Casco Viejo Business Directory:

What to do? Restaurants, bars, theatres

Ego & Narciso: One beside the other at Plaza Bolivar. Wonderful Peruvian tapas at Ego and very good italian food at Narciso. You can order from both, no problem! the owner is thinking on opening a third one in the same plaza... so coming soon!  262-2045

CasaBlanca: casual dinning at Plaza Bolivar. 212-0040

Platea & Scena: Scena is a nice formal restaurant above Platea which is our favorite jazz bar. They also have live music most nights, ranging from salsa to rock. Located on Calle 1era, in front of the old Club Union.  228-4011

Casuale: great mix of Argentinian food in two ambiances: formal and lounge. Location: Calle 1era... at the side of Arco Properties!   228-1017

Caffe Per Due: Manuela and Marco run our favorite neighborhood spot for pizza.  She is from Mantova, where I have to say I got the best food ever in Italy. They are located at A Avenue and First Street, at PH Paseo Las Bovedas. 6512-9311 / 6496-4878/ caffeperdue@gmail.com

Buzios: Brazilian inspired, meditarrenean food. Relaxed ambiance, outside seating, ocean view. Location: Calle 1era, at the side of the French Embassy. 228-9045

Grandclement: the best icecreams in Panama. French owned & run, wonderful new flavours! Location: Central Avenue and 4th street. 228-0737

Manolo Caracol and Caracol Verde: Two restaurants, one beside the other. Spanish tapas and salads. Location: Avenida Central and 3rd street. 228-0109

Mostaza: italian food with a cozy feeling. You will feel at home, either sitting outside or inside. Location: 3rd street and Avenida A. 228-3341

Super Gourmet: great gourmet sandwiches and food to grab & run. Location: Avenida A and 6th street.

La Casona de Brujas: our favorite bohemian bar. Location: Plaza Herrera.

Baños Públicos: at the corner of Plaza Herrera, if you are lucky, they open on Fridays and Saturdays. Heavy Metal, local bands. Please remember to pay for the beer; they don’t tend to charge people.

Café René: Tapas restaurant, informal. Location: Plaza Catedral, at the side of the church. 262-3487

Caffe per Due: Very nice pizzas, thin crust. Email: caffeperdue@gmail.com or 6512-9311/ 6496-4878

Las Bóvedas Restaurant: because it’s set up at two of the vaults of Plaza Francia, its interesting to see the interior. Sometimes they have live music. Location: Plaza Francia. 228-8058

Casa Portugal: good meats and bacalao. Central Avenue and 3rd street. 228-8569. They have free wireless internet.

Cedro´s: Local food. All about patacones, arroz con pollo and ropa vieja! Location; Central Avenue, at a side of Hotel Central. 262-1275

The National Theatre: to check out what´s going on: 262-3525

Where to Stay? Hotels, hostels and short term rentals

Canal House Panama: A beautifully restored colonial mansion at the heart of San Felipe. Ideal to rent the entire house, it has 3 suites, most of them with inner offices, all of them with internet. Fully staffed 24/7. Check it out at: www.canalhousepanama.com  Phone: 228-2907/ 8683.

Café de Asis (Plaza Bolivar): Nostalgic apartment with great views to Plaza Bolivar. Rent it through Arco Properties, per night, per week, per month. Email: igrenald@arcoproperties.com / Patrizia@arcoproperties.com

Los Cuatro Tulipanes: Management Company, based in Casco Antiguo. They’ve got very nice apartments for rent: www.loscuatrotulipanes.com

Hospedaje Casco Viejo: Very well located, low budget, perfect for backpackers. http://www.hospedajecascoviejo.com/hotel.html or  cascoviejo@centrodereservas.net or call (507) 269-6166

Luna´s Castle: Also for backpackers. This is the most recent acquisition of the guys who own Mondo Taitu and Heike hostel in Bocas del Toro. They are expanding to Casco and the place is beautiful. Give them a call at: 262-1540. http://wakansadhana.blogspot.com/2007/07/blog-post.htm

Architecture:

Hache Uve:   Architectural restoration is not an easy business. To do well you have to be really good. And these guys have been successfully in town for more than 10 years. Check them out at:  http://www.hacheuve.com/ 228-5204. Location: Third Street, in front of Arco Chato.

Paniza Arquitectura: One of the oldest neighbors and independent architects in town, Sebastian can be reached at spaniza@mobilmail.net .  Location: Third Street, behind Hotel Central.

The Government and NGO´s:

Oficina del Casco Antiguo (known as OCA): If you want to know about the current plans and projects for Casco, this office is basically the liaison between all government offices that deals with Casco and UNESCO.  Tel. 209-6300. Location: Third Street and A Avenue.

Museo del Canal Interoceánico: very good collection, in one visit you´ll get a wonderful overview of both Panama and the Canal. http://www.museodelcanal.com/

INAC (Institute of Culture): At Plaza Francia,  501-4000.

Fundacion Calicanto: one of the most active foundations in Casco Antiguo. They have all sorts of programs for the local community, ranging from urban agriculture to hotel trainning for women, not forgetting art school for children. Want to be part of it? send an email to fcalicanto@gmail.com  Or visit them at their offices in Calle 4ta and A Avenue, PH Cuatro Casas.

Tourism Police: You can call the main number 511-9426 if you need your neighbor to lower his music.

Well, we do have the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Presidencial Palace, the Ministry of Justice… but do you really need those numbers?

Souvenirs and more:

Spanish Classes for foreigners, or english for spanish speakers: Rebecca Tassi at A Avenue, in front of Super Gourmet. 6465-0041

Sculpture and great jewelry: Doug Zaruba at A Avenue, in front of Super Gourmet:dreamgate@earthlink.net  

La Ronda: Calle 1era, 211-1001

Galería de Arte Indígena: Calle 1era, 228-9557.

El Farol: 228-8597, Calle 1era.

Emerald and Pre Columbian Jewelry: 228-9557, Calle 1era.

Artesanías Daisy: local seamstress. Guayaberas and children´s clothing made out of molas and other indigenous patterns. Located at Calle 1era.

Reprosa:  Pre Columbian and Panamanian Jewelry. Located: Art Deco building, groundfloor, Calle 1era.

The Emerald Museum:  Located at Plaza Catedral, corner with 5^th Street.

VIP Barbershop: feel like getting a haircut? For $3 you can get a “gang style” haircut… literally. Located right in front of Reprosa on A Avenue, this is a business venture from the Ministry of Social Work to provide training and tools to the local population.

 Finally, but not least important... !

Arco Properties: A full brokerage specialized only in Casco Viejo. We live for this stuff; we actually live in the stuff. Contact us: (507) 211-2548. clara@arcoproperties.com or Patrizia@arcoproperties.com .  Location: Calle 1era and A Avenue.

Conservatorio S.A.: Socially responsible, Casco style, Casco based developer. For each luxury building they build one low income housing project so that the local community stays authentic.  Website: www.conservatoriosa.com