This location is permanently closed.
Donde José image

Donde José

Restaurant Fine dining restaurant

👍👍 Carolina C (5 reviews) If you are one of those who like to taste different dishes that tell a story of local traditions and history and you are aware that this type of experience with good quality ingredients has its price, then this experience is for you. I went with my husband and the experience... People often mention experience, service, staff, Jose, wine, good, dishes, amazing, experiencia, restaurant,


Address

Calle Jose de Obaldía, Edificio el Colegio Panamá Pama, Panama

Contact

+507 262-1682

Price rating

$$$ $

Rating on Google Maps

4.70 (221 reviews)

Open on Google Maps

Working Hours

Permanently closed.

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: experience (24) service (11) staff (10) Jose (10) wine (10) good (9) dishes (9) amazing (9) experiencia (9) restaurant (9)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 5/5 Warren S. 5 years ago on Google
    Great all around. Pricey, of course, but the service and food were top notch. That said, the food at their sister café, Lo Que Hay, is almost as good.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Carolina C. 4 years ago on Google
    (Translated by Google) Carolina C (5 reviews) If you are one of those who like to taste different dishes that tell a story of local traditions and history and you are aware that this type of experience with good quality ingredients has its price, then this experience is for you. I went with my husband and the experience was amazing. A walk of flavors, textures and stories of Panama and the influence of its flavors. From drinks to all snacks. They explain how to enjoy them in the best way to appreciate each flavor note. Good surprises of sensations and a lot of Caribbean flavor! The atmosphere feels like a hidden place because the place from the outside goes unnoticed because they simply work with reservations and two shifts per night. Inside it is sober and with an intimate atmosphere and of yesteryear very consistent with the old town. What to expect apart from its good taste? Reservation system It has nothing outside to identify it but you don't need it if you go with GPS. You must arrive at the time of your reservation because the experience is handled in two private shifts and they are not interrupted by anyone, all the staff is dedicated to the experience of their guests. If you arrive early, you should wait outside on the street but when it is your turn they will make you feel special. It is an experience about USD 100 per person depending on drinks but it is worth it. You are sated because despite the fact that several of the dishes are 1 or 2 bites, they are several and very varied in both light and heavy ingredients. Without more to say, I loved it. (Original) Carolina C (5 opiniones) Si eres de los que les gusta degustar diferentes platillo que cuenten una historia de las tradiciones e historia local y estás consciente de que este tipo de experiencia con ingredientes de buena calidad tiene su precio, entonces ésta experiencia es para ti. Fui con mi esposo y la experiencia fue increíble. Un paseo de sabores, texturas e historias de Panamá y la influencia de sus sabores. Desde las bebidas hasta todos los bocados. Te explican cómo disfrutarlos de la mejor manera para apreciar cada nota de sabor. Buenas sorpresas de sensaciones y mucho sabor caribeño! El ambiente se siente como un sitio escondido porque el lugar desde afuera pasa desapercibido porque simplemente trabajan con las reservas y dos turnos por noche. Adentro es sobrio y con un ambiente íntimo y de antaño muy acorde al casco antiguo. ¿Qué esperar a parte de su buen sabor? Sistema de reserva. No tiene nada afuera que lo identifique pero no lo necesita si vas con GPS. Debes llegar sobre la hora de tu reserva porque la experiencia se maneja en dos turnos privados y no son interrumpidos por nadie, todo el personal está dedicado a la experiencia de sus comensales. Si llegas temprano, deberás esperar afuera en la calle pero cuando sea tu turno te harán sentir especial. Es una experiencia sobre los 100 USD por persona dependiendo de las bebidas pero vale la pena. Quedas sobre saciado porque a pesar que varios de los platos son de 1 o 2 bocados, son varios y muy variados en ingredientes tanto ligeros como pesados. Sin más que decir, me encantó.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 DAMIAN D. 5 years ago on Google
    Very well done. Dishes are prepared with grace and flavor. Excellent representation of local cuisine through exquisite dishes that will tempt you to come back again. My best meal in Panama. Congrats to Jose and his team!!
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 Natalia Garavito c. 2 years ago on Google • 3 reviews
    The meat is almost transparent, very thin, no sauces and dishes that should be of quality due to their price.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Karla Soto (. 2 years ago on Google • 25 reviews
    Very beautiful place. The food is nothing out of this world. Maybe I had an expectation that it would be wow, but NO.

  • 5/5 Melanie F. 5 years ago on Google
    This guy is unbelievable! We did not get the opportunity to dine at this restaurant and hugely regret not making an effort to secure a reservation in time. My boyfriend and I decided if there was any chance to get a last minute reservation, it was to show up in person. Here we arrived to a beautiful, colonial yellow building. The same one we’ve seen in all the pictures, however there was no signs announcing Donde Jose. Instead all the drapes were closed, dim lighting... a very romantic, intimate impression from the beginning. A bystander/taxi driver asked us what we were looking for and finally through broken Spanish/English we were able to literate that we were in search for Donde Jose. He flagged some staff through the dim lit window who quickly came to our assistance. There was a supremely friendly guy who apologized that our reservation was impossible to accommodate but ensured the person responsible for the bookings would call us if a spot became available. After receiving 7 other supremely recommended dining experiences from the enthusiastic man at the door, we realized we were speaking directly to Jose. We’ve eaten numerous times at Lo Que Hay and have been blown away time and time again. Couldn’t recommend this chef more!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Mark W. 4 years ago on Google
    Great atmosphere, service on point. Everything was well executed without being spectacular
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Beatrice W. 5 years ago on Google
    No signage on the outside of the restaurant, a cozy interior with only 5 tables (11 pax = full house for our seating). Restaurant has 2 seatings each night (7pm and 9:30pm). Prepayment required to reserve seat. Creative menu with discretise description. Well thought ingredients using local ingredients and touches if exotic international flavours. Wine menu is rather limited. Pairing option is available at $65. Book early.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 John S. 2 years ago on Google
    Not taking reservations due to COVID. Both phone and online form are out. Try Lo Que Hay instead — apparently it’s the same chef, although appears to be more of a lunch spot with a different vibe. Hopefully Donde Jose will update its information soon.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Josh G. 5 years ago on Google
    Simply incredible! One of the best dining experiences I’ve ever been fortunate enough to have. The staff was amazing. Each course was thoughtfully prepared and presented. I felt like everyone involved truly cared about ensuring an exquisite experience. If you have only one night in Panama, make sure you have a reservation here! It cannot be missed!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Jesse M. 4 years ago on Google
    An amazing flavor experience. I haven't had such creative food since I dined at Gagan in Thailand. The perfect way to spend a memorable evening.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Chris M. 7 years ago on Google
    The absolute best restaurant I've ever been to. This is a tasting restaurant, where Chef José tells a story through Panamanian cuisine. Your taste buds will be tantalized and the story is often changed. Reservations are required, there are only 32 people seated per day.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Mauro S. 7 years ago on Google
    I am sorry, but it's fu**ing delicious! We are right now here for new year's Eve. The restaurant has like 4Table and a Chef's table. I have no words. All taste so intense and just amazing! Thanks for this experience!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 milton s. 5 years ago on Google
    One of the best meals of my life. I'm a serious foodie. A tad hard to find, especially if you try to prelocate it. It's the wedgey shaped yellow building. First I've read some other reviews. Yes, it's dark elegant and modern. They also serve the courses in close secession. I never felt rushed or any thing. Also, the portions are quite small, so if they didn't keep bringing food you'd start to go hungry. I wouldn't bring a date here unless you're both foodies and deep into a relationship. I felt the place was not only an excellent presentation of the flavors and tastes of Panama, but a vision for the future of the country. Technically proficient and taking it's inspiration from the whole world but remaining true to it's roots. There was a blend of comfort and elegance that I've never seen duplicated anywhere. Every single dish was a on point. The scharma beef tongue was amazing. Not afraid of smoke and spice flavors, but never going overboard either. This is like going to a concert for food. I think I sampled at least 3 things I've never tried before. It's a good 2 hour meal to me. I wandered over to his other place Lo Que Hay a few days later and was equally impressed. You could eat there every day during a trip.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Eduardo B. 2 years ago on Google • 7 reviews
    The best of the best

  • 5/5 Hudson B. 5 years ago on Google
    Truly one of the best chefs in Panama and as a restaurant they really push the boundaries of Panamanian cuisine. Chino the bartender makes tight cocktails.

  • 5/5 Ryan B. 5 years ago on Google
    Stellar. Essentially a Panamanian omakase. Friendly folks. Everything was stellar, but the "coffee with my grandpa" was not for me.

  • 5/5 Cristina G. 4 years ago on Google
    (Translated by Google) Spectacular (Original) Espectacular

  • 5/5 Quentin R. 5 years ago on Google
    (Translated by Google) Gastronomic space at national level where josé surprises with its product search its environment and its mixology full recommended (Original) Espacio gastronómico a nivel nacional donde josé sorprende con su búsqueda de productos su ambiente y su mixilogía full recomendado

  • 4/5 M 5 years ago on Google
    The culinary trip offered by Donde Jose was memorable, unique and definitely worth it. I have been to many reputable restaurants in my life (incl. with Michelin stars) and was a bit apprehensive of the menu price after reading some of the reviews here - but how I was wrong to be. The dishes are small and mighty, packed with meaning, flavor and color. Since there are many, you won’t be hungry in the end. It represents the entire country, and the stories are being told to you by the oh so friendly team. The cocktails are also smashing. I substracted one due to to the macho attitude of some of the staff (only talking and looking at my male partner...even when I paid). We our waitress was a lovely young woman, who made a wonderful impression on me (knows and loves her job and is passionate about sharing it).

  • 5/5 Tomik P. 5 years ago on Google
    The best dining experience I have had. Donde Jose is not only innovative, creative and artistic with his work, but also provides you with a 9 course meal that tells a story of Panama that will delight your taste buds in unimaginable ways. The beef taco almost brought me to tears with how delicious it was. We chose the wine pairing with the meal which really completed every dish and the wines that we drank were of the highest quality including a bottle from 1908....overall with our 20 percent tip to the waitress who was an absolute delight and my wife favorite part of the meal it put us at roughly $400.00. If you want to save some money dont do the wine pairing tho I do recommend it. It is not a cheap meal but the experience is worth it. I would do it all over again especially since his menu changes every few month. Bravo Jose, Bravo.....

  • 5/5 Giovanni L. 5 years ago on Google
    (Translated by Google) It's great ... good atmosphere and the food is super (Original) Es genial ...buen ambiente y la comida es súper

  • 5/5 Victor M. 5 years ago on Google
    Amazing experience.

  • 5/5 Michelle M. 6 years ago on Google
    Everything about this place was excellent - 6 star review!!! The staff were so welcoming and knowledgeable and really added to the relaxed ambience. The music was a great addition and really helped make the evening so memorable. The cocktails were off the scale amazing and the food was both delicious and creative. So worth a visit if you can get a table.

  • 4/5 Moniza M. 5 years ago on Google
    To be honest I was expecting Donde Jose to be good, not great, but I do stand corrected. This place really is worth the hype. The food is extremely innovative and showcases the rich and diverse history of Panamá. I really enjoyed the "journey" the dishes take you on. I could really tell the chef and staff take a lot of pride in Panamaian cuisine and developing the story behind each dish. The food was both unique and extremely tasty. Some of the highlights included sashimi with a passion fruit shooter, squash ceviche, and chicken and rice. Dessert was also awesome, the highlight being coffee with my grandpa, which is this creative, fun play on coffee and cheesecake. I rate this 4 not 5 stars only because I wish they had less sea food. I don't love fish and Panamanian food can be fish/seafood heavy. Also in the chicken and rice dish the chicken was hard to eat. I used my hands like the waitress suggested but it was still a little harder than I'd like. Not a huge deal, but that's my rationale for 4 stars. Anyways definitely check out this restaurant if you're visiting Panamá City.

  • 4/5 Kevin A. 5 years ago on Google
    Worth the price for a unique experience. Try it once if you can!

  • 4/5 Cesar J. 5 years ago on Google
    (Translated by Google) A good experience that highlights the Panamanian customs. It was good but I expected more from this place for what one pays. Some raised dishes of salt (Original) Una buena experiencia que resalta las costumbres Panameñas. Estuvo bueno pero esperaba más de este lugar por lo que uno paga. Algunos platos subidos de sal

  • 5/5 John M. 6 years ago on Google
    Great food, great staff, great service. We were lucky to get a table and had a fantastic evening. They have two sittings and we're in the earlier option, but didn't feel rushed or pressed to leave. The menu was different but we really enjoyed it, get the pre dinner cocktail and the wine tasting pairings.

  • 5/5 lidia s. 4 years ago on Google
    (Translated by Google) Excellent attention (Original) Excelente atención

  • 3/5 Andrew D. 7 years ago on Google
    Good quality tastes, too little wine and too little food. Not for a celebratory occasion. We were there on New Year's Eve 2016/17. The location is nice and intimate with only 18 seats. The quality of the food is really good. We got a 10 course menu. Each course is a story. We had 4 entrees, 4 savouries then 2 desserts. We decided to go for the wine pairing. It worked out at 200USD per person. The meal started at 09:00 pm and ended at about 11:45pm. The reason I am only giving 3 stars is due to the following problems, in order of significance: - The wine pairing was tiny, I asked for a top up on 2 occasions as sometimes the wine was supposed to last 2 or 3 courses. - The courses, even for a tasting menu, were too small. I have eaten in star restaurants and had many tasting menus - these portions (with one exception) were simply too small. The small portions and small wine servings means you are actually sitting around a lot of the time with nothing to do, not even sip your wine as it has all gone. - Lastly there was nothing special done for New Year's eve which resulted on us being on the street at 11:50pm with no plans or nothing to do. The last 30 minutes of service were rushed as staff clearly wanted to get on to their evening plans.

  • 5/5 Emily C. 4 years ago on Google
    This was hands down one of the best dining experiences of my life. 4 months later and still everytime people ask me about Panama I rave about this place! The meal/dishes were incredible with such well created flavor profiles and fresh ingredients. The staff were attentive and friendly, and the intimate atmosphere was still casual so not to feel exclusive. Definitely a must!

  • 5/5 Karla P. 4 years ago on Google
    It was a wonderful experience! If you have an opportunity to go there, it will be well worth it. My partners birthday was the day we went and they gave her a special treat for her birthday!

  • 5/5 Kendra K. 4 years ago on Google
    Fine dining with stories of the culture

  • 5/5 carlos q. 5 years ago on Google
    I’m a corporate pilot that travels the world and have been to over 60 countries and this restaurant is truly in my top 5 in the world. Chef Jose has created an experience so unique that you’re going to tell everyone about. From the taste to the stories and as u can see in the mirror he truly is creating the dishes as you eat one by one. Hands down this is an amazing culinary experience.

  • 5/5 Steinar B. 4 years ago on Google
    Lovely place. Can't be missed. Note that you have to pay a 20$ deposit. You will get this information on email after booking.

  • 5/5 Melissa B. 5 years ago on Google
    We had an amazing experience, the staff was wonderful, the food and cocktails were out of this world. We were so happy we chose to visit Donde José for dinner! My husband wouldn't let me take pictures:(

  • 5/5 Carlos Eduardo Gonzalez B. 3 years ago on Google
    (Translated by Google) Fonda what there is is a culinary experience that you cannot miss for anything. (Original) Fonda lo que hay es una experiencia culinaria que no puedes perderte por nada.

  • 4/5 Miranda U. 3 years ago on Google
    (Translated by Google) The place is very nice and the food delicious! They have the best attention that is required. (Original) El lugar es muy agradable y la comida deliciosa! Tienen la.mejor atención que se requiere.

  • 5/5 Carlos V. 4 years ago on Google
    The best dining experience of my life, and it's not even close! Definitely recommend!

  • 5/5 rafael b. 4 years ago on Google
    (Translated by Google) Excellent, quality of food and service. (Original) Exelente, calidad de la comida y servicio.

  • 5/5 Paul A. M. 4 years ago on Google
    What an unusual and amazing dinner experience. Not to be missed.

  • 5/5 alessandro morlin v. 4 years ago on Google
    Amazing dinner

  • 5/5 Donna G. 4 years ago on Google
    An unforgettable experience....food and service was excellent

  • 5/5 INVERSIONES KEVRAL´S C. 4 years ago on Google
    (Translated by Google) Completely excellent. We loved everything. Everyone lives their experience in their own way, we live it to the fullest (Original) Completamente, excelente. Nos encantó todo. Cada quien vive su experiencia a su manera, nosotros la vivimos al maximo

  • 5/5 Jorge P. 4 years ago on Google
    da foooood was guod

  • 5/5 Abby S. 4 years ago on Google
    Amazing! The food was out of the world and the service was exceptionally perfect. Would recomend to anyone traveling to Panama City. It is a must go!

  • 5/5 F. Anthony E. 4 years ago on Google
    One of the best culinary experience in Panamá

  • 5/5 alex g. 4 years ago on Google
    (Translated by Google) A very reserved place, only reservations (Original) Un lugar muy reservado, solo reservaciones

  • 5/5 yulaisky b. 4 years ago on Google
    (Translated by Google) Wonderful (Original) Maravilloso

  • 5/5 Renke Y. 4 years ago on Google
    (Translated by Google) Small room well decorated, very friendly atmosphere, nice service and nickel. The plates remarkable, neat and original. Note that their menu is $ 89 before taxes and service charges, since it is noted nowhere on their website or their card. Flat on the wine list, too expensive and too restricted. But the cocktails are interesting. (Original) Petite salle bien décorée, ambiance très sympathique, service agréable et nickel. Les assiettes remarquables, soignées et originales. À noter que leur menu est à $89 hors taxe et hors frais de service, puisque c’est noté nulle part sur leur site ou leur carte. Bémol sur la carte des vins, trop chère et trop restreinte. Mais les cocktails sont intéressants.

  • 5/5 Jensen G. 5 years ago on Google
    Amazing culinary journey through Panamanian food and its influences. Should not be missed.

  • 5/5 Gerswin G. 4 months ago on Google • 1 review
    A few days ago we went to eat at this restaurant and the atmosphere, the treatment and not to mention the super delicious food was spectacular.


Open on Google Maps

Amenities


  • Payments
    • ✓️ Debit cards
    • ✓️ Credit cards
    • ✓️ NFC mobile payments
  • Offerings
    • ✓️ Beer
    • ✓️ Wine
    • ✓️ Coffee
    • ✓️ Alcohol
    • ✓️ Spirits
    • ✓️ Cocktails
    • ✓️ Small plates
  • Dining options
    • ✓️ Lunch
    • ✓️ Dinner
    • ✓️ Dessert
  • Service options
    • ✓️ Dine-in
    • ✗ Delivery
    • ✓️ Outdoor seating

Trends



Last updated:

Similar Restaurants nearby

Last updated:
()