Hospitality Group · Panama

Afro-Panamanian cuisine, in the world's first division.

La Tapa Group is the hospitality group founded by Isaac Villaverde in Panama City: restaurants, kitchens and brands united by one purpose — taking Afro-Panamanian cuisine from the people's kitchens to its rightful place among the world's great cuisines.

Meet the group

Why we exist

The group's purpose

Afro-Panamanian cuisine was born from the migrations that built Panama: from the Antilles and the Caribbean, from the Pacific, from north and south. It is a cuisine of Blackness and diaspora — geography turned into identity and flavor. For generations it lived in the people's kitchens; La Tapa Group exists to give it the stage, the team and the standard to earn its place among the world's cuisines, with its essence intact.

Purpose

"To research, reimagine and share the richness of Afro-Panamanian culture."

With a deep commitment to the socioeconomic development of our people and our community. We don't just cook: we explore our roots and share them with the world.

Vision

"To be the global reference for Afro-Panamanian gastronomic heritage."

Inspiring the world to connect with, strengthen and celebrate Afro-descendant cultural identity — from San Francisco to the entire diaspora.

Mission

"To create culinary experiences and authentic products that honor our culture."

With creativity, innovation and a deep commitment to quality and continuous improvement — in every dish, every product, every experience.

Our Values

CreativityNo absolute truths: we reimagine tradition.
DisciplineWe practice, we practice, and we keep going.
ExcellenceProgress over perfection: how can it be better?
ResilienceWe fall with grace and rise stronger by sunrise.
SynergyThe whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Purpose → Vision → Mission → Values → Action → Impact → Reflection → back to Purpose

Business Units

The group's seal, at every table
La Tapa del Coco Restaurant
The Flagship

La Tapa del Coco Restaurant

The restaurant that started it all: signature Afro-Panamanian cuisine that turned a coconut shell into a flag.

Calle 68 Este, San Francisco · Panama City
Come Coco Kitchen
Kitchen

Come Coco Kitchen

Our everyday kitchen: the people's flavors with group-level execution.

Plaza SF69, Calle 69 Este · San Francisco
Afro Pana Lab
Creative Lab

Afro Pana Lab

The founder's creative laboratory: collaborations, content and products celebrating Afro-Panamanian culture, from Panama to the world.

OFFICE 77 · San Francisco · Online store
Plenty Patty
Next Opening

Plenty Patty

Patties and Caribbean flavor in the historic heart of the city. La Tapa Group's newest bet.

El Callejón, Calle 11 · Casco Antiguo

Business Lines

Brands that live and earn inside a business unit:

La Tapa CateringLives inside La Tapa del Coco Restaurant — catering and events with the group's seal.
Calypso BurgerLives inside Come Coco Kitchen — the juiciest line in the family.
In development Calypso Bar  ·  The Savannah

Our Impact

Economy, culture and country
60+Direct employees
4Business units
2Growing business lines
100%Panamanian cuisine & culture

We are part of Panama's creative industry. Every dish we serve, every job we create and every story we tell strengthens Panama's nation brand: we project Panama as a gastronomic tourism destination — the bet championed by the ATP and Promtur — and contribute to the orange economy fostered by the Ministry of Culture's ecosystem.

We generate formal employment, train talent within the group and add value to the country's gastronomic chain. Our work is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:

SDG 4 · Quality Education SDG 8 · Decent Work & Economic Growth SDG 10 · Reduced Inequalities
Isaac Villaverde, founder of La Tapa Group
Our Story

It all began with a coconut shell

In San Francisco, Panama City, Isaac Villaverde opened La Tapa del Coco: a restaurant that turned Afro-Panamanian home cooking into a signature dining experience. The restaurant became a reference; the cuisine, a movement; and the name, a seal.

Today that seal is La Tapa Group: a family of restaurants, kitchens and brands run from our HQ in San Francisco, opening doors for Afro-Panamanian culture in Panama and beyond.

"What holds La Tapa Group together isn't a structure: it's a standard." — Isaac Villaverde, Founder

The Inner Circle

The people who make things happen
Isaac Villaverde

Isaac Villaverde

CEO · Chef Founder

Founder of the group and captain of the ship: from La Tapa del Coco to a movement taking Afro-Panamanian culture to the world.

isaacvillaverdem@gmail.com
Julius Villaverde

Julius Villaverde

CFO

Leads the group's finances, administration and systems — the order behind the flavor.

infodelcoco@gmail.com
Armando Bramwell

Armando Bramwell

Group Executive Chef

Keeper of the culinary standard: the same excellence in every kitchen, every unit.

chefdelcoco@gmail.com
Dora Miranda

Dora Miranda

Chief of Staff

Runs the HQ and the group's priorities: if something needs to happen, she makes it happen.

contact to be confirmed