Pilu at Freshwater in Sydney

. Thank you Lucas for providing us with an amazing experience at Pilu yesterday. Your service was very professional and youve provided us with great recommendations on what to eat. 5/5.. Very nice venue for lunch, with a beautiful view facing Freshwater beach. I strongly suggest asking for a table at the veranda area to appreciate the stunning view. 5/5.. As for the food, in my opinion the oysters, Polpo (octopus dish), Granchio and the Lamb (with the potatoes on the sidewere the highlights. The desserts were okay; didnt blow my mind. 4/5 because the desserts were average.. As for cocktails and wine, I recommend you ask the sommelier for wine recommendations to go with your dishes. Weve tried really nice wines from the Sardinian region and of course, Aperol Spritz (very refreshing for summer time!)Will definitely be back and more than likely will recommend this place.

The food was disappointing. We had the Sardinian experience (degustationand we were really disappointed by the 2 pasta dishes, one was too salty and the other was raw and left bad tastes in our mouth. The rest of the other 4 dishes were good but nothing outstanding compared to other fine dining places we have been to like Ormegio in the Spit. We were expecting great food from all the great reviews but it didnt meet the mark. The location is beautiful. Service could have been better, one of the waiter was a bit flustered when we said we didnt enjoy the food and his tone was defensive/borderline rude but the other more experienced waiter came and was much more polite and accommodating and gave us a small discount on our bill. Overall not impressed and maybe the food was just too bland for our palette.

Pilu has magnificent views over Freshwater Beach. The location, decor and grounds are fabulous and provide a relaxed atmosphere The food is absolutely delicious, however portion size leaves you wanting more. The wine list is impressive, showcasing some fabulous Italian and Australian wines with impressive prices to match. The service, from the moment you arrive, is impeccable, friendly and attentive.

We dined at Pilu with The Sardinian Experience taster menu which involved six courses. All courses were delicious, wonderful flavour combinations, and the waiting service was very attentive, despite the restaurant being almost full.Try to request a table on the covered terrace overlooking Freshwater Beach.You can pay extra for the selected wine accompiment with the courses, but it was a bit too much for us, so we took advice on which Sardinian white wine to order.A truly memorable dining experience, and although at the pricey end, it was well worth the expense.

Absolutely phenomenal! The food, the ambiance and the service were incredible! We chose the Sardinian experience and everything that was placed on the table was absolute perfection.

We had the pictured 5 courses plus Sardinian bread. Each was the size of about one mouthful. Excellent service and atmosphere. The tuna carlofortina (sashimiwas our favourite dish

Every single mouthful of the Taste of Sardinia degustation was a delight! The matching wines also amazing. The service is best anywhere. For a special occasion wouldn’t consider anywhere else!

Lovely location. Beautiful views. Great food and service.Function room ideal and well executed.

What an experience! Just phenomenal. The degustation was divine.

Fantastic location, great wine selection and a beautiful menu.

Real tasty delicious food from Sardinia, the most beautiful land in the world! And moreover, all the people at the restaurant make you feel at home. It is not so easy to find such a availability, kindness and “savoir faire”. Can’t wait to be a part of that family once again!!

Amazing food and view. Well worth the money.

Tried for 2 years to redeem Red Balloon vouchers at Pilu but were thwarted on 3 previous occasions due to Covid and its annoying disruptive and destructive tendencies. Fourth attempt and we were not really expecting much as wed been disappointed in returning to other favourite places due to menu and chef changes etc. What a welcome change to actually enjoy a meal from start to finish. We opted for the 7 course tasting menu and were blown away by every course. This food is cooked with love and presented with pride. Giovanni Pilu serves many of the courses himself and explains the origin of the specialty Sicilian dishes, making you want to go to explore Sicily itself. The food was delicious and beautifully presented. The staff are attentive, welcoming and very-well informed on each course. The wines and cocktails are lip-smacking and to top off a wonderful dining experience, the view of Freshwater beach is the icing on the cake.

Beautiful restaurant. Friendly professional service. Great wine list. Amazing food and stunning views.Interior a tad tired, but Ill let that go cause everything else was prefect.

This is hands down one of the nicest restaurants in the area, if not in Sydney. The price point is quite high but I feel the quality, venue and experience live up to it.Highly recommended and will take family there when they visit Sydney for sure.

Very nice restaurant with a great view overlooking the beach. The staff were all very friendly and attentive making the experience more enjoyable. The food was also very nice and well presented, however at such a high price point I found it a little underwhelming.

You will not make a mistake coming here. The food is great, the service is good. The only problem may be in getting seats but you should probably make a reservation before coming. Cod is presented very well, along with their coffees and desserts. Highly recommend.

It’s a pretty little place sitting right on top of the beach—the service was good, but the food was excessively salty. We had the degustation menu and it felt like every dish was just way too salty. They sprinkled more salt on top of the already salted meat and seafood… and the taste of salt just overwhelmed. No one asked us if the food was ok at any point in time, and we didn’t think to complain about each dish, not expecting that the next one would be even saltier. We were very thirsty after. Wouldn’t return for this reason alone.

Fantastic food, wines, views (of Freshwater Beachand exceptional service. This is very much also reflected in the price. We had the degustation with matching wines. My faves were the lobster fregula and slow cooked pork. However, as portions were not huge (or we were exceptionally hungry that afternoon!), we decided to order another portion of the very memorable fregula. Its definitely a restaurant for a special occasion unless you have a lot of $$$ growing on trees!

Beautiful spot just off the beach at Freshwater. Sardinian style of cooking with an amazing wine list to match. A must try! Thank you for making our family lunch so special :)

It’s pricey - to give you an idea, share entrees at around $35 and single serve mains from $40 for fish and vegetarian dishes and $75-$90 for meat dishes, wine is from $70 per bottle.The service is extremely attentive to the point of being almost comforting and the sommelier is available to assist with choices from an extensive wine range.The food is beautifully presented and has mild, delicate and interesting flavours. If there were a fault the sauce with my red fish was a little too bland although it looked beautiful with cream with what looked like pesto olive oil swirled through it.I especially enjoyed the buffalo mozzarella with its smokey flavour.Perhaps I am missing the salt and pepper, which now seem to have become permanent victims of Covid. The food was well seasoned, generally, however.The restaurants has beautiful views of the beach although not all tables are close to the view - you would have to ask when booking.The chairs were thinly padded so I was uncomfortable by the end of the meal although probably that’s just me and age.

Revisited the place after a year for lunch, service was greatly improved! Sadly, the food was not as good.We ordered the tasting menu, only 1-2 dishes were satisfactory. For the rest, the presentation was there, but they did not taste good. A bit disappointed.Believe it would be quite a while before we would consider visiting again.

Speechless with the hospitality, the freshness on the plate and truly a masterpiece!!Ambiance is unbeatable. Freshwater beach, surfers riding the wave, table by the window, fresh gentle breeze that refreshes and the seamless service staff that just glide across the floor!The food is impeccable. This restaurant has been on my bucket list for the longest time and now will become one of my favourites. Every dish is thoughtfully put together. Ingredients are choicely selected to bring out the best on each plate and everything just delivers.The wine list is extensive and was glad to get help in selecting the wine - which was perfect for the day and our pallet.What really made the lunch was the fabulous hospitality. It has always made a huge difference to me when the chef himself comes out and says hello and has a chat and shares his passion for the food. Each and every member of his team are attentive and kind. Special shout out to Alessandro for his service and hospitality. Thank you for making our lunch special even though we were just a walk-in.

Pilu at Freshwater is an outstanding Sardinian cuisine- paired with the finest Italian wines and gorgeous fresh pastas and fish. Delicious! We love this restaurant!

Awesomeness squared. Beautiful food. Very traditional. Great service.

Tasty food, attentive service and friendly staff. Finally able to enjoy a beautiful meal post-lockdown to celebrate my (belatedwedding anniversary. Also great to see Chef Giovanni mingling and serving with diners throughout the evening.

Amazing Wednesday arvo sunset lunch. Arrived at 2.30, window seat and 5 course degustation: yummy Sardinia bread, exquisite 5 courses; tasty cocktails, and beautifully picked Aussie Rose to match it all. Food was truly wonderful. Great flavours and combos, decent portions, and fair pacing. We sat and chilled for 3 hours. Every server knew the origins of the dish, and our favourite, the Italian who loves Rory, was the consummate in service, friendliness; and making us feel welcome. Stunning all around.

By far one of the best dining experiences Ive had in a long time. Absolutely beautiful view, with food and wine that is perfectly paired. Cant wait to go back.

I have eaten here about four times, this has been the best time yet.Service was timely and food was delicious. Sommelier made a fantastic recommendation for the meal we were having.Very enjoyable. Highly recommend.

We held our wedding at Pilu and it was the most perfect choice for us. Our servers on the day were so lovely, with a special mention to our main server Paulo. We were lucky enough to have gorgeous weather on the day which made a small ceremony on their terrace so beautiful. Everyone couldnt stop mentioning how stunning the location was and how delicious the food was. It was a happy and memorable day for us and all of our family.

Not your usual Italian cruisin, Pilu specialises in Sardinian food featuring local products. This is our first formal dining since Covid happened, we are glad that we chose Pilu to celebrate my partners birthday as it is such a lovely beach side restaurant that makes you feel like you are really relaxing at the Mediterranean sea side in southern Italy.

We booked last minute for lunch and had a dietary requirement request and Pilu kindly accommodate with no hesitation! I can see what all the hype is about, food is amazing, view is perfect, venue is beautiful and all the staff are very friendly. There is paid parking near by but it is limited, there is some street parking.

Had my wedding here and it was the most amazing and perfect day. The staff both in the lead up to the day and on the day were incredibly helpful, ensuring everything ran smoothly on the day. It was only two months from the date we viewed the wedding to the big day itself and both event planners were always so helpful with all of my many queries. Will be returning again to this beautiful venue

A gastronomic delight! We visited for our anniversary and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The food was great, ambiance lovely, service first class and drinks beautiful. A must try in the northern beaches.

We booked a table to celebrate my wifes birthday and we had the best food experience of our life. The service was just excellent and they made us feel so special and also surprised us with a complimentary cake to celebrate my wifes birthday.Also, the food was just excellent and the garnishing was just impeccable.Thanks for such an amazing experience.

ExcellentDid the matched menu. Service was interactive, knowledgeable and excellent.Blue Swimmer Crab, Stracciatella and smoked bottargaNice fresh with a sea salt aftertaste. The matched wine is a white, sweet earthy wine which complements it very well.Venison Tartare, Caper Sauce, Pune Nuts and Riverine Buffalo Blue with northern ChardonnayI hate blue cheese but this was exception. The tartare salty with the caper sauce with a hint of pint nut. Blue gives a slight creamy hint. The Chardonnay cuts through it like a knife.Saffron Spaghetti ‘alla chitarra’ honey bugs and ‘NdujaA wheaty, Spivey dish. The spaghetti is maybe too underdone and feels a bit more tougher than it should. The Morton bay bugs are nice and add a fishy element with a strong spiced finish which is matched by the slight spice given by the matched wine.Ravioli of Juncu Cheese with Blueberries, walnut and duck jus.Blueberries, walnut and duck jus go with the red no doubt but the Juncu cheese is a palatable wrecking ball. It destroys any wine in your mouth and you can’t taste it. I tried the non premium with with this and it was hopeless. I reckon a rose is required to balance this out but one with a strong citrus slice.Snapper, Vernaccia, Green Olives, Parsley and Sea HerbNice dish. The wine only matches if you have a mouthful of green olives. It does not go without the green olives. Snapper is ok.‘Melanda Park’ free range suckling pig.Look I hate pork and crackling but this one is exceptional. The fattiness of the pork and crackling does not match the wine. There is an inherent sweetness of he wine that does not work with the pork which by nature is otherwise fatty as is the crackling.Sardinian Pastry filled with ricotta and sultanas served with local honeyBeautiful pastry. Would be perfectly matched with a Pedro Ximinex Sherry. The one with it is too late. The sultanas would match with the raisin perfectlyHad the Limocello to finishWonderful meal.The server who tolerated my incessant criticism was : Mo.Thank you Manly

Amazing experience at Pilu, the service was fantastic; with the staff being very attentive refilling water promptly and describing the dishes well. The restaurant is nicely located next to freshwater beach which is one of the better beaches around Sydney.Food was also amazing, we did the 7 course degustation and it was well worth the money, the highlight for the night was probably the spaghetti, it was cooked perfectly and sauces complemented it well. The snapper was also cooked well, and the use of what I believe is "ice plant" which they called sea herbs gave a nice surprising taste and texture.The pork was also still juicy with nice crackling on the skin. The only downside is the dish was a tad rich, if there was some more acidity to cut down the richness it wouldve been perfect.The dessert was also a tad rich with a bit too much honey, but was still good as you can avoid using too much, the filling was good and not cheesy.We ordered several cocktails to accompany our meals and they were perfect.Overall it was a great experience and would recommend the restaurant for their good food and service.

Went the eight courses, started off delightful but was a little flat towards the end with an average roast pork and crackling, two big blocks of cheese and a ricotta dessert which seemed slightly split. Service was impeccable and passionate, view was amazing. Overall, enjoyed our three hour long degustation but could have been impressed more.

Great view. Food is fairly priced and cooked perfectly. The Roast Pork is amazing. The roast potato was so great that I could have it as a main.

Fantastic experience at Pilu. The food was amazing and we loved everything that came to our table. The service was outstanding and everyone knew what they were doing. We definitely looking forward to come back to Pilu at Freshwater.

Exceptional. For starters, the relaxed ambience of the old home turned restaurant is lovely. A clean, off white palette doesnt distract from the magnificent views of Freshwater Beach. Service is relaxed and casual, in a good way. The menu presents in 2,3,5 and 8 course options. 3 courses was plenty for lunch, and reasonably priced at $98pp. Great use of Italian ingredients with a modern bent, fabulous seafood, and plenty of options for those whod prefer meat or something vegetarian. Dont go past the suckling pig if youre a pork lover.

OMG! Had the best dining experience this year! The view is fantastic but so is the friendliness and efficiency of the staff and the superb food. Compliments to the chefs. We had the 5 course degustation. Will definitely be coming back again.

Its the first time I visit here and I love it. It situated at a quiet beach park, have a bit of front yard space and wedding gazebo at another corner. The staffs are very friendly and attentitive. We picked 3 course dinner and we love all the dishes we ordered. Each dish looks simple but flavourful. I am happy to recommend this place to anyone and certainly would love to go back again.

Delicious. Everything we ate was next level. It’s quite pricey, however the experience was worth every dollar. I love it when all meals are brought to the table at the exact same time. It’s was polished and amazing all around. Go here. You’ll love it.

Delicious food. Fantastic Sardinian wines. Amazing friendly and knowledgeable wait staff.Went back again yesterday, 4 months later. Food, wine and staff were still absolutely amazing. Totally my favourite restaurant.Dec 2018 -- still my favourite! Love the good and drinks here. And the service and views are impeccable

A wonderful experience although a little stuffy. Food tasted great though have to admit we were a little disappointed with the so called Ravioli dish. There is no pasta whatsoever instead using beetroot instead of pasta to make the ravioli. If this had been made clearer I would not have ordered it. However it tasted very good. The venison was perfectly cooked and flavoursome whilst the selection of beers both Italian and Australian was hugely impressive. The staff were very knowledgeable and provided superb service.

This is a 5 stars 🌟 place! Be prepared to pay for what you get...and be prepared to be amazed ❤️Beautiful and tasty food served with style and by a professional stuff.We came here because we knew about there famous pizza 🍕 @ the Barretto and we decide to try the Sardinian cuisine I have experienced for many summer holidays there.By the way, you will be amazed by their wine selection 🍷Fantastic, we will definable come back 😏 with friends

Spent a wonderful lunch there, perfect view, very detail oriented dishes and amazing match wine by recommendation!Started with Sydney rock oysters and they were just delicious. Veal tartare was fresh, enlightened and most outstanding among three entrees and scampi one was light, refreshing too. Love the king firh, barramundi and king fish main, and the suckling pork was at the right tendon and crispy level. Chocolate cake was not too heavy after a big meal, and the orange tart was simply refreshing and creamy. The dessert in first pic was delicious too and my guests were very satisfied.Also have a good chai option. Must go one if you simpjy enjoy a delicate meal over beautiful Sydney beach view.

We went here for our wedding anniversary last year.The food are very delicious. And because my wife was expecting, her dietary requirements were recommended very meticulously by the wait staff.In addition, the waitstaff (I forgot what the name of our waiter was but he said he was from Germany and lived locally near the restaurantwas very friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating. He actually misheard my order for entree and my 3-course meal became 4-course but at a 3-course price.All in all, a very good experience on our anniversary. Friendly staff, delicious food and a great location best visited during the day to enjoy the view.

Great food, excellent, friendly service and some excellent wine on the menu. The only issue we had was that we were only planning on having a main course however the only option is either a 7 course tasting menu, 5 course tasting menu or 3 courses from the menu so we left a little fuller than planned!The duck egg entrée was slightly overwhelmed by the otherwise delicious nettle sauce, the barramundi was perfectly cooked and complimented well by the ham consume. The fig dessert was a real winner, and despite feeling full to burst was worth finding room for.