Rifugio's Country Italian Cuisine

Wish I had read the negative reviews.

To preface, I've been a breakfast cook for 8 years and had spent 10+ years in the restaurant industry before making a career change.

I went here on a date for Sunday brunch, 4/2023, we entered and were very confused as to where to sit, seeing as there was no wait staff or seat yourself sign. We stood there for about 5 minutes before we decided to seat ourselves, seeing as the place was pretty empty. As we tried to sit down, the owner came over and asked us about a reservation, we said no reservation, just 2 walk-ins. He did not seem very pleased with this. When finally seated, we got a coffee and had to wait another 3 minutes cause it's a French press. Coffee was great, but I prefer refills if I'm being completely honest. I ordered the biscuits and gravy. The eggs were overcooked, and gravy was too thin. At one point, I even hear him say to the cook, "That gravy looks a bit thin." In my mind, I was like, "Great, glad you noticed after serving it because I was thinking the same thing." The focaccia was the only thing worthwhile about the dish, and I swear if I come to find out it wasn't made in house, I'll make this a 1 star review. Everything was under seasoned, and we were very unimpressed.

The owner, definitely a little pretentious. Overheard a conversation with a customer. When asked if they could have a Bloody Mary, the owner stopped, stared, and simply said no. Like, come on, it's a "brunch" I don't want a can of beer with my eggs. And when asked why there was only one cook, he replied,"It's hard to find good workers." I'm sorry to tell you but just from our experience I'm sure you are a nightmare to work with.

All in all, it was a total flop. About $70-80 for the two of us, and definitely not worth it. You'll find a much better breakfast in Bellingham, whether it's at the Fork at Agate Bay or Avenue Bread, or just stay home and cook.

Note to the owner: humble yourself a bit. And if you expect people to have a reservation post on your website "reservation only,"

My wife and I have eaten here a number of times and always enjoyed the food and atmosphere. I went through a long stretch of ordering the Capicola sandwich to-go every week. The sandwich was just marvelous; I really hope they bring it back sometime soon! Chef Richard is one of a kind.

-Capicola guy

To be honest the service and atmosphere was quite nice however the food was not to my expectation, it is not an authentic italian food and that threw me off a lot. I ordered the lasagna and it was horrendous, imagine egg and scallions in your lasagna. Honestly pizza hut is better and more worth it at its price since the place is soooo expensive.

I feel like I've been keeping this place a secret for too long. It's the kind of place you want to tell everyone about because the food and vibe are 5 star, but it's a small place so you don't want the world to descend on it and not be able to get a table! Selfish, I know.

We love to brunch here. My daughter always gets the breakfast carbonara and I love the Twin Sisters, poached eggs on potato cakes with Richard's riff on a hollandaise.

Their coffee is fantastic, so if you're driving by and don't have time to go in, you can order coffee and fresh donut holes at the window.

Stopped for a post-ski pasta and wine on Sunday. Was excellent. Wish we checked that dinner was only Friday-Saturday so we could order off the full menu. Will have to come back!

My husband and I are in the Glacier, WA area for a weekend getaway and found Rifugio's on Google. This italian restaurant is wonderful! The moment you enter this small charming place you feel welcome. The owner sat us and waited on us while we were there. He was able to explain the nights dinner menu and suggest some dishes. The chicken fettuccine alfredo and white sauce chicken Lasagna were heavenly! I would definitely eat here again if we are in the Deming area.

What an amazing food in the middle of nowhere. I drove pass by this place multiple times and this was the first time we stopped by for dinner after a hike. We dropped by without much expectation and were greeted by friendly staff, Richard and Maggy. We ended up order Ricardo's slaw, lasagna bolognese, eggplant parmesan, and tiramisu. All the dishes were simply delicious. Slaw was unique, but with a nice twist of toasted almond and yummy bacon. Tomato sauce had nice fragrant with fresh basil. Lasagna was cooked perfectly. Tiramisu was not too sweet while very fluffy. Maggy cooked with happiness even whistling while cooking. Richard was very friendly and told us stories about the local ingredients they use. We also ran into a couple from Bellingham. They were also very nice accompanies on a beautiful evening.

Was not a destination worth stopping at

Was told that the lasagna was sold out when we were ordering, so he recommended the spaghetti and meat balls. A lady sitting across from us asked about 10 minutes later and he said he could make it for her. Then offered to make it for another group inside. Not sure what that was about...

Spaghetti was under seasoned and lacking overall flavor; using preshreded Parmesan cheese wasn’t a good touch especially for the price. ($21 for non handmade pasta) The chicken Gorgonzola was good.

But overall dining experience was a little rough unfortunately.

Had a lovely dinner with my husband. The executive chef/owner actually took our order. He is a witty guy! The food was excellent, and the donut holes with cinnamon cardamom sugar for dessert were sublime! This tiny little restaurant "off the beaten path" is a treasure indeed! We look forward to going there again.

We discovered Rifugio's on our way to the North Cascades, and it looked interesting, so we decided to stop for dinner on the way back to our hotel room. When we arrived, we discovered that the restaurant was closed for a private function that was just breaking up. Richard, the owner, gave us a loaf of his homemade bread as a consolation, and he was so kind that we decided to extend our stay and return the next evening.

The restaurant is small and warm feeling inside. The long community tables are homemade from thick slabs of local timber. As a matter if fact, the entire place looks as if someone built it without professionals. We settled onto a table for four by the window.

Richard, the owner who you can watch prepare your food in the kitchen, brought out his version of a Caesar Salad, which was garlicky and delicious. My husband had spaghetti with a tasty red sauce, and I had fettuccini and mushrooms in a light cream sauce. Both dishes were delicious, as was our desserts.

The restaurant had a satisfactory wine list, and our waitress capably guided us through it.

Eating at Rifugio's was a treat--it is a unique setting, warn and friendly people, and delicious food.