Michelin-Starred Chef Oswaldo Oliva Lorea Cooks in Panama City
Gastronomy: Panama City
Key Facts
—Event. Mexican chef Oswaldo Oliva, creator of the Mexico City restaurant Lorea, cooked a four-hands dinner in Panama City on 4 August 2026 with local chef Mario Castrellón at his restaurant Maito.
—Format. The dinner was part of “Amigos en Casa,” an OpenTable Experiences series that pairs leading Latin American chefs for one-off collaborations.
—Restaurant. Lorea sits in the Roma Norte district of Mexico City and has been listed by the Michelin Guide in 2024, 2025 and 2026, and named a 50 Best Discovery.
—Philosophy. Oliva calls Lorea his “life project,” built around transforming ingredients and the memory and emotion a meal can carry, rather than cooking alone.
—Name. “Lorea” means “flower” in Basque, a nod to Oliva’s formative years at the Spanish restaurant Mugaritz under chef Andoni Luis Aduriz.
Mexican chef Oswaldo Oliva brought his Mexico City restaurant Lorea to Panama City for a one-night collaboration with Mario Castrellón at Maito, describing the project as a mission that goes far beyond cooking.
A One-Night Collaboration in Panama City
On 4 August 2026, Oswaldo Oliva joined Panamanian chef Mario Castrellón at Maito, one of Panama City’s most celebrated restaurants, to present a menu inspired by the flavours, memories and gastronomic identity of Mexico.
The dinner formed part of “Amigos en Casa,” a strand of OpenTable Experiences that brings together well-known Latin American chefs for single collaborative events. Oliva said the platform acted as the catalyst that finally aligned two very busy schedules.
Guests could order Oliva’s Lorea dishes separately or take a tasting menu paired with plates from Maito. Oliva framed the evening as a chance to carry “a small piece” of Mexican culture to Panama, and hinted he hopes to host Castrellón in Mexico in return.
What Lorea Is, and Where
Despite the Panama dateline, Lorea itself is in Mexico City, in the Roma Norte neighbourhood. It has appeared in the Michelin Guide in 2024, 2025 and 2026 and is recognised as a 50 Best Discovery, markers of its standing in a fiercely competitive dining capital.
Lorea anchors a small ecosystem inside a single building. Alongside the fine-dining room sit a terrace restaurant called Alelí and a bar named Antesala, letting the team address three different audiences from one address.
The name carries its own story. “Lorea” means “flower” in Basque, chosen for Oliva’s deep connection to the Basque Country, where he trained. It signals a kitchen shaped as much by Spain’s avant-garde as by Mexican tradition.
The Chef Behind the Plates
Oliva spent about a decade training outside Mexico before opening his own restaurant. He worked eight years at Mugaritz in Spain alongside chef Andoni Luis Aduriz, an experience he still calls the most important lesson of his career, and passed through kitchens such as El Celler de Can Roca.
He describes what drew him to cooking as two linked ideas: the transformation of raw ingredients into dishes, and the way a table can shape emotion and memory. A meal, in his telling, is unfinished without the story and culture behind it.
Oliva arrived in Mexico about 11 years ago, he says, to join a wave of chefs reasserting the value of Mexican cuisine at a moment when the wider world was only beginning to pay attention. Lorea was his contribution to that movement.
A Philosophy of Memory, Culture and Luxury
For Oliva, luxury is not the rarest or most expensive ingredient but the one whose value a diner can be taught to see. He offers a kilo of nixtamalised native corn as his example, arguing that “in austerity there is more abundance than in abundance.”
That idea shapes Lorea’s programming, which changes by season. The restaurant recently ran a season titled “Humo,” or smoke, and from September moves to “El quinto cuarto,” the fifth quarter, a menu built around humble and often discarded cuts reframed as delicacy.
Even after a decade and repeated Michelin recognition, Oliva insists the awards should not change the questions that matter: who you are, what you want and what comes next. He says the team still hopes for a star one day, but “not at any price.”
Why It Matters for Panama’s Dining Scene
For diners and expats in Panama City, the collaboration is a snapshot of a regional fine-dining circuit that increasingly moves talent across borders. Panama uses the US dollar, and its capital has become a regular stop for chefs building pan-Latin American networks.
The tie-up also reflects the growing role of reservation platforms in shaping cultural events. OpenTable’s arrival in Panama gave the two chefs a framework, and an audience, for a dinner that might otherwise never have happened.
Oliva closed with an open invitation for Panamanians to visit Lorea in Mexico City, where the restaurant, Alelí and Antesala share one roof. The message, like his cooking, was less about a single meal than about a longer exchange between two culinary capitals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lorea a restaurant in Panama City?
No. Lorea is in Mexico City, in the Roma Norte district. Chef Oswaldo Oliva travelled to Panama City for a one-night collaborative dinner with Mario Castrellón at the restaurant Maito on 4 August 2026.
What is Oswaldo Oliva known for?
Oliva is a Mexican chef who created Lorea, a Mexico City restaurant listed in the Michelin Guide and named a 50 Best Discovery. He trained for years in Spain, including eight years at Mugaritz under Andoni Luis Aduriz.
What was the Panama City event?
It was an “Amigos en Casa” dinner from OpenTable Experiences, pairing Oliva with Panamanian chef Mario Castrellón at Maito. Guests could order Lorea dishes separately or as a tasting menu alongside plates from Maito.
Sources
Connected Coverage
LatAm Expat & Nomad culture coverage from The Rio Times.
Sources: La Estrella de Panamá; Who Are U Magazine; Lorea.
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