Looking for a Cheap Lunch? Casinos
Casino Lunch Specials are one of Panama’s best kept secrets. Eating lunch in Panama is economical to begin with, but Casinos during lunch time making eating out ridiculously inexpensive. These Reno-inspired Casinos serve stomach-busting lunch specials for $3-$5, leading me to believe that they must be losing money. I discovered these mid-day deals by tagging along with my Panamanian co-workers to lunch one day. We ate a decent 3 course meal with a drink included and my bill came out to be $4.50 including tip. I was amazed at just how much food I ate and how little I spent, especially since I had been paying over $6 at Subway and that wasn’t even a full meal. Today, I am an advocate for eating at Casinos if you are looking for the best bang for your buck. Here are the best Casino Lunch Specials that I have found in Panama:
**** All the following lunch specials run Monday through Friday from 12pm-3pm.
1. Royal Casino– Located in the Banking District (next to Hotel Marriott). For $2.99, the meal includes a beverage, soup, main dish, and a desert. The menu is changed daily and the restaurant is located on the ground floor, in back towards the stage.
2. Super 99 Casino– Located in Obarrio. Here you will find one of the best Sancochos in town. The Panamanian traditional chicken soup is gigantic and is accompanied by rice and a beverage. Any trip to Panama is not complete without trying a bowl of Sancocho, and this is one of the best places to get your fill.
3. Fiesta Casino. Located between the Panama and Veneto Casino in El Cangrejo, the Fiesta Casino lunch special is the best in town. The menu includes an appetizer, your choice from 5 different well portioned entrees, a desert, and a drink. The entire 3 course meal cost 4.50 including tip! It is not gourmet, but it’s the best deal in town.
If you know of any other lunch time deals, please leave a comment below.
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Joshua Haarbrink on Fri, 25th Sep 2009 10:08 pm
The Veneto Casino has a pretty decent meal but you have to fill out a form with your information to receive a card so you can order the lunch. I think it’s $4.30 including tax.
panajane on Mon, 30th Aug 2010 9:40 pm
Casablanca has a cheap lunch special (ask for el menu del dia). No more than $5 and it included a decent soup, corvina, white rice, patacones, salad, AND a soda. The menu has 5 items on it (corvina, filete de pollo and some other stuff).
If you want to go super cheap there is a joint call Ricuras del Canajagua on Avenida B and calle 13 that probably has the best pollo asado ever. Tons of rice, porotos, a nice hunk of pollo asado and tajadas will set you back a whopping $2.50.
There is also the Chicken and Ribs Man who bbqs in the back of the Teatro Nacional and in a corner of Plaza Bolivar. His bbq is finger licking good, but get there early as the chicken is usually sold out early on (ribs are good as well). About $3.00 for a plate of rice, salad and ribs/chicken.
If you want a tasty experience you can also try Carpa del Tapeo in La Boca. Spanish food at less than $7.00, with an appetizer, entre, and some other yummy stuff. The Spanish chef has won numerous culinary awards in Europe and the prices are way accesible. Tapas!
Matthew Addis on Tue, 7th Sep 2010 12:59 am
I agree with you on the amount of food you get in these casinos and the extraordinary value for money they represent. But I still can’t bear to eat there.
They are so busy, you are probably going to have to shark for an empty seat at these peak times (because the Panamanians, particularly those of a certain age, know how good a deal this is).
This is a problem if you are a working person trying to fit all of this food into an hour-long lunch break.
Then there is the general atmosphere of these places: I do not want to eat whilst my senses are assailed by the various blinking, flashing, chattering, screaming, gnashing, lamenting, celebrating and commiserating that goes on in a casino. Far too intense.