Pilu at Freshwater — Restaurant in Sydney

Updated Review - May 2025

My husband and I have been to Pilu years ago, and the moment we walked out, we knew this was where we wanted to get married one day. 3 years later, we came back for our micro wedding/lunch ceremony, and it was everything we dreamed of and more. From the very beginning, the whole experience was amazing. Sofia (event coordinator) made everything so smooth, the sommelier was good, helpful with wine recommendations, and on the day itself, our waiter Pepe was an absolute star; he was so entertaining, attentive, and just the best energy to have around.

And, the food ... wow... Hands down to chefs! Every guest kept telling us how incredible the food was... even guests with special dietary requirements enjoyed the food.

The view is just breathtaking. We had visitors from overseas so great idea to have the ceremony by the beach.

If you are looking for a venue to hold a small ceremony/lunch reception, I would highly recommend.

Initial Review - November 2022

I recently had a wonderful experience at Pilu. First of all, I must give a shoutout to Lucas for providing exceptional service. His professionalism and great recommendations made our experience truly special. I would rate the service 5 out of 5.

The venue itself is lovely and perfect for a lunch date. The veranda area offers a stunning view of Freshwater beach that you won't want to miss. I would also give the venue a 5 out of 5 rating.

Now, let's talk about the food. The oysters, Polpo (octopus dish), Granchio, and Lamb with potatoes were definitely the highlights of the meal. Each dish was well-prepared and delicious. However, I must admit that the desserts were just average and didn't quite blow my mind. Overall, I would rate the food 4 out of 5.

If you're a fan of wine or cocktails, I highly recommend asking the sommelier for wine pairings with your meal. We enjoyed some fantastic wines from the Sardinian region and a refreshing Aperol Spritz that was perfect for the summer weather.

To sum it up, I would definitely return to Pilu and recommend it to others. The service, venue, and food were all great, and I look forward to...

Excellent

Did the matched menu. Service was interactive, knowledgeable and excellent.

Blue Swimmer Crab, Stracciatella and smoked bottarga

Nice 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 Chardonnay

I 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 ‘Nduja

A 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 Herb

Nice 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 honey

Beautiful pastry. Would be perfectly matched with a Pedro Ximinex Sherry. The one with it is too late. The sultanas would match with the raisin perfectly

Had the Limocello to finish

Wonderful meal.

The server who tolerated my incessant criticism was :...

Atmosphere: 5/5

Portion: 2/5

Price: 1/5

Service: 5/5

Meals: 4/5

Coffee: 2/5

Value for money: 1/5

Pilu at Freshwater was a nice experience at Freshwater. My first time at Freshwater.

The meals were delicious just that portion was too small and over priced. The coffees we had (long black, mocha and cuppa) were average. It could use more coffee flavour rather than milk or water flavour.

The crackers with abbamele ricotta and honey truffle dip was delicious.

The service was excellent. When the waitstaffs served to tables they explained what the dish is also explains how it's cooked and what the ingredients are. Never before I've ever had such excellent service with a warm welcome and politeness. They've shown they care about their job, and shown full care towards customers.

Seadas dessert was average, no "wow" factor but the Torroncino with mandarin mustard dessert was YUMMY I would've had asked for a second one or bought one for take away but I wasn't bothered. But that dessert was, in my opinion, PERFECT.... I would recommend this dessert to everyone. Yuzu Sorbet was nice too, loved the "sourness" of it (it might be too sour to some people, but for me I can take that sourness).

Only downfall is portion of the dishes. I can understand it's fine dining (or almost) but after finishing I wasn't even full yet. Lamb was delicious and well cooked

Yellowfin tuna was delicious too, just only small. And the mussels were also delicious, but again, portion is too small. That in my opinion, the price they charge is overly priced but I can understand why Also because of location.

There's no complaints from me, I'm just describing what this place is like and how their food and service is Despite being over priced it was still a comfortable and happy experience...