Riesen — Restaurant in Bella Vista

My girlfriend and I had an absolutely amazing and memorable tasting experience at Riesen. Each dish was a thoughtful mix of european-style dishes, with a local twist/personality, and the chef (Hernan) and staff were extremely welcoming, and very proud to share their craft, and quality of their products. The restaurant is family-owned, and made us feel like part of it. A highlight is that everything comes from either their own farm, or a known friend's, or is made in-house in their upstairs food lab, or baked in their own wood oven (like the sourdough bread, and other goodies).

They were able to accomodate our tight schedule and confirmed the details with me over whatsapp which was super convenient and fast, and all worked super hard. Every dish was perfectly introduced by the chef as it was being served, he was happy to answer our questions, and the tableware and service was impeccable. We also got a cocktail which was made with in-house strawberry liqueur and other local fruit which had novel flavors that we both enjoyed and was perfectly balanced.

Food-wise, there are a lot of things to rave about, but I'll be short. We absolutely loved the brioche+pancetta, the aged duck dish with its bread and cultured butter, and the various ice-cream desserts were really fantastic and getting better.

As cooking nerds, we were delighted at the end to get a tour of the food lab and see the high-tech lab-quality kitchen equipment that was used for our meal, and actually witness (and taste) a demo using some of the tools, for a wonderful shaken cocktail using local cacao and coffee beans and seco sugarcane liquor.

Riesen was one of the best dining experiences either of us has had so far, due to both the quality and local-ness of the dishes, and the interactions and discussions we had throughout our visit. We really felt welcomed, by all the little touches and attention to detail and would definitely come back in a future trip to Panama, and recommend to anyone to go there and share...

In a country where most restaurants have had to dumb down their menu to burgers, fried food and sweets in order to survive the pandemic, Riesen has stayed true to its vision to showcase the best Panama has to offer: working with local farmers and vendors or even growing their own produce. I understand they commit to the 90/10 rule of using 90% local products, thereby not only delivering the freshest, in-season ingredients, but also lowering their carbon footprint and supporting and encouraging home-grown producers. Where they do use the 10% imports is usually the most exquisite olive oils and a great selection of wines. We had the multi-course tasting menu at $60 with the $40 drink pairing and it was phenomenal. It helps if you're lived in Panama for a while and have such points of reference as cacao from Bocas del Toro and wild strawberries from Chiriquí, but if you just focus on the flavor and the care and thought that has gone into each dish, you will truly appreciate the experience. This is my third time visiting the restaurant, and I was impressed with the radical update Chef Hernan had made to the dining room, open kitchen and menu since I visited when I last lived in Panama in 2014. From his IG profile, I understand that he had gone on a research trip through Europe a few years back to eat and speak with some of the most interesting chefs in Northern Europe, not the ones you will find on a docuseries in Netflix, but more the emerging ones in places like Germany, Belgium and Denmark. The impact of what he learned is evident in the presentation (dinnerware commissioned from La Arena potters), narrative (sourcing an endemic corn species for his corn cake), flavor (salad dressed in egg yolks from hens fed with local sweet peppers) and attention (each dish delivered with a careful explanation by the sous chef or the chef himself). If the Michelin Guide ever makes it to Panama, I think Riesen has a strong chance of earning at least one star as long as Chef Hernan...

Delicious tasting menu, friendly family operation.

I discovered I was staying right around the corner from Riesen and decided that I needed to give it a go. I was fortunate that it was a slow evening, because even on a Saturday, I was able to walk in at opening time (which was a rather "fluid" 7:00 turned into 7:30, though I was well informed about when they would open from my arrival just before 7:00) and get a table for myself.

The service was great. There were multiple people waiting on me, all the way up to the pastry chef and head chef, who each came out to serve and describe the dishes they had made.

The restaurant itself is beautiful. The dining area is well-appointed--simple, but elegant. The kitchen can be viewed from the dining area, but it is a generally calm and quiet operation.

And the star of the show? The food was fantastic. The chef took several traditional Panamanian dishes and modernized and "upgraded" them. Ceviche with a nitrogen-flash frozen sauce was exquisite. Beef tongue on a bed of rice porridge (some of which was puffed to add a crunchy texture) was excellent, as was the lamb accompanied by corn prepared in a variety of ways. Delicious sorbet, luxurious cacao bean chocolate fudge cake. I enjoyed all of it.

As I often do with tasting menus, I initially wondered if I would get enough food to fill me up, but by the time I was going through the second entree, I was struggling to finish--and I very much wanted to, because it was delicious.

I'd love to check out this place again the next time I am in...