Scarola Restaurant — Restaurant in Bella Vista

My friend and I live in Bella Vista and, hoping to change routine, we tried this place. We started with margaritas, asking for classic ones without sugar. The first round arrived very sweet—more like a sugary juice—so we asked for replacements and moved on, expecting the food to win us over.

We ordered two entrées: a tuna “boat” style dish (I don’t remember the exact name) and carpaccio de res. The tuna arrived as two tiny “boats”—not really boats, more like two little servings—so in practice it was about two bites per person. There was a lot of sauce. I understand lighter, saucier preparations are common in Panama, but it’s not my preference; I want the tuna to be the star, not a mix of sauces.

Then came the carpaccio de res, and that’s where the evening stalled. The slices were stuck to the plate—truly inedible—so we flagged it. Our waiter was very friendly and tried to help; the problem was the supervisor/manager, who took the plate without saying anything and felt rude in the process. He added that it’s their most-ordered, best dish and he didn’t know what happened today. Comments like that make the client feel irrational. If it’s the star dish, it shouldn’t leave the kitchen like that.

When the check arrived, the carpaccio had been removed, but it was handled in a cold, unfriendly way. I don’t have photos— I don’t usually take pictures of food, everything happened quickly, and I didn’t want to make the place look worse.

In the end, it felt expensive for the value and the attitude from management was disappointing. We left and went to La Malagueña, which...

Honestly… we were super disappointed. I am not sure if this restaurant is hiring a company to write fake positive reviews or if people just have mediocre taste but this place was not at all what these reviews hyped it up to be. I was quite excited to try this place based on these reviews but I am sorry to report the food was very underwhelming, on top of the dishes we ordered being quite bland in flavor (besides the fish tacos those were the only saving grace), the waitress brought us a salmon dish we didn’t actually order and forced us to pay for it. Because I took a bite from it thinking it was a different salmon based dish we ordered, she said that because I had eaten some of it they couldn’t take it off the bill even though they misunderstood us and brought it to our table mistakenly. The bill was also concerningly high considering the fact that we ordered 0 drinks. The ambiance was cute but I would absolutely never recommend this place, HUGE fail honestly. It puts into question the legitimacy of Google reviews as a...

An absolutely perfect way to dine upon arrival in Panama City. We will be back several times before we have to leave. Absolutely perfectly cooked and seasoned steak with a fantastic chimichurri sauce. My wife had one of the best seafood risotto she's ever had- possibly the best. And I know it sounds silly but the FRENCH FRIES, as unsophisticated as they may be, are absolutely perfect. The waiter was patient and helpful and incredibly friendly. We were given some house-made chips and an amazing dipping sauce with just the right amount of kick... I don't know if we've had anything quite like it. Outdoor and indoor seating. Great restaurant with great steaks and friendly service -...