Sunset Drinks at Sama Sky Lounge, Panama City
Our rule for the Panama City trip was simple: eat and drink somewhere new every single time. With a city this good, repeating felt like cheating. So every meal, every drink stop, we were finding somewhere we'd never been. Sama Sky Lounge was one of those finds — and it set the bar (literally) for the whole trip.
Sama sits on the rooftop of the Oasis Hotel on Calle 9a Este in Casco Viejo — and according to locals, it's the highest rooftop in the neighborhood. We'd been walking around Casco Viejo all afternoon and spotted it, and honestly the view from street level was enough to make us want to go up. What we found at the top was even better.
The views are genuinely spectacular — you get a 360-degree sweep of the city, the bay, and the skyline all at once. We got there right around sunset, which turned out to be perfect timing. The sky went orange and pink behind the skyline while we sat with our drinks and it was one of those moments where you just stop talking for a minute and take it in.
The cocktails are the main event. Sama has a proper signature drink menu put together by their mixologists, and they take it seriously — these aren't your standard rum and Cokes. They're creative, well-balanced, and they taste like someone actually thought about what was in them. We tried a couple each and had zero regrets.
The menu also has food — an international spread with a strong Italian influence, antipasti, pasta, that kind of thing — so if you want to make a full evening of it, you absolutely can. We stayed longer than planned, which at this point was becoming a pattern for the whole trip.
If you're in Panama City — especially if you're staying in or near Casco Viejo — Sama is worth making time for. Go for sunset if you can, grab a couple of cocktails, and stay for the vibe. It's one of those spots that just makes a city feel like a city.
Sama Sky Lounge
Oasis Hotel, Calle 9a Este, Casco Viejo, Panama City
Opens at 12 PM — honeybadgerbars.com
