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Many Wallyhood readers have asked what happened to the beloved Chile Pepper Mexican Restaurant, which closed late last year, and are wondering what has taken its place. Well, I am pleased to report that Occhi Belli opened on August 16th at 1427 N 45th Street, Building 1, site of the former Chile Pepper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Occhi Belli is going to be a neighborhood small plate wine bar and wine store that is going to have awesome small plates with loads of variety that are sourced from only the best ingredients and farms that adhere to strict principles of humane animal husbandry,” owner Tim McDonald told What Now Seattle. The planned hours of operation are from 3 to 9 pm, Tuesday through Sunday. Although reservations are not required, they are recommended for groups of four or more.

I have met the new owner a couple of times, and he is truly excited to be part of the Wallingford community. He made his introduction to the neighborhood during the Wallingford Parade by setting up a table out in front of the building as the parade went by.

The interior of the space is tastefully done, with authentic Italian pictures on the walls to enhance the customer experience.

According to Tim:

All local and/or imported from Italy, Occhi Belli will be an Italian small plate eatery with the audacity to do whatever else we want in terms of cuisine. I hope to create an ambiance that is comfortable and eclectic with a blend of Italian flair and things geared to writers/authors.

I was co-owner of Brunello Ristorante in Roosevelt from 2017 to 2023, but Occhi Belli will be the first venture that I’ll be doing on my own. I want to bring something beautiful, fun, and comfortable to Wallingford. I want to create a place that people want to visit two or three times a week. Affordable and delicious. Come sit at the bar, have a glass of wine and some small plates, and come jabber it up with Tim. I love stories: I want to hear yours and I’ll tell you mine.

Occhi Belli first began simply as an idea when I was living in Florence, Italy, doing a wine studies program through the Florence University of the Arts. That was 2014/15. When I returned to the US, I wanted to open up my own enoteca-style restaurant that catered to writers who wanted to come in and write their future books whilst drinking wine and eating various appetizers. It dawned on me that writers writing books would and could spend hours and hours sitting and perhaps sipping on one glass of wine (not feasible), so I initially abandoned the idea as a forlorn pipe dream.

With two partners, I instead opened up Brunello Ristorante, and was there for six years until the fall of 2023. After leaving Brunello, I decided to try my hand at what I went to university for so many years ago: creative writing. I wrote a novel, titled Occhi Belli, and was incredibly happy to find out that it was accepted at a small publisher called The Wild Rose Press. Occhi Belli, the novel, was going to soon be published!

Then, a perfect space opened up in the beautiful and wonderful neighborhood of Wallingford, and I decided to open my dream restaurant, Occhi Belli—not exactly for writers to sit around and write for hours with one glass of wine, but rather a beautiful treat of an experience with shareable small plates and a wonderful wine list. And hopefully doing what is very hard to do anymore in Seattle—being affordable.

My wife and I attended the opening on Saturday, August 16th, to try some of the small plates on the menu. Immediately upon entering, Tim approached us in a very welcoming manner, as he did with all of the patrons while we were there. We ordered salad, calamari, and meatballs from the small plates menu, which we supplemented with a salmon plate special, all reasonably priced. We ended our meal with chocolate mousse. In my opinion, all of the food was well prepared and delicious, and we left quite satisfied. For sure, we will be going back.