Kaandela Restaurant

In 900 reviews and many more visits unwritten, I have never before walked out of a restaurant mid meal. This was a bad experience that got worse as the evening progressed. First, of 5-6 choices in white wines, only one was actually available. Because I intended to pair it with the pork belly pops appetizer it seemed important to do it right. We actually don't know what wine we got because we were sampled on something not in the menu, but it was still the wrong choice when they didn't have the pops. Seriously, it's paper and your signature item. Reprint your menus when you are out of everything, or at least tell us at the beginning instead of waiting until after we order. This is not a one night problem as a review 4 days before mentioned the same. We got the Clams Papa which really needed bread to soak up the liquid. Several of them were still gritty and my wife said her's tasted fishy. Not good. Then we sat. We ordered a different glass of wine and got a really short pour. Photo of untouched glasses is attached. An hour and a half after sitting down and after going to the kitchen to ask when to expect dinner they brought the steak. Compare the photo I'll upload with that of other's. There's no comparison. Ours was small, grey and cooked in a pan, not appearing even near the advertised weight. There was no crust and no ember as described. There's no way that this gristley thing was prime either. At this point I decided I could not pay $100 for this junk and told them we were leaving. The chef came out, but there was nothing for him to do. I think that he was as embarrassed as he should have been to serve that mess. No, I would never return.

We came here on our last night in Panama City looking for a nice meal. The food was delicious but portions are small for the price. We ordered the short ribs which cost ~$50 but only comes with one rib. The skirt steak was good but small. The stand out was the corn trilogy. I didn’t know I needed corn foam in my life!

Kaandela was easily our best meal in Panama, from the warm bread and butter, to pork belly pops, to the guava toffee bread pudding, oh and I can’t forget the star of the show, the fall off the bone short rib. Everything was mouth watering good, and the service was excellent. I can’t recommend this place enough.

Went for lunch . The service was very slow and there were a lot of empty tables . The pork belly was not available even though it’s one of their featured dishes . The lamb kebabs we ordered were burnt . The seafood casserole was good but it had one shrimp and one burnt piece of octopus . The head waiter / Manager gave 5 dollars off for the bad service. We were really excited to visit this restaurant but after visiting I can say it’s hyped up. The drinks were good .

A must-go when visiting Panama! Kiara is an amazing bartender. Kenny & Juan are also great waiters. 10/10 experience. Every dish and drink is so delicious & flavorful! I will definitely be back whenever I’m in Panama again!

We had the lamb koftas and rib eye over embers and they did not disappoint! The pumpkin pecan pie was a lovely finish. The cocktails were very good but we did wish there was a larger wine menu selection. Still a fantastic experience!

This is an excellent spot! What a wonderful experience of warm and inviting customer service, and spectacular food! The thing that stood out the most was the attention to detail in the presentation of each dish… We’re sure to return!

Our cousin recommended this place, and it was amazing. The food is a fine dining experience, and the service is perfect. We ate way too much, but we just wanted to try everything. Ilka was our waitress, and she was helpful with recommendations and super sweet.