Dinner at 5inco Comida Urbana, Panama City
One of the things we set out to do in Panama City was eat somewhere different every single meal — with so many incredible spots in this city, it felt wrong to go back anywhere. And we mostly stuck to that. Except for 5inco Comida Urbana. We went back twice. No photos from the second visit (we were too busy eating), but it absolutely deserved the repeat.
5inco sits on Calle 69 in the San Francisco neighborhood, tucked into a house that’s been transformed into something really special. Walk in and the first thing you see is a massive Salvador Dalí mural covering the back wall — surrealist, dramatic, completely unexpected. Industrial pendant lights hang over dark wood tables, and colorful art installations fill the space. It’s the kind of place where you’d happily just sit and look around, except the food keeps pulling your attention back to the table.
Chef Roberto Richa runs this place, and his concept is urban fusion — taking Asian and Latin flavors and making them his own. The menu is the kind where you want to order everything and share, which is exactly what we did. First up: steamed bao buns, stamped with the 5inco logo and served in a bamboo steamer. Soft, pillowy, perfectly filled. The kind of thing you order one of and immediately ask for another.
We also got the pan-fried dumplings — crispy bottoms, tender tops — served on a beautiful blue and white ceramic plate with sesame sauce, fresh herbs, and crushed nuts scattered over everything. The combination of textures and flavors was exactly right: rich and nutty and bright all at once. These alone would be worth coming back for (and, well, we did).
Look — we tried. We really wanted to be disciplined about hitting new restaurants every meal to make the most of everything Panama City has to offer. 5inco just didn’t give us a choice. When something is this good, you make an exception. If you’re in the San Francisco neighborhood, do yourself a favor and go. Twice.
5inco Comida Urbana
Calle 69 San Francisco, Casa #115, Panama City
Website: 5incopanama.com
