Frankston might be in for its hottest summer yet with the opening of Roccella Lido, a lively all-day eatery (with killer views) inside the local yacht club.

November 1, 2026

Roccella Lido

Italian$$

Whatever else summer in Melbourne might mean – a daily dose of gelato, picnics under shady trees, bingsu at midnight – it now also means pizza at Frankston Beach. Roccella Lido is a new Italian restaurant inside the Frankston Yacht Club building, in an upstairs expanse that’s been (unfathomably) empty for years. Right on the beach, the huge dining room (plus event spaces) offers killer sunset views via floor-to-ceiling west-facing windows that can be opened when the wind is kind. A stepped floorplan means those further back still enjoy a decent outlook.

Open since late September, Roccella Lido instantly became a lively gathering place for the outer bayside suburbs. Locals are so happy to have the space inhabited, they popped by with flowers and cards of welcome, then booked in for a meal. As you might imagine for a casual all-day restaurant with 250 or so seats, it’s a practical wipe-clean space with clean lines and smart but straightforward finishes. The colour palette is terracotta, potted lemon trees bake in imagined Sicilian sunshine, and stripy accents in blue, yellow and white evoke the beach umbrellas and sun lounges you might rent at a namesake Italian “lido” (beach club).

Roccella’s menu of antipasti, pasta and pizza is as notable for its inclusivity as for anything else. There’s plenty for vegetarians, halal diners and kids, and every dish is available gluten-free, including the pizzas. (It’s $5 extra for a coeliac-friendly pizza and they’re pretty good, though they don’t have the fluffy, stretchy rise of wheat flour.) Gluten-eaters can also choose a crisp Roman-style base, or a charcoal-infused jet-black version, which is neither more healthy nor more tasty but definitely has drama. For me, it’s the sourdough, risen for two days then stretched into a thin, floppy Napoli-style pizza, slung with classic toppings.

Sourdough is left to rise for two days then stretched into a floppy Napoli-style pizza.Pete Dillon

Chef Francesco Crifo is that rare Italian who rates pineapple on pizza – but only if it’s done his way, which means smoked and wood-roasted pineapple, with fior di latte, prosciutto and a drizzle of vincotto to bring home the sweet-tart flavour collision. I’ll be back for the Norma, with sugo, fried eggplant and two textures of ricotta, one creamy, one salted.

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Build out your meal with fresh-sliced salumi and house pickles, textbook fritto misto with a good range of bite-size seafood battered in rice flour, and beef bolognese (eschewing pork, so it’s halal) tumbled with shell-like cavatelli pasta that snuggles adoringly with the sauce. Tiramisu is layered with gluten-free savoiardi biscuits (house-made, which is impressive), but if you’re a Jaffa fan, you’ll want the dense, moist choc-orange cake.

Offerings are tremendous for groups of 10 or more. For $40, there’s all-you-can-eat pizza and pasta; for $70, the banquet also includes antipasti, salads and desserts. They’ll keep the food coming until you’re too stuffed to “fare una passegiata” (take a walk).

Roccella Lido is located upstairs at the Frankston Yacht Club, right on the beach.Pete Dillon

This is the third Roccella. The first one opened in East Melbourne in 2020 and a Bundoora restaurant followed two years ago. There are already plans for a fourth restaurant in Dromana, a little further along the bay. When I reviewed the East Melbourne operation in 2023, I noted the ownership group includes Sicilian chef and pizza obsessive Crifo and brothers Joe and Bruno Ceraso who spent years at national chain restaurant Schnitz.

The mix of artisan passion and expansionist commercial nous is powerful: this is a business run on systems and consistency as well as passion. My visit in the early weeks had a few hiccups, but I trust this team to keep training staff, refining protocols, and serving community.

Frankston was already on the up as a food destination. With Roccella Lido bringing Italian flair to the foreshore, there’s another significant feather in the Franga cap. The Lido love-in might make this Frankston’s hottest summer yet.

Three more waterfront restaurants to try

Captain Jacques

The Yaringa Boat Harbour restaurant that was Cptn Jack’s has been reborn and renamed. Local French favourite Cesar Henry closed his Mornington bistro Ouest and reopened at this charming waterfront spot. Expect classics such as steak tartare, steamed mussels, and fish with bisque sauce.

1 Lumeah Road, Somerville, captainjacques.com.au

Cerberus Beach House

Since 2009, this two-speed kiosk and restaurant at Melbourne’s most scenic beach has been serving seafood by the seaside. Stay at strand level for fish and chips, or head upstairs for a bistro experience with a broad menu.

212 Half Moon Bay, Black Rock, cerberusbeachhouse.com.au

Geelong Boat House

A barge anchored in Corio Bay serves fish and chips for eating on the deck, taking to the lawn nearby (ask to borrow a blanket), or even lowered into your boat, should your own fishing expedition fail to deliver the goods.

Western Foreshore Road, Geelong, geelongboathouse.com.au

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.

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Source: The Sydney Morning Herald · Dani Valent

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