Tried the shredded beef. It was decent, but not as flavorful as I hoped. Was surrounded by local 47%'ers which was kind of scary and could have impacted my opinion of this place. They do accept credit card with no issues for me on this trip. Â It's worth a try, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it.
Review Source:Wow such great authentic food. Â I had the Ropa Vieja and my husband had the Jerk chicken Caribbean style. Â We also had one chicken and one beef empanadas. Â I can tell you the hot sauce is definitely hot. Â The food is wonderful and all homemade. Nothing from a can here. Â Stop by and give it a try.
Review Source:The service was adequate and the staff was friendly and courteous. The restaurant itself was quaint with a mom and pop charm. I started with an empanada as an appetizer. It was perfectly fried and with the homemade hot sauce (don't use too much, it is very hot), it was delicious. I could have made a meal off of just empanadas. For my entree, I had the Ropa Vieja with yuca. It came with a side dish of beans that was interestingly not served hot, but good. It was the first time I have had yuca, and it was pretty good, served in wedges similar to steak fries. The taste was something between a potato and a sweet potato. The shredded beef was out of this world good. It was loaded with flavor and the meat just melts in your mouth. Add some more homemade hot sauce for a nice kick of heat at the end of each bite. A mound of rice complimented the beef very well, and I ended he meal feeling as if the portion sizes were just right. I definitely recommend this place.
Review Source:We were antiquing in Hagerstown and yelped for a good restaurant for lunch.  We were close to this place and decided to try it.  Wasnt quite sure about it when we walked in.  I'm a food snob. But, the very friendly lady that served us, we also think was the owner and the chef!  We were the only ones in the restaurant.  She served us her beef soup as a compliment to start.  Yum!  Was that ever good.  Then we get the jerk chicken and my 80 year old mother had the pork sandwich.  Oh my gosh, was it ever good!  As a dessert she gave a complimentary horchata.  Obviously everything is homemade here and done with pride.  I'm shocked it wasn't packed!  Something this good in Gaithersburg where we are from would be packed on a Sunday afternoon.  Maybe it's  more a dinner place.  But you folks in Hagerstown need to patronize this place rather than the chain restaurants out along Rt 40!
Review Source:As a person born and raised in Panama, Â I was thrilled to find out that there was a Panamanian restaurant in my boyfriend's hometown. Karynthia, the owner, is very sweet and nice. She cooks everything from scratch and the food can't be any more delicious. The Arroz con Pollo and Ropa Vieja were delicious and definitely a great Panamanian Food Staple. We went over when the restaurant was fairly new but it seems as though she has expanded her Menu. I cant wait to go again, I definitely wan't some fried plantains and corn empanadas.
Review Source:I stopped by for takeout a few nights ago. The menu has a decent variety, and I we t with the shredded pork dish with rice and plantains. I was the only customer in the restaurant, and even though the owner was the only person working there, she quickly whipped together my meal. Nothing tastes like it had been sitting around. The rice was fresh (a bit plain) the plantains were a good mix of sweet and chewy (my personal preference is for them to be fried a little bit harder, which I will request next time). The beans were good, and the pork was tasty. There are a lot of hot sauce choices there, which I should have taken advantage of, but I spiced it up at home.
I really like Central American and Caribbean food, but had never tried Panamanian before. Very simple and hearty, reminds me of a more country version of Dominican style cooking.
Our first visit to this new restaurant in Hagerstown was great. The friendly server provided complimentary chicken soup before the meal which was delicious. It was accompanied by a home made hot sauce to spice it up if desired. We soon discovered that EVERYTHING served at Panama Canal Restaurant is home made. The empanadas had great flavor (even the corn flavor of the crust). The meals were offered in lunch or dinner portions. We both ordered lunch portions which was plenty. The meals included rice, beans, and choice of plantains or yuca. Unfortunately, they did not have any desserts available so I will have to go back to try the home made tres leches cake.
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