One of the first questions newcomers ask about Coronado is a practical one: can I still buy the food I am used to? The short answer is mostly yes. Between the full-size supermarkets at the highway entrance and the network of neighborhood mini-supers in the beach towns, Coronado is unusually well stocked for a small coastal community — including a fair range of imported and North American products. This guide covers where to shop and what to expect.
All the stores below are real listings in the Supermarkets directory and the wider Shopping & Groceries directory.
The main supermarkets in Coronado
Two full-size supermarkets do most of the heavy lifting for residents, and both sit right by the Coronado Mall at the highway entrance, making a single shopping trip easy.
- Supermercados Rey Coronado — part of one of Panama’s leading national chains, on the Via Interamericana. Rey tends to carry a broad selection, including a solid range of imported goods, a proper deli and reliable fresh produce.
- Super 99 Coronado — a large, well-known Panamanian chain at Las Olas Plaza in the Coronado Mall, right at the entrance to town. It is a dependable everyday shop for groceries, household goods and staples.
Between these two, most households can cover the weekly shop without leaving Coronado. Prices on locally produced food — fruit, vegetables, rice, chicken, eggs — are noticeably lower than in North America, which is part of what keeps the overall cost of living down. Our cost of living in Coronado guide puts real numbers to a typical monthly grocery budget.
Finding imported and North American food
This is where expectations matter. You will find plenty of familiar imported brands on the shelves at the larger supermarkets, but selection varies week to week and imported items carry a premium — sometimes a steep one — because of shipping and duties. Specialty items you take for granted back home may appear one month and vanish the next.
The practical approach most residents adopt is a two-track one: buy fresh local produce, meat and staples close to home, and stock up on imported comfort foods when you spot them or on a periodic run into Panama City, where the selection is deeper. If a specific imported product is essential to you, it is worth building that trip into your routine rather than expecting it on every shelf in town. Our Moving to Coronado guide covers this adjustment in more detail.
Mini-supers in the beach towns
Away from the Coronado Mall, the coast runs on smaller neighborhood stores — the mini-supers and tiendas that handle daily top-ups of bread, drinks, snacks and basics. They are convenient, close, and often open when you need them.
- Mini Super Las Palmas — in Nueva Gorgona, handy for anyone based on that side of the coast.
- Mini Super Cheung and Supermercado Francisco Li — both in Bejuco, toward Chame, covering the daily needs of that stretch.
These stores will not replace a full supermarket run, but they are invaluable for the small, frequent shopping that beach-town life encourages. If you are weighing which town to settle in, our guide to the best beach towns near Coronado notes how well-served each one is.
Fresh, local and market shopping
Beyond the supermarkets, the coast has a genuine culture of fresh, direct-from-the-source food. The weekly Thursday Marketplace in Coronado brings together produce, prepared foods and local vendors, and it is as much a social event as a shopping one. Roadside stands along the highway sell seasonal fruit and, near the coast, fresh-caught seafood at prices that make eating well genuinely affordable.
Practical tips: hours, payment and language
A few things smooth out the learning curve. The large supermarkets take cards without trouble and are open long hours, seven days a week, though they get busy on weekends and before public holidays — a weekday-morning shop is the calm one. Panama uses the US dollar (locally called the balboa), so there is no currency conversion to puzzle over at the register. The smaller mini-supers are more cash-oriented, so it helps to keep small bills on hand for daily errands.
Product labels and staff are Spanish-first, but the routine is easy to pick up, and a little vocabulary for the basics goes a long way. Bagging is usually done for you at the big stores. If you are still finding your feet with the language and the systems of daily life, our honest look at the pros and cons of living in Panama sets realistic expectations for the adjustment.
Putting a shopping routine together
Most residents settle into a simple pattern: a big weekly shop at Rey or Super 99, fresh produce from the market and roadside stands, daily top-ups at the neighborhood mini-super, and an occasional city run for hard-to-find imports. It is a small adjustment, and one that quickly becomes second nature.
While you are stocking the kitchen, it is worth knowing where to buy the rest of what a home needs — our guide to hardware and home-improvement stores in the Coronado area covers that, and the cafés and bakeries guide handles bread and coffee.
Browse all supermarkets in the Coronado directory to plan your first shop.
