Panama

View from Comosa Building in Obarrio Panama City

By: Daniel Retterhauer

The crib of Panamas banking sector is in Obarrio and Calle 50 or 50th Street. This neighborhood is very well known for being the most centrally located in Panama.

On one side neighborhood borders the El Cangrejo and El Carmen neighborhood, across via Espana. On the other side is 50th Street, Panamas primary business street. The neighborhood counts with a wide variety of shops, restaurants and businesses a short stroll away which make this a very convenient place to live in.

Famous Italian and Greek restaurants Napoli and Athens pizza are located in front of each other and are always popular destinations among the professional work crowd around noon. Just a few blocks away from these is the Bingo 90 play hall where lunch is served daily and the famous sancocho de gallina is the signature dish which will only cost you about $3.00 per plate.

Obarrio also has other famous restaurants such as Carlitos Pizza, where the Argentinian pizza is made with the freshest ingredients, their empanadas taste exactly like they would in Argentina. A few blocks after this eatery is Sushi Ito, a regional chain of Sushi restaurants and also the first Sushi place in Panama. On the way towards via Brasil you can find La Fragata, a small Spanish tapas restaurant, which has been around for decades and serves an entire menu of reasonably priced Spanish delicacies, we highly recommend their sangria. Right on this strip is the Deli Gourmet, where there are over fifty different varieties of paninis and sandwiches all made with the finest gourmet ingredients. This locale also has a selection of fine wines, cheeses and gourmet ingredients for purchase. Other locations of this chain can be found on 50th Street, in the El Dorado neighborhood and in the Bristol Buenaventura hotel. Other famed eating houses include Manolos where the best churros and hot chocolate (ask for the thick variety – the traditional Spanish version) in Panama can be found.

Everything in Obarrio is walking distance, the Rey supermarket is the closest one and it is open 24 hours a day. If buying lottery is your thing, there is a lottery office located right at the entrance of the Obarrio neighborhood off Va Espana where every Wednesday and Sunday right after 1:30 p.m. lines of happy winning ticket holders line up to collect their prize. Close by on Via Brasil right next to Obarrio is the wholesale shopping club chain PriceMart where the best meats and grocery products are available at wholesale prices. Living in Obarrio will make your life easier for day to day errands, for example, the Bubblesland car wash is a mega car wash and detailing facility located next to PriceMart where all your car detailing needs can be attended and they take extra care of your car washing it with high pressure spraying and hand drying. If you need to send a package va courier, living in Obarrio will make this process easy as there is a FedEx, DHL and a Copa Airlines Courier branch conveniently located in the neighborhood. The largest pharmacy chains, Arrocha and Metro, also have a branch in the area both with ample parking spots. The office of local electricity provider Union Fenosa is conveniently located next to the Arrocha pharmacy of Obarrio where any service queries can be filed and remedied.