This was our second restaurant by local Chef Joseph Archibald. We knew to expect great food, this was a wonderful dining experience. Beautiful restaurant tucked into a quiet street not far from main street or our hotel. I was a little late after a nap from being in the sun all day and may have missed a course or two, but left so fulfilled and not a single thing was missing. The open air patio was perfect for us, the courtyard was lined with plants and herbs, a coconut was harvested on the spot for its water. Again, the focus on well executed dishes highlighting local ingredients, done tastefully and simple. The mission of the Chef, create quality food and an experience for guests at the highest level each and every time. They did just that. The seared tuna on the mix plate, was UNREAL. Octopus was delightful and the jerk chicken was 🔥. They had a similar mocktail with hibiscus, local honey and ginger that rocked. Take your time and savor the food of wherever it is you choose. The amount of complexity in a single bite and how it builds helps remind you of that. Avoid the main road, and find Octo for yourself.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Croquettes
Visited Octo after reading lots of positive reviews. The venue is looked after and has an upmarket, island vibe. We chose to sit towards the back of the dining area as the front, which is near the kitchen, was enveloped in smoke which made it difficult to breathe.
The service was quick with pleasantly polite waitresses. We ordered two starters and two mains. The fried fish fritters were great, arrived piping hot and the accompanying sauce was well-paired. The plantain starter was cold, with melted cheese that had also gone cold. That's one to miss. We got the lobster sandwich and tuna steak mains. The lobster itself was well cooked and was very tasty but the portion is small - literally 4 bitesize chunks - and accompanied by cold plantain chips that let the overall dish down. The tuna steak was seared and not fully cooked. It was accompanied by cold potato puree and cold coconut rice. It felt like only a part of our meal was freshly made.
Overall, this was a disappointing experience given the prices they charge. Would not recommend.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
PAB 30–35
Food: 2
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 4
Recommended dishes
Croquettes
Place where story tells a lot...simple and authentic flavours playing a big role here. We was walking without Internet with the name Octo in my mind ....and to see amazing amount of lemon grass and red hibiscus on the front of restaurant between muddy and dirty road was a sign of glory. We had imagine this place as tiny but actually it has inside and outsaid sitting area. We head to the garden to explore more. Sitting between katuk, spinach, mint, yang yang tree, coconut and tiny bananas made our day. Lovely waiter Maria brought us a natural mosquito repellant which smells so great...what a nice touch..thank you ! We start with sarel to drink to fallow with octopus for the first time in our lives....it was heaven ! Tuna steak as second plate arrived with delicate taste of local side dishes, all well balanced and cook just to perfection. After meal I head to little shop next to dining room. Shop has a lot of local tiny products, also with the door oppend we met owner Joseph who brings us so many story's of place and Bocas itself. Overall to start with entrance, service, food, ambient and care ...we must say you are superstar! Even we felt appreciation in wooden plates and little banana leaf on the bottom our food. Little make big impact....recommended highly to everyone seeking good food exeperiance.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Ordered the jerk chicken (just grilled chicken) and the octopus. Both came under done and we had to send the pink chicken back unfortunately… vibe was quite random, really hot with none of the fans on and portions really small for the prices - including the carafe of wine (2x small glasses) for $9. Shame for our last night in Panama! $25 for the small octopus picture attached was not great. Plus the plates are wooden so hard to cut on and randomly move all the time so impossible to eat off!
Meal type
Dinner
Food: 1
Service: 2
Atmosphere: 1
Delicioso comfort local food grilled braced, smoked, fresh cut tuna, local hot spice sauce! Place to start your long night or just relax before night chill
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Ceviche: incredible. Jerk chicken: so many flavours! The food here is unreal, don’t miss it if you are in Bocas. Chef Joseph is a really neat guy with a fascinating story. Make sure to chat with him if you can!
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
PAB 10–15
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
This place is FIRE, figuratively and literally. The tuna in the sandwich and the jerk chicken both perfectly smoked to wood-fire perfection. All sides were delicious, and portions were ample. Flavors were very unique compared to other places around Bocas. We also appreciated the presentation and flatware choices. Good food takes a while to arrive but it’s worth the wait.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
PAB 15–20
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Jerk Chicken with Salad and Chips
Great atmosphere, friendly staff. The chef is very informative and helpful. The food is sooooo amazing, actually is the best food I had in Bocas. Fully recommended.
We had grilled octopus, grilled swordfish and breadfruit platter. All of them were very delicious and the sauce its marvelous. Dessert was baked plantain with cacao and a delicious ice cream that I think was done with ginger and coconut milk.
One of the best restaurants I've ever eaten at. I had the grilled octopus and the banana desert and it was well worth the money. I hope to be back in Bocas some day and I will definitely come back to this restaurant
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
PAB 30–35
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Grilled Octopus Pulpo
