PROFILE BY BEST RESTAURANTS
Perched high on a corner on Mooloolaba Esplanade, Augello's restaurant has been home to the Sunshine Coast's most beloved pizzas for more than a decade. Munching on a thin and crispy base while looking out to the crashing waves and rolling liquid horizon is just one of the many reasons that keep the punters coming. Both locals and tourists gravitate to this family friendly restaurant, a bustling pizzeria which rolled its first base back in 1995. Dine alfresco downstairs and soak up the ocean breeze or scoot on up to the first level where you can peer out to the iconic "Loo with a View" and the passers-by below. If heights are not your thing, avert your eyes to the kitchen and the deft hands slicing, dicing and rolling the dough – a sure-fire way to work up an appetite.
Channel a bit of Italy and begin with the traditional antipasto platter for two; cold cured meats jostle with pickled vegetables atop tasty pizza bread. The littlies will find much to satisfy on the kids' menu, while those with bigger appetites can navigate the pastas, salads, risottos and calzones on offer. But most come here for the award-winning pizzas – thin discs of dough, loaded with deliciously fresh produce. When dining by the ocean, why not take advantage of the fresh seafood on offer with the pescatore – ocean-dwellers bond with tomato, cheese, garlic and oregano. The vegetarian offering is a garden bed of delicious greens; eggplant, artichoke, avocado, roasted pepper, sun-dried tomato, mushrooms, pineapple, onion and olives are complemented with cheese, oregano and garlic. Fussier bellies can opt for the "watch-mar-call-it" and construct their own. Wash it all down with a selection from the wine list or a signature cocktail – then simply sit back and enjoy the view.
Lauren Barker