Driving along the Mornington Peninsula, you’ll typically come across two main food options: refined winery restaurants and bright, beachy cafes.
“We found that there’s just a lack of casual eateries down here,” says Nora’s Pizza House co-owner Kael Sahely. “So we really wanted to set something up that wasn’t beachy … It’s set up to be like you’re in a city venue. It’s a bit darker, it’s a little bit moodier. You won’t see any surfboards hanging off the wall.”
If anyone knows what makes a good “city venue” it’s Kael. With his brother Matt Sahely, he’s opened a string of popular Melbourne cafes, including Pillar of Salt, Touchwood and Vacation.
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SIGN UPBut it’s the magic of the brothers’ Armadale restaurant Neighbourhood Pizza – co-owned with their father Elias Sahely and another sibling duo, Matt and Emily Stribley – that Kael has transported down to the ‘Ninch.
Kael has partnered with chef Safal Aryal (ex-Neighbourhood Pizza) and Mike Arena – co-owner of Kael’s other Peninsula spot, the heaving St Paul’s General Store. At Nora’s, the focus is on Italian classics, including antipasto, hand-stretched pasta and pizza with red or garlic-based sauces.
“There’s a lot of younger people that live down here who have been priced out of the pointy end of the Peninsula,” says Kael. “We wanted to target that sort of younger demographic, between the age of 25 and 35, looking for somewhere to go that’s not a pub or an RSL.”
Menu standouts include spicy rigatoni in vodka sauce with stracciatella and basil, as well as the Ode to Roberta’s pizza (a nod to the influential Brooklyn pizzeria) topped with fior di latte, soppressata, stracciatella and honey.
There are classic cocktails and four spritzes: Campari, Aperol, Limoncello and Hugo. The team went against the grain for wines. Rather than showcasing Peninsula wineries, the list mainly focuses on Italian and French drops. There are also some premium wines for special occasions, selected from Independent Wine Store just next door.
Kael’s wife, property specialist Rebecca Sahely, took charge of the venue’s design. “We were trying to avoid the coastal image of a lot of restaurants down here,” he says. “All the white picket fences, the cream umbrellas.”
Instead, the venue is a mix of dark timber furniture, olive green panelled walls and terracotta tiles. There’s a generous outdoor seating area for the warmer months, while the inside dining room feels cosy and inviting, with warm lighting and a record player spinning vinyl.
Kael hopes Nora’s will be a favourite spot for people living in the area – not just a place that caters to tourists. “We’ve got all our locals in mind, what they might be after,” he says. “We wanted to give those who live down here a place to call their own.”
Nora’s Pizza House
2113 Point Nepean Road, Rye
5985 3967
Hours:
Thur to Sat 4pm–10.30pm
Sun to wed 4pm–9.30