Warren Ho
Google
This bakery and cafe is a true gem in Panama City. The husband and wife team are graduates of the Culinary Institute of America, and they apply the techniques and experiences they learned there to create the most marvelous versions of local specialties like mamallena bread pudding and tres leches cake. When I've taken friends there, they've actually said, "this is nothing like the bread pudding I grew up eating." At Miranda, they bake and toast their own croutons to be cooked in the yummy custard and then topped with their homemade praline sauce.
But it doesn't stop there. They also make the most wonderful kouign amanns, sourdough breads and croissants -- you'll think you waited in a long line in the Mission in San Francisco to have them.
The dark horse of this place is actually not sweets, nor breads, but their burgers. They are the juiciest, freshest beef patties and topped with high-quality cheese, bacon, eggs, veggies on a seeded Parker House roll made in house. The grilled cheese on sourdough bread with tomato sauce is a terrific alternative as well.
Yes, these are all cheat day items, but if you have fall off the wagon, you might as well do so with the highest quality ingredients in a charming setting.
*I’ve revised this to 5 stars because I realize that as far as bakeries are concerned, there are few that stand up to Miranda’s quality in Panama and beyond.