Mai Mai
The verdict
Come for the bar. Two storeys of backlit bottles over a checkerboard floor, and a Nikkei kitchen behind it good enough that we keep booking the table.
We sat down on a Tuesday just before half past six and the room did most of the work before the food arrived: a wall of bottles lit from behind, black and white tile, a long communal table facing the pass.
The cocktails are what the bar is built for and they hold up. The kitchen is strong too - a toro tartar under a bright yellow sauce, a lomo saltado with two fried quail eggs, an acevichado roll - though the plates land when they land rather than in any particular order.
An hour in there was still a new roll and a sizzling pan arriving. We keep coming back anyway.
Skip if
- You want the meal paced. The first time we ate here the food came out at strange times and the service was staggered, and on this night two plates landed together and more turned up an hour later. It is the one thing we would fix.
- You are hoping to walk in. A table needs booking, the kitchen only opens at five, and it is closed on Sunday.
- You are driving. There is a parking lot but the spaces run out.
Would we go back? Yes. We have been back more than once, and the bar is the reason.
The visit
Two storeys of bottles and a checkerboard floor
The bar is the first thing you see and it is the reason to book. Backlit shelves running the height of the wall, stools along the counter, and a long communal table in front of it.
Toro tartar, first out
Sliced and chopped tuna over a bright yellow sauce, with cilantro, avocado, puffed grains and dots of something dark, in a wide terracotta bowl.
Then three sliders
Skewered and set down on a board between the tartar and the mains. They are not on the order list we kept and we never got a name for them.
Lomo saltado with quail eggs
Beef, red onion and spring onion in a dark sauce, thick-cut potatoes through it, two fried quail eggs on top. Rice comes alongside in its own bowl.
The acevichado roll
Salmon and a pale cream over the top with a scatter of roe, on a stone plate, landing at the same minute as the lomo saltado.
An hour in, still arriving
A roll topped with seared tuna, the lomo saltado, a bowl of rice and a sizzling pan of beef and peppers, all on the table together at ten past eight.
On the table
- Toro Tartar
- Came out first, under a bright yellow sauce with avocado and puffed grains.
- Tiradito Mai Mai
- Chicken Karage
- Chinatown
- Lomo Saltado
- Beef and red onion with thick-cut potatoes under two fried quail eggs.
- Acevichado Roll
- Salmon and a pale cream over the top, with roe.
- Negroni Cocktail
- Drunk at the table next to the roll. The bar is the highlight of the place.
Order & find Mai Mai online
Order for delivery, browse the full menu with prices, or follow along.
Where it is
Panamá Design Center (PDC, Panamá, Provincia de Panamá, Panama
Costa del Este, Panama City
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Good to know
Best time to go
Notable mentions
Listed on the World's 50 Best Discovery guide; a collaboration between Mario Castrellon (Maito) and Mitsuharu Tsumura (Maido, Lima).
Frequently asked
What kind of food does Mai Mai serve?
Mai Mai serves Nikkei. The menu includes Pana Lima ceviche, Nigiri a lo pobre, Shu mai.
What's good at Mai Mai?
Peruvian-Nikkei tasting from two acclaimed chefs (Castrellon and Tsumura). That reflects what people consistently say online - EatsPanama does not post star ratings.
When is Mai Mai open?
Mai Mai is open most of the week and closed Sunday. Most days it opens around 5:00 and closes around 11:30 PM.
Does Mai Mai take reservations?
It lists a WhatsApp contact - the green button on this page opens the chat directly.
Where is Mai Mai?
Panamá Design Center (PDC, Panamá, Provincia de Panamá, Panama, Costa del Este, Panama City.
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Around Costa del Este
Mai Mai is one of 148 restaurants EatsPanama tracks in Costa del Este, Panama City. Every listing is built from public sources and menus - no restaurant can pay to appear. The neighborhood leans toward Cafe, Italian, Pizza.
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