The Italian Restaurant in Tiny Soap Lake, Washington That is Hard to Believe

Everyone has a favorite Italian restaurant, and you are likely to find the best in larger cities.  You are not expecting a small town with a population under 1,800 to boast one of the best in the state.

Trust me when I tell you about the restaurant serving Italian specialties and neapolitan style wood-fired pizzas that is located in the little city of Soap Lake, WA.  It's one of the smaller cities in Central Washington but the drive from Wenatchee, Moses Lake and Yakima is well worth it.

The first time I read about this place  I thought, wow, it sounds wonderful but why is it in Soap Lake, of all places?  Soap Lake is actually well known to international travelers who flock to the high-mineral content waters for their therapeutic properties, but not exactly among culinary circles.

Was I ever delighted to dine at La Cucina di Sophia several times now.

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It's easy to miss the turn onto the main downtown side street location off of Highway 17.  The downtown features a delightful, upgraded streetscape design with an inviting atmosphere.

La Cucina di Sophia is self-described as an Italian-Brazilian fusion kitchen with pizza and other dishes made in a wood fired oven.  The space is bright and airy with a sleek, contemporary design and an open kitchen right off the seating area.  You definitely get an Italian vibe from all of the displays of the authentic imported ingredients they use in the dishes.

The first time I dined at La Cucina di Sophia, my wife and I ordered traditional Italian fare.  She had a spinach ravioli with pomodoro sauce and I had Fettuccini Alfredo with chicken..

It was the best I have ever tasted and my wife was equally pleased with her selection.  We could tell the bread served with our entrees had just been pulled from the wood-fired oven and one bite was an instant invitation to come back and try the pizza.  The key to their amazing pasta dishes i learned is the imported wheat flour.  I'm married to the daughter of a wheat rancher and I know Washington wheat growers produce top notch wheat, but you will definitely taste the difference with the Italian pasta flour.

We noticed several diners around us were there for just for the neapolitan wood-fired pizzas.

We decided to make the hour drive to Soap Lake from Wenatchee again and try the pizza.  Since their social media said reservations were required, we made them even though it seemed odd requesting a 4:15pm slot, even for a Saturday.

By the time we were seated, the place was almost full by 4:30pm!  We were surprised this Italian restaurant in little Soap Lake, WA would be nearly packed before 5pm on Saturday night in early February?

Now I didn't feel so awkward about making such early reservations.

The pizza we selected was heavenly but more than we could finish since the ceasar salads with chicken breast were so large, they comprised a meal in themselves.  Our server warned us and we should have listened.  Instead, we had some leftover slices to take home.

There is wonderful italian cuisine served at a number of restaurants throughout North Central Washington.  If you are like me, you probably lock in on a favorite and tend to remain a loyal patron.  But La Cucina di Sophia in Soap Lake is definitely worth the drive of an hour or more to discover.  You just may end up with a new favorite.

Now I am looking forward to returning to try one of the restaurant's steak or pork entrees prepared in that wood-fired oven.

Buon apetito!

 If you go

La Cucina di Sophia                                                                                                      218 Main Ave. East.                                                                                                    Soap Lake, WA