Panama City Nightlife

Named after the golden frog native to Panama, this micro-brewery and pub is the number one choice in the city for quality beer. With a range of ales, lager and porter inspired by English brews, the focus here is on sipping a great-tasting pint in defiance of the local predilection for cheap beer. Start with the fantastic tasting tray and compare flavours. The kitchen also serves up pizza that's amongst the city's best.

If you’re feeling well and truly decadent, stop off at the Radisson Decapolis Martini Bar. Located in Panama City’s Radisson Hotel, this lounge bar is stylish, modern and wonderfully chilled out. It offers a huge range of spirits and drinks served by the pool, but you can’t leave without trying something from its crafted martini menu. You can even order sushi at the bar.

Based in one of the most buzzing hotels in Panama City, this swanky rooftop bar provides a jaw-dropping vista of the city, best seen at night when it is all lit up. The lounge bar below boasts an intriguing art collection showing off local Panamanian talent too. There's also an impressive 'green wall', kept fresh via rainwater that drips in from a lofty skylight above. DJs arrive at night, bringing with them a noisy expat crowd and lively parties that swing with everything from jazz and Latin music to electronica.

Open late every night from Tuesday to Saturday, Chupitos 507 packs a lot of character into a small space. If you're asking for a drinks menu, it's going to be a shot. The bar boasts more than 500 shot options and you shouldn't be surprised, amidst the music and karaoke, to see the bar light up with the sight of flaming liquor.

A traditional dance hall where salsa rhythms and Afro-Caribbean beats take centre stage. This glamorous venue in the San Felipe district opens Thursday - Saturday, creating an inclusive atmosphere with a live band to get you in the mood for a boogie - however fierce the competition.

Situated in a historical building in the Casco Viejo, Teatro Amador is the most stunning venue in the city. Constructed in 1908 for a prestigious family with a cinema on the ground floor, today Teatro Amador is a glamorous nightclub and bar. Though it's been under this current guise as one of the trendiest spots in town since 2013, it still pays homage to its past with a high-definition film projector.

Jazz lovers in Panama City have been raving about Danilo's Jazz Club, which recently opened in the American Trade Hotel at the heart of Casco Viejo. The brainchild of Panamanian pianist Danilo Perez, this beautiful setting is now hosting international musicians of world-beating calibre, while also nurturing young local talent on stage and through the Danilo Perez Foundation. If you're lucky, you'll even get to meet the musical genius himself, who's often seen milling about.

If you didn’t already realise that Istmo Brew Pub an English-style tavern, the huge painted Union Jack on the wall will give it away. Attracting a good mix of people (locals, tourists and expats), this laidback spot enjoys regular live music from local rock bands.

A more sedate option for live music, the Wine Bar has become very popular with tourists and locals, and is a lovely place to chill out with a glass of wine and some good quality salami. Listen to the usually chilled-out live music, which could be anything from a guitar soloist to a trio band playing Latin music.

This theatre is on the site of what was once the Supreme Court of Justice, hence why the building is immensely pretty: all white and Romanesque. It’s a good place to catch folkloric plays, workshops and music concerts, and it’s also right by the famous restaurant Las Bovedas (The Vaults) in the Plaza de Francia, which has great skyline views.