Jenny Almukhtar and her husband, Ahmed Abdal Wahab al-Mukhtar, are preparing to open The Neighborhood restaurant in West Seattle's Morgan Junction, taking over the former Peel and Press location at 6503 California Ave SW.

It reflects their culinary backgrounds and community involvement.The planned grand opening is April 2nd, with a soft opening planned for March 28th or 29. The restaurant's email is theneighborhoodws@gmail.com.

Jenny and Ahmed were former partners at The Bridge restaurant a few years ago. Ahmed is the former chef at Talaricos in West Seattle Junction and is currently a multi-unit chef overseeing three Cactus Restaurant and Tavern Hall locations. He will serve as the culinary consultant for The Neighborhood when he is not at his other job. Jenny has served as General Manager for Mama Stortini’s and Moctezuma in Tukwila, and also used to work for Cactus and Tavern Hall. 

The dream is to take the concept of a popular local restaurant, truly reflective of the community and translate it to other neighborhoods over time.

The Neighborhood aims to be a "community-driven, welcoming, inclusive, and vibrant dining destination". The restaurant will offer great-tasting food and beverages, exceptional service, and genuine hospitality. The couple explained that the concept is to be a local favorite by prioritizing quality, consistency, and connection. Initially, the menu will feature pizza, pasta, and Italian classics, but will eventually branch out to include American and global fare.

The restaurant will also offer a curated selection of spirits, beer, wine, and mocktails. It is not intended to be strictly Italian. Ahmed expects the American fare to be the first direction they expand to, including dishes such as meatloaf and fried chicken. The restaurant wants to be known for "a neighborhood style" of pizza. The menu is still under development, but will include a build-your-own option and five or six core classics. A pizza will almost certainly be named the D.A in honor of former owner and fellow restaurateur Dan Austin.

Even though he's a deeply experienced chef Ahmed said he keeps his eye on the success, product and techniques of other restaurants via Youtube saying "you can learn from everyone" and noting a particular spot in New York with a line around the block. "I'd love to have that kind of success," he said.

The plan is to use local beers (Manny's from Georgetown Brewing is a lock) and wines and local distilleries as much as possible. "We will most likely have an Italian Margarita, a Negroni and other signature cocktails on the menu," said Jenny.

They will offer housemade Limoncello, cross utilizing that into a limoncello Tiramisu, Limoncello Martini and incorporating it into an Old Fashioned cocktail as well. 

The Neighborhood's planned hours are Wednesday through Sunday, from 3:00 PM to 9:00 PM, with potentially later closing hours on Friday and Saturday. They plan to eventually offer brunch on weekends and host pop-up restaurant concepts on Mondays and Tuesdays. The space will also be available for private event bookings.

Unique to the Morgan Junction they will be a full service restaurant where all ages are welcome.

Giving back to the community is an important value for The Neighborhood's owners. They plan to do a soft opening night where food is free for friends and family, and the money from drinks will be donated to a local cause. They want to continue Austin's stewardship of the community with the West Seattle food bank. Sponsoring sports teams is a possibility too. They are even considering a pay-it-forward board. Jenny: "This has been my passion my whole life. Going to restaurants was really magical, It was romantic.

Jenny said "We're all very community driven...you shouldn't be in a community making money if you don't give back to your community.  That's exactly who we are as people. Everybody deserves a slice".

Jenny explained "You have to love what you do and you have to be passionate about it... you have the honor to be a part of people's memories...they choose to have their special occasions with us." 

Their website will be active soon but you can sign up for updates there in the meantime here https://theneighborhoodws.com/