Tolmay - Full Menu

After walking the Camino last month I decided to write a review of the restaurant with the best peregrino set menu meal I experienced throughout Spain. This is... read more After walking the Camino last month I decided to write a review of the restaurant with the best peregrino set menu meal I experienced throughout Spain. This is it. Now, you should not expect anything out of this world the whole meal costs only 9 Euros including three courses, bread and wine, so we're on a budget, okay? But these guys over delivered at that price point quite impressively. For a start there was nothing mass produced here. The meals we had were fresh, hot, perfectly cooked, imaginative and attractively presented. The wine was surprisingly good but then, we're in Rioja. The service was friendly, courteous and attentive, a real change from so many places along the Camino where the staff are little short of contemptuous toward pilgrims. If you're looking for high end fine dining, this is not for you. But if you're a peregrino searching for a decent meal at the right price, this place is a must.

There are not many reviews on trip advisor about this place. And to be honest, I 'm not sure where the other reviews are coming from. With all due respect to th... read more There are not many reviews on trip advisor about this place. And to be honest, I 'm not sure where the other reviews are coming from. With all due respect to them, this is the WORST Spanish meal I 've ever had!!! The town has little to offer if you 're looking for a good traditional Spanish meal. There are a couple of proper restaurants, but they look nothing special and are very costly. If all you eat is tapas, you 're in luck. Because virtually EVERY place you come across is tapas only. You 're probably thinking right now that as an English man, and I 'm moaning because there is no Mc Donald 's or deep fried chicken outlets. You 'd be very very wrong. My father and I like nothing more than the fresh, delicious Spanish food, especially sea food and we had some fantastic experiences of this during our tour of Spain. Back to the tapas, we both love that too. But this evening we wanted some good fresh sea food. On entering the 'bar ' we were met by a stroppy young Spanish woman that didn 't even bother to acknowledge the fact my father spoke Spanish to her. We sat down, a paper table cloth was literally thrown on our table without a smile and she walked off. Okay, so we ignore it, and look at the menu. Looks fine and we both order mushroom risotto and Chipirones en su tinta (Stuffed Baby Squid in its own ink). Sounds delicious eh? Well, the 'risotto ' arrived and can only be described as rice pudding with minute pieces of mushroom. It was basically, rice with cream and minute slices of mushroom and tasted of NOTHING. On to the main, looks ok, but tasting revealed a different story. It was tinned squid with un seasoned rice, completely bland and nasty. We ate a couple of mouthfuls each and left it. The waitress asked if we would like dessert. To which we politely declined, asked for the bill, paid (begrudgingly) and left. If you are looking for good quality Spanish food, don 't even consider this place, they should be ashamed to serve such ****.