Quick Bites:
đ What we ate: Pesto chicken penne, salsiccia woodfired pizza, and saltimbocca (aka veal wrapped in prosciutto)
đˇÂ Best for: Cozy date nights, intimate celebrations, or âletâs eat good foodâ kind of evenings. Reservations recommended (we were lucky they had a free table!)
đ
 Location perks: Right near the waterâif you time it right, you can catch the sunset first.
â Vibe: Warm, inviting, just fancy enough to feel special but never pretentious.
đ Where? Warnerâs Bay
đ° Price:Â $$ – $$$
Emilios at Warner’s Bay – an Italian restaurant in a suburb within Lake Macquarie, NSW – is a perfect spot for when you want a cosy, intimate dinner with a view.
My family and I went to Warner’s Bay to go stroll by the lake and visit some playgrounds there that we knew our three year old would love. It’s not a short drive – about 40 minutes from where we live, but I find it’s always worth it to drive there.
That day, we had one simple plan: catch the sunset and eat good food. The air was crisp, the lake calm, and our toddler was happily running in that end-of-the-day, slightly wild way that makes bedtime feel both necessary and impossible.
Of course, then, hunger hit. We’re not too familiar with the area so we started walking around. Thatâs when we spotted Emilioâsâa warm, twinkly Italian spot right near the water, with the kind of glow that makes you instinctively say, letâs eat there!
We grabbed a table and settled in.
Food at Emilios
Emilio’s Warner’s Bay full menu here: See menu here
We started with the pesto chicken penne, which arrived steaming hot, coated in a creamy, herby sauce that clung to every bite. Then came the salsiccia, straight from the woodfire oven, loaded with mozzarella, Italian sausage, mushrooms, garlic, chilli oil, oregano, and basil with that perfect crispy-chewy crust. And because we believe in over-ordering, we also got the saltimbocca â tender veal wrapped in prosciutto, served in a garlicky and butter cream sauce that made us pause mid-bite just to take it in.
The Vibe: Cozy but polished. Itâs the kind of place where you could have a date night, a quiet celebration, or just a âwe need good foodâ kind of meal. Tables glow with candlelight and conversation hums in the background. And because we like to people watch, we noticed there were a lot of intimate celebrations, which is always a great thing to see.Â
Pesto Penne – $30
Veal Saltimbocca – $38
Salsiccia – $25
Should you eat here?
Would we go back? Absolutely. Next time, Iâd love to sit outside, soak in the lake views, and order an espresso martini for research purposes.
Have you been? Whatâs your must-order at an Italian restaurant? (For me, itâs anything involving pesto, but my husband is all about pizza, so we âcompromiseâ by getting both.)
Tuesday – Sunday:Â
Lunch – Midday to 3.00pm
Dinner – 5.00pm to 10.00pm
Website: https://www.emiliositalian.com.au/
Phone:Â 02 4947 1896
Email:Â info@emiliositalian.com.au
