For starters, this location and the shape of the building where they sell seafood. In a country like this, whose geography has oceans on both sides, naturally there must be a place to sell the seafood obtained by the Panamanian fishermen. After all of their effort, but with some degree of peace and calm (when the sea is angry no one enters it to go fishing), we are obliged to offer a port, a place where what comes from the sea is received and made accessible to all.
Hence, the time came in 1995, when city authorities, with the support of the technical cooperation agency of Japan and an investment of $7.8 million dollars, decided to construct a building to store all the wealth of the sea. It would be a place to feed the country's capital, and to comply with the internationally required health standards.
It is the meeting place for dozens of fishermen, where everything they have managed to draw out of the sea is carried to that structure. The shape of the building has become striking, as it has become an ongoing gathering spot. In addition to buying a lot for the building along a principal artery of the capital city, Balboa Avenue, near the entrance to the historic Old Town, the this market attracts buyers for its advantageous price, better than at the supermarket.
The characteristic smell of seafood wafts out upon approaching. Entering the site, you will find some 69 cubicles, notable for their messages dedicated to God, with some famous saying or a picture of sharks. These store fresh products recently brought from the sea, like shrimp, octopus, snapper, tuna, sea bass and scallop. These and others are offered to nationals and foreigners, and it is entertaining to listen to the offers they make to grab the attention of the buyers and draw them towards their stand.
If you just want to taste a good dish of fish, on the first floor of the market there is an excellent seafood restaurant. A wide range of dishes are available, such as the famous paella and seafood risotto. They also have the famous fish and 'patacones' (fried green plantains), and they couldn't leave out the sea bass or shrimp ceviche.
The music is good, the food is delicious and the prices are economic. There is a view of Panama City and customer service within the market is good. The restaurant is open from 11:30 a.m. to at 5:30 p.m. and the market is open daily. It is only close on one day, for fumigation and cleaning of the sales areas, and that is scheduled by the building administration.