Where History Is Baked In
La Panadería is part of Hotel La Compañía Casco Antiguo, a complex built on the site where the Jesuits settled after the destruction of Panama Viejo. One of its wings dates back to 1688, so having coffee here means sitting in a place where different eras still seem to coexist.
But La Panadería does not try to compete with that history. It complements it with something much simpler and harder to resist. Every morning, its bakers prepare croissants and empanadas, filling the space with the kind of aroma that can instantly change a “just passing by” plan.
From Boquete to the First Sip
And if the bread sets the aroma, the coffee completes the story. The beans come from Finca Lérida in Boquete, a coffee estate with more than nine decades of tradition. Between buttery layers, freshly baked dough, and Panamanian coffee, the experience works precisely because it does not need to be complicated: sit down, take a bite, sip slowly, and let Casco Antiguo do the rest.
At La Panadería, time passes between crumbs and sips. Perhaps that is part of its charm: discovering that in a place surrounded by centuries of history, one of the best memories can begin with something fresh out of the oven.
