Restaurante Casa Vela

Fransisco made this experience amazin. If you are in Portobelo you need to come here to take a little taste of Italy on the Portobello harbor. We had bolognese and pizza vino accompanied by some stimulating conversation. Definitely a highlight of our trip.

Thank you from Texas!

We had a wonderful evening at Casa Vela. The owner Francesco, an Italian and his great crew makes it a must try experience if you love the italian kitchen. We immediately felt welcome. The pizzas are crispy and authentic Roman. We tried the pizza vegetarian and salami 🍕. You get some spicy sauce with it - yumm!
My bf wanted to try the pasta (amitricana) as well. A poem with real parmesan, al dente, lots of flavour. What more could you want? After a few weeks of eating carribean food, we're in the mood for some really good authentic Italian food again. You'll all get it here. The cocktails were also delicious. A heartfelt recommendation for pizza and pasta fans. Vai, vai! 🇮🇹

Great find in Portobelo. Wonderful authentic Italian food made by two guys from Southern Italy who live in Portobelo. Francesco was happy to share stories about Portobelo history and plants and animals of the region. The location is fantastic - right on the water with great views in both directions. We liked the food so much the first time we went back two days later.

Had a great time at casa vela, the vibe of the place is amazing and the food I even better, real Italian taste! The owner and the staff are very welcoming and they made the evening wonderful, there was even live music which made everything perfect!

Amazing, authentic Italian food and run by an authentic, south Italian owner who is also an anthropologist and sociologist by degree and entertaining tour guide to boot. Cannot recommend Francesco and his restaurant as well as tour company highly enough (Portobelo Tours). You'd not think it in this unique Caribbean town, but Casa Vela is the place to be for great food AND to learn about what makes Portobelo such a unique town.

The owners of Casa Vela are such kind people and their food is AMAZING. Our first meal was two different types of pizza that we loved so much we went back for pasta the next day. Any trip to Portabelo is incomplete without visiting Casa Vela!

Francesco is the X factor. He makes this place shine. You feel like family. And the food is off the charts. I lived in Italy and the pasta here is as good if not better. What a gem in the middle of nowhere.

A wonderful and cozy place. Francesco from Italy and Carolina from Argentina make this place unforgettable!
Their Italian food is delicious!
If you are in Portobelo just for a few hours, you wants to stay for much longer after a nice conversation with them!

This place is all you need for your stay in portobelo! We had an amazing time with Francesco and Olivia, both of them are great host's in a way that made us feel welcome and comfortable.
Thank you for your hospitality and hopefully see you next year again.
Food and drinks on point!

You must eat at Casa Vela when in Portobelo! Authentic, delicious pizza and pasta with a beautiful location right on the water and the owner, Francesco, was the cherry on top! Don't miss out on this jewel.

Francesco is a charm, as is his cafe. Want pizza made by an Italian? This is the right place. Bring your dinghy from your sailboat directly up to his dock. Walk into town. Explore the ruins. Relax.

Definitely will go again! Francesco is a fantastic person and on top of that he makes delicious food. Great location, fantastic people, enjoyable atmosphere and delicious food!

Amazing authentic Italian. The owner Francesco makes all. Thinnest crust pizza that you could still pick up to eat. The flavours were great. Desserts to die for. Right on the water. Prices were low for Portobelo. Limited menu but so good you didn’t need more. Lita the dog is a fixture in Portobelo

Possibly the best dining experience we've had on the Atlantic side of Panama. One of those gems!

Amazing restraunt by the sea. It is apparent from the first bite that the ingredients this guy works with are only the freshest. He seems to genuinely care about and love the food he makes. His easy going and friendly attitude matches the island setting of this restaurant perfectly. 6 stars

A gem in Portobelo. In Casa Vela you can find great authentic Italian food, cooked and served with the typical Italian charm. It is also cruiser friendly, with their free dinghy dock (which you can leave and go for a stroll in town) and the fact they let you fill up your jerry cans of water for free, you feel that this place was made for your convenience. Lucky to have found this place.

Amazing italian food in the bay of Portobelo.
The staff is really friendly and casa vela has a nice dock (dinghy dock) for people traveling by boat. I really liked pizza and pasta. Done with love from these Italian friendly people

Fantastic pizzas, and Francesco (the Italian owner) does tours too! Highly recommended - it was the highlight of our time in Portobelo. We kayaked across the bay and through the mangroves, then hiked over a small hill to a private bay where the snorkeling was amazing.

What a gem!
We anchored in Portobelo and we're happy to visit a restaurant with the ease of a dinghy dock. Francesco pours Italian love into the food, which was excellent, we ended up eating multiple meals in a row at Casa Vela! It's a relaxed atmosphere with a view and the staff were all lovely. Francesco even saw off our boat with a blast from his conch 😊. He has kayaks for rent and does tours too. Would highly recommend!

An excellent Italian restaurant with really friendly people!
Francesco cook amazingly good Italian food, tasty pizza and pasta with a flare from southern Italy.
Don’t forget to taste the good drinks and the desserts!
Franccesco worked as a teacher back in Italy and is really knowledgeable about the history and anthropology of Portobelo