Restaurant in Tolosa, Spain
Weekly-changing tasting menu, book well ahead.
Ama Taberna is a Michelin-starred Basque tasting menu restaurant in Tolosa, open only four days a week and ranked in Opinionated About Dining's top European restaurants. The weekly-changing menu is built entirely from local, seasonal Gipuzkoa produce. Book several weeks ahead, especially for Friday dinner or Saturday lunch — availability moves fast given the limited schedule and the recognition.
Getting a table at Ama Taberna takes planning. This is a Michelin-starred restaurant in a small Basque town, open only four days a week, with a tasting menu that changes weekly based on what local suppliers can provide. The short answer: yes, book it, and book it early. If you are visiting the Basque Country and want a Michelin-level tasting menu that feels grounded in its region rather than performative, Ama Taberna is the right call. It ranked #429 in Opinionated About Dining's Leading Restaurants in Europe in 2024, rising to #463 in 2025 against a larger field, and holds a Google rating of 4.7 from over 638 reviews. The credentials are real.
The dining room is spacious and comfortable without pretension. The glass-fronted kitchen is the visual anchor of the space: you can watch the kitchen in operation, which signals transparency over theatre. This is not a venue dressed up to intimidate. First-timers will find the atmosphere accessible, the format clear, and the cooking focused.
The tasting menu is the only format worth considering here. Chefs Gorka and Javier build each menu around a small number of ingredients, letting individual flavours carry the meal rather than layering complexity for its own sake. The menu shifts week by week in line with ingredient availability from Tolosa and the surrounding Gipuzkoa region, so what you eat in October will differ meaningfully from what you eat in March. If you are visiting during game season, the menu may feature Sagardoz venison, sourced locally. The tasting menu can be extended with two additional dishes if you want more range.
Kitchen's stated philosophy is that what is local protects the flavour. In practice, this means the menu is seasonal by necessity, not by marketing. Trusted local suppliers determine the direction of each week's menu, which gives Ama a seasonal specificity that many tasting menus only gesture at.
Ama Taberna is closed Monday and Tuesday. Lunch service runs Thursday through Sunday from 1:30 PM, with Friday also offering an evening sitting from 8:30 PM to midnight. If dinner service matters to you, Friday is the only option. Saturday and Sunday lunch run until 6 PM, Thursday and Sunday until 5:30 PM. For a first visit, Friday dinner gives the most flexibility, but Saturday lunch is the easier booking to hold if your plans need room to shift.
Price range data is not available in our records. Given the Michelin star and tasting menu format, expect pricing consistent with starred Basque restaurants in the region. Tolosa is a smaller town than San Sebastián, and that tends to keep costs more grounded than the destination-restaurant circuit, though we cannot confirm specific figures.
The address is Martin Jose Iraola Hiribidea, 4, 20400 San Blas, Gipuzkoa. No booking phone or website is confirmed in our records; check current reservation availability through third-party reservation platforms or direct inquiry. Booking difficulty is rated hard, which reflects both the limited opening days and the Michelin recognition driving demand.
Quick reference: Michelin 1 Star (2024) | OAD Leading Restaurants Europe #429 (2024) | Open Thu–Sun lunch, Fri dinner only | Tasting menu format | Book as far ahead as possible.
See the comparison section below for how Ama Taberna sits against other Basque and Spanish tasting menu destinations.
If you are planning time in Tolosa, Casa Julian De Tolosa and Casa Nicolás offer the town's classic asador experience, which is a very different meal: focused on grilled meat rather than a structured tasting format, and easier to book. Both are worth knowing as alternatives if Ama is full. See our full Tolosa restaurants guide for further options, and our guides to Tolosa hotels, bars, wineries, and experiences if you are building a longer itinerary in the area.
Expect a tasting menu that changes every week based on seasonal, locally sourced ingredients from Tolosa and Gipuzkoa. The room is comfortable and unpretentious despite the Michelin recognition. You can extend the standard tasting menu with two additional courses. The glass-fronted kitchen makes the cooking visible from the dining room. Come with flexibility about what you will eat, since the menu is determined by the week's produce rather than a fixed list. For context on the broader Basque fine-dining circuit, Arzak in San Sebastián and Mugaritz in Errenteria offer comparative reference points at higher price and complexity.
Book as early as possible, ideally several weeks out. Ama Taberna holds a Michelin star and appears on OAD's European leading restaurant rankings. It is open only four days a week, which compresses availability significantly. Friday dinner and Saturday lunch are the most sought-after sittings. Waiting until a week before your visit is a risk in any season. No direct booking phone or website is confirmed in our current records, so check third-party reservation platforms for current availability.
If your schedule allows, Friday dinner is the only evening sitting available and offers a different pace than the lunch service. That said, lunch at Ama is a legitimate and full experience, not a shortened version of the dinner menu. Saturday lunch runs until 6 PM, which gives a long, unhurried window. For a first visit, lunch is easier logistically; dinner is the call if evening atmosphere matters to you or if Friday works better for your travel dates.
Yes, with appropriate expectations. The room is comfortable and the tasting menu format creates a natural arc for a celebratory meal. The Michelin star and OAD ranking give the occasion genuine culinary weight. It is not a formal or theatrical venue, which is an advantage if you prefer substance over spectacle. For a more production-heavy special occasion experience, Azurmendi in Larrabetzu or Martin Berasategui in Lasarte-Oria offer more elaborate staging. Ama suits occasions where the food and the table matter more than the ceremony around them.
The tasting menu format works for solo diners; there is no structural reason to avoid it alone. The glass-fronted kitchen gives solo diners something to watch, and the unpretentious atmosphere means you will not feel conspicuous. That said, we cannot confirm from our data whether counter seating is available, which is often the leading solo option at tasting menu restaurants. Contact the venue directly to ask about solo-friendly seating before booking.
We do not have confirmed information on dietary accommodation policies at Ama Taberna. The tasting menu changes weekly and is built around seasonal local ingredients, which may limit flexibility for strict dietary requirements. Standard practice at Michelin-starred tasting menu restaurants in Spain is to ask at the time of booking. Contact the venue directly to confirm what can be accommodated before you reserve.
Within Tolosa, Casa Julian De Tolosa is the main alternative for a serious meal, focused on grilled meat rather than a tasting menu format. Casa Nicolás offers a similar asador approach. If you want to stay in the Basque Country but go further with the tasting menu format, Arzak in San Sebastián and iBAi by Paulo Airaudo in San Sebastián are strong options, and Aitor Rauleaga in Bilbao is worth considering if you are heading west. See our full Tolosa restaurants guide for the complete picture.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ama Taberna | Basque | With its mantra of “what is local protects us”, this spacious, comfortable yet unpretentious restaurant with a glass-fronted kitchen focuses on contemporary cooking which works with just a few ingredients to bring out the essence of every individual flavour. The team here views gastronomy as an opportunity to adapt traditional home-style cooking to a modern audience without the need to over-complicate, so that we enjoy good food through the use of the best seasonal ingredients sourced from trusted local suppliers. Chefs Gorka and Javier showcase their skills on a tasting menu (which can be extended by adding two extra dishes) that changes week by week in line with the availability of local ingredients from Tolosa and its region. During the game season, guests can enjoy unique meats such as Sagardoz venison. Don’t leave without trying Ama’s exquisite cheesecake!; Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Europe Ranked #463 (2025); With its mantra of “what is local protects us”, this spacious, comfortable yet unpretentious restaurant with a glass-fronted kitchen focuses on contemporary cooking which works with just a few ingredients to bring out the essence of every individual flavour. The team here views gastronomy as an opportunity to adapt traditional home-style cooking to a modern audience without the need to over-complicate, so that we enjoy good food through the use of the best seasonal ingredients sourced from trusted local suppliers. Chefs Gorka and Javier showcase their skills on a tasting menu (which can be extended by adding two extra dishes) that changes week by week in line with the availability of local ingredients from Tolosa and its region. During the game season, guests can enjoy unique meats such as Sagardoz venison. Don’t leave without trying Ama’s exquisite cheesecake!; Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Europe Ranked #429 (2024); Michelin 1 Star (2024) | Hard | — |
| Aponiente | Progressive - Seafood, Creative | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Arzak | Modern Basque, Creative | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Azurmendi | Progressive, Creative | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Cocina Hermanos Torres | Creative | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| DiverXO | Progressive - Asian, Creative | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Ama Taberna and alternatives.
Solo diners can work well here given the glass-fronted kitchen gives you something to watch throughout the meal. The tasting menu format suits solo visits since there is no shared-plate coordination required. That said, the venue is in Tolosa, a small Basque town, so factor in travel logistics if you are coming specifically for a solo meal. Book ahead regardless of party size — the restaurant is only open four days a week.
The format is a tasting menu that changes week by week based on local ingredient availability — you will not be ordering à la carte. The menu can be extended with two additional dishes if you want the longer experience. Ama holds a Michelin star and was ranked #429 in Europe by Opinionated About Dining in 2024, rising to #463 in 2025. Closed Monday and Tuesday, so plan your visit around a Thursday-to-Sunday window.
The venue's philosophy centres on a tight seasonal roster of local ingredients, which means the kitchen works with a short, deliberate list of produce rather than a broad pantry. That approach can make accommodating strict dietary restrictions more complicated than at a larger kitchen. check the venue's official channels before booking to confirm what adjustments are possible — the address is Martin Jose Iraola Hiribidea, 4, Tolosa, and reaching out in advance is advisable for any significant dietary need.
Lunch runs Thursday through Sunday from 1:30 PM, while dinner is available only on Friday from 8:30 PM. If you want the most scheduling flexibility, lunch gives you four days to choose from rather than one. The tasting menu format is the same across sittings, so the meal itself does not differ — the choice is really about your travel day and how late you want to finish. Friday dinner is the only evening option if you prefer a night-out setting.
Yes, with caveats. A Michelin-starred tasting menu in a glass-kitchen dining room is a credible special-occasion setting, and the weekly-changing format means the meal will feel current rather than static. The room is described as spacious and comfortable without pretension, so do not expect formal white-tablecloth theatrics. If your group wants maximally celebratory atmosphere or a big wine list, verify those details before booking.
Within Tolosa, Casa Julian De Tolosa and Casa Nicolás offer the town's classic asador format — grilled meat and traditional Basque cooking, which is a very different meal from Ama's contemporary tasting menu. If you want a comparable tasting-menu experience in the Basque Country, Arzak and Azurmendi are the obvious reference points, both holding higher Michelin recognition but at a significant step up in price and booking difficulty. Ama is the right call if you want Michelin-starred cooking at smaller-town scale.
Book at least three to four weeks ahead, and further out if you have a fixed travel date. Ama Taberna is a Michelin-starred restaurant open only four days a week in a small town, which means limited covers and a loyal local following. There is no published online booking link in available records, so reaching out directly to the restaurant at Martin Jose Iraola Hiribidea, 4, Tolosa is the route. Do not plan a trip to Tolosa around this restaurant without a confirmed reservation.
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