Overview
In the last weekend of June, Sydney's northern beaches gained a multi-million dollar dining and entertainment precinct. The jewel in its crown (apart from its stunning views) is acclaimed chef Giovanni Pilu's new restaurant AcquaFresca.
A local take on the coastal trattorias of Italy, the sister restaurant to Pilu at Freshwater is complete with al fresco dining, a share-friendly food offering and some primo views across Freshwater and Curl Curl Beach. It also has significantly cheaper prices than its upmarket sister, so is a way to experience Giovanni's renowned fare with burning a hole through your pocket.
The precinct is home to a slew of other bars and restaurants, too, including Teddy Larkin's Seafood and Steakhouse with racks of ribs, burgers and many, many steaks; pan-asian eatery WaterDragon, which is serving up everything from peking duck pancakes, to Vietnamese rolls and matcha smoothies; and DD Collective, a new cafe from the chef behind Sydney's much-loved Buffalo Dining Club.
If you're just looking to sip on a pint — or an espresso martini — while soaking up the sweeping ocean views, you can head to the new Harbord Diggers Bar. The team from the bar's previous incarnation has teamed up with the folk from Manly Wharf Hotel to reinvent and breath a new lift into the former club.
Harbord Diggers doesn't stop at food, either. The $160 million dining and entertainment, run by the Mounties Group, is also home to childcare facilities and a new senior living residences called Watermark Freshwater. When the precinct's second stage opens in late 2019, it will include a new fitness and aquatic centre. In the meantime, you can head along to one of it's free morning yoga session — to head along you just need to sign up for a Mounties membership (which'll only set you back $6 for the year).
Find Harbord Diggers at 88 Evans St, Freshwater.