NAZCA 21 (PANAMA)

Food: 4.5

Ambiance: 4

Service: 4

Ladies and gentleman, we’ve gone international (woohoo!). Welcome to Panama! I was born and raised in Panama, and although food here has always been delicious, in the past ten years, awesome restaurants have been popping up all over this fabulous country. Since I’ll be here for a few more weeks, I figure I’ll take on the very difficult job of eating at some of those restaurants and telling you all about it (I know, I’m such a team player :). 

I wanted a night out with some of my awsomest childhood friends, and in picking a restaurant, one of them recommended a Peruvian restaurant in Casco Viejo.  If you haven’t been to Panama… well, it’s unclear to me what you’re waiting for, come now! But also once you get here you need to drive straight to Casco Viejo. For one, this is where Panama City was once centered, so Casco Viejo is rich in history and walking down its cobblestone streets is like taking a walk through time. Most importantly to this self proclaimed foody, Casco Viejo has been coming alive with awesome bars, hotels, and restaurants in the past few years. I’ll take you to one such place tonight:

Nazca 21 is literally a hole in the wall. No big sign, no fancy furniture, just a homey little restaurant with about 8 tables. It’s a Peruvian restaurant so we started out with two classics.

The papa a la huancaina was delicious. The huancaina sauce was just velvety. I could have licked the plate.

The ceviche was next. Much like the restaurant, there were no bells and whistles, just a classic ceviche.  The lemony corvina was refreshing mixed with the crunchy, salty corn and the always yummy sweet potato.

The corvina al ajillo (corvina in garlic sauce) sounded so darn plain and boring when the server suggested it, but the lady in the table next to us literally interrupted our conversation to insist we order it. I’m so glad she did. This dish was indeed simple but it was delicious. The garlic sauce was beyond flavorful. Long after the corvina was finished, I found myself dipping the fried yuca into the garlic sauce in an attempt to keep enjoying it (btw, the fried yuca dipped in the garlic sauce ended up being my favorite part of dinner).

We also shared an aji de gallina. Speaking of homey, this to me is always the ultimate in Peruvian comfort food, and this aji de gallina made me feel all warm and fuzzy. Delicious.

We ended the meal with a homemade flan with a caramel sauce. The flan itself was creamy and delicious, and it was topped with quinoa (is this a thing?). I didn’t hate it. The quinoa actually added some texture. Quite yummy.

All in all, a deliciously homey spot for a Peruvian meal in the coolest neighborhood in Panama.

Address: Calle 8 Este, Panama, Panama 

#Panamafood #Peruvianfood #Nazca21