Ama : Tolosa, Basque Country
There are some villages in Basque Country that just walk around with their chest out. “Donosti?” They scoff. “Pfff…pa que?” They aren’t intimidated by San Sebastián’s size or (outsized) fame. Tolosa is the perfect example of this archetype. Population 20,000, this village about 30 minutes inland from Gipuzkoa’s capital has an answer for everything that San Sebastián can offer up.
Museo San Telmo? Tolosa has a puppet museum AND a chocolate museum, both small yet surprisingly thorough and fascinating in their esoteric eccentricity.
Tamborrada? Everyone knows that right around the corner is Carnavales, which lasts longer.
La Bretxa? La Bretxa has nothing on Tolosa’s farmer’s market. Located in a gorgeous covered, open-air building on the river, the market in Tolosa manages to be both workaday and luxuriously gourmet. Honeys, guindillas pickled by hand, dried Tolosa beans, shiny red txistorra, waxy sheep’s cheeses, and of course loads of colorful produce.
Tolosa is also home to some amazing (and famous) asadores, where steak sizzles and is served with a center nearly as blood red as the accompanying piquillo peppers. Tolosa has a few new restaurants that are adopting a more modern outlook on tradition.
Ama Taberna is already a village favorite, and one visit is enough to see why. The tiny bar has just a few tables and a bartop for pintxos, as well as some outdoor seating on the narrow streets of Tolosa’s centro. We popped in after a visit to the market to taste what all the fuss was about. If talk of a restaurant in the “interior” reaches Donosti, well, it must be good.
We started with the mushrooms, perfect, juicy porcini that were so good we ordered another pintxo of them. Then we had the ensaladilla with lobster, which was the perfectly elevated version of my (everyone’s?) favorite pintxo, ensaladilla rusa. Mayo and lobster is obviously a classic combination.
The owners, Javi Rivero y Gorka Rico, are graduates of the Basque Culinary Center, which is part of the explanation as to why the buzz reached the capital. However, as we dug in to pintxo after pintxo, I thought more than once how happy I would be to have such simple, elegant fare on offer at more pintxo bars in San Sebastián.
Simple yet exquisite takes on traditional dishes, ever-bowing to the seasons and produce, is the raison d’être of Ama. Their instagram, in fact, is not much more than product selfies, showcasing what’s cooking in the kitchen, usually in its raw, in-season state.
We also tried a few of their meat and seafood dishes. The carrillera (which we ate too quickly to take a picture), was perfect and glistening. The octopus was charred on the outside and tender on the inside, perched on creamy potatoes.
Needless to say, this is an address to keep in the back pocket for any chance visits to Tolosa—but also good enough to plan a day trip around. The perfect itinerary?
Renfe to Tolosa from San Sebastián
Shop at the farmer’s market
Vermouth around the market
Pintxos at Ama
A stop at the puppet museum
Head back to San Sebastian (or stay, take a walk along the river, and have dinner at an asador).
You’re welcome. On egin!
Ama Taberna
Aroztegieta Kalea, 13
Tolosa, Gipuzkoa 20400
Closed Mondays
+34 943 38 20 59
www.amataberna.net