{"id":10041,"date":"2026-05-16T06:18:50","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T04:18:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevisitorpanama.info\/eng\/?p=10041"},"modified":"2026-05-16T19:58:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T17:58:29","slug":"javier-colina-growing-up-surrounded-by-different-cultures-allowed-us-to-understand-both-local-and-international-diners-and-create-an-authentic-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevisitorpanama.info\/eng\/2026\/05\/16\/javier-colina-growing-up-surrounded-by-different-cultures-allowed-us-to-understand-both-local-and-international-diners-and-create-an-authentic-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"Javier Colina: \u201cGrowing up surrounded by different cultures allowed us to understand both local and international diners and create an authentic experience.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Panamanian gastronomy has been innovating and creating unique spaces that didn’t previously exist in the local culinary and entertainment scene. The ability to project a different vision is also related to being able to observe and listen to the country from a perspective different from most. This is a strength shared by many entrepreneurs from other countries, and the outstanding case of our guest, originally from Venezuela and Experience and Kitchen Manager of the successful restaurant La Pulperia. A family business with locations in Casco Antiguo and San Francisco, where, together with his brothers, who manage the other areas of the business, and creative chef Elias Rodr\u00edguez (winner of the last Burger Week), they have consolidated a culinary identity based on surprising flavors, creativity, and an immersive experience. In this edition, Javier Colina sits down exclusively with The Visitor to share his vision of gastronomy and the boost it gives to tourism in Panama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Left: Carlos Colina (Brand and Marketing Manager), Center: Chef Elias Rodr\u00edguez, Right: Jose Colina (General) Manager) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How did being an immigrant help create the vision required for opening the first La Pulper\u00eda restaurant in Casco Antiguo<\/strong>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We first had a minimarket in Casco Antiguo, on a corner near T\u00e1ntalo, which was practically open 24 hours a day. Although it was small and also functioned as a caf\u00e9, all kinds of people passed through: tourists, restaurant owners, bartenders, cooks, waiters, and residents of the area. This allowed us to listen for a long time to what people in Casco Antiguo thought and understand both the perspective of tourists and that of those who worked or lived there. That experience helped us tremendously to identify what the area really needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being immigrants definitely gave us a different perspective. We are Venezuelan and arrived in Panama in 2005 with my parents. My brother and I studied at the Pan-American Chinese School, so we grew up surrounded by different cultures: we had Panamanian, Chinese, and friends from many other backgrounds. Although we maintained a very strong Venezuelan identity, we also adopted a lot of Panamanian culture. In fact, when talking to people from other countries, you realize how much of Panamanian culture you already carry within you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All that cultural mix… It helped us understand both local and international customers. As immigrants, we always tried to identify what was truly missing in the market. We saw that there were very good, but expensive, restaurants, and others that were more affordable but perhaps didn’t offer the experience tourists were looking for. There we found an opportunity: to create a middle ground, accessible, comfortable, and open to everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
La Pulperia Restaurant<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

La Pulper\u00eda was born with that vision. We wanted a space where people could find variety, Latin flavors, seafood, simple but well-prepared bar food, in a relaxed atmosphere and at affordable prices. We also understood that language was very important; although English is widely spoken in Panama, not all restaurants in Casco Viejo had staff who could serve tourists in English, and that was a clear need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, having lived with so many cultures, especially with Chinese colleagues and other immigrants, allowed us to understand different tastes, customs, and ways of consuming. That multicultural perspective was key to building a concept designed for both locals and visitors, always striving to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable at La Pulper\u00eda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
La Pulperia Restaurant<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What is the concept behind a Pulper\u00eda, how does it differ from other restaurants, and what is the key to its success with both local and international diners?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The concept of La Pulper\u00eda was born from rescuing the historical essence of Latin American pulper\u00edas (general stores). Before opening the restaurant, we had a small shop in Casco Antiguo (the Old Quarter) where we sold food, liquor, and convenience products. That space became a meeting point where tourists, locals, and workers from the area mingled, and there we understood the importance of creating an accessible, social, and open place for everyone. Upon further investigation, we discovered that pulper\u00edas were among the first models of commerce in Latin America. They were key spaces within towns, where people not only obtained supplies but also information, social gatherings, and even political meetings. Over time, they evolved from convenience stores to bars and restaurants, and we wanted to reinterpret that essence in a modern concept. La Pulper\u00eda was created as a place where anyone feels welcome, regardless of how they dress, what language they speak, or where they come from. That’s why we developed a varied menu: on the one hand, seafood, closely linked to Casco Antiguo and tourism in Panama, and on the other, classic bar fare and easily recognizable dishes.” Enjoy anytime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key to our success has been combining good food, great cocktails, excellent service, and affordable prices. We wanted a complete place, with a solid bar, options for different tastes, and a comfortable and inclusive experience for both local and international customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
La Pulperia Restaurant<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How does the San Francisco district differ from the Old Town in terms of its culinary offerings and the type of diners who frequent it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“As La Pulper\u00eda grew and became successful in Casco Antiguo, we realized that many people wanted to visit us more often, but felt that Casco Antiguo presented certain challenges, especially regarding access, organization, and parking\u2014something that became even more apparent after the pandemic. That’s when we understood there was an opportunity to bring the La Pulper\u00eda concept to the city, outside of Casco Antiguo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main difference between the two locations lies in the type of customer. In Casco Antiguo, approximately 90% of our customers are tourists. They are a clientele seeking to discover, learn the story behind the concept, understand the cocktails, and learn more about the experience and meaning of La Pulper\u00eda. In contrast, in San Francisco, around 90% of our customers are locals. They are more frequent visitors, already familiar with the concept, and looking for a more comfortable, private, and relaxed experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This also changes our approach to service. In Casco Antiguo, the service is more explanatory and experiential, while in San Francisco, we understand that customers often already know the place and prefer to enjoy their space without so much intervention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At a level…” There are also significant differences in the culinary scene. In Casco Antiguo, diners tend to seek out seafood, ceviche, and local Panamanian cuisine, while in San Francisco, customers tend to look for a more international selection, with Mediterranean, Spanish, and Greek influences, and a wider variety of offerings. That is probably the biggest difference between the two areas and their clientele.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Seafood Empanadas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What are the strengths to be leveraged and the weaknesses to be addressed in the Panamanian gastronomic industry to become a highly developed tourism product?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I believe Panama is already on its way to becoming a major culinary destination. If you compare the food scene of a few years ago with the current one, the growth has been enormous. There are more and more chefs proud to represent Panama, to work with local products, and to elevate national ingredients like seafood, fruits, vegetables, and other local produce. Today, many chefs are focused on reinterpreting these ingredients and blending them with international influences, taking advantage of all the cultural diversity that Panama has to offer. And that’s already attracting the attention of foodies, critics, writers, and culinary tourists from around the world, who are beginning to see Panama as a place where you can eat very well and find high-level gastronomic offerings. For me, rather than talking about weaknesses, the focus should be on continuing to strengthen what’s already being done. Before, perhaps the challenge was to work more with local products, but I feel that Panama has already understood that, and more and more people are doing it very well. The important thing now is to continue fostering that creativity, to continue investing in Panamanian ingredients, and to combine all the country’s cultural influences with techniques and culinary concepts.” modern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Octopus dish<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Panama has tremendous potential: excellent seafood, tropical fruits, vegetables, good livestock, and a unique cultural mix with Afro-Caribbean, Asian, and Latin American influences. All of this gives it a very strong culinary identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, we are already seeing Panamanian chefs being invited abroad to represent the country’s cuisine and showcase this cultural diversity. I feel that this has already begun and will not stop. If Panama continues to grow at the current rate, in two or three years it will be even more firmly established as a major culinary destination in the region and the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Describe the three most popular dishes among diners at the Pulper\u00eda and why.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I’d say La Pulper\u00eda’s most iconic dish is octopus. In fact, our slogan is: ‘We’re not what you think, but we do serve octopus,’ because many people think a pulper\u00eda (a traditional Argentine eatery) is a place that specializes solely in octopus. We do work extensively with this product, but with our own unique twist. We use local octopus because we feel it has a deeper, more briny flavor. We cook it with spices and vegetables to enhance the taste, and then we saut\u00e9 it to create that charred or ‘char’ touch that intensifies the flavor. We serve it with French fries and a roasted garlic and confit garlic aioli that adds creaminess, spiciness, and balance. It’s our best-selling dish at both locations and has become a true icon of La Pulper\u00eda. The second most representative dish is ‘chupetones’ (chicken lollipops). These are chicken thighs that we clean completely, leaving the bone exposed, creating a kind of chicken lollipop. Then we marinate them, fry them, and coat them in our own oriental barbecue sauce. It’s a fun, easy-to-eat dish.” And it’s closely tied to the bar concept. While it’s not always the second best-selling item, it’s one of the dishes that most emotionally connects with people; many say they discovered La Pulper\u00eda thanks to the lollipops and become fans of the restaurant because of that dish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The third is the seafood empanadas, which perfectly represent our blend of local flavors and comfort food. The dough is made with corn flour, annatto oil, and a touch of polenta, giving it a very distinctive color and flavor. The filling is inspired by classic Panamanian seafood flavors, like those of a “pescado a lo macho” (fish cooked in a spicy sauce), and we serve them with a citrusy annatto aioli and pico de gallo. These four empanadas are perfect for sharing and have that balance of texture, freshness, and seafood flavor that is so characteristic of La Pulper\u00eda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think these three dishes perfectly explain the success of the concept: they are completely different from each other, but they all maintain our essence of accessible, flavorful food with its own identity, designed to be shared and enjoyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Chupetones’ (chicken lollipops)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Panamanian gastronomy has been innovating and creating unique spaces that didn’t previously exist in the local culinary and entertainment scene. The ability to project a different vision is also related to being able to observe and listen to the country from a perspective different from most. This is a strength shared by many entrepreneurs from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10088,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[32],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevisitorpanama.info\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10041"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevisitorpanama.info\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevisitorpanama.info\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevisitorpanama.info\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevisitorpanama.info\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10041"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevisitorpanama.info\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10041\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10087,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevisitorpanama.info\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10041\/revisions\/10087"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevisitorpanama.info\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevisitorpanama.info\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevisitorpanama.info\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevisitorpanama.info\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}