Always an amazing fine dining experience at Pilu Service , chill hushed but not uncomfortable vibe with the sounds of laughter and good conversation flowing as smoothly as the wine Have been enjoying the delicacies served on every plate since day one of opening and not once been disappointed Authentic Sardinian specialty dishes are the stars of the show , for me the tasting menus are the go to and always if possible the suckling pig as it is simply sensational Views over Freshwater beach with amazing sunsets or afternoon cocktails is a must Parking depending on timing is available in the public car park but can be a little tight given it is eight next to the beach Pilu is one of Sydney's best and def top of the list for me anyway North of the Harbour bridge read more

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This plane has been a long time favorite of mine since they opened the doors some 18 years ago. Used to come here semi regularly and came back today after being away for twelve years. It's just as good as it was years ago and the service is on point, friendly and excellent. Food here is amazing and I am so happy they kept my favourite dish the suckling pig on their menu all these years, it was spectacular. The baba dessert was also amazingly good and they have an excellent wine list that is well priced. The views here are amazing and I could spend a whole afternoon sipping wine and cocktails and enjoying amazing food. It's as good as I remembered it from years ago and everything was on point. Would come back here in a heartbeat :-) one of the few places where it is all about the food, service and atmosphere. read more

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Our evening at Pilu was exceptional. The food was amazing, a true taste of Sardinia, definitely a meal to remember. The service was outstanding, thank you Sophia and your colleagues for great recommendations. We love Pilu for our family celebrations. Thank you to all the staff. read more

Pilu at Freshwater is definitely worth a visit for a taste of Sardinia, particularly perfect on a beautiful sunny day. Our table, although it was not right next to the windows, it still gave us a view of Freshwater beach. Several tables moved outside at the end of their main meal to enjoy the cheese platter and wine. Highly recommend this if you can, to end a great afternoon at Pilu. The service at Pilu is pretty spot on. Waiters and waitresses bringing dishes from our tasting menu accompanied with detailed explanations of the dishes minus the feeling that they were doing it for the thousandth time. I was really impressed at the friendliness of the staff. To top it off, one of the waiters turned out to be an amazing tenor and sang an acapella arietta in the middle of the restaurant, which stopped the whole restaurant in its tracks. Not something you would normally experience at a hatted restaurant. We started with bread served with Sardinian olive oil and sea salt. Out came the Amuse Bouche (tuna tartare) . It wasn't spectacular but then again I personally don't recall ever having an amazing Amuse Bouche. The first course was 'Scampi with sea urchin butter'. The scampi meat was cooked perfectly and was so sweet matching wonderfully with the sea urchin butter sauce. I could have kept going on these the whole afternoon! The second dish was 'Ravioli of potato, mint and pecorino with burnt butter, sage and black truffle'. The ravioli was cooked perfectly - al dente, though 2 ravioli seemed just a little on the small side (even for a dish in a tasting menu) The third dish was my favourite and I am still having cravings for it! 'Fregola with tomato and cured meat ragu'. The waiter explained the tiny pasta balls are made from semolina dough and rolled on terracotta. At first I would have thought that it would be quite strong in taste but it was delightfully light. Our palate cleanser, 'Orange & olive sorbet' (orange sorbet with chopped black olives on the bottom) was very refreshing. It is definitely something for those (me), who are into sweet and salty at the same time. The first main was 'Snapper fillet with Vernaccis and green olives'. The waitress explained that this dish is a match made in heaven if you have it with the matching wine - Contini 'Karmis' - Bianco Tharros IGT). I am sure it would be if the fish wasn't so salty. Unfortunately, I struggled to finish the fish as a result of this. Though the green olives did go well. The next main was Pilu's specialty dish. 'Oven roasted suckling pig, served on the bone with condiments'. It was presented on a wooden board which gave it a nice rustic feel. I love roasted pig especially with the crackling so this dish to me was good. Just one thing noted and this was, the pig was slightly on the fatty side. It was served with 3 condiments - orange marmalade, apples and pesto. The orange marmalade was the stand out as it worked well with the richness of the pork. With our mains over, the best part was to come. 'Sardinian fried pastry filled with fresh ricotta and sultanas, served with warm corbezzolo honey!! OMG! This dessert is truly sensational. I seriously think we should start and end with this dish! To finish off the tasting menu, some honey meringues and almond macaroons! For $115 per person ($175 per person with matching wine), the food, the service and the view were definitely up there with the top hatted restaurants. I thouroughly enjoyed the dining experience and would highly recommend Pilu. read more

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Pilu at Freshwater! This was one of my first meals in Sydney when I moved here 3 years ago. I took my now-fiance on his birthday back in 2012 and we LOVED it. Had the suckling pig and excellent wine and it was a meal to remember for ages. Haven't stopped recommending it to people. Since we're based in the CBD and it's a trip up to the northern beaches, this is not a frequent visit. But we decided to come back for his birthday this year and it just wasn't the same. Can't say that the food was terrible? But it was disappointing compared to 2012. He had the pig terrine and it was actually no more than two pieces together resembling a sandwich? Maybe Mr Pilu was going for a hip/funky thing but it just didn't work. I had the rainbow trout, fennel, herbs and tomato ... because I adore seafood. This was also disappointing, a measly piece of fish in a small clear broth with a few tomatoes. It was fine? But just missed the mark because my standards for Pilu are just so high! Perhaps we had an off night. I will still recommend this to people and refer to my amazing experience in 2012 ... read more

Pilu at Freshwater - Italian Near Me - Freshwater, NSW

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Excellent. Good service; attentive. The food was inventive and flavours went together well. The flickering light was nauseating but damn, nothing they could do. The place was noisy, though. Tables packed too closely. read more

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Salt air, Vitamin D, Single Origin coffee and watching the surf with a nice fat suckling pig on a Sonoma panino. Yeah baby the weekend has started ..... with gluttony in its finest. Cafe Pilu is like a beach shack in appearance and in size with a nice deck to admire the beach view - cute if want for a better word. As we have not been able to book at Pilu we have loved the self imposed challenge of trying to eat everything at Pilu Kiosk. Today is a repeat however of our favourite Pilu Kiosk sandwich of suckling pig, apple and mustard mayonnaise with rocket on Sonoma bread. Its moist and the bread is airy with a crunchy crust. A beautiful vegetarian sandwich option is the Eggplant, Provola, oven roasted tomatoes and pesto. And to complete it all we select a sweet a nutella filled pastry that we break in half to see the freshness than sink our teeth into its softness. We takeaway so we can sit at the bench and chairs and take in the heavenly surroundings. Freshwater you are my heart. read more

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Updating my three year old review, this is still a good spot with excellent food. Service is very good, making continual special efforts to see that we were taken care of. Combined with the good food, this is a great spot for lunch. read more

Pilu is an amazing restaurant set on the shores of Freshwaters beach in Sydney's Northern beaches. The restaurant is set in a old beachside looking house that has been converted into a restaurant with breathtaking views on the Sydney harbour. Ideal time of going would be dinner (sunset or evenings). Its just amazing views. In terms of food, the dishes I had were absolutely divine. I was there with my partner and we had a eight course tasting menu. From the beginning to the end the food was just superb. The dishes got better and better 'till the very last desert dish. Service is great, just as you would expect at a restaurant like this. The waiters were very helpful when it came to my diary intolerances and catered for my needs with no prior notice. As the dishes were coming out the waiter explained all our dishes with our complimenting wine. The price is a little high, however the experience you get from this restaurant is priceless. From its amazing location with beautiful scenery to the food that was amazing and finally to the service that was outstanding - Pilu is by far one of the best restaurants I have ever been to. I would recommend this place to all my friends and family. read more

Great food. Very expensive though. I love the staff, all very friendly. Not sure if he still works there but Ben M was amazing! Always a smile! read more

The view is amazing. The food does not disappoint. We started with the stuffed Calamari and kingfish tartare. Very tasty and crisp dishes to start of the meal. We had been advised by many to have the suckling pork. It serves two at ~$100. Sensational. Everything you could want in a pig. Thin and crispy crackling meat was tender and falling off the bone with some nice simple condiments. The meal was very filling. The food will not leave you hungry. So why only 3 stars? There was a hair in my food and while these things happen for $120+ a person i expect better. Drinks service was also very slow. The staff were helpful, polite and courteous and knew the menu and wine selections very well. I would recommend going; as from all the feedback i have from friends has been very positive. I would suggest lunch time or summer dinner to take full advantage of the view. read more

Lovely place for lunch with a view. I had the 7 course degustation and everything was amazing. You must try their crackling pork It's one of the best I've had in Sydney. read more

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The location, atmosphere, Staff and the food complemented each other perfectly. My partner had the seven courses with matching wines and I had five without ( I was the named driver) All I can say for a Wednesday evening .. Amazing. Thank you to all the staff and the owner of course Juliana 29/10/15 read more

When you go to Pilu you are about to enjoy an Italian fine dining experience. Be prepared to spend, it is great experience the wine list is exhaustive and deciding verges on exhausting but they have all been expertly selected. The food is exquisite and the service great. This combination makes it great place to book for significant celebration. read more

Pilu is overrated. It is beautifully placed at the edge of Freshwater Beach, the atmosphere is nice; placed in a beach side house. Service in our case was good, although I see from other reviews that it can be spotty. Wine list, especially Italians, is very solid and deserves the recognition it gets from Wine Spectator and others. All this is important of course, but it's really all about the food, right? This is frankly a lot more hit and miss. We have been to Pilu twice: the first time as a large group and this past weekend with just another couple. My dishes seemed well conceived on the menu, but just didn't come through in execution. Case in point, the pecorino consume was so salty you couldn't taste the rest of the soup and finer points of the cheese itself. Sure, pecorino is a salty cheese, but this dish was not well balanced. The wagyu beef dish again was well set up, but the meat itself was so fatty (and as fat goes, beef fat is not high on my list of delicacies), it made eating it rather unpleasant. There were some highlights though - my wife's chicken dish as good and the side of roasted pumpkin was very nice. One true standout was the chocolate dessert. A dollop of chocolate moussy icecream on top of a home made biscuit and a layer of frozen parsley. Yup - parsley. But this bitterness of the parsley with the richness of the chocolate was so unexpected and extraordinarily delicious. At least we ended on a high! read more

Sorry, Pilu was #fail in every sense. Service was absolute rubbish - 15 minutes to take a drink order, 20 minutes more to take a food order. We were one of only 4-5 tables and had a 6:30pm booking, yet it took 1 hour and 40 minutes before our mains arrived. It was so frustrating I actually got up and walked into the kitchen to ask what the deal was. To top it off the food was mediocre at best. read more

Great restaurant ambiance and delicious food. My two gripes are the lady maître de was unfriendly and, after I had informed the waiter that neither myself or my guest drank, the pre dessert was drenched in alcohol and we weren't told this would be the case nor was it mentioned on the menu. As someone who has had alcohol issues in the past, hence the not drinking for many years, getting a mouthful of alcohol was not a good thing. Other than this couple of small issues it was a great overall experience. read more

Excellent service, food is absolutely amazing. I would highly recommend getting there early in the winter months to enjoy the view. If you're on a budget then this place is not for you but it's definitely worth every cent. The guy that gave it 2 stars should probably look into heading to McDonalds if he wants fast food. Every time I've been to Pilu I've spent a good 2 hours there because its a relaxing place. Most restaurants are trying to get you out the door so they can turn over as many customers as possible. Get on it! read more

Pilu Kiosk is in a gorgeous location right on Freshwater Beach. Coffee and food are delish but its a little overpriced for what is it.

Sit inside the picturesque Pilu court garden basking in the sunny shadow of the main restaurant residence, and feel like you're inside the pages of a Vogue Living magazine... styled to relaxed beachside perfection. Or take away and sit on the rolling green grassed area outside for more of a sea breeze and a broader beach view. The restaurant is famous for its suckling pig, and the kiosk follows suit with its signature "suckling pig" panino served on Sonomo sourdough, brimming with lush green foliage... and so big you might not be able to jump over it (just try putting it in your mouth). The schracciata with ham and cheese is like a toasted sandwich with golden layers of flaky pastry in place of bread. A sure fire hangover treat, but it's hard to stop at one. Excellent Origin coffee is a great way to kick off any day at Freshy. Relaxed upmarket café fare and vibe feels effortlessly styled to within an inch of its life. Welcome to Freshy Beach chic. read more

Pilu at Freshwater - Italian Near Me - Freshwater, NSW

14 dollars for a tiny pork sandwich? The sandwich was nice, but this is a kiosk and that is not kiosk price. Also service with a smile means nothing to the service staff, maybe it's cool to be grumpy, but the service industry is not the job for you. read more

Excellent hatted restaurant. My partner and I recently went to sardinia and stayed on the west coast. The food at pilu is as good as they get in sardinia and pilu's wines are wonderful especially the vermentino's. Giovanni can really cook! read more

Our Experience was exceptional the food and service so refreshing! Like no other ! Definitely will return thank you for the pleasant Experience read more

By far the best restaurant in Sydney. Giovanni came out to see if we enjoyed our dinner. Felt like we were part of an Italian family. The suckling pig just can't be missed. Will go back again and again. read more

A special lunch with an old group of friends turned into an expensive disappointment. The specials were explained and majority of us ordered those. 15 minutes later we were told they had run out and we had to pick something else. Another 10 minutes passed and we were told we had to pick some different mains... What kind of system is a 2 hat restaurant running? How emabarrassing. With 7 years restaurant experience in my past working life- I have never seen this happen twice. Even a simple kitchen would have a running tally of specials and the waiter must get in quick with their orders. Incorrect meals were delivered to our table, and then there was a lot of confusion and subsequently they were removed- wine was splashed on my clothing when it was poured.. And then the bill came to $130 a head without dessert. Definitely left extremely disappointed- why on Earth the manager was not brought over to apologise after all the stuff ups is beyond me. I have eaten here once before and can assume it was a bad day, however, for the cost of the courses- approx $30 entree, $50 mains, $20 desserts and $100+ wines- they should have done better, much better. After discussing our poor experience with numerous other foodies it appears other people have had negative experiences and it has gone downhill. read more