Rifugio's Country Italian Cuisine

We had a small wedding in July with food from Rifugio’s. The owners were incredibly friendly and easy to work with -they walked us through the different options available for takeout and helped determine an appropriate amount for our group. We had the lasagna, meatballs and Caesar salad. Everything was absolutely delicious and we had plenty of food! (Just enough left over for lunch for a few people.) We couldn’t have asked for a better food experience at our wedding 😊.

Fantastic find. This place feels like eating at a family friend’s home, if your family friend made the best pasta ever and had a really nice cabin. Richard was super friendly, went through the whole menu with us and was super pleasant chatting with us about where we’re from and his personal travels. Made a great french press to boot. We enjoyed a delicious carbonara and a lasagna dish unlike any I’ve ever had (in a good way!), made with lobster mushroom bolognese and sunny eggs. We didn’t get his colleague’s name but the cook was super pleasant too, could really tell the pair cared about their food a lot and made it with great care and pride. They even whipped up an off menu soup for us because we wanted to eat more but were too full for another full dish! If you’re going by here, do yourself a favour and treat yourself to a lovely experience here! We’ll be back :)

Okay- here are a few things to know before getting offended when you randomly show up at this small business owner’s do-it-all himself restaurant with his adorable little family:
Reservations are best. Why? Because this solo entrepreneur cooking genius collects only the BEST and most fresh local ingredients to make his food and only gets enough to sustain the minimal menu he has and when he runs out…it’s gone for the day!
My husband and I have been coming back here for years. Hands down some of the highest quality Italian food (or flavorful food for that matter) in Washington state that we have had in our time here.
The service is from scratch, much like the incredible food, and people who have not experienced this place are usually shocked when they sit down and aren’t met with city boy servers- it’s his wife and kids running the show. Get used to it, cause you’re in his warm home full of easygoing dining, less fuss and more delicious food than you know what to do with. Don’t expect for this to be the fast-paced, eat and get out mentality. This one is more than worth enjoying for a longer stay and perhaps an Americano.

The servers were cold and rude, it felt like they were annoyed with me being there. 28$ for gummy undercooked pasta and 12$ for a tiny soupy Caesar salad , it was so disappointing. I would not recommend stopping here unless you have no other options. Drastically overpriced and bad service..

If you don't live in the Deming/Maple Falls/Van Zandt area, you may not know about this little gem of a restaurant. Located on Mt. Baker Hwy just beyond the Hwy 9 traffic circle, it is definitely worth the drive if you are 'in town.' Pro tip: make a reservation online--it is an intimate destination (though the covered/heated patio provides some breathing room), and only open on the weekends.
The menu is limited to a few delicious interpretations of Italian classic dishes, and the wine menu features a fine selection of Washington wines; we look forward to working our way through BOTH menus!

It was a lovely experience! The restaurant is beautiful and the food was amazing! We are excited to go again.

I drove by this restaurant for years, and my fiancé and I decided to give it a go.

Needless to say, we were very disappointed. All the reviews looked excellent! Nothing to fear ot regret right?! Not exactly...

When we arrived there was no clear area to go. Just indoor and outdoor seating..soo we went inside to an empty dining area. We were asked if we had a reservation. We didn't so were instructed to sit outdoors...no biggie. However, no one else even showed up.

The service was subpar at the absolute best. Our waitress Heidi was unpleasant, and borderline rude. She wasn't attentive and checked on us once throughout our meal. She messed up the check by not adding our drinks.

The food wasn't anything impressive. For an Italian restaurant located in a rural area you'd think there food would have to be good.....yeah not. Olive Garden, the McDonald's of Italian food was more impressive than the cuisine offered here.

If you think about ordering the Lobster soup, do yourself a favor and just don't. Tasted like low tide in a bowl. No real flavor just fishy and disgusting.

I will day the shrimp Alfredo wad decent, but the shrimp weren't pealed, and added to an already bad experience.

I drove past this restaurant for 2.5 years of living in this area. Needless to say I'll keep driving by it. The overall experience wasn't that great, and the food was subpar. Do yourself a favor and skip this place as your next stop. Even though town is a bit of a drive it's well worth it for better food that isn't overpriced.

Hell, if you want better Italian food. Drive 10 minutes up the road to NorthFork Brewery and get yourself a cold beer and some pizza. Still way better than this place.

Such a great place to dine. I've been going here for almost decade now. I took my sister and our family budz it was a super happy brunch, gormet hand made spicy tasty food, man amazing. thank you Il Radugios for taking care of us.

Great place! Food is excellent and the staff is welcoming and kind. I came here for brunch and the eggs and bacon were tasty and filling. The head chef made sure we were enjoying the meal. Would recommend to any person passing by.

Such an amazing little spot on the way to Maple Falls. We went for Sunday brunch (showed up about an hour before close) and was able to chat with the owner for a bit. Food was fantastic, service was great and even learned a bit about all of the art in and around the restaurant. Look forward to going back for their weekend dinner menu.