Panama Nightlife: La Casona in Casco Viejo
One of the first night spots to open and have success in the newly renovating Casco Viejo, La Casona offers up a nice alternative to the shiny shoe parade of Calle Uruguay. In local terms, labelled a “Bohemian bar,” La Casona is a counter-culture-type alternative to fancy clubs and bars found elsewhere in the city. While it isn’t exactly as cheap as it was in its earlier days, you still get what you pay for with $2 beers and $3 well drinks. The bar itself is not all that diverse with just a basic offering of hard alcohols, but there’s plenty of it along with various local and imported beers and wines by the glass.
La Casona is generally open Wednesday night through Saturday night and for other special occasions and parties. It is a large spacious building with a huge main hall and a few other auxiliary rooms. There are couches along with walls and some other short tables and chairs mixed in. La Casona also prides itself in supporting the arts, and you can usually find some type of local art exhibit or traveling regional performances every month or so. Most weekends are usually split with some nights having live music and the rest with DJs. La Casona blasts everything from electronic-house-trance to live rock to hip-hop to 80’s pop to reggae to old school funk and Calypso. If there is ever a special evening event in Casco Viejo, La Casona usually provides the local for the eventual after party.
Best Nights: Weekends, but during the week alot of hostel types frequent the bar
Cover: $5
Crowd: Bohemian/ Normal Panamanians
Music: Reggae but can changes depending on the event
Price: $2 for a National beer
Bottle service: Yes starting from $25
From 1 to 10 how widely spoken is English: 5
View EyeOnPanama.com in a larger map
Popularity: 4% [?]
Everett on Wed, 11th Mar 2009 4:13 pm
The placed has sooooo much potential. However, it needs to be cleaned, is too decentralized so even if there alot of people there it feels empty, and is filled with sweaty hippies– No thanks.
Gordon Owen on Sun, 26th Apr 2009 7:48 am
I have totally changed my opinion of La Casona. I never really liked it because I thought the bar was wasting its enormous potential. However, the other night I had one of the best nights in Panama at La Casona at their electronic party. I stand corrected.
Dating in Panama: How to Penetrate the Group | Eye On Panama on Fri, 29th May 2009 5:27 pm
[...] Category 1: Cosmopolitan Types. Those independent minded women who distain their machismo cultural legacy. They hate the fact that Latin culture still believes their place in society is in the kitchen rather than the workplace. I would disdain it too. More often than not, these women have spent time in parts of Europe and/or the States. If not, they probably watch to Cosmopolitan inspired shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Sex in the City. Cosmopolitan Types are frequently found at places like the Indigo, the Havana, the Prive, or the La Casona. [...]
Orient yourself to Casco Viejo | Eye On Panama on Sun, 18th Oct 2009 6:14 pm
[...] on the block and is a EyeOnPanama.com favoriate. Bar options also include, Café Mojito, Indigo, La Casona de las Brujas. Other options include Havana, a laid back cuban bar just down the street and Platea, which is [...]