Imagined by hospitality pros (and Leighton Beach locals) Greg Leaver and Alex Brinis, Al Lupo is a beautifully designed, 120-person seaside bar and restaurant. The name, incidentally, was inspired by a canine-like doodle Leaver drew on his phone one day (lupo is Italian for “wolf”) as well as the bar’s location on the corner of Freeman Loop and Leighton Beach Boulevard.

While the menu stars oysters, scallops, octopus and good tinned fish, the kitchen’s range goes beyond seafood, spending as much time on land as it does at sea. You'll also find thoughtful cocktails that jazz up the classics, beer and a wine list featuring European and Australian bottles.

Creating a typically striking design, hospitality design whiz Michael Patroni from Space Agency maximises the bar’s coastal location with expansive wrap-around windows that bring the outside in. You can settle into the sunken sunroom, or at one of the outdoor tables that are cleverly sheltered from the wind. A contemporary vision of marble and timber throughout – some blonde, some salvaged – suggests a Sunday sesh of a higher order.