The Northern Beaches Is Getting a New Waterfront Italian Eatery from Giovanni Pilu

Sydney's northern beaches are again set to reap the rewards of acclaimed chef Giovanni Pilu's flair for regional Italian fare, as the Sardinian-born chef prepares to open his next bar and restaurant venture this weekend.

Sister to Pilu at Freshwater, the soon-to-launch AcquaFresca by Pilu is a local take on the coastal trattorias of Italy, complete with al fresco dining, a share-friendly food offering and some primo waterfront views. It's also expected to have significantly cheaper prices than Pilu at Freshwater, so will be a way to experience Pilu's renowned fare with burning a hole through your pocket.

The menu will feature a hefty antipasti offering with burrata and candied tomato crostini, and a bite-sized assembly of mortadella, farinata and pickled fennel. Add a drop or two from the strong list of both Italian and local pouring wines and you've got yourself an ideal after-work scenario.

Deeper in, you'll find freshly rolled pasta — think pumpkin gnocchi with burnt butter, sage and truffle pecorino — along with a handful of mains and pizzas, made on dough proved in-house for 48 hours. Local beers and a crop of classic-leaning cocktails and spritzes round out the beachside fun.

The restaurant will open inside the new Harbord Diggers, a $160 million dining and entertainment precinct in the northern beaches. Run by the Mounties Group, and replacing the former club overlooking Freshwater and Curl Curl Beach, the precinct will be home to a slew of bars and restaurants — including AcquaFresca, Teddy Larkin's Seafood and Steakhouse, pan-asian eatery WaterDragon and a new Harbord Diggers Bar — childcare facilities and a new senior living residences called Watermark Freshwater.

These will all be part of Harbord Diggers' stage one openings, happening this Saturday, June 30. The second stage, slated to open in late 2019, will include a new fitness and aquatic centre and the completion of Watermark Freshwater.

AcquaFresca by Pilu will open in Harbord Diggers, 88 Evans St, Freshwater, on Saturday, June 30.