Jola's Coffee House, Panama City, Panama

We walked by Jola's Coffee House a few times before we decided to stop in and check it out. While walking around our hotel, we were approached by many restaurant staff members handing out menus and shouting out specials. At first, we were a bit put off by the practice, but soon realized to not judge an establishment by the over enthusiastic staff. It was our last night in Panama City and we were looking for a relaxing place to hang out. 

Since Jola's was close to our hotel, we checked out their website and noticed the back patio that looked like the peaceful and relaxing spot we were looking for. There were several individually sectioned off areas in the back patio with lounge type chairs. Each section had its own fan and television. If you want some privacy, just untie the curtains. Being a hot and humid day in Panama City, we turned the fan on full blast and left the curtains up. 

Pina colada and Sangria
6 each

Our evening would not be complete with out a few drinks. The pina colada tasted like the tropics, but didn't have much alcohol. The sangria was good, but not nearly as good as the one we had a Fina Estampa. It was great to just enjoy the drinks in the relaxing setting.

Ceviche
8

The fish ceviche was good, but the portion was small for the price. The corn was a nice addition, adding a little sweetness to each bite. It didn't have the strong citrus flavor in the ceviche at Casa Blanaca. 

Combination platter
25

When we saw the platter on the menu, it was hard to pass up. The platter consisted of mixed seafood, chicken and steak and a side of fries. The meat was our least favorite part of the platter. It lacked flavor and was unfortunately over cooked. The seafood was tender and cooked well with a nice mild seasoning. Of course, the fries were great. I don't think bad fries exist in Panama.

Seafood fried rice
14

The seafood fried rice was our favorite dish of the night. There was a generous amount of well cooked seafood mixed with really well seasoned fried rice. We both wished we had skipped the platter and each ordered our own bowl of the fried rice. The prices were high, but that seemed to be the theme with touristy restaurants in the city. Since the restaurant was walking distance from our hotel, we did saved some money on cab fare, which was not cheap since we didn't speak Spanish.

Jola's Coffee House
Calle Eusebio A.Morales El Cangrejo
Panama City, Panama