Stepping inside TapOut Sports Zone Bar and Grill in Boquete, Panama, is like stepping inside suburban America. The menu features American staples like cheeseburgers, barbecue chicken sandwiches, and Philly cheesesteaks. Flat-screen TVs sit above the bar, airing the latest game.
On Friday nights, you might catch a band performing hits like "Take It Easy" by the Eagles. On Mondays, locals stop by for karaoke and $1 beers. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.
Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in . I visited TapOut in April — not for the bacon-wrapped shrimp but to see the Boquete Community Players, a theater group that hosts shows in the back room of the restaurant.
On a Saturday afternoon, the small room was bustling with a dozen Americans preparing for an upcoming performance. Advertisement As they debated curtain colors and stage lighting, a waiter dropped off a round of piña coladas. Another passed by with two bottles of Panama Light beer.
Since arriving at TapOut, it was the first reminder that I was far from the heart of America. TapOut Sports Zone in Boquete, Panama. Monica Humphries/Business Insider Seeing Americans — especially those around retirement age — is standard in Boquete.
The town's year-round cool temperatures and the affordable cost of living have earned it recognition for being one of the best places to retire . While some people moved because retiring in the US was too expensive — if not .