OPENING SOON - IDEALLY LATE JULY OR EARLY AUGUST 2025

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-styled 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 sharable small plates and a wonderful wine list. And hopefully doing what is very hard to do anymore in Seattle—being affordable.

Come check us out! Have some awesome food, some awesome wine and bring in a copy of Occhi Belli, the novel to read.

Sincerely,

Tim McDonald