Restaurante El Meson Suizo

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Description

You might be surprised to find a Swiss restaurant off the Inter-American Highway west of the city. But just past the exit to El Valle, you’ll spot a sign for El Meson Suizo and a large palm-roofed terrace.

Owner and chef Heinz Frey arrived to Panama from Switzerland in 1973. After 10 years heading up some of Panama’s finer kitchens, he traveled back home only to return to Panama in 1999 by sailboat after cruising the Adriatic and the Mediterranean.

Heinz ran the popular,  Panama City German Steinbock restaurant, but in 2008, this adventurer decided to bring authentic Swiss cuisine to the Panamanian countryside. Clients from his Steinbock days now visit from their vacation houses in the surrounding resort communities along the Pacific Coast.

The menu is a combination of delicious Swiss classics like wiener schnitzel,  fried veal sausage, Zurich-style beef or chicken, rosti shredded potatoes and cheese fondue, as well as fresh seafood dishes. A thick steak filet is perfectly seasoned and grilled. Or try the $25 house platter for two with a selection of sausage, bacon, chicken, smoked pork, pork steak, red cabbage, rice and fried potatoes.

And, there is German and   Belgian beer from Paulaner and Leffe to Bitburger andKöstrißer, which complement the friendly beer garden  atmosphere.