Café Unido Casco Viejo — Restaurant in San Felipe

A quick stop (actually, a 15-hour layover) in Panama City on my way back to NYC from São Paulo. Hailed an Uber to take me to Casco Viejo and Café Unido on the advice of a colleague for a geisha pour over. Guessing V60 given the Hario pitcher in the obligatory photo, attached.

Geisha is hard to describe to someone who’s never had it. Distinctive. Delicate. Flavors not found in many other coffees. This one was well prepared and maybe just the perfect way to relax into the rest of the day here by concentrating on the unique flavor experience.

The café itself is quite handsome with seating spread across two levels. Good service, bilingual, willing to engage and able to get and give a joke. So it was fun as well.

There is a breakfast all day menu and so I partook of a pan Cubano (not shown). The Cubano is a simple grilled sandwich that is surprisingly hard to do well. This is not the place to go with a gourmet artisan bread - a basic white roll is called for, and better not overthink the cheese. Cheese, ham, pickle, mustard, pressed on the grill all enticingly melty crisp gooey yummy chewy tart & sharp in every bite all at the same time.

Have a long layover in Panama City or vacationing? Add Café Unido Casco Viejo to your list of places to visit. Open early, too. Cocktails...

TL;DR - Top choice in P. City

Above average specialty coffee shop.  Decent equipment, staff is knowledgable, and they're roasters!  The space has a bright, clean, hipster-pub-meets-cafe feel.  There is split booth and casual seating in the upper loft-area, standard cafe seating on both the loft and main floor, and even a tasting room.

Coffee was great.  Several varietals from different regions in Panama.  Some of the processing techniques were unique to this roastery in particular, which was interesting. The typica we had (done "CC", or "creative cherry"; a fermented process) was quite tasty, leaning toward nuts and stone fruit.  The SL28 (done "N", or natural) was wonderfully citrusy and sweet (for coffee...).

The pumpkin soup was a little on the watery side, but the lemmon poppyseed loaf was good, and the GF chocolate cake was magical!

You can actually find Unido coffee in certain grocery stores, but the product in the cafe itself seems to be higher quality.

Of the coffee we have tried in Panama City, many aren't worth reviewing, some were quite good, but this place was the top...

UNIDO Coffee, located in the heart of Casco Viejo, Panama, is a fantastic spot for coffee lovers. The café has a cool and laid-back vibe, making it a perfect place to unwind in the midst of this historic neighborhood.

One of the highlights of UNIDO is their impressive selection of coffees, with their signature “Geisha” coffee being a standout. I tried it during my visit, and it truly lived up to the hype—smooth, rich, and incredibly flavorful.

The ambiance is ideal for readers or anyone looking for a cozy spot to work or relax. The café offers a variety of seating options, whether you want to dive into a book or plug in your laptop and get some work done.

In addition to their excellent coffee, UNIDO also has a good variety of food options, making it a great place to grab a bite along with your coffee.

Overall, UNIDO Coffee in Casco Viejo is a must-visit for anyone in Panama City who appreciates quality coffee in a...