOMO's café in Obarrio is on Avenida Samuel Lewis, in the Centro Empresarial de Panamá.4

In Marbella, Maru Café, on Calle 53 in the PH Plaza New York building, brews beans from the Panamanian roaster Cabrera.4 The same guide put typical spending at MOMO at US$7–15 a person and at Maru at about US$15.4

A desk for the morning

Leto's Obarrio bar opens at 07:00 on weekdays and closes at 18:00, an hour later than its San Francisco sister; on weekends it keeps 08:00–17:00.6 Leto markets it as a coworking spot with fast Wi-Fi and power outlets.6

Café Unido's Obarrio branch has tables inside and out and takes cards, and Charlie's Cream pairs outdoor seating with a bakery counter. Sabor Brasil is on Calle 50 itself, and Capitol Take Away, the all-night counter, also serves brunch.

Getting around, and Calle Uruguay

Obarrio and Marbella are among the central neighborhoods generally considered safest, and several embassies are here.7 Taxis charge by zone rather than by meter, and Uber and inDrive work for short hops between towers.7

Calle Uruguay, at the Marbella end, is a strip of bars and clubs.7 Sisu has its second Panama City shop on Calle Uruguay, open 08:00–18:00 Monday to Saturday and 09:00–17:00 on Sundays.8

Sources

  1. Panama City Neighborhoods, Kraemer & Kraemer (Johana Sum, March 14, 2019), accessed October 2026
  2. 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
  3. Credicorp Bank Tower, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. Las 11 mejores cafeterías de especialidad en Panamá 2026, Sugarbmd (November 11, 2025, updated May 2026), accessed October 2026
  5. Las 12 mejores cafeterías de Panamá en 2026, La Prensa Panamá (Katiuska Hernández, October 24, 2026), accessed October 2026
  6. Leto Coffee: cafetería, brunch y café Geisha en Panamá (locations and hours), Leto Coffee, accessed October 2026
  7. Panama City, Wikivoyage, accessed October 2026
  8. Sisu Coffee Studio: Panama's coffee, told from its origin (locations, hours, shop), Sisu Coffee Studio, accessed October 2026
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In Obarrio & Marbella, also browse: Specialty coffee Outdoor seating

FAQ

Obarrio & Marbella cafés: questions

Where can you work from a café in Obarrio, Panama City?

Leto's brew bar on Calle 61 Este in Obarrio advertises fast Wi-Fi and power outlets for coworking and is open 07:00–18:00 on weekdays and 08:00–17:00 on weekends. Café Unido has branches in Obarrio and on Calle 54 Este in Marbella.

Which café serves Geisha coffee on Calle 50 in Panama City?

Bungla Coffee House, in the Credicorp Bank tower on Calle 50, serves a Geisha from Finca Garrido; a 2026 guide put spending there at US$10–18 a person. It shared the design and architecture award with Sisu Coffee Studio at the Best Coffee Shops Panamá 2026 gala.

Is there a 24-hour café in Obarrio, Panama City?

Capitol Take Away in Obarrio is open 24 hours. For specialty coffee, the earliest start in the barrio is Leto on Calle 61 Este, which opens at 07:00 on weekdays and 08:00 on weekends.

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