Word On The Street Is That This Small-Town Joint Serves The Best Pizza In Washington
By Andrea Verschuyl|Published June 21, 2024
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Andrea Verschuyl
Author
Having grown up in Washington, Andrea is a self-admitted Pacific Northwest snob. In their opinion, there's simply nowhere else in the country with the Evergreen State's beauty. After attending university, Andrea devoted themselves to writing full-time. They're thrilled to represent Washington for Only In Your State while pursuing other professional and personal projects. They currently reside in Olympia, where they enjoy leaf-blowing their yard, perfecting homemade ramen, cuddling with their three tiny dogs, and feeding their pufferfish, Sea Biscuit.
Did you know that pizza is America’s most popular meal? A 2023 poll found that a whopping 21 percent of adults say the Italian culinary export is their favorite food. Finding the perfect slice is the white whale of many gourmands. While there’s no shortage of formidable competitors vying for the state’s top pizza spot, you might be surprised to learn that— according to many— you’ll find the best pizza in Washington in the tiny former coal town of Wilkeson. Learn about how The Carlson Block became the dark horse of the Evergreen State’s race to pizza excellence!
Boasting a scant population of just under 500, you're not wrong for thinking Wilkeson is an unlikely seat of pizza par excellence. Still, the tiny community has a rich history. Settled by miners in the late 1800s, it went bust following a series of fires. In fact, Wilkeson was a certified ghost town for many years before Washingtonians began returning to the area in the 1990s.
You'll find Carlson Block in one of Wilkeson's historic buildings, a boxy brick structure that has witnessed some of the community's most fascinating stories. Outfitting and mining towns attracted boisterous characters whose lives became local lore. Down the main street, a brothel thrived. Carlson Block itself housed an illicit bar during the Prohibition.
Follow your nose inside, where Carlson Block continues its conversation with the building's rich past. Dotted throughout the restaurant are pictures of Wilkeson pulled straight from its mine-town heyday. The tall ceilings give the interior an airy feeling despite its snug size.
But the pizza, not the ambiance, is what diners return for. Carlson is owned by Ian and Ashley Galbraith, a husband-wife team who've transformed this humble space into the spot of pizza pilgrimage it is today.
Besides the couple's painstaking efforts to source high-quality ingredients for their pies, the pizza benefits from the ancient practice of wild yeast-leavened dough. Though sourdough baking exploded during lockdown, Ian— who mans the pizza oven— began experimenting with natural fermentation far earlier.
By fine-tuning his "mother" starter culture, Chef Ian slowly cultivated a unique, complex flavor that's the perfect canvas for pizza. His innovation has been a knockout success, earning The Carlson Block glowing writeups, including by Seattle Times food writer Jackie Varriano, who called Ian's pizza the best in all of Washington.
But if you find yourself too full after your dinner, don't stress. There's no such thing as a one-time diner at Carlson Block. You'll be back before you know it.
