Cugini Import Italian Market

Super great Italian food. One of my favorite places to eat. They even have GF options for their sandwiches, which is a bonus!
It can get super busy and slow during the lunch rush (so if you’re looking for quick and easy during the lunch hour, probably not the best place to go). It can seem a little unorganized at times and get pretty crowded in their small space. Luckily this time of year they have outdoor seating available.

We stopped in to this little market for a quick lunch of a shared charcuterie board and were not disappointed! The salami and cheese selection was spot on, the homemade tapenade & pesto delicious, but best of all — were the warm ambiance and friendly staff. We were impressed by the way the other diners (who where wrapping up lunch and leaving as we arrived) all gave happy compliments and even hugs to the staff. One of their homemade spicy salamis was comparable to a chili encrusted one at Salumi in Seattle! What a hidden, out of the way gem!

Had lunch at Cugini today. All I can say is excellent. Food was perfection and service was exemplary. Portobello ravioli, burata and antipasto board — all great.

Really a local gem that gets better and better. Great sandwiches as well as pasta options with tasty daily specials. Intimate friendly Italian grocery feel. Great place to buy cured meats and cheeses as well as a huge selection of frozen and dried pastas… Really nice people

The concierge at our hotel recommend this place and Mama Mia! – this place is indeed a hidden treasure! Authentic Italian food in a small but quaint venue. Amazing Italian meats, cheeses, pastas, and fabulous Spumoni ice cream! Do not miss this place if you are in Walla Walla and want to venture out of the downtown area!

Great food! So glad we ended up stopping here. Make sure to try their homemade salami, soo tasty!

Unilocal led us to this unassuming place located in what seemed to be a residential neighborhood. But the Unilocal reviews were good so we decided to give it a try. While the wait for food was long that was because it was being lovingly prepared by (for the next hour) my adopted Italian family (sister, mother, and Nonnina. They certainly made you feel at home and it felt as if this was being run out of a home.
The food was delicious, every bite like a taste of Italy. It even followed with a complementary helping of spumoni.
If I’m ever back in Walla Walla I’ll certainly make a point of visiting my adopted Italian family.

The godfather was great, new owners are friendly and helpful. Will be back real soon!

Excellent authentic Italian, great staff, food and ambiance… will definitely return!

Great food and great service. Very friendly staff and the food was fresh and tasted great. It’s worth the effort to find this wonderful restaurant.

The best Italian grocery and café in town! I love having their homemade pastas and meatballs. (You can even buy this stuff frozen to take home!!) They have an amazing selection of imported Italian cheeses and meats that I use for antipasti. My husband swears the homemade «from scratch» meatballs are thee best in the world! (And he’s had genuine meatballs from Italia!) Don’t forget your cannoli when you leave! And please get in and support this local family business!

We stop at Cugini’s every trip back to Walla Walla. Their house made salamis are perfectly on point. They even use local Walla Walla wines to make them! For those comparing Cugini’s to the east coast on price… That isn’t even relevant. Shipping costs are expensive and I personally know that the owner drives to Seattle to pick up large orders to keep the stock up. Not to mention. How many Italian import stores do you think they have in NYC? To many to count? They have a daily lunch item that changes everyday and is always from scratch. Highly recommended.

Got to admit I was a little disappointed. I am full blood italian and must remind myself I am in College Place/​Walla Walla, not SF or NYC. Strange location, I stopped there on my way to the Worm Ranch. They do have a mobile operation which does events like the Farmers Market. Glad to have something Italian like ricotta, prosciutto and ravioli.
OK, I got a meatball sandwich. It was 10 bucks and kinda small. Bread was not real fresh, and meatballs lacked sauce. Would I go back? Yes, to buy some deli meat and make my own sandwich.

Inconspicuous little place! Stopped with a friend, who bought some of their salami, and we stayed for lunch after smelling the amazing aroma if freshly baked bread. We split the sandwich called «the Italian,» and got it hot. (Who doesn’t love a hot Italian??). We were not disappointed! Loaded with salami and cappricola, roasted red bell pepper, and aged provolone, all piled high on their homemade bread. YUM.
Go for their salami and cheese selection, stay for the sandwiches!!!

Sad to say I’m a little dissapointed here.
Pros:
They have ricotta cheese in stock
They have a decent Italian meat selection
An Italian market in a small town near where I live
Decent cannolis
Decent variety of imported Italian goods
They have san marzano canned tomatoes
They have fresh prosciutto di parma
Cons:
They sell expired canned food for full price (which is already very over priced)-check the expiration dates before you leave! We made that mistake today
De cecco pastas for $ 4.99+…an amazing rip off, when I can find it for less than $ 3 back east and even on the west coast. I’ll pay $ 4 at a place like this to support them, but I’m not going to be taken advantage of
They don’t weigh their deli meats in front of you… I’ve never seen this before, it makes me a little skeptical after the prices I saw for everything there. Want to give them the benefit of the doubt though
Not very welcoming when we entered
Out of the good frozen entrees (I.e. gnocchi) when we went at 3pm on a Saturday.
No Italian bread! They just had frozen French bread.
In all, I really really wanted to like this place and I was telling myself to go in not expecting it to be like anything back east. But I just can’t see myself going back here anytime soon. Maybe next time I’ll try the frozen gnocchi (if they have it) and keep my expections low (er).

When I need inspiration for a tasty home cooked Italian meal, I come in here and browse. Their prepared pastas in their cooler are outstanding. My wife is a huge fan of their butternut squash ravioli.

This little Italian market is the perfect spot for an afternoon lunch. Their soups are the best in the Walla Walla valley. They also have a couple of freezers full of ravioli’s, canolis, and other wares you can take home and heat up yourself. The owners and chef are very friendly and always greet you with a smile and end your experience with a thank you. They have a good selection of meats and cheeses at the deli table. Also some higher end ingredients like imported olive oils and pine nuts. You can find them selling sandwiches in the summer months at the Walla Walla Saturday Market downtown. If you haven’t been to Cugini’s yet, you owe it to yourself to stop in.

A truly authentic Italian market/​deli?! In College Place of all, er, places?! Incredible! As are all the wares at this wonderful place. This is something I would expect in NYC. Or maybe SF. But BFE, Washington?! It would not feel out of place whatsoever in either of these those cities, it’s that good. Everything from wonderful authentic canned goods, cheeses, pastas, salumi, wines, canolis, etc., etc. Truly great stuff.
If you’re in the area for whatever reason (e.g., wine tasting?), make a point of stopping in here and perusing their products. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

yeah Cugini rocks! their ravioli are really good too! try the butternut squash ones.
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