dining

Los Cedros: an unusual ethnic mix and a great way to cool off

by Eric Jackson

When you visit a dining establishment but one time, and by yourself to boot, you run the high risk of missing the best thing in your selections. Los Cedros, a combination Lebanese and Mexican place on Via Argentina, at least doubles this risk.

The place was highly recommended by friends and family, but it had taken several months to get around to it. When I went in there I decided to do the Lebanese food rather than the Mexican, or the various Panamanian or international offerings on the menu. I will go back and see what kind of a Mexican restaurant the place is, but at this point I don't know enough about that aspect to comment upon it.

There are several good Levantine Arab restaurants in Panama City, and Los Cedros surely belongs on that list as well.

I got the chicken chawarma, which came with some fresh pita bread, a plate of assorted Lebanese-style pickles and Lebanese limeade to drink. The food was very good.

The limeade --- a green icy slush with an unusual bite to the taste --- gets superlative ratings. It's wonderful, and if you find yourself in the neighborhood of El Cangrejo's Parque Andres Bello on a hot and sticky day, you can't do better than stopping in at Los Cedros for a tall, cool glass of the best limeade I have yet encountered in this country.

The proximity to the park and the choice of indoors or outdoors makes this restaurant fit in with the Via Argentina scene. Go there in the late afternoon and eat or drink outside and you'll catch the wonderful racket of the wild parakeets and parrots that so distinguish this neighborhood. If cooling off is the priority, go inside where it's air conditioned.

Mainly, just go to Los Cedros. It's a worthy addition to your list of restaurants to visit in Panama City.